Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
“We know that low-income, minority communities would be hardest hit.” That’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, speaking about the higher energy prices that would result from the Obama administration’s recently announced climate regulations on power plants. The Clean Power Plan, which will require drastic cuts in 47 states’ carbon dioxide emissions—consequently shifting America’s energy…
A litigation battle is raging between the states and President Barack Obama over his attempt to impose a nationwide “sanctuary” policy for illegal aliens. Yet there is no question that existing sanctuary policies implemented by numerous towns and cities have victimized innocent Americans. Those sanctuary policies have enabled illegal aliens to commit thousands of crimes—crimes…
In the eyes of the Obama administration, California is the gold standard for state energy policy. The feds lavishly laud the Golden State’s aggressive green energy mandates and stringent energy efficiency requirements. But few states have jumped on California’s green energy bandwagon—and with good reason. Exhibit A: The green jobs initiative passed in 2012. Turns…
Initially, I thought the news was beyond parody. The Associated Press last week ran a story headlined “U.N. to let Iran inspect nuke work site.” I soon realized that this revelation—a secret side agreement under which Iran is to police its own suspected nuclear weapons facilities—was too ludicrous not to parody. The host of a radio talk show asked…
The United States Navy has been shrinking for decades and is now at levels last seen in the 1930s. Politicians on both sides of the aisle say they want to reverse that trend. But is a larger Navy really affordable? Today’s Navy has 273 active-duty ships—14 percent fewer than were afloat on 9/11. During his 2012 presidential…
Back in grad school (not all that long ago), we pondered whether a central bank should target equity (or other asset) prices to conduct monetary policy. In theory, as the value of consumers’ stock portfolios rises, they will spend more, because they are wealthier. It turned out, though, that the empirical link among monetary policy,…
President Obama addressed the nation in a continued effort to reverse Americans’ declining support for the Iran deal. In the past few days alone, more than 900 rabbis have voiced their opposition to the deal. In addition, a group of almost 200 retired generals and admirals have signed a letter urging Congress to reject the…
Last week, two female Army officers and West Point graduates made history when they successfully passed Army Ranger School, known as one of the most physically challenging and difficult leadership schools in the military. Not only is this a phenomenal personal accomplishment, but they have paved the way for other women to advance in the…
A job training program for disadvantaged youth—sounds like a good thing. Except maybe when it is plagued by violent crime and doesn’t boost participants’ wages or help them secure full-time jobs. Each year, Congress spends in excess of $1.65 billion on Job Corps, even though Department of Labor research found years ago that Job Corps does…
More than 50 years ago, Milton Friedman’s seminal work “Capitalism and Freedom” reminded Americans of the founding principles that made us greatest nation on Earth (economic and political freedom, individualism, and the rule of law). America’s greatness lies in its people’s faith in these ideals and the constitution that embodies them. Central to Friedman’s vision—and…
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) just issued a ruling likely to destroy the franchise business model. To understand how far-reaching this could be, it should be noted that almost 9 million Americans work at over 780,000 franchised businesses. From Jiffy Lube to Terminex to Wendy’s, franchises enable many Americans to run their own small…
On Aug. 27, 2015, a federal district judge in North Dakota issued an order delaying the effective date of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s and the Army Corps of Engineers’ rule defining what waters they can regulate under the Clean Water Act. According to a press release from the North Dakota attorney general’s office: In today’s order, Judge Erickson agreed that…
Nile Gardiner wrote earlier this week on the president's comments: Just back from his annual summer vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, President Barack Obama has returned to disparaging his political adversaries and anyone who happens to disagree with him on policy. According to a report in Politico, the president has taken to describing opponents of the…
The Federal Reserve opened its annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Thursday. Its experts have assembled to discuss “inflation dynamics.” Concurrently, another group of economists and financial experts is meeting just down the road. They’re discussing monetary policy, as well, but they’re considering questions never raised at Fed symposia—questions like: “Do we really need the…
CANCUN, Mexico – After China went Communist in the late 1940s, conservatives liked to ask “who lost China?” That same question occurred to me on Tuesday, when China made it clear that it’s not likely to sign or ratify the controversial Arms Trade Treaty any time soon. The answer to the question this time seems…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has just filed a lawsuit intended to block students from participating in Nevada’s groundbreaking near-universal education savings account (ESA) option. The ESA option was signed into law this spring by Gov. Brian Sandoval, R-Nev., and began accepting applications a few weeks ago. More than 2,200 parents have already applied…
The thwarted terrorist attack by three Americans on a Paris bound train last week exposed a flaw in terrorist tactics. Spreading fear with violence (the goal of terrorism) is not possible when populations fight back. The botched attack demonstrated vulnerabilities in a command and control terror strategy, and shows a break down in the sequence…
Airplane manufacturer Boeing is suggesting that it will lay off "several hundred" workers by the end of the year unless lawmakers resurrect the now-defunct Export-Import Bank. Let's put things in perspective. Here's the thing: Airlines in the United States and abroad are desperate for a Boeing aircraft. One American CEO acknowledged, "It's a really good time to…
Drones can now legally fight criminals in the United States with non-lethal weapons thanks to a recently amended bill in North Dakota. The law’s author, Rep. Rick Becker, originally wanted to require police to secure a warrant for drone surveillance. But then local law enforcement managed to sneak in the right to equip drones with tasers or…
Few social science findings are as durable, consistent, and striking as the idea that children fare better when under the care of two biological parents (on a whole slew of indicators). This is as close to a law of gravity as we have in sociology. Unfortunately, there are a slew of scholars who have ignored…