Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order today expanding “Pay-As-You-Earn,” the already generous repayment option available to students with federal loans that factors in their current income when calculating their monthly student loan payments. Before 2014, students had access to a plan that capped monthly loan payments at 15 percent of a student’s discretionary income—defined…
European Central Bank (ECB) officials made a splash in monetary policy circles this week by announcing new measures to battle deflation within the eurozone countries. The move to negative interest rates on deposits has gained the most attention from commentators. Perhaps equally as significant is the announcement of a new €400 billion credit line to…
I’m sorry to report that Joe Shattan—talented writer, dedicated anti-Communist, and above all a truly fine and decent man—has died after a courageous struggle with cancer at the age of 63. Joe came to Washington to serve as a foot-soldier in the Reagan Revolution. His unusual skill as a wordsmith and thinker meant that he…
These terrorists might not be kidnapping girls and garnering international outrage, like their Nigerian cousins, Boko Haram, but they are violently disrupting regional stability in sub-Saharan Africa. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that operates out of Somalia, continues to threaten the United States’ diplomatic mission in Kenya, the U.S.’ largest embassy in Africa, and to make…
School might be winding down for the summer, but states are putting on a crash course in how to reclaim education decision-making authority. Last week marked a turning point in the fight to reverse the push for national standards and tests through Common Core. Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) signed legislation that requires a committee to…
Editor’s update: Today, Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) signed legislation permitting children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates. The commentary below was originally published May 5. On Thursday, senators in the state legislature in Florida voted to discriminate against American citizens by granting in-state tuition for Florida colleges and universities to students who are…
Rare is the issue that unites Michigan’s Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow with their chamber’s most conservative members. But when federal subsidies to foreign firms threaten American jobs, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle find common cause—and rightly so. Taxpayers should not be financing overseas business ventures that undercut U.S. companies. The…
The reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund and European Union provide the best chance for Ukraine to overcome the legacy of socialism and corruption that have left its people impoverished and its economy the least free in Europe. Like any country populated with real people with diverse backgrounds, needs and skills, Ukraine’s political and…
In the most recent edition of his book, A Mother’s Ordeal, Steven Mosher presents a riveting account of one woman’s journey through motherhood in China under the one child policy. A Mother’s Ordeal gives faces to the repressive population control policies of the People’s Republic of China and helps an outsider understand the excruciating dilemma…
With U.S. foreign policy in the doldrums on every front, President Obama’s handlers decided it was time for action. And, so he jetted to Afghanistan to spend Memorial Day with the troops. The fly-in to Bagram Airfield was only the first “photo op.” Two days later the president convened a Rose Garden press conference to…
It’s one of the most iconic images of the 20th century: a man standing perfectly still, facing a large tank as it bears down on him. He’s unarmed and alone. Defenseless—except for an unshakeable conviction that freedom is so important, it’s worth risking your life for. That is just what the man was doing when,…
For those in Washington obsessed with reducing income inequality, the standard prescription involves raising taxes on the well-to-do, increasing the minimum wage, and generally expanding government benefits—the policies characterizing liberal, blue-state governance. If only America took a more “progressive” approach, the thinking goes, leaving behind conservative, red-state priorities like keeping taxes low and encouraging business,…
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Joseph Shattan, a Heritage Foundation writer and devoted member of the Heritage family. Joe was a member of the Heritage family for nearly 20 years—first as a Bradley Fellow from 1997 to 1999, during which time he wrote his book “Architects of Victory: Six…
We had a great conversation on our first Daily Signal Hangout this week, and if you weren’t able to join us LIVE, I hope you’ll watch the discussion here. We covered a host of topics, including the growing movement by parents across the country to push back on Common Core, how getting rid of the…
Man does not live by bread alone. So the Bible says, and it’s the message of Tiananmen Square. Chinese students filled that space 25 years ago to demand free speech, democracy, and an end to corruption. Instead, their protest ended in tragedy. Hundreds of young people were killed the night of June 3, 1989, by…
Many people think President Obama’s speech at West Point was all about politics. Setting up straw men and knocking them down, the president defined himself mainly by what he wasn’t. He was not an isolationist. He was not a warmonger. Of course, no one seriously claimed he was either one. Nor are these extremes real-world…
Critics of President Obama’s climate change regulations are often labeled by proponents as science deniers. While climate realists is a more accurate description, President Obama is clearly using denier math when he says that the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon rules for existing power plants will drive down electricity prices. The EPA’s New Source Performance Standards…
President Obama’s West Point speech proved telling in ways he probably didn’t plan. The commander-in-chief tried to use the commencement address to quell concerns over a foreign policy that has produced nothing but controversy and setbacks since the debacle in Benghazi. But the president scored more misses than hits with the audience, pundits and the…
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. On Thursday, 78 Senators, including 24 Republicans, voted to confirm Sylvia Burwell to be Obamacare’s implementer-in-chief for the rest of his term. Burwell’s predecessor Kathleen Sebelius had become inextricably linked to the botched rollout, soaring premiums and a never-ending series of unilateral alterations of law, and conventional wisdom…
After Sgt Bowe Bergdahl’s physical and mental health issues are dealt with by his medical team, it will be up to the military justice system to deal with the allegations he deserted his unit in Afghanistan. What happens then? What are the steps along the way, and the possible outcomes? The military justice system is…