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In 2008, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute conducted a national survey testing the basic civic literacy of the American public. The poll of 2,508 individuals asked such simple questions as “What are the three branches of government?” and “What part of the government has the power to declare war?” among others, many of which were adopted from naturalization exams and high school social studies tests. Of those polled, 71% failed the test. Fewer than 50% could correctly identify the three branc

In 2008, at the same time the GOP was holding their convention in Minnesota, an energetic and massive Ron Paul convention titled the "Rally for the Republic" (RFR) was held across the street. The Ron Paul rally drew over 10,000 grassroots Ron Paul activists from all over the country  and speakers from Tucker Carlson, to Doug Wead, to Jesse Ventura, to this year's Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. This year, Ron Paul is doing it again.  Except he is hosting the Rally BEFORE the co

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas posted its monthly Texas Manufacturing Activity Outlook Survey on Monday. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, soared from 5.5 in May to 15.5 in June. The significant rise in productivity is the strongest reading in fifteen months. After three consecutive readings of close to zero, the new orders index jumped to 7.9 in June. The capacity utilization index rose from 5 to 13.3, its highest increase since early 2011. The raw mate

On April 6, 1992, the first major league game was played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, ushering in a new era for Baltimore and its beloved O’s. From the day it opened through Sunday’s game with the Nationals, 45,894,621 people have seen the O’s play at Camden. But the joy and triumph of that historic moment wasn’t Baltimore’s or Maryland’s alone, but one belonging to all of baseball – America’s Game. The creation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards would initiate a revolution in retro-ballparks,

Arizona: "We gotta immigration problem." United States: "yeh, tell that to California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, etc... we ain't doing anything for them either!" Jan Brewer: "ok, Arizona, let's have state police have the power to stop people and ask them for their documentation if they look like someone who might be doing manual labor for us illegally." Mitt Romney: "Gooooooo Arizona!" Obama: "State's Rights? Ha!  I'm a Con Law professor.  Try Bill of Rights. You can't do that." Mitt Romn

In what is certainly a novel approach, the Department of Justice has sued two polygamist towns for religious discrimination against non-members and expelled members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). This includes "denying non-FLDS individuals housing, police protection, and access to public space and services".  The joint lawsuit is against neighboring Hildale, Arizona and Colorado City, Arizona, which are controlled entirely by FLDS members. The current

Last week, IVN commented on a lawsuit brought by alleged delegates to the Republican National Convention. The Republican National Committee, while stating that suit was frivolous at the same time organized all the named defendants into a united defense against this litigation. There is no indication yet that the complaint in the action was served on any defendant or that the RNC has voluntarily appeared and moved to take any pretrial actions. What is clear: Ron Paul's delegate count continues to

As a result of failed deficit reduction negotiations, more than $500 billion is set to be cut automatically from the defense budget beginning January 2013. Combined, the Pentagon's budget is on a path to $1 trillion in reductions over the next ten years. National attention on diverting from the automatic sequester arrives just in time for November's election, as budgets, livelihoods and political careers remain in limbo. The Bipartisan Policy Center reports, "the full defense and non-defense se

There are few topics in the United States that trigger a patriotic spirit as fiercely as mentioning members of the US military. Particularly in a post-9/11 world, most American civilians and loved ones of veterans share a fervent sense of gratitude and indebtedness to the countless souls who've joined the Armed Forces. Towns are filled with American flags, millions of cars sport yellow ribbons emblazoned with the phrase, "Support the Troops," and numerous holidays, parades and festivals draw leg

Abuses of power and the establishment of tyranny against the 13 United colonies of America by the King of England were vast, and those abuses were documented in The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. In part, it stated "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This brings me to the abortion issue. Some on the pro life