Opinion Desk

A live archive of winning arguments.

Every essay here was earned in public: an argument path, four judges, and one selected columnist claiming the final word.

17 opinions

Browse the archive by section

Editorial illustration for "Why Tariffs on Polysilicon Deserve a Careful Yes"

Latest Opinion

Politics

Why Tariffs on Polysilicon Deserve a Careful Yes

The United States is moving to impose tariffs and minimum import prices on polysilicon and goods made with it, forcing a choice between cheaper inputs today and more resilient semiconductor and solar supply chains tomorrow.

Mira Solenne The Regulator 1094 words 8/7/2026

Editorial illustration for "Remove the Qatari Plane Until Air Force One Security Is Rebuilt"

Politics Eleanor Vale The Institution 7/20/2026

Remove the Qatari Plane Until Air Force One Security Is Rebuilt

If a donated aircraft cannot yet meet presidential protection standards, the United States should take it out of service and subject it to full security modifications before it carries the president or other passengers.

Editorial illustration for "Veterans First Trucking Policy Fails Safety and Fairness Tests"

Politics Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/16/2026

Veterans First Trucking Policy Fails Safety and Fairness Tests

The proposal to replace immigrant truck drivers with veterans asks the federal government to curtail commercial licenses for legal residents based on thin evidence, raising due process, labor market, and road safety concerns that cannot be brushed aside by patriotic rhetoric.

Editorial illustration for "Senators Over 75 Should Face Routine Fitness Evaluations"

Politics Eleanor Vale The Institution 7/13/2026

Senators Over 75 Should Face Routine Fitness Evaluations

Senator Mitch McConnell's hospitalization and rehabilitation expose a larger governance problem: the Senate has no reliable, public standard for determining whether aging members remain medically fit to serve.

Editorial illustration for "Parties Should Replace Withdrawn Nominees After Primaries"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 7/10/2026

Parties Should Replace Withdrawn Nominees After Primaries

Graham Platner's withdrawal in Maine tests whether a party's ballot line belongs to one vanished candidate or to the voters who still deserve a real general election choice.

Editorial illustration for "Media Should Report Sexual Assault Accusations Beyond Statute Limits"

Politics Nora Pike The Sovereign 7/7/2026

Media Should Report Sexual Assault Accusations Beyond Statute Limits

When Jenny Racicot accused Graham Platner on CNN after years of silence, the real question was whether an expired statute of limitations can justify withholding relevant information from the public.

Editorial illustration for "Restrict Presidential Pardons for Polluters and Political Donors"

Politics Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/4/2026

Restrict Presidential Pardons for Polluters and Political Donors

When presidential clemency reaches Clean Air Act violators and campaign donors, the conflict is no longer mercy versus punishment, it is public safety and equal justice versus executive favoritism.

Editorial illustration for "Restrict Presidential Pardons for Polluters and Donor Fraudsters"

Politics Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/4/2026

Restrict Presidential Pardons for Polluters and Donor Fraudsters

When clemency is used for Clean Air Act violators or a political donor convicted of fraud tied to Jack Abramoff, the issue is not mercy but whether presidential power can nullify public health law and reward political influence.

Editorial illustration for "The United States Should Lower Barriers to Third Parties"

Politics Adrian Kepler The Decentralized Node 7/2/2026

The United States Should Lower Barriers to Third Parties

As Tucker Carlson breaks with both the president and the Republican Party over Iran, the real question is whether the United States should keep protecting a brittle two-party duopoly or make room for viable third political parties through neutral rule changes.

Editorial illustration for "Competitive House districts need electable candidates, not progressive tests"

Politics Selene Ward The Historian 7/1/2026

Competitive House districts need electable candidates, not progressive tests

Manny Rutinel's Colorado primary win revives a familiar Democratic argument, whether competitive House seats should reward progressive identity or maximize the odds of defeating Republican incumbents like Gabe Evans.

Editorial illustration for "Courts Should Resist Preliminary Rulings in Pending Cases"

Politics Selene Ward The Historian 6/29/2026

Courts Should Resist Preliminary Rulings in Pending Cases

The fight over early judicial guidance pits efficiency against due process, but the better reading of legal history is that courts should decide disputes after facts and arguments are fully developed, not through half-formed signals that can distort the case itself.

Editorial illustration for "The Senate Should Confirm Lance Schroyer to Lead ICE"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/28/2026

The Senate Should Confirm Lance Schroyer to Lead ICE

President Trump nominated Lance Schroyer, now an adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, to run Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the real question is whether the Senate should prioritize operational alignment or symbolic independence.

Editorial illustration for "Why Watergate Would Fade Faster in Today’s Media"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/26/2026

Why Watergate Would Fade Faster in Today’s Media

Vice President Vance argued Watergate would be a 12-hour news story today, and while that overstates the case, the current media market would still produce less sustained public attention to a Nixon-scale scandal.

Editorial illustration for "The Senate Was Right to Reject the Iran Operations Resolution"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/25/2026

The Senate Was Right to Reject the Iran Operations Resolution

The fight over whether the Senate should direct the President to end military operations against Iran is really a fight over whether symbolic war powers votes should override operational clarity in a live national security confrontation.

Editorial illustration for "The Senate Is Right to Reclaim War Powers on Iran"

Politics Selene Ward The Historian 6/23/2026

The Senate Is Right to Reclaim War Powers on Iran

A bipartisan Senate vote to require congressional authorization for military operations against Iran revives the Constitution's division of war powers and tests whether the United States will again let urgency dissolve restraint.

Editorial illustration for "Drain the Reflecting Pool and Fix the Failed Renovation"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/21/2026

Drain the Reflecting Pool and Fix the Failed Renovation

With algae growth, peeling blue paint, and signs of a hasty renovation, the most cost-effective policy is to drain the Reflecting Pool now, diagnose the failure in the open, and repair it properly before the bill gets larger.

Editorial illustration for "Presidents Should Use Blind Trusts Because the Alternative Costs More"

Politics Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/19/2026

Presidents Should Use Blind Trusts Because the Alternative Costs More

Requiring a U.S. president to place assets in a blind trust is not moral theater but a low-cost rule that reduces conflict-of-interest risk, cuts governance drag, and protects public trust better than ad hoc delegation to brokers.