Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
For the past eight years, President Barack Obama and his allies in Congress have feverishly worked to centralize energy regulatory power in Washington, empowering federal bureaucrats to micromanage how energy producers operate their facilities and run their businesses. The fundamental problem with centralized regulatory authority is the tendency of Washington bureaucrats to be ignorant of—and…
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl’s Jr., the successful fast-food hamburger restaurant chain, as his secretary of labor. This has set off a bit of protest by the hard left and the union bosses. How could Trump select someone who actually knows something about hiring workers and creating jobs? How dare he!…
Last week, the Obama administration took a step that conservatives have been anticipating for three years: it transmitted the Arms Trade Treaty to the Senate for ratification. This move doesn’t matter. The treaty is supposedly designed to control the international trade of weapons. It was adopted through the United Nations in 2013, and 91 nations have…
For Ohioans who put civil forfeiture reform on their holiday wish lists this year, Christmas came early. Yesterday, the Ohio Legislature voted overwhelmingly to approve H.B. 347, a sweeping reform bill that will dramatically scale back the practice of seizing and forfeiting property absent a criminal conviction. Civil forfeiture is the legal tool that enables…
John Glenn, an American icon and longtime U.S. senator, died Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. In his 95 years, Glenn held three distinguished careers as a military aviator, an astronaut, and a four-term U.S. senator, accomplishing more in one lifetime than many could ever dream. Glenn was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio. When the…
Just a few weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump said, “Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars.” And I absolutely agree. Since 2007, I’ve been fighting to end the dangerous existence of sanctuary cities by introducing legislation every Congress. During the Obama administration’s tenure, over 300 cities—including my hometown of…
The South Korean National Assembly impeached President Park Geun-hye Friday by a resounding vote of 234-56. Under the country’s constitution, Park will immediately cede all her authorities to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn but remain in office until the Constitutional Court reviews the impeachment proceedings. The largest liberal opposition party has declared that it will not…
One of the most frequently heard claims from the Obama administration is that Obamacare is responsible for insuring 20 million adults who were previously uninsured. But Heritage Foundation research shows the administration’s figure is off by a few million. The Department of Health and Human Services claims that 20 million people have gained health coverage…
Two separate reports by the Government Accountability Office were released last week that called into question the viability of the Renewable Fuel Standard, otherwise known as the ethanol mandate. Three days later, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., highlighted the reports in a hearing and called the Renewable Fuel Standard a “deeply flawed program.” What about this…
If a single player wins an ongoing contest with maddening consistency, his frustrated rivals will inevitably accuse him of cheating. Our new nation’s shockingly rapid rise to world dominance counts as so illogical, so utterly unforeseen, that many mystified observers have determined that the only rational explanation involves a shameful record of American greed, ruthlessness,…
Do federal agencies face any limits on their power? Recently, a federal appeals court ruled that Richard Cordray’s position as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional in its design because the position wielded immense authority over American businesses and consumers with little to no checks on that power. As Circuit Judge Brett…
Congress took significant steps forward last week in its continued efforts to hold Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue procurement companies accountable for the sale and trafficking of aborted fetal tissue. The House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives has recommended a criminal investigation of Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast for potentially violating Texas and…
A lot of strong words were thrown about in this year’s presidential campaign, but few packed as powerful a punch as a single question that Donald Trump asked black voters in August. “What do you have to lose?” The pundits didn’t seem to understand, but many of us knew exactly what he meant. While the black…
The recent presidential election has sparked a debate about international trade. Many politicians, policymakers, and media outlets seem to be unsure about whether trade is good or bad. It seems everyone has an opinion about trade. But what do the experts say? N. Gregory Mankiw, the Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University,…
Reports emerged Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump will nominate retired Marine Gen. John Kelly for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Kelly has both the personal character and years of experience that could make him the right choice for the job. Much like retired Gen. James Mattis, who has been picked by Trump for…
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama stated that “Over [the] last eight years, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland.” Talk about something actually deserving of being labeled as “fake news.” Obama’s statement obscures the reality that the U.S. has faced 66 Islamist terrorist plots against the U.S. homeland…
As Congress closes up shop for 2016, a group of four Democratic senators is determined to “use whatever means necessary” to secure a special-interest taxpayer bailout for the United Mine Workers of America union. According to the senators, those “means” will include “blocking other bills” until the bailout is secure. The UMWA represents roughly 100,000…
This week, Congress is expected to pass the second continuing resolution of the year, keeping the federal government operating until late April and avoiding a government shutdown. The bill released late Tuesday would provide $1.070 trillion in base discretionary funding as well as an additional $10.1 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (a defense supplement), $4.1…
Buried deep in the text of the 728-page water bill being considered in Congress is a costly provision that requires the use of American-made iron and steel for water infrastructure projects. That provision will hit the taxpayers with extra and unnecessary costs. The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act expands the federal government’s…