MARCUS: A proposal to put young people to work
The Rockefeller Foundation has called for ideas that address the nation’s youth unemployment situation. Here are mine:
Forefront
Articles
SOUDER: The real education message sent by voters
Liberals, at least those aligned with the Indiana teachers’ union, have been creatively interpreting the victory of Glenda Ritz as a rejection of innovative education and a call to return to the old systems of exclusive trust in the educational establishment.
VARGUS: A long, steep climb makes the odds remote at best
The rise of any politician seems to cause speculation about their future. Such has certainly been the case of Gov.-elect Mike Pence, even though his rise has been relatively slow.
MASSON: Allow cursive writing to fade away
As I recall the story, the guys in my dad’s fraternity used to haze the pledges by cracking eggs, emptying them down the stairwell and making the new guys catch them in their mouths down at the bottom.
WESTERHAUS-RENFROW: ‘Bus stigma’ detailing mass transit
I moved to Indianapolis in the summer of 2005. Since then, I have learned to count on three things to occur each summer—a substantial number of die-hard Indianapolis Colts fans will still suffer from acute post-season withdrawal; mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds will nip at my ankles during my evening walk; and a massive, five-month road construction project (or two) will spring up somewhere on Interstate 465.
SCHEELE: Forget about 2016, but 2020 might be a possibility
There’s an old saying that a week is a lifetime in politics. Between now and Election Day 2016, there are 200 weeks—and that many lifetimes. If Gov.-elect Mike Pence is to run for president in 2016, he must begin immediately.
ODLE: Let’s be careful whom we call ‘takers’
Mitt Romney’s comment about 47 percent of people being “takers”—those who generally live off the rest of the population’s efforts—reawakened me to a local version of this concept that creeps into our local discourse, that African-Americans in large numbers tend to live off the subsidies of others.
BOEHM: Now is the time to invest in the future
Gov.-elect Mike Pence proposes a 10-percent reduction in Indiana’s income tax. Some question whether we can afford it. But if we can, should we?
VAUGHN: Door keeps revolving at Statehouse
With Republican super-majorities in both Statehouse chambers and a newly elected governor eager to make his mark on state government, the upcoming legislative session could get controversial real fast.
QUILHOT: GOP has become its own worst enemy
During the past three years, I have had the opportunity to serve Arsenal Tech High School’s football team. It has been an edifying time as I have gotten to know our urban high school students in ways only somebody called “coach” can understand.
NIEZGODSKI: Hoosiers would be nuts to game this paltry system
Consider for a moment what it’s like to be on unemployment in Indiana.
TORR: Existing laws are sufficient to weed out fraudulent claims
Anytime a government program makes tax dollars available to certain individuals, unfortunately, a few will look to game the system.
DOWD: Hillary will finish the job Obama started
The Mayans were right when they predicted the world would end in 2012. It was just a select world: the GOP universe of arrogant, uptight, entitled, bossy, retrogressive white guys.
MUTZ: Arcane rules will haunt the new Congress
The priority for Congress as it convenes in a lame-duck session is to reach an agreement that averts a fiscal crisis. To accomplish that goal, it may also be necessary to agree on major changes to three arcane procedures that govern the House and Senate.
HOWEY: Unchastened Chocola soldiers on
One thing is clear in the troubling weeks following the loss of a Republican U.S. Senate seat in Indiana: Chris Chocola will not give up easily in his quest for ideological purity.
BONIFIELD: Protect Ritz’s heartening voter mandate
By all accounts, Glenda Ritz has a daunting challenge as the next superintendent of public instruction. Across a state that has been at the forefront of the so-called education reform movement, recent legislation has incensed and motivated teachers in profound ways.
BECK: The biggest and worst of the elections
For the political among us, 2012 was solely focused on the election. From the early days in January with the Iowa caucuses to the ongoing transitions at the state and federal levels, the year was packed with action.
MYERS: Children need moms and dads at home
Single-parent families are at a significant economic disadvantage, and more black children in Indiana (42 percent) are living in poverty than are nationally (36 percent).
FARGO: Mildly agnostic about finishing I-69
When Interstate 64 came to my hometown, I was too young to appreciate what an amazing engineering feat it was. To me, the construction zone was a wonderland of big trucks and other exotic-looking equipment.
KRULL: The war against marijuana isn’t working
Indiana seems to be experiencing a fresh outbreak of reefer madness.