Congressional hearings are underway into the IRS’ admission that it targeted for special tax scrutiny, groups aligned with the Tea Party movement and/or which support limited, constitutional government. Dallas Woodhouse, state director of Americans for Prosperity, reacts to the news and discusses government overreach and the impact of the targeting on small, grassroots organizations. Then we turn to the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, which could have major implications for North Carolina air travelers. Michael Lowrey, who blogs about aviation issues at MeckDeck.com, discusses the merger’s potential impact on Charlotte’s existing US Airways hub and on commercial airline service throughout the Tar Heel State. Next is a look at tax reform principles. As state lawmakers debate various tax reform proposals, the Senate’s chief tax reformer, Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, recently discussed the principles underlying the ideas he and his Senate colleagues have put forward to improve North Carolina’s existing tax code. That’s followed by a look at business mergers, which occur every day. But when those mergers involve media companies, former Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps has some concerns. Copps shared those concerns during a recent visit to Raleigh to speak for Common Cause. And finally, we look at back at our state’s history with the founding director of the North Carolina History Project, Dr. Troy Kickler. Kickler discusses the 350th anniversary of the Carolina Charter and its impact on later versions of our state constitution. Kickler also explains why it is uncommon to amend our state constitution.