MAURER: Want money? Have an idea and a plan
I have a favorite excuse for failure in business: “It takes money to make money.”
Commentary
Articles
MORRIS: Looking back, things never looked so good
I’ve been feeling a bit reflective lately as I just completed 22 years at IBJ a few weeks ago.
MAURER: Prepare for great new Knight book
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., in his shareholder letter of March 1, 2013, took a page out of Bob Knight’s new book “The Power of Negative Thinking,” a twist on the best-selling treatise of yore by Norman Vincent Peale.
MORRIS: After long winter, thinking of parks and how we fund them
I know we had snow last week, but spring is almost here. Daylight saving time is just kicking in. We’ve been cooped up much of this winter, and it feels like it’s way past time to get up, get outside and MOVE! That means we’re about to see more people outside taking advantage of our parks and greenways, something that far too many of us take for granted.
MAURER: Big Q’s lofty mission didn’t involve flying
Quentin Paige Smith died in January at age 94. If you didn’t know the Big Q, you missed a hell of a man—his own man—unbowed by the evil racism of the pre-Civil Rights era. I wrote his biography for my book “19 Stars of Indiana—Exceptional Hoosier Men,” and now I can tell you the rest of that story.
MORRIS: Run for your lives—sequestration is upon us
This is a very scary week. I hope everyone has received that message loud and clear. The great sequester deadline has arrived. March 1 is only a few days away. Not since last year’s end of the Mayan calendar has there been such focus on a date that could preclude the end of days.
MAURER: One politician getting a second chance
That irrepressible Mel Reynolds is running again. Janie and I were just laughing with Rose and Bill Mays about being duped when we rallied our respective communities for an “Oreo” fundraiser on Reynolds’ behalf two decades ago.
MORRIS: Post office is cutting back, but IBJ isn’t
You’ve seen the news coverage. Starting in August, the United States Postal Service will discontinue Saturday mail delivery. Forget the bills. Forget the junk mail. Who cares if you have to wait until Monday to get those items? In fact, studies have shown that seven out of 10 Americans are fine with eliminating Saturday mail delivery.
MAURER: Deli delight
I am proud to relate that Pawel Fludzinski, Ph.D. recently published his first crossword puzzle in The New York Times. Pawel has worked at Eli Lilly and Co. for more than 28 years with the last 20 years being in executive level leadership positions. He has a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry, but never mind that: He shares with me a love for construction of crossword puzzles.
MORRIS: Finally, a new tax I can support
I wrote a column recently complaining about all the new taxes bestowed on us this new calendar year. It was a lengthy list. So, I don't want to sound contradictory when I tell you now that I want central Indiana residents to support a modest tax increase in the future to expand mass transit.
MAURER: New life for classic lines from big screen
Guys love to quote “The Godfather.” It’s no wonder, with lines like “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” and “Leave the gun—take the cannolis.” These and other memorable movie quips are relevant today, just with new voices.
MORRIS: To trim debt, hike taxes and cut … ?
As Brent Musburger said when he spotted Miss Alabama in the crowd at the BCS National Championship game— “Whoa!”
MAURER: A look back at memorable topics
Each January, I reflect on a few of the prior year’s columns. I am always curious about the topics and people I have written about over the course of the year. I hope you are, too.
KENNEDY: In defense of capitalism
I am a capitalist. I believe in free markets, in what the economists describe as “transactions entered into freely between buyers and sellers both of whom have the necessary relevant information.” I also recognize that markets cannot function without “umpires” empowered to enforce rules of fair play and protect that level playing field to which we all pay lip service. The most significant challenge to genuine capitalism, I submit, lies in the ability of some competitors to bribe or otherwise influence the umpires.
MORRIS: After many positives in 2012, let’s avoid ‘cliff’
Put another year in the history books. It’s time for reflection and a look ahead to the new year. I went back and looked at my column written this time last year—“From politics to hoops, my 2012 wish list”—and I would say the results were mostly positive, with one big exception.
MAURER: My gift to you is a pair of puzzles
Now that the elections are over, please relax and enjoy this crossword puzzle and the political riddle it poses.
MORRIS: Balancing quality and the bottom line
My job takes me out of my office into the community on a regular basis. As I’m out talking with folks in the business community, a common theme surfaces almost without fail on a weekly basis.
MAURER: Think outside the retirement box
I realized that my original vision of the American Dream was a nightmare. I learned that there is more to business than the money earned.
MORRIS: Setting an example we hope Washington will follow
I’ve been knee deep in budget meetings, one after another, for what seems like an eternity now. It’s been only about a month, but it seems much longer. I’ve talked to many business colleagues who have been doing the same.
MAURER: Endocyte receded, but it’s still on track
Endocyte is an Indiana biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs and imaging diagnostics to identify and treat cancer.