States, Lawmaker | featured news

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a bill declaring that the state has the power to establish an official religion — a direct challenge to the First Amendment. One professor of politics called the measure “the verge of being neo-secessionist,” and another said it was reminiscent of how Southern states objected to the Supreme Court’s 1954 integration of public schools.

In a recession, state lawmakers are taxing personal vices. It’s good for you, they say, but it’s really better for their budgets.