“The 17 percent of voters (both Republican and Democrat) who now say most of Congress deserves re-election is well below the roughly 40 percent threshold that has historically been associated with major electoral turnover. With this in mind, Congress could be in for a major shake-up.” — Gallup’s annual Mood of the Nation poll, conducted Jan. 5-8 (For the use of the membership only.) When some at the foundation were challenged to identify the intellectual…

(For the use of the membership only.) by Tom Charles Huston A few weeks before the delegates to the Continental Congress resolved for independence, the Fifth Virginia Convention meeting in Williamsburg adopted a Declaration of Rights drafted in large part by George Mason. It was one of a number of pre-Revolutionary documents marking the advance of liberty in the American colonies, the Virginia Declaration incorporated the following: Lockean natural-rights theory; English common law and constitutional…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. American political discourse has degenerated over the last few decades to little more than vicious juvenile banter. A small but helpful step in restoring civility is to work to understand why those we disagree with believe what they believe. An economic blogger and scholar, Arnold Kling, suggests American politics can be parsed into three camps. Conservatives see politics as a conflict between barbarism and civilization. Progressives see politics as a conflict…

For the use of the membership only (683 words). Cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are not as they ought to be. — The Devil’s Dictionary of Ambrose Bierce THE GOVERNOR didn’t need to throw data at us this week in his State of the State address. We all agree that Hoosier families are overwhelmed. Our political leaders should be commended for dedicating this session to considering the most vulnerable…

(For the use of the membership only) by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the “war on poverty.” That is true, at least in terms of its enacting legislation, with spending expanded a bit under Lyndon Johnson and especially under Richard Nixon. One of the first observations to make is that progress against measured poverty stopped once the war on poverty began. (The poverty rate has fluctuated between…

by Andrea Neal On Sept. 3, 1812, a Native American war party killed more than 20 settlers living in a wooded outpost near present-day Scottsburg. Motivated by bounties offered by the British, the perpetrators scalped women and children, torched their log cabins and left the village in ashes. The Massacre at Pigeon Roost is the most notorious example of frontier violence in Indiana history. To this day, it is shrouded in mystery. As the Indiana…

by Thomas Heller New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” at the Fort Lee entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge serves notice of the dysfunction in the administration of our surface-transportation system. The political gamesmanship revealed by emails between Christie appointees is astounding and shameful. Before categorizing it as just another made-for-television political scandal, however, we need to understand how this sort of incident could occur anywhere in the nation. What we are witnessing in…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. As we are exiting the season of “peace on earth — good will toward men” and entering yet another legislative and political season, it seems appropriate to examine why contemporary political discourse has become so divisive and shrill. Of course, when has political discussion been unifying and open-minded? Fair enough, but it certainly seems that political discussion has become more mean-spirited today than it was in previous decades. Although I offer…

The ‘Unintended Consequences’ of Careless Public Policy (For the use of the membership only.) “The irony is that Gov. Mitch Daniels’ 2008 property-tax reform is in part responsible for what the Chamber is calling a skewed tax burden.” — Scott Smith in the Dec. 23 Kokomo Tribune IT DIDN’T make any of the New Year’s Day lists, but it has changed our lives nonetheless. It is the acceptance of “unintended consequences” as a workable excuse…

Ryan Cummins, an Indiana businessman and former chairman of the Terre Haute Common Council’s appropriation committee, offers a rejoinder to the distressed reaction of local officials who are protesting the elimination of business personal property taxes. by Ryan Cummins Business Personal Property Tax (BPPT) represents more than 70 percent of all abatement supported, signed and implemented by a typical mayor and city council. The rationale is that these abatements create jobs at the selected tax-advantaged…