HALE: People are getting involved—and that’s good
Regardless of what you think about the new Trump administration, you are likely to feel passionate about it.
Forefront
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BEHNING: Pre-K pilot programs should be expanded responsibly
Right now, Indiana is not ready to provide universal, statewide pre-K.
GOODIN: Early education too important to limit its reach
At a time when everything indicates more should be done to spread state-funded pre-K statewide, the tendency of many legislative leaders is to dawdle
WOLLEY: Embracing the ‘beloved community’ in the Trump era
After an acrimonious election cycle where large swaths of the voting public were attacked because of their religion, ethnicity, gender or impairments—or were characterized as “deplorables”—I believe there is an appetite for something different in our civic discourse.
SMITH: African-American’s win in AG race is sign of progress
Curtis Hill, running statewide for the first time and as a Republican no less, secured more votes than any candidate in Indiana’s 200-year history.
SHELLA: Media background doesn’t make politicians media-friendly
There is no need to feel sorry for the media. Reporters and editors signed up for this treatment, and if they don’t have thick skin, they should get some. But we all benefit from true journalism and it should be encouraged.
Machines keep getting smarter, but they don’t have hearts
Software has started writing poetry, sports stories and business news. IBM’s Watson is co-writing pop hits. Uber has begun deploying self-driving taxis on real city streets and, last month, Amazon delivered its first package by drone to a customer in rural England. Add it up and you quickly realize that Donald Trump’s election isn’t the […]
Dems may be poised to make party even more extreme
As we enter 2017, the Democratic Party has good reason to be concerned. In Washington, Republicans now control the White House and both houses of Congress. Thirty-three governors are Republicans, and Republicans control both houses of state legislatures in 32 states whereas Democrats control both chambers in just five. Because I am a conservative, I […]
As Trump inauguration nears, anxiety reigns
The capital has never been more anxious about its own government. The town is suffering pre-traumatic stress disorder. Donald Trump is really going to be president. Finally, there is bipartisan consensus: It’s time to flip out. No one knows what is going to happen, but they know it will be utter chaos and that the […]
SHEPARD: A good year for Indiana’s future
It’s a human habit, of course, to use birthdays and anniversaries for simple celebration. And the commemoration of our statehood included events that served largely as parties. Having parties seemed altogether right for the occasion of an anniversary like 200.
DANIELS: Keeping arrestee DNA on file would solve crimes
We are thus losing the opportunity to identify repeat offenders before additional people are victimized; and we are losing the benefit of arrestee DNA analysis to exonerate the innocent.
SITES: DNA profile should be destroyed without conviction
It is a bedrock principle of our criminal justice system that those arrested for or even charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MEREDITH: Mandatory kindergarten, pre-K are no-brainers
Offering universal pre-K goes hand-in-hand with full-day, mandatory kindergarten. The results of a paired pre-K and half-day kindergarten program include “higher reading skills by the third grade than those who attend full-day kindergarten alone,” according to a study by the Center for Public Education.
BOEHM: Civic education is necessary to maintain our republic
The responsibility lies not with the schools, but with the requirements we place or do not place upon them.
ROBERTSON: Several things to watch in the new year
Let’s be honest here, no one knows what a Trump presidency will bring. There are fears and hopes, but no one has a clue what is going to happen.
LEPPERT: A bumper-sticker transition for the winners
Democratic voters are certainly struggling with the new political situation post-election. But I am predicting that will pass soon. Then comes the real transition.
WAGNER: Republicans should resist temptations to go too far
In the run-up to the legislative session, we’ve already heard rumblings from lawmakers who want to dismantle gun licensing, limit women’s health care, and engage in a debate about Sharia Law.
IRELAND: Democrats can make America great again
I do not ask for compromise for the sake of compromise but for a hard-fought contest between differing world views.
SCHNEIDER: A New Year’s resolution for Trump
In the aftermath of an election that left me depressed as no election ever had before, I needed something more basic: a positive outlook that, despite my fear that we have elected a man unfit to lead, the nation will be fine.
SHABAZZ: Ask not for whom the road tolls
Toll roads address two major problems: They give you a stable source of long-term road funding revenue and they also capture out-of-state traffic and don’t put the bulk of the burden on the locals.