Eric Schansberg

David Eric Schansberg
Born	March 19, 1965 Louisville, Kentucky
Residence	Jeffersonville, Indiana
Education	B.A. in Mathematics B.S. and Ph.D. in Economics George Mason University Texas A&M
Alma mater	George Mason University Texas A&M University
Occupation	Professor Bible teacher Author
Employer	Indiana University Southeast
Known for	Libertarian candidate for Congress, Author
Title	Professor
Political party	Libertarian
Religion	Evangelical, member of Southeast Christian Church
Spouse	Tonia Baker
Children	Four sons
Website
http://www.SchansBlog.com

David Eric "Eric" Schansberg (born March 19, 1965) is a professor of economics at Indiana University Southeast, an author, and a two-time Libertarian candidate for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.

Early life, education, and career

Schansberg was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He also lived in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, Malone, New York, and Fairfax, Virginia—where he attended Chantilly High School and graduated from Robinson Secondary School. He attended George Mason University and graduated in 1986 with a BA in Mathematics and a BS in Economics. Working his way through school, he held jobs at McDonald's and Safeway.

Schansberg went to Texas A&M University to continue the study of economics, earning a Ph.D. in 1991. He earned fields in Labor Economics and Applied Econometrics. His dissertation was on congressional labor markets, focusing on the determinants of congressional tenure and term limits. After teaching as a visiting professor at Texas A&M in 1991–92, Schansberg returned to Louisville to teach economics at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, IN.

In 1995, Schansberg married Tonia Baker. In 1998, anticipating the adoption of their first son, they built a house in Jeffersonville, Indiana. They have four boys— two by adoption and two by pregnancy.

Schansberg was promoted to associate professor in 1997, earned tenure in 1998, and was promoted to (full) professor in 2000. He was chosen for membership in FACET in 2003–Indiana University’s Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching. Schansberg was also Distinguished Visiting Professor at The King’s College (in New York City) in 2005–06. Schansberg has been involved in campus leadership—as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, as coordinator of Economics, Finance and Statistics within the School of Business, and as chair of numerous committees. Since 1999, Schansberg has been on the board of Brandon’s House,a non-profit organization that provides masters-level counseling for teens and their parents.

Writings

Scholarly

Schansberg has authored and co-authored numerous academic articles for journals such as Regulation, Economics and Politics, Public Choice, Economic Inquiry, Social Science Quarterly, Markets and Morality, Public Finance Review. He has also authored two books on public policy–Poor Policy: How Government Harms the Poor (Westview Press, 1996) and Turn Neither to the Right nor to the Left: A Thinking Christian’s Guide to Politics and Public Policy (Alertness Books, 2003).

Schansberg has written numerous popular press articles as well, including essays in the Wall Street Journal, the (Louisville) Courier-Journal, and The Indianapolis Star. Notable essays include his research on “vehicle emission testing” in Louisville, property taxes in Indiana, the history of eugenics in Indiana, and The Arrogance of Power (on the controversy over Indiana's 8th congressional district in 1984). He is also the author of SchansBlog.

Christian ministry

In addition to his book, Turn Neither to the Right nor to the Left, Schansberg has written other essays on Christianity, ethics, and public policy. also wrote a layperson's commentary on the book of Joshua, Inheriting the Promised Land. And along with Kurt Sauder, the Men's Minister at Southeast Christian Church, he has written a 21–month Discipleship Curriculum entitled Thoroughly Equipped. Schansberg administers “DC” at Southeast to develop lay–leaders and promote discipleship–and works with other churches to implement the program.

Schansberg has taught more than 40 books of the Bible in expository Bible studies since 1991 and led Abundant Life, a Sunday School class at Southeast, from 2000–2008.

Electoral history

In 2006, Schansberg ran as a Libertarian and won nearly 9,900 votes (4.5%) in Indiana's 9th congressional district race. In that election, the former representative, Baron Hill, defeated the incumbent Mike Sodrel by nearly 10,000 votes.

In April 2008, Schansberg became the Libertarian nominee for Congress a second time. In both races, Schansberg emphasized fiscal conservatism, bringing troops home from Iraq, reducing or eliminating payroll taxes, reforming Social Security, and eliminating subsidies for corporations and Planned Parenthood.

Indiana's 9th congressional district: Results 2006–2008

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		Libertarian Party	Votes	Pct
2006		Baron P. Hill	110,454	50.0%		Mike Sodrel	100,469	45.5%		D. Eric Schansberg	9,893	4.5%
2008		Baron P. Hill	181,281	57.8%		Mike Sodrel	120,529	38.4%		D. Eric Schansberg	11,994	3.8%

See also

• Libertarian Party of Indiana

Sources

• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Answers to policy position questions at Project Vote Smart

External links

• Schansberg for Congress Official campaign site
• Blog