KETZENBERGER: Referenda may divide school funding equity
The recession and slow recovery have made it harder for schools to win approval for tax increases for both general spending and construction.
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BOEHM: Put redistricting in hands of citizen group
Although there is no one right answer to the “best” map, a group of respected citizens charged with drawing fair maps will take that obligation seriously.
VAUGHN: Time to end two-timing public employees
Shouldn’t the right of citizens to have government untainted by conflicts prevail over the perceived right of an individual to run for office and hold a public job at the same time?
CAMPBELL: The absurdity of our immigration politics
If proponents were serious about the issue, they would make it a crime to hire an illegal immigrant. Not a slap on the wrist, not a fine, not an audit, but a felony.
RENN: Beyond brain drain to talent magnet
Indy is no longer a sleepy, backwater state capital. While it certainly has a way to go in some departments, it is at the point where it can compete at a much higher level than many think.
HEIN: Sports more than a game in Green Bay, Indy
Both cities consider sports to be a reflection of not only their spirit but also their character.
PARKER: Primaries, spotty record undermine Daniels’ chances
Ultimately, I suspect all this presidential talk is much ado about nothing, but Daniels isn’t tamping down the speculation because it doesn’t hurt to be talked about.
HOLCOMB: Americans should make Indiana’s Story their own story
There is no more compelling story or record to inspect than My Man Mitch’s should the country hope to make a presidential change.
KRUGMAN: Majoring in the minors in balanced budget
In a better world, politicians would talk to voters as if they were adults. They would explain that discretionary spending has little to do with the long-run imbalance between spending and revenues.
FRIEDMAN: They did it: Egypt’s long walk to freedom
Because the Obama team never found the voice to fully endorse the Tahrir Square revolution until it was over, the people in that square now know one very powerful thing: They did this all by themselves.
HERBERT: Separating Reagan myth from reality
What we get with Reagan are a series of disconnects and contradictions that have led us to a situation in which a president widely hailed as a hero of the working class set in motion policies that have been mind-bogglingly beneficial to the wealthy and devastating to working people and the poor.
BROOKS: The wide ripples of the experience economy
In an affluent information-driven world, people embrace post-materialist mindset. They realize they can improve their quality of life without actually producing more wealth.
BLOW: Republicans repeal, restrict and repress
On the gay rights front, Republicans in Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia and Wyoming (where Matthew Shepard was tortured to death) are among states pushing constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage.
DOWD: Afghanistan plays worth a bottle of whiskey
“The question is,” says an American staff officer in the play, “are we on our ninth year in Afghanistan, or are we on our first year for the ninth time?”
OSILI: Invest in social services and infrastructure
The high costs of social service needs must never lead to initial under-investment or inconsistent long-term maintenance of a community’s infrastructure.
BONIFIELD: Balanced appeal will resuscitate Democrats
Democrats need to forge a coherent pact with their constituents, detailing how they will reform education without undermining educators; shepherd sensible, pro-taxpayer policies through the General Assembly without becoming distracted by fringe issues; and provide private citizens and municipalities with the tools and revenue they need to evolve Indiana into an economic leader.
MUTZ: Getting economic development right
As an IEDC board member and former lieutenant governor responsible for economic development in the 1980s, I believe IEDC is one of the most successful economic development agencies in the nation.
KRULL: Pence, Delph turn Constitution on its head
The states’ rights argument that Pence and Delph advance is the one Lincoln waged war to defeat.
HOWEY: Retool government into classes of counties
Counties with one or two major cities could have their townships within the urban areas terminated. Townships serving rural areas would continue, but their numbers could be greatly consolidated.
FARGO: Solve transparency problems with oversight
Transparency walks hand in hand with accountability. It is hard to trust what you cannot see.