While Cato scholars have generally been supportive of the the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” immigration reform bill, Alex Nowrasteh and Jim Harper have noted recently that it still has some flaws. “The biggest flaw in the bill is ‘E-Verify,’ a national electronic employment verification system,” says Nowrasteh. “E-Verify is in theory supposed to keep unlawful immigrants out of the labor market. But in reality, not only will it fail to keep people out, it will also hinder job creation with expensive new regulations.” Harper agrees, adding “Politically, it appears that the price of enough conservative votes to pass a broader immigration reform package is giving the federal government the power to approve or decline every American business’s hiring decisions from now on.”

• “E-Verify Wrong for America,” by Jim Harper
• “Senate Immigration Bill Lurches to the Right,” by Alex Nowrasteh
• More Cato Research on Immigration

A Senate Subcommittee chaired by Senator Carl Levin heard from three panels of witnesses on Apple Inc.’s corporate tax payments. Democratic senators and some news stories are making it sound like some vast tax cheating has been going on, but that’s not what the hearing actually revealed – no one at the hearing said the company is doing anything illegal. Cato scholar Chris Edwards reveals the true problem: “The U.S. rate is the highest general corporate tax rate in the world. …Given the U.S. tax disadvantage, it’s not surprising that Apple and every other U.S. multinational have strong incentives to move their real investments and paper profits abroad.”

• “Apple Defends Itself against Tax-Hungry Senators,” by Chris Edwards
• “Four Reasons to Applaud Apple’s Tax Planning,” by Daniel J. Mitchell
• “Senators Levin and McCain: Two Peas All Up in our iPods,” by Daniel J. Ikenson
• “Corporate Tax Competitiveness Rankings for 2012,” by Duanjie Chen and Jack M. Mintz

Three years ago, states sprinted to adopt national curriculum standards – the Common Core – in hopes of getting a chunk of $4.35 billion in federal “stimulus.” Forty-five states ultimately adopted, but over the last few months a firestorm has spread as the standards have hit districts and previously unaware citizens have denounced a federal takeover of their schools. Common Core, which once seemed like a done deal, now seems like anything but.

• “Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards,” by Neal McCluskey
• “Common Core Needs More Debate,” by Neal McCluskey
• “Common Core a Threat to the State, Districts, and Students,” by Neal McCluskey
• “Only the Little People Oppose Common Core,” by Neal McCluskey

The heavy debt burdens of Greece and other European welfare states are the result of profligate entitlement spending and a lack of fiscal discipline. The United States is facing its own debt problem, driven by the rising costs of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The so-called social contract between present and future generations cannot be sustained — political promises will be broken. This special issue of the Cato Journal examines the influence of the welfare state on Europe’s economic crisis, the reforms necessary to end that crisis, and the lessons America can learn.

• Spring/Summer 2013 Issue of Cato Journal