Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Presidents in recent decades carefully tried not to overstep their executive authority in domestic policy. They may have pushed the envelope on national security and war-making powers, but they were reluctant to take any executive action perceived to be a blatant rewriting of a law or a unilateral political move. Part of the reason is…
What has been the price tag for the audacious Obamanomics experiment? How much has it all cost — the bailouts, the debt, the stimulus plans, the printing of cheap money, Obamacare and all the rest? The answer to that question is just north of $10 trillion. That’s the sum of the $8.3 trillion added to…
President Obama’s executive action on immigration further damages our malfunctioning immigration system and, more importantly, threatens to upend our entire governing system. The president’s program shreds the rule of law and encourages even more illegal immigration. Moreover, Obama is abandoning his oath of office to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Obama's own…
I listened to progressive leaders for a full day last week—and learned they’ve got no new ideas to offer. The speakers at the 2014 Policy Summit, hosted by the Center for American Progress, included Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Cory Booker, D- N.J., United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, and…
No good deed goes unpunished. Or at least, such was the case earlier this month when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Gunnison sage grouse as a “threatened” species. Threats to the bird resulting from drought, disease, and habitat moved the states and particularly Gunnison County, Colo., to find creative solutions to protect and re-establish the…
From Rachel Greszler's piece published Nov. 24: If you’re a worker and you have a pension, there’s a government agency that will pay that pension if your company is unable to fulfill the financial promises made to you and your colleagues. There’s just one catch: That government agency has a massive deficit right now….
It’s easy for Thanksgiving to boil down to little more than turkey, football and travel delays, but many Americans strive to make it more meaningful. They try to take the focus off of our problems and to reflect on our many blessings. As well they should. Consider the example set by Abraham Lincoln. Our 16th…
At this time of year 150 years ago, in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued his second presidential proclamation setting apart the last Thursday of November as a day of national thanksgiving. By doing so, and thus repeating a practice he had first established the year before, he set in motion a…
As we sit down to feast with our families this holiday, the blessing might well include a word of thanks to the men and women of our armed forces. While we celebrate our national holiday in the warmth and comfort of homes, they serve at grave peril in faraway places like Afghanistan. Some of our…
We’ve been here before. The riots in Ferguson, Mo., are the latest set off by racial tensions—but they are certainly not the first. Decades may have passed, but the Ferguson riots look similar to these past events: The 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles that followed an incident between California Highway Patrol and a young…
With the world no longer looking in so intently, police in Hong Kong overnight swept in and cleared one of the largest protest spots in the financial hub, arresting top leaders. But members of Congress already riled up about China reneging on promises of democracy to the city may not be as forgiving as Beijing’s men…
This year, as I have for the past eight years, I will be working on Thanksgiving Day. I work retail, and we have this thing called "Black Friday" or some such named event, depending on the store. For the last two or three years, people have been complaining about Black Friday starting earlier and earlier…
Shopping on Black Friday is completely unnecessary. I’ll say it again: shopping on Black Friday is completely unnecessary. The deals you think you’re getting on this one magical day can be obtained in other days if you shop smartly in the time leading up to the Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever holiday you celebrate. >>> Why…
The Environmental Protection Agency just released its proposed new standard on ground-level ozone, which is a component of smog. Every five years, the EPA is required by law to review and, if appropriate, revise these standards. In 2008, the EPA issued an ozone standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb). The new standard proposed by…
More than 50 percent of the American electorate is made up of women. With Hillary Clinton as the front-runner for Democrats heading into the 2016 presidential campaign, would the GOP benefit from a high-profile conservative woman throwing her hat into the ring? According to a story in today’s Washington Post, former Hewlett Packard chief executive…
Polls in recent months show Americans in a foul mood when it comes to the economy, their personal finances and the general direction of the nation. Most Americans think the great American Dream – the idea that our children will achieve a standard of living higher than our own – is dead. Others say that…
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m particularly thankful for marriage—both on a personal level and for the critical role it plays in society. Today, my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. And last week, I was able to join hundreds from around the world at an International Interfaith Colloquium led by Pope Francis…
No one needs to be able to buy a big-screen TV on Thanksgiving. That once seemed like a truth universally agreed upon. Sure, we kept the grocery stores open for part of the day for quick runs for forgotten ingredients, and we kept the airports open so people could fly home to their families. But…
Today, the Food and Drug Administration made its final menu labeling rule available and it’s even worse than expected. The mandatory menu labeling requirement comes courtesy of Obamacare. Under the statute, “a restaurant or similar retail food establishment that is part of a chain with 20 or more locations” must provide nutritional information for standard…
The Obama administration was forced to punt once again at the talks on Iran’s nuclear program when the Iranians refused to budge on their maximal demands on uranium enrichment and sanctions relief. When they failed to strike a deal by Monday’s deadline, Iran and the P5 +1 (five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council…