Starting Points

The Place Where It All Starts

State Police Powers and the Founders’ Constitutionalism


Alan, I just read this paragraph in this essay by David French: "The states, by contrast, possess a general police power—an inherent authority that is then limited by both the state and federal Constitution. A governor or state legislature can often act without a specific grant of power. The power to act is presumed, absent a specific limitation." [...]

Veterans and Civic Education


The Joe Foss Institute has recently merged with the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at ASU, which seems a natural pairing given the Institute’s dedication to civic education and leadership. Let me start with a basic question about the Institute’s mission. Who was Joe Foss and how are you carrying out his [...]

Christianity and the American Founding


Your new book Did America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth has been getting a lot of attention (as it should). Let me start by asking a basic question about the subtitle that I want you to answer, as if you were on Twitter, in 280 characters or less. What is [...]

The Influence of Global Crises on the United States


Jay, your new book A Nation Forged by Crisis is excellent. It has already been widely reviewed, including in the Wall Street Journal, and it was recently named the best history book of the year by World magazine. More reviews and accolades are sure to follow. I jotted down some notes as I was reading, [...]

Is the Administrative State Legitimate?


Reconciling expertise and representative government has always been a challenge in America. This is not a new problem, but we have dealt with this recurring problem in a problematic way over the past century, choosing expertise over republican government. The Framers of the Constitution didn’t emphasize expertise as a characteristic of good legislators. Instead, they [...]