Steve Chapman is a columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago Tribune.
Harvard's Asian-American Quota Turns Diversity on Its Head
College puts the brakes on rewarding the educational successes of a minority group.
Steve Chapman
Latest from Steve Chapman
Our Crazy Treatment of the Mentally Ill
Prison cells have replaced mental institutions.
Jeb Bush Learned Nothing from Iraq
The war wasn't just a bad decision. It's the result of bad foreign policy.
Is Sanity Finally Returning to Terrorism Prevention?
The recent federal ruling against mass metadata collection could help turn the corner.
Can Huckabee Win the Nomination? Can Biden?
The two men may have fans, but they don't seem to be acting like potential front-runners.
False Fears About Free Trade
Opponents are depicting the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal as full of sinister provisions, which will be known only after it is too late to escape them.
Riots in Baltimore: What Is Seen and Unseen
The city has been on a slow burn for years.
Hillary Clinton's Double Standard on 'Unaccountable Money'
She wants to get money out of politics-other people's politics, not hers.
Raisin Farmers Fight for Crop Control
Supreme Court hears case of USDA agricultural takings.
Overreaching on the Iranian Nuclear Deal in Pursuit of a 'Permanent' Solution
Iran is not the only threat here. Our own hubris is equally dangerous.
The Federal Government Fails Its Constituents on Marijuana
Even as more states say yes, Washington remains a barrier.
Religious Freedom Is Worth Protecting
RFRAs help safeguard the religious from oppressive government demands.
Why It's So Hard to Like Rand Paul
The 2016 presidential candidate's commitment to libertarian political philosophy only goes as far as his chosen views allow.
Iran and the Recurrent Fear of Arms Control
The question is not whether the agreement works miracles to soften the hearts of the Iranian rulers.
An Old New Way To Stop AIDS
When invited to trade filthy used needles for sterile new ones, drug users often take the safer route.
The Afghan Quagmire. When Will It End?
It was George W. Bush's war, but 75 percent of the U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan have died under Obama.
Ted Cruz's New Campaign Slogan: "Jesus loves you, but I'm his favorite."
Why catering to the Born-Again GOP is a losing strategy
Liberal Policies vs. Affordable Housing
The chronic shortage of inexpensive housing is really a blaring signal for government to get out of the way.
Change Comes, Even to Mormons
Mormons are learning what followers of other religions know: It's possible they will change the culture, but it's certain the culture will change them.
Superbugs Are Outstripping Antibiotics
Bacteria can evolve. Maybe federal policymakers can as well, before it's too late.
Netanyahu's Impossible Dream
Arms control tends to bring out unwarranted panic and fury, and Netanyahu is squarely in that tradition.
Our Crazy Laws on the Insanity Defense
The failure of Eddie Ray Routh's insanity defense calls into question the meaning of the term.
The Black Family in 1965 and Today
Poor black neighborhoods are not the unassisted creation of poor black people, but largely the malignant result of factors beyond their control.
Jeb Bush's Empty Indictment
Both brothers use muscular-sounding bromides that substitute for understanding.
Baseball and the Spirit of Innovation
If players are being outsmarted, the solution is for them to wise up, not the game to dumb down.
Government Debt on the Road to Ruin
Nearly every state has followed the same basic policy of making promises today and letting someone figure out how to pay for them years from now.
Why We Shouldn't Arm Ukraine
The Russians can beat us to any punch, and they would hit harder.
An Iran Deal Is Nothing to Fear
Such an accord would shelve the option of attacking Iran, a longtime dream of neoconservatives.
Conservatives Rethink Liberty vs. Order
The authoritarian element of conservative thought persists, but it may be getting weaker.
Cancel the State of the Union
You may want to skip the State of the Union address and prepare for something humbler, like the Super Bowl.
We Worry Too Much About Terrorism
The chance that extremist violence will touch any of us directly was minuscule before the latest attacks, and it still is.
Religious Extremism and the Road to Civilization
A system of beliefs that cannot rely on persuasion to win over doubters is a weak and defective one.
Uber and the Flimsy Case for Regulation
There are no compelling reasons to believe that ride-sharing is any riskier than taking a cab.
In 2014, Frightened Rulers Did Scary Things
Autocracy showed staying power in conspicuous places.
The Strange Source of Our Cuba Policy
What does the Electoral College have to do with our shunning of Cuba? Plenty.
The Newtown Families' Lawsuit Ignores Fact That Vast Majority of AR-15s Are Used Responsibly
Gun control advocates fighting "assault weapons" have two formidable enemies: the law and experience.
Mortgage Binges and Painful Hangovers
After the last mortgage binge, we woke up in the gutter. Isn't once enough?
Government Ineptitude, CIA-Style
It's not clear the CIA workforce is appreciably different from the rest of the Washington bureaucracy.
The Problem With Blaming Black Crime for Police Shootings
The epidemic of unarmed blacks being killed by police comes not when black crime is high but when it is low.
The Obama Administration Is Fighting the Release of Videos Showing The Force-Feeding of Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
If the government believes what it does at Gitmo is humane, it ought to release the videos and prove it.
FDA Plan to Make Americans Slimmer Will Reduce Fresh Food Options
Mandate for more nutritional labeling comes with a hefty price tag.
What Racially Biased Policing Looks Like
The Ferguson police search blacks more often even though they are far less likely to be found with contraband than whites.
Obama's Immigration Order Means Rational Use of Deportation
The president is right to think the law should not function like a lottery.
No, Hillary Clinton Is Not Too Old to Be President
The real problem is that she'd likely remain vigorous enough for eight years of military crusading, budget expansion, economic meddling, and irritating moralism.
