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John Nothdurft and Donny Kendal present episode #127 of the In The Tank Podcast. Today’s podcast features work from the American Conservative Union, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and the Independent Institute.

The U.S. Supreme Court will likely consider for a second time whether teachers unions should be allowed to force non-union members to pay them for collective bargaining services they don’t want.

Donald Trump’s rise in political power seems to be America’s angry message to its leadership just as the Brits sent a blistering message in the form of “Brexit” to their leaders. The recent vote to leave the European Union sent shock waves throughout Europe and various parts of the World. Political leaders and the media in both the United States and Europe expressed bewilderment, or perhaps an unwillingness to understand that Americans and the Brits have the following in common: both are disgusted with the inability of their leaders to resolve basic problems, such as a failed immigration system.

John and Donny continue their exploration of think tanks in #41 of the In The Tank Podcast. This weekly podcast features (as always) interviews, debates, and roundtable discussions that explore the work of think tanks across the country. The show is available for download as part of the Heartland Daily Podcast every Friday. Today’s podcast features work from the Devoe L. Moore Center, the Maine Heritage Policy Center, the Mackinac Center, American’s for Tax Reform, and the Heritage Foundation.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has voted overwhelmingly to go on strike during the 2016 spring semester, with a walk-out tentatively scheduled for late March. This would be the second teachers strike in the Windy City over the past four years and would serve as a glaring reminder shame has been fully expunged from civil society.

In something of a joke, President Barack Obama says Americans should actually read the Transpacific Partnership Agreement. The agreement itself consists of 30 chapters, with 144 annexes (43 of which are imbedded into specific chapters). Assuming the average American reads 200 pages a day, it would take a month. The length and complexity of the TPP Agreement signals that it is not fundamentally a free trade agreement, but is rather a managed trade agreement. As Obama has said, “I know that if you take a look at what’s actually in the TPP, you will see that this is, in fact, a new type of trade deal.”

Over the weekend the Gallup polling company delivered us their latest: “75% in U.S. See Widespread Government Corruption – This figure is up from two in three in 2007 (67%) and 2009 (66%).”

But COMPTEL is fake lobbying with fake letters – for this very old technology. Because COMPTEL is apparently anti-science.

Imagine you wanted to get in your electric car and drive a considerable distance. It wouldn’t take long for your car to run out of power, so you would have to have another car, one using gasoline, to drive behind you to make sure you reached your destination.

Despite decades of contraction, organized labor still has a disproportionately large voice in the government sector. Its influence presents real fiscal problems for states.

When a friend of mine was young, his family kept their dog close to home with one of those invisible fences. It delivered a mild shock to the dog’s collar when he crossed its line. One day, the fence posts shorted out. But the dog still refused to cross the shock-less border. There was nothing keeping him fenced in but his mind.

On December 29, 2013, the Sierra Club was celebrating the shutdown of the 150th coal-fired plant that provided electricity. That’s nothing to celebrate.

“Coolidge’s greatest feat had been to restore the dignity and prestige of the presidency when it had reached “the lowest ebb in our history.’”