by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 16th Amendment’s income tax, passed in the last days of the Taft Administration in February 1913. It was the first change in the Constitution since 1870, giving Congress “the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever sources derived.” In 1913, there were only seven tax brackets with marginal tax rates ranging up to 7 percent on income earned about…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D.  As Congress and the Obama Administration negotiate a deal over immigration reform, I am cautiously optimistic that Washington might finally enact some useful legislation. Many things could wreck the deal, but I am hopeful the final provisions will 1) allow for more immigrants to legally reside and work in the United States, and 2) place significant restrictions on immigrants’ access to non-emergency government-funded social benefits. Although well-crafted legislation may empower a…

by STEPHEN M. KING, Ph.D. Matthew Tully, political reporter for the Indianapolis Star, recently wrote of “conflicts of interest” that regularly occur in the General Assembly, including influential lawmakers who indirectly benefit from various legislation, or when legislators are feted by influential and powerful lobbyists. Mr. Tully is not the first to be concerned about these issues. The Founding Fathers regularly and vociferously engaged the topic. The columnist derisively refers to this arrangement as a…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Economists convinced of the virtues of a free market instinctively support open immigration. If goods should be allowed to cross borders freely, then people should, too. Of course, terrorists, criminals and indigents are exceptions to the rule, just as are toxic and adulterated goods. Those of us lucky enough to be citizens of the United States should be aware that all our forebears were one-time immigrants. That even goes for my…

by Judge Stanley Levine First of all, let me say that I do not think that the whole world hates America. I also do not think that the most ardent Anti-American beliefs are focused on us as individual citizens of America. Rather, they are focused on the size of America, the fact that it may now be the only global superpower, on its military history and the enviable success of its economy and its culture.…

For release March 20 and thereafter (676 words) by Andrea Neal  When right- and left-wing activists find themselves on the same side of a controversy, it’s worth probing why. Such is the case with the Common Core academic standards being implemented in Indiana and 45 other states. Conservatives and progressives alike see problems with them. The right is concerned about imposition of a “federal curriculum” and the loss of local control. The left fears “one…

by Craig Ladwig Dr. Stephen M. King of Taylor University, a political scientist, offers Hoosiers a template to measure the quality of their political leadership between elections. Just in time, it turns out. The Indianapolis Star over the weekend delivered a lecture to its readers on the difficulty of leadership these days and the need to lower expectations. To summarize the editorial, the Star trusts Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley and House Speaker Brian Bosma…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Who remembers carbon paper? For those of you under 35, carbon paper is a sheet of black paper with carbon embedded on one side. Place it between two sheets of white typing paper, correctly insert in a typewriter and the typed document automatically generates a carbon copy. In the days before Xerox machines, this was the most cost-effective way of generating duplicate copies. Carbon paper was messy and awkward, but useful…

by STEPHEN M. KING, Ph.D. The “Power 50” ranking published by Howey Politics Indiana this year lists Gov. Mike Pence at the top. Governor Pence enters office with solid political credentials — serving 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, holding the No. 3 Republican conference chair in 2008, and being a strong and outspoken conservative voice against the vagaries of deficit spending, both in the Bush and Obama administrations. The editor of the…

For release March 6 and thereafter (670 words) by Andrea Neal  Popular perception to the contrary, Indiana is not a low-tax state. When you add up all the different taxes – property, sales and income assessed by federal, state or local government – we rank right in the middle. Twenty-three states have lower overall tax loads than Indiana’s. A few more may join them if they follow through with plans to reform their tax systems.…