Can the 14th Amendment Block Trump's Aspirations? (Audio: Podcast)
The latest effort to keep Donald Trump from running for president is to invoke Section 3 of the Constitution's 14th Amendment which prohibits certain individuals who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the government of the United States from holding high office. In this podcast, IPI's Addie Crimmins and Merrill Matthews discuss the historical roots of the 14th Amendment, the notion that it's provisions are "self-executing," and why this may be the worst idea yet for denying Trump's presidential aspirations.
All Eyes on Texas (Audio: Podcast)
Suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial has drawn nationwide attention. In this podcast, Austin-based political analyst and Quorum Report editor Scott Braddock joins IPI's Addie Crimmins and Merrill Matthews to discuss ongoing developments in the Senate trial and how that may play out in the coming days.
Conservative Health Care Reforms Ready to Go (Audio: Podcast)
Galen Institute President Grace-Marie Turner joins IPI's Merrill Matthews to discuss various conservative health care reform proposals that, if passed, would provide people with more insurance-coverage options and patients with more freedom to choose the care that's best for them.
An Eyewitness Account of the Drawing of the Laffer Curve (Audio: Podcast)
The story of economist Art Laffer drawing what's come to be known as the Laffer Curve on a napkin in a Washington bar in 1974 has become legendary among free market advocates. In this podcast, Galen Institute President Grace-Marie Turner, who was one of three other people watching Laffer draw his graph, tells IPI's Merrill Matthews what happened—and why it's important.
IPI's Take on the First Republican Presidential Debate of 2024 (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews, Director of Development & Events Addie Crimmins, and President Tom Giovanetti share our thoughts and reactions to the first Republican Presidential Debate of the 2024 cycle. We discuss overall impression, FoxNews’ production, who helped themselves, who hurt themselves, and who surprised. And we wonder if our impressions reflect at all the impressions of today’s Republican Party.
The Gender Pay Numbers Game (Audio: Interview)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews joins radio talk show host Bill Meyer (KMED) to run the numbers on the myth of the gender pay gap. When equalizing factors are added into the equation, the current gap reduces from the claimed 84 cents to a 1.5-cent pay gap. That’s a positive economic sign, but it won’t get much attention because some politicians need a big pay gap to demagogue.
Myth Busters: Income Inequality (Audio: Podcast)
Income inequality has become a progressive rallying cry, asserting that income inequality has exploded. Proponents claim government data show that the top 20% of workers earn 16.7 dollars for every dollar the bottom 20% earn. True? NO! A new book by former Senator Phil Gramm, Robert Ekelund and John Early explain that when all transfer payments to lower-income families are included, and when the taxes paid by higher-income families are excluded from income (because don't actually receive that money), the income inequality gap is a mere 4 to 1. On this IPI podcast, John Early, an economist who twice served as assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistic, joins IPI Resident Scholar Merrill Matthews to discuss his book that demolishes the current income inequality hysterics.
IPI Policy Basics: A Look At the Gender Pay Gap (Audio: Podcast)
What’s the truth about the gender pay gap? Is it explained by misogyny and discrimination, or by the choices women make? Maybe a combination of the two? Is it getting better? And with women outnumbering men in colleges, universities, and graduate programs, is it about to disappear altogether? IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews shares some information from the book “The Myth of Inequality” on the gender pay gap with IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
Who Is the Most Reaganesque of the GOP Presidential Candidates? (Audio: Podcast)
Ronald Reagan put together an astonishing coalition that led to not only election and reelection, but also sweeping improvements to both America’s domestic economy and international standing. What was it about Reagan that attracted such a winning and successful coalition, and do any of the current Republican presidential candidates resemble him in any way? A conversation between IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews and IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
A New (?) Conservative Blueprint for Healthcare Reform (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar and healthcare policy expert Dr. Merrill Matthews explains a new-ish effort on the part of some conservative policy experts, which sound to IPI President Tom Giovanetti an awfully lot like the same sound healthcare policies conservatives have been pushing for the last two decades.