By Mike Winther, President of Institute for Principle Studies The Presidential Campaign: Side Show or Main Event? In each four-year presidential cycle, much of America becomes completely enamored with the drama of the presidential election. We follow the media as they follow the presidential candidates—we become the paparazzi following the paparazzi. For many Americans, the presidential race is a hybridization of entertainment, drama, sport, and ultimately distraction. Although the presidential election is certainly important, I believe that our current perspective on the President and the presidential election is harmful to our efforts to produce positive change in America. While we … Read More
Relativism and Gay Marriage
By Mike Winther, President of Institute for Principle Studies Relativism and “Gay Marriage” The Obergefell decision and the proper role of civil government In the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision on “gay marriage”, there is ample reason to criticize the Court, but there is also ample reason to criticize the criticizers. In the political, moral and academic debates of our time, it is important that we take the correct stand, but it is equally important that we support our position with the correct argument. All the wrong arguments I hear critique after critique of the Supreme Court that … Read More
Obamacare: A Constitutional Analysis
Obamacare: A Constitutional Analysis In 2012, IPS commented on the 5-4 Supreme Court decision in which the Affordable Care Act was upheld. Those words of the past are eerily relevant to today’s decision that once again upholds socialized medicine in America. Below is our article from 2012 on the previous Court decision. Supreme Court decision: What did we expect? When did we lose this battle? We lost it 44 years ago when we allowed government to force us to purchase health care in the Medicare Act. We lost the battle when George Bush passed the prescription drug program in 2003. … Read More
War and the Constitution
War and the Constitution In modern America, there is considerable confusion about the constitutional requirements related to matters of war. Some people believe that the Constitution gives the President extremely broad power in warmaking decisions, while others contend that the Constitution severely limits that power. Sadly, the majority of Americans simply don’t care what the Constitution says. Most Americans are aware that our federal government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. What is not as well known is that the first three articles of the U.S. Constitution define the roles and … Read More
Rethinking Taxation
Rethinking Taxation Death and taxes may be inevitable in life, but this fact doesn’t excuse us from our responsibilities to handle both of these eventualities in a prudent and judicious manner. Our legal system endeavors to establish clear, cautious standards for dealing with issues of life and death—our procedure for trying a capital crime being just one example. In like manner, we should be no less deliberate with our tax policy. Citizens have never enjoyed (and probably never will enjoy) paying taxes, but if some taxation is going to be necessary, we should endeavor to find the best way to … Read More
Unions & Collective Bargaining: Is there a simple answer?
Unions & Collective Bargaining: Is There a Simple Answer? An individual walks into a place of business seeking employment. The owner of the business and the job seeker interview each other, and both decide that an employment relationship may be to the benefit of each. They enter into negotiations over compensation and arrive at a mutual agreement on services to be performed and the pay rate. Assuming that the work to be performed is ethical and legal, is there any reason why these two parties should not be allowed to pursue this employment agreement? You might be surprised to find … Read More