MADISON: Getting on the right side of history
We sometimes hear the advice to “get on the right side of history.”
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SOWELL: No compassion in minimum wage laws
Political crusades for raising the minimum wage are back again. Advocates of minimum wage laws often credit themselves for being more “compassionate” toward “the poor.” But they seldom bother to check the actual consequences of such laws.
FRIEDMAN: A great nation undermined by extremism
Countries that don’t plan for the future tend not to do well there. When you watch the reckless behavior of the Tea Party-driven Republicans in Congress today, you can’t help but fear that we’ll be one of those.
RASMUSSEN: Wall Street won out over Main Street
It’s become common over the past year or two to note how well Wall Street is doing while Main Street is still struggling.
BLOW: Occupy Wall Street didn’t die, after all
When Occupy Wall Street sprang up in parks and under tents, one of the many issues the protesters pressed was economic inequality. Then, as winter began to set in, the police swept the protesters away, the movement all but dissipated.
MAHERN: At least Indianapolis is ahead of Detroit
Weather permitting, I walk our Irish setter, Finn McCool, nearly every day in Garfield Park. The 126-acre park on the near-south side has been a Mahern recreation site for over 100 years, after my great-grandfather moved his family to the area of Raymond and Shelby streets.
FROEHLE: First it was Chinatown, and now cricket
Early this year, Indianapolis expressed its intent to become a major player in the world of international sports.
VAUGHN: Ag gag and its euphemisms are back
One of the most controversial proposals to emerge at the 2013 General Assembly has resurfaced as the topic of a summer study committee. Late last month, the Interim Study Committee on Economic Development focused on ag gag legislation that would make it a crime to expose illegal, inhumane or unsafe conditions at factory farms in Indiana.
MACALLISTER: Not every free speaker is esteemed
We Americans pride ourselves on free speech and demonstrate that privilege—vocally, written, cartooning, tweeting, publishing, televising, on billboards, and through movies, TV shows and publications.
STYRING: The teachers association lost its way
Nothing in politics is so constant as change. Consider the Indiana State Teachers Association.
SIDDIQUI: Conflict, ideology devalue education
Recent ISTEP test scores seem to indicate a correlation between academic success and economic prosperity. These test results show that school districts in affluent neighborhoods have better scores than schools in poorer neighborhoods.
BECK: New hope for early childhood education
My son started kindergarten in August. Within a few days, it became apparent that his kindergarten experience is significantly different from that of his parents. Homework every night. Reading that must be logged and initialed. High expectations for reading, math, technology and the arts.
PILLIE: Don’t toss the reforms along with Bennett
In the modern political world, it seems the validity or importance of an idea is treated no more seriously than what brand of butter substitute you buy from the local grocery store. Most recently, Indiana has experienced this phenomenon in education policy.
KRULL: Right to work and promises to be kept
When Indiana Republicans started their push to ram so-called right-to-work legislation through the General Assembly nearly three years ago, they said the measure would rain blessings down on the Hoosier state.
MARCUS: Politicians have little influence over jobs
Governors and mayors normally talk as if they are personally responsible for bringing jobs to their states and communities. This is nonsense.
SHEPARD: Great places draw the young, innovative
Our public dialogue about competing with other states often focuses on development tools, tax policy, infrastructure and the like. These are surely some of the hard-edge elements of any sensible approach to building Indiana’s economic future.
WAGNER: Indiana Dems need branding makeover
I spent a large chunk of the last eight years as the spokeswoman for the Indiana Democratic Party. It was the best of times (big wins in 2006, 2008 and 2012), it was the worst of times (it sure would be nice to forget about 2010 and some stinging losses at the local level).
DANIELS: Why can’t everyone be more like Joe?
My law partner and longtime friend Joe Russell died suddenly at age 63 in July. Such a stunning event unleashes introspection: How could this happen to someone so young? How likely is it that I’ll keel over in the next year? Time to start planning vacations NOW.
ODLE: Indiana needs a new immigration burst
Indiana and Indianapolis have much to be proud of. The state is in a relatively good financial position, to the point of rebated taxes.
BRUNI: Will Republicans look for Bush 44?
Let Rand Paul have his epic filibuster and Ted Cruz his scowling threats to shut down the government. Let Chris Christie thunder to a second term as the governor of New Jersey, his hubris flowering as his ultimate designs on the White House take shape.