Retaining veteran teachers maintains stability in the classroom, which leads to the creation of stable learning environments. By contrast, a University of Pennsylvania study found that Indiana spent $20 million to $40 million in 2008-2009 on teacher attrition and turnover costs.
Last month, state Sens. Jim Banks and Scott Schneider introduced Senate Bill 144, called the “Indiana Heartbeat Act.” The bill makes it a felony for physicians to perform an abortion if the fetus has a detectable heartbeat. This bill is bad by telling women they are not qualified to make their own choices.
I have zero faith that something like the Flint disaster can’t happen in Indiana. Govs. Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence have fought environmental protections at every turn and weakened the state’s ability to go after polluters.
The 2016 Indiana bicentennial can serve both as party and as a springboard for thinking about our future. The state’s bicentennial commission has laid plans that both bolster Indiana’s statewide opportunities and promote local initiatives.
I have some strategic advice for my fellow Hoosier Democrats who’ve signed up to be on the ballot: It’s time for us to stop talking about the lack of Republican leadership on big issues and instead begin providing Democratic leadership on big issues.
History has shown that internal improvements benefit the economic prospects of our citizens and that failing to secure reliable funding for the improvements can result in fiscal disaster for the state government.
Indiana needs a long-term fix for its roads and bridges. For too long, Indiana’s road-funding solution has been to pour more short-term money into projects while never addressing the state’s long-term needs.
The present law establishing the process for selecting Marion County judges has been held unconstitutional. So Sen. Mike Young, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and four other senators from Marion County have proposed a bill to overhaul the process.
By appointing Troy Riggs, a veteran of Republican Greg Ballard’s administration, as chief of police, Mayor Joe Hogsett has demonstrated he is fully committed to reducing crime in Indianapolis. He is living up to his post-partisan “One City” promise.
Millennials are getting older, pairing off, even having a first then a second child, and discovering what their parents and grandparents discovered: a single-family home in a safe neighborhood with strong schools is where they wish to raise their children.
Let us repurpose existing revenue to roads, pursue more federal assistance, and use our budget surplus to fix our roads.
House Bill 1001 is built upon three principles: fiscal responsibility, data-driven metrics and sustainable infrastructure funding to support a safe, efficient transportation system and a thriving economy, without creating long-term debt for our children.
It seems likely that Obamacare is neither fixed nor fully paid for nor furiously opposed but simply limps along with the rest of our health care system for as long as both can limp.
Most gun enthusiasts are just seeking an extra layer of protection for themselves. Most gun control advocates are just seeking an extra layer of protection for innocent lives.
None of the things proposed by the President Obama is likely to reduce gun violence. Like other restrictions on people’s ability to defend themselves, or to deter attacks by showing that they are armed, these new restrictions can cost more lives on net balance.
On the surface, the millennial generation, having endured the financial crash and stagnant wages, looks ready to lead a big leftward push. But if you look at how millennials actually live, you certainly don’t see a progressive counterculture.
Outrage is the campaign theme for both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Sanders wants the country to rise up against the special privileges that keep making the richest 1 percent richer. Trump rocketed to the top of the polls by railing about illegal immigration.
What I find disgusting is when people misuse the term “racist,” because it detracts from the uniquely heinous history and nature of racism in order to morally equivocate different forms of discrimination that are, frankly, not as egregious.
Political extremism and the “all or nothing” philosophy are poisoning our once-effective government and creating a close-minded population. This certainly shows in the 2016 presidential lineup.
There is no doubt the former Secretary of State, senator from New York and first lady has an impressive resume of titles. But she lacks substantial and defining accomplishments.
