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Brian Williams

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Commentary: We manage traffic Rube Goldberg-style

Rube Goldberg was an engineer by training who rose to prominence not for his engineering skills but for his political cartoons, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Goldberg was also famous for his cartoons that depicted whimsical machines with complex mechanisms to perform simple tasks. Goldberg’s fantastic contraptions served as an inspiration for the annual Rube Goldberg competitions held at colleges, universities and high schools across the country. In years past, students have been required to develop…

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Commentary: Reforming elections should be top priority

The intensity of the Democratic presidential contest is propelling expectations that Indiana primary voters will influence the selection of the Democratic presidential nominee. The question is, will Indiana conduct a fair election? Elections are the heart of democracy and the instrument for the people to choose leaders and hold them accountable. The validity of the elected depends upon the integrity of the voting process. If elections lack integrity, the entire democratic system is at risk. Since 2000, polls have consistently…

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Commentary: Why are we so afraid of immigration?

Indiana Senate Bill 335 is a poorly crafted public policy that fails to reflect the totality of immigration and the societal and economic issues associated with it. Hispanics are the nation’s largest minority group, numbering 47 million. About a quarter of Hispanic adults, roughly 11 million, are unauthorized immigrants. The Pew Hispanic Center estimated Indiana’s unauthorized immigrant population at 65,000, roughly 1 percent of the population. In 2004, 93 percent of unauthorized men age 18-64 were in the labor force,…

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Commentary: Indiana needs social entrepreneurship

In the Middle Ages, the French coined a new word that today we would identify as “undertake.” Around 1828, this old French word, “entreprendre” was absorbed into the English language and after some use and m o d i fi c a t i o n s became a word we recognize and vener ate in our society today … entrepreneur. As a nation founded and populated by men and women who risked life and fortune to reach our shores,…

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Commentary: Community service is a public investment

Greg Ballard’s election as mayor of Indianapolis continues his admirable career of public service. Considering his background, it comes as no surprise that he is interested in reviving the “Front Porch Alliance.” Through this historically faith- and volunteerdriven civic partnership, with a little imagination, Mayor Ballard could create a national model of community service. The concept of compulsory community service is not a new one. William James proposed national service in his 1910 essay, “The Moral Equivalent of War.” He…

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Commentary: A foreign investment that is sure to pay off

As the year draws to a close, the business community remains focused on taxes and the health of the economy. The governor’s privatization of the Indiana Toll Road generated a windfall of $3 billion. If managed properly, that money should fund Indiana’s road and bridge repair work. However, perhaps we should consider investing some of the interest to radically change our stature in the global economy. Canada possesses coastlines along the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans; has abundant natural resources,…

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Commentary: A bibliophile’s view of Indianapolis

A public library preserves the record of humanity’s intellectual, scientific and artistic achievements, as well as its failures. Those records and the people who facilitate the community’s access to them support democracy, encourage economic development, sustain lifelong learning, and foster an information- and technology-literate community. A community’s investment in its public library system symbolizes the importance of the civic role of public libraries in ensuring an informed society. In our community, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation raised more than…

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Commentary: Region is missing benefits of planning

Good urban design can create value for communities, individuals, the economy and the environment. The potential benefits include better public health, greater social equity, enhanced land values, a more vibrant local economy, reduced vehicle emissions and a more sustainable use of non-renewable resources. Central Indiana lacks geographical barriers to growth. Land is abundant and reasonably priced. However, the region lacks a cross-jurisdictional plan to manage growth and maximize the benefits from it. Instead, fields grow corn one season and homes…

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Commentary: It’s way past time to complete Unigov

The property-tax disaster in Marion County and around Indiana is composed of two dependent parts: the manner in which property is assessed and the government infrastructure that establishes tax rates or levies and whose operations are funded in large measure by property-tax assessments. The state has improved the manner in which property is assessed. Unfortunately, the state has not done an adequate job of training assessors in all 92 counties. In Indianapolis, the challenge of accurately assessing property is compounded…

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Commentary: We need a sensible alcohol policy

The recent bust at the home of former Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau, and his subsequent arrest for allegedly hosting a party where high school students consumed alcohol, reflects current law in Indiana. But it does not reflect the attitudes of some toward the appropriate age at which one is capable of making fully informed decisions about alcohol use. More important, it reflects the fractured nature of how the law views an adult and the rights and responsibilities associated with adulthood….

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Commentary: How can city become more elder-friendly?

Hubert Humphrey once noted that “the moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” Our population continues to age. The number of seniors in Indianapolis is on the threshold of doubling-from 95,500 in 2000 to 187,500 in 2040. Therefore, it is incumbent on us…

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Commentary: A plea for bio-focused policies:

Commentary A plea for bio-focused policies On April 2, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act and can be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. While the ruling acknowledges the obvious, it offers a compelling rationale for Indiana elected officials to create an economic development strategy that leverages Hoosier intellectual capital and one of the state’s greatest assets, our farmland. With the scope of the twin challenges…

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Waiting for a sensible transportation plan: Commentary

The Indiana Commerce Connector, those 75 miles of concrete through the Indiana countryside, was announced with great fanfare at the start of the 2007 legislative session and recently disappeared with equal aplomb. Thanks to the efforts of state Rep. Terri Austin, chairwoman of the House Roads and Transportation Committee, and the other members of that committee, the citizens of Indiana had ample opportunity to express their opinions on Indiana’s transportation needs. While the governor’s specific proposals for the Indiana Commerce…

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Commentary: How to improve Indy’s 2011 Super Bowl

Feb. 4, 2007, will be a day fondly remembered in Indianapolis for generations to come. It was the day the Indianapolis Colts emerged victorious from Super Bowl XLI. The Super Bowl media exposure, combined with the city’s proud history of organizing and hosting some of the world’s largest sporting events, should position us well to serve as host for the 2011 Super Bowl. Already, a host committee has been formed and seed funds committed. The General Assembly has passed legislation…

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