GARRISON: Indianapolis might get what it asks for
The next mayoral election might represent the functional end to Republican government in Indianapolis.
Forefront
Articles
BOEHM: Battle over council is unnecessary
A two-front war is waging over control of the City-County Council. The General Assembly recently changed the Unigov statute to eliminate the four at-large council seats. Meanwhile, a special five-judge panel is considering a challenge to the city-county ordinance drawing the council’s 25 single-member districts.
MASSON: We’re all becoming Panopticon prisoners
"Privacy" comes from a Latin word meaning “separated from the rest,” initially thought of in negative terms, mostly having to do with deprivation of the ability to participate in government.
BENNETT: Indianapolis is treated differently than other cities
The question continues to be pondered by many people and seems to always rise to a high level during each session of the General Assembly. The issue is typically considered and debated regularly by those of us from around the state who live outside of Marion County.
BALLARD: Contrary to perceptions, Indy gives more than it gets
In modern politics, the term “fair share” has endured more than its fair share of political contortion. I’ve never enjoyed engaging in that kind of debate. What I’ve always enjoyed are facts.
LANOSGA: And you thought the feds were secretive
Some of the most secret governments are on the local level.
SCHELLINGER: Green delegation should work hard on influence
Roll Call reported several weeks ago that Indiana’s clout in Washington, D.C., has slipped in the rankings from 27th to 42nd. This is certainly no surprise in the wake of Sen. Richard Lugar’s departure, in addition to former Sen. Evan Bayh and former congressman and now Gov. Mike Pence.
MCDANIEL: Delegation, Pacers have many surprises in common
Our delegation is a lot like the Indiana Pacers. Both are young. Both are made up of talented people. Both are generating results sooner than expected. Both are likely to grow to be even more effective for many years to come.
SOWELL: Undoing university brain-washings
This time of year, as college students return home for the summer, many parents may notice how many politically correct ideas they have acquired on campus. Some of those parents may wonder how they can undo the brainwashing that has become so common in what are supposed to be institutions of higher learning.
BONIFIELD: Campus entrepreneurs need more love
Having graduated from college this past month, I have now joined the ranks of the college-educated work force.
VANE: Had more than enough hope, change
It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s read what I’ve written in Forefront that I didn’t buy a ticket to ride the “Hope and Change” express. Just because I wasn’t a passenger, however, doesn’t mean I didn’t want the train to reach its station.
BECK: Fascinated with Indiana’s first ladies
It’s hard not to miss first lady Karen Pence these days. From reading to kindergartners to supporting the arts to visiting schools in Fort Wayne, she’s everywhere.
TAFT: Cities are great places to raise kids
I recently participated in a planning session for downtown Indianapolis that included cultural and civic leaders whom I consider very pro-urban Indianapolis. As the conversation turned toward the urgent need to recruit more taxpayers into city neighborhoods, one of my colleagues stated that it really wasn’t practical to raise a middle class family in the city, and many others agreed.
MACALLISTER: Stop, think before expanding transit
We continue to analyze, visualize and contemplate the expansion of an urban transit system for the Marion County area. All accept the blessing of reduced traffic during rush hours, but alas, to do so entails a cost-benefit ratio that might be troubling.
STYRING: Bowen held line on property taxes
Indiana has said farewell to former Gov. Otis Bowen. Much has been written in tribute to “Doc,” and all of it deserved. He surely was the most popular governor in anyone’s memory. Even his political enemies respected him as a thoroughly decent human being.
KRULL: We’re beginning to see the real Pence
Now that the 2013 General Assembly has wrapped up, a few things about the state’s new governor, Republican Mike Pence, have become clear.
HOWEY: Pence sees a president in the mirror
Last month, we learned that Gov. Mike Pence was in New York attending an Indiana economic development event in Yankee Stadium. Earlier, he had been at a Republican Governors Association conference in New Orleans. A few days later, he was in Maryland to keynote a national confab on school choice.
WAGNER: Age has little to do with moral virtues
Reggie Walton and Mark Zuckerberg have one thing in common.
VAUGHN: IRS scandal overlooks larger issue
Common Cause founder John Gardner once said, “We share the conviction that as citizens we have every right to raise hell when we see injustice done, or the public interest betrayed, or the public process corrupted.”
DANIELS: Abuses will recharge media shield law
It is commonly said in the practice of law that “bad facts make bad law.” Sometimes a far-reaching court decision, affecting a broad swath of cases for years to come, results from one bad set of circumstances.