Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
As Washington’s departments and agencies bring on new staff at every level, I want to share advice from an FBI director about your job description. Note, this doesn’t come from James Comey, “the” FBI director, but from Judge William Webster, a previous FBI director. Webster was a United States Court of Appeals judge in St….
The American taxpayer is on the hook to provide money to the nation’s largest abortion provider, so it’s important that we have the necessary information to evaluate its practices. Planned Parenthood releases a report each year highlighting the abortion giant’s medical service data, revenue and expenses, and advocacy and educational activity. The annual reports are…
The Climate Leadership Council, a group of self-described conservatives, released a new report rashly titled “The Conservative Case for Carbon Dividends.” Tactfully so, it avoided the word “tax” in its title. The plan calls for a gradually increasing tax on carbon dioxide emissions—a recommended $40 per ton of emissions to start—tacked onto the use of energy…
The final easement granted on Wednesday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the Dakota Access pipeline project sent a clear signal to our nation: Infrastructure development is once again a priority. Last November, America chose a president who campaigned on rebuilding America’s infrastructure, encouraging energy development, and championing job creation. Now, only weeks…
Since President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election without winning the popular vote, there have been almost unending calls from the left to eliminate the Electoral College. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined that chorus on Monday. When asked by a group of students what she would change about American…
Progressives are touting a $15 minimum wage as a low-cost policy to reduce poverty and income inequality. However, the costs of a high minimum wage are higher than its proponents would like to believe. In a recent Heritage Foundation backgrounder, James Sherk outlined the costs to consumers of a $15 minimum wage and took issue…
On a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty is inscribed a poem titled “The New Colossus.” A line in this poem states, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … ” These words proclaim the American ideal that we are a people welcoming anyone seeking…
On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump delivered a speech to a convention of the Major County Sheriffs’ Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association in Washington, D.C. After spending the first several minutes of his remarks commenting on the legality of the travel restriction executive order now before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the…
After weeks of protest and feet-dragging from the left and special interest groups, the Senate on Tuesday finally confirmed Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Now in her new role, DeVos will have an opportunity to work with Congress to advance education choice as appropriate, to limit federal intervention in education, and to reform higher education…
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., recently accused his Republican colleagues of committing a “crime against our Constitution.” This is a serious accusation, given that all senators are required to swear an oath (or affirmation) that they will “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” So is it reasonable…
The American electorate surprised the world in November because they were tired of their government acting as master instead of servant. The people’s message is clear: It’s time for real and lasting change. To restore constitutional balance, we must bring the career politicians home and replace them with patriots ready to make the hard choices…
After years of government intervention under the Kirchner family, in 2015 the Argentine people elected center-right candidate Mauricio Macri to be their next president. Macri has declared that Argentina is “open for business” again. The Trump administration should seize this unique opportunity to increase bilateral trade with the country. Since his election, Macri has taken…
Freedom House, a nonprofit that conducts research on human rights and democracy abroad, released its annual report examining global freedom on Monday. Unfortunately, there are several troubling trends in Latin America. Latin American countries with the largest declines in their freedom score over the last decade include Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic….
When we think of oil, most of us think of fuel for cars and trucks. Oil is certainly crucial to transportation, but a 30-second Super Bowl commercial reminded viewers that too often, the hundreds of other uses of oil go overlooked. The American Petroleum Institute commercial featured a colorful display of the uses of oil…
There is little question in most academic research that increases in the minimum wage lead to increases in unemployment. The debatable issue is the magnitude of the increase. An issue not often included in minimum wage debates is the substitution effects of minimum wage increases. The substitution effect might explain why Business for a Fair…
JoAnn Wise thinks she wasn’t treated well. In an op-ed published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Wise writes, “I already know what Trump/Puzder economics look like because I’m living it every day. Despite giving everything I had to [labor secretary pick Andy] Puzder’s company for 21 years, I left without a penny of savings, with no…
Some Americans think state boundaries and the principle of federalism are outdated relics from the past. They couldn’t be further from the truth. New data in a report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) paint a clear picture: States with the best policies are being rewarded with an influx of residents, and states with…
For more than 60 years, the federal government has been sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong, threatening to punish houses of worship and their leaders for what they say. The Free Speech Fairness Act was introduced in Congress earlier this week and, if enacted, would go a long way toward ending that. Ever since…
Sunday was the Super Bowl, and your friendly Washington bureaucracy had a message for you: No drones allowed. Technically, NRG Stadium and the immediate vicinity, all of Houston, and the surrounding towns, are classified as a “No Drone Zone.” Anyone flying a drone within 34.5 miles of the stadium was subject to criminal prosecution for…
If you want to see the difference between a federal judge who follows the rule of law and a federal judge who ignores laws he doesn’t like in order to reach a preferred public policy outcome, just compare the two district court decisions issued in Washington state and Massachusetts over President Donald Trump’s immigration executive…