Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
It’s no secret Los Angeles is full of cougars on the prowl. But making news today is one specific four-legged cougar — a mountain lion scientists call “P12” who could soon be worth $10 million. New P12 offspring live in the Santa Monica Mountains thanks to P12’s successful crossing of the freeway that separates the…
With the hiring of new Chief Executive Officer Andy Lack, formerly of Bloomberg News, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has pulled an end-run around congressional efforts to reform and restore civilian U.S. international broadcasting. The hire was announced this week, the same week it became clear that reform legislation, H.R. 4490, which passed the House…
Despite the challenges of a growing terrorist threat, the Obama administration has decided now is the right time to allow illegal immigrants to join the military. While the administration is juggling the assembly of an international coalition to degrade and destroy ISIS and its affiliates and identifying the 100-plus American passport holders and the 3000-plus…
Child poverty rates have decreased slightly, according to the latest Census data. Child poverty dropped from 21.8 percent to 19.9 percent between 2012 and 2013. While there’s been some buzz about this number, there’s a glaring statistic in the Census data that hasn’t received much attention: the major disparity in child poverty between married-parent and…
“Experience has shown that this [lame-duck session] brings about a very undesirable legislative condition. . . . The result is a congested condition that brings about either no legislation or ill-considered legislation.” Much has changed since the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote those words in 1932, including the ratification of the 20th Amendment, which shortened the…
Merriam-Webster defines progress as “the process of improving or developing something over a period of time” or the “gradual betterment; especially: the progressive development of humankind.” By that definition, today’s progressives are the primary impediment to progress. Progressive policies reduce incomes, reduce employment, reduce opportunity, reduce entrepreneurship, reduce innovation, reduce economic and social dynamism, reduce productivity…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States presents an historic opportunity to further deepen U.S. relations with India. India, the world’s largest democracy, has the potential to become a key U.S. partner in the decades ahead. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has neglected the relationship and failed to build on the significant accomplishments…
Attorney General Eric Holder, the first attorney general in history to be held in contempt by the House of Representatives, surprised the political world today when he announced he would be resigning, effective on the confirmation of his successor. Holder will leave a troubled legacy and many unanswered questions as John Fund and I discovered…
A recent Gallup poll found that, in America, nearly two out of three respondents do not consider themselves to be “thriving” or “strong” with regard to a sense of purpose. Among those in the lowest-income quintile, the portion of those who felt that their lives had purpose was as low as 15 percent. These findings…
What a difference reality makes…
Few can forget the image that circulated online a few years ago. A young Chinese woman lay exhausted in a hospital bed, staring hopelessly at the body of her baby girl, reportedly killed after a forced abortion at seven months. Feng Jianmei and her baby daughter were victims of China’s coercive, unrelenting one-child policy that…
This is what we’ve come to: One of Mitt Romney’s former ad men has launched an entire campaign around the idea that “Republicans Are People, Too.” And, unsurprisingly, some liberals are amused. MSNBC’s Steve Benen derided the message as “overly defensive” and wrote: “If you have to remind the public that Republicans ‘are people’ and…
Florida children won in court Wednesday. In a hearing that lasted approximately 19-minutes, Leon County circuit court judge Charles Francis dismissed the Florida Education Association’s lawsuit to block the state’s innovative Personal Learning Scholarship Account school choice option, finding that the FEA did not have standing to challenge the law. Although the FEA has 15…
Although Congress has been reluctant to reform the unsustainable Medicare program, largely fearing a backlash from its beneficiaries, turns out seniors are considerably more willing to make tradeoffs than we’re usually led to believe. The center for Healthcare Decision asked 810 California seniors to design a new Medicare program—not just for themselves but for current…
It is starting to seem as if the tide of Uber's regulatory war may be turning. In Seattle, popular demand forced a city council that was once intent on capping rideshare drivers to throw open the gates to taxi competitors. In Virginia, temporary operating permits have replaced cease-and-desist notices, enabling rideshares to serve the Commonwealth….
Far too many conservatives have grown pessimistic about the prospect of Hispanics ever agreeing with their policy prescriptions. Others have erred in the opposite direction, suggesting that only shifts in tone or even engaging in a pandering competition with liberals could fix the problem. These approaches are wrong and self-defeating. If conservatives allow liberals to…
It's white. It's square. And at 1-by-1 inch in diameter, it is the perfect accoutrement to any entrepreneur's smartphone. With its quick swipe capability and ultimate portability, the high-tech Square Reader credit-card processor has become an invaluable tool in today's economy. How high-tech credit card vendors and customers get their Second Amendment rights infringed. Taxi…
C’mon, Ruth. In an interview with Elle published Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said of current abortion restrictions that the U.S. has “gotten about as conservative as it will get.” Talk about wishful thinking. Ginsburg, a liberal, makes no secret of her pro-choice views, remarking in the interview that “young women, including my…
This week brings another “Say it ain’t so, Joe!” moment. Speaking to Hispanic leaders at a Heritage Hispanic Month event in Washington this week, Vice President Joe Biden told attendees that when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, President Obama is “absolutely committed to moving forward,” was going to “do an awful lot” and would…
President Barack Obama’s 2014 speech to the United Nations General Assembly today highlighted a number of major crises facing the world today, but it focused particularly on the responsibility of nations “to observe and enforce international norms” and reject “the cancer of violent extremism.” In substance, though, it was a strangely bipolar speech. Obama laid…