Home » Government

Government

Articles

Government buoys office market: Downtown vacancy rate drops as agencies expand

Downtown’s anemic office market has shown signs of life over the last few months, but that doesn’t mean companies are taking more space and pushing occupancy rates higher. Credit goes to the government. State and local agencies absorbed roughly 175,000 square feet of office space during the second quarter of 2007, pushing the vacancy rate down to 15.9 percent, roughly a point lower than in the first quarter. The deals include 50,000 square feet for the Public Defender’s Office in…

Read More

EYE ON THE PIE: Taxes pay for what Hoosiers want

Good people, me included, have been making dumb statements about the property tax mess in Indiana. The problem is that we don’t know enough to talk or write intelligently on the topic. The result is that we can be led by our noses into an even worse mess. “Abolish the property tax!” some demand. Then what? Abolition of the property tax means raising some other taxes or fees, unless government spending on services decreases. The state has been urging counties…

Read More

NOTIONS: A property tax sigh of relief and a reform wish list

The nightstand clock reads 5:17. Too early to wake up. But hey, I’ve been tossing and turning for hours, so why lie here any longer, pretending? The cause for this night’s insomnia is money. Money for two kids starting college. Money to replace the Money to paint the house. Money for employees’ salaries. Money for employees’ parking. Money for employees’ retirement. Money for employees’ health insurance. Money for their families’ health insurance. Money to get the yellow highway paint off…

Read More

VIEWPOINT: Domestic ‘insourcing’ our way to job growth

Anchor Lou Dobbs of CNN is a pest to some folks and a hero for others. His recurring economic message laments a view of U.S. workers losing out as companies send jobs overseas. Dobbs’ critics, of course, cite his convenient omission of the many interna tional companies that invest in U.S. communities through new manufacturing plants, research facilities and other initiatives. Love the debate or detest it, but consider this: Hasn’t Dobbs helped stir a discussion about how the new…

Read More

Speeding Toward Better Health: Regenstrief Institute continues to fine-tune a medical-records system that many think could someday become a national model

Regenstrief Institute continues to fine-tune a medical-records system that many think could someday become a national model The Regenstrief Institute is a racing team. Only instead of drivers and grease monkeys, the Indianapolis-based medical research group has doctors and computer geeks. And instead of a race car, Regenstrief runs a massive computer database with 35 years of medical records from Indianapolis-area patients. But Regenstrief’s mission is still all about speed. The not-for-profit is driving to discover better ways to care…

Read More

EYE ON THE PIE: Health care and the pursuit of happiness

Some people believe the Fourth of July grants them liberty to disturb the night with their firecrackers. My pursuit of happiness is in conflict with theirs and I want them jailed. We all gladly infringe on the liberties of others while in pursuit of our own happiness. For example, should motorcyclists wear helmets? Yes, if all of us expect to pay their hospital bills (through higher premiums) and maintain them on disability after they have head injuries that might be…

Read More

INVESTING: How Middle East turmoil might affect financial markets

Al Qaeda is threatening Iran-saying that if the country does not stop supporting Shiites in Iraq within two months, it will suffer terrorist attacks. In addition, Al Qaeda has called for a jihad against Shiite Muslims across the world. With the blessing of the U.S. government, the Shiites are in charge of Iraq now. Iraqi Shiites are receiving arms and support from Iran, a nation the United States has long called evil. We dislike Iran and are at war with…

Read More

Richest soon may assume larger share of tax burden: BULLS & BEARS

The rise in property taxes and a doubling of the Marion County income tax have residents steaming. Yet as IBJ columnist Ron Gifford noted in his column last week, you can argue about which taxes legislators should increase-whether on property, income or sales-but the fact is that governments need more revenue, and, therefore, a variety of taxes are rising. Paying tax is not the most pleasant of human endeavors. However, in a capitalistic society, taxes are necessary and, when applied…

Read More

Industry takes deep breath over ozone: Tougher EPA standards could force costly emission controls, choke economic growth

Just when the nine-county metro area appeared back in the good graces of the federal government where ozone levels are concerned, the feds want to tighten the standard once more. Manufacturers and other businesses that pump pollutants into the air that combine with sunlight to produce ozone are “apprehensive” about the proposed new rules, said Patrick Bennett, vice president of environmental, energy and infrastructure at the Indiana Manufacturers Association. Businesses in non-attainment counties face possible restrictions on expansion of facilities…

Read More

2nd Globe expands in Canada: Young & Laramore founder to head new office

David Young, co-founder of one of the city’s largest advertising agencies, is packing his bags and heading for Vancouver, British Columbia. This month, Young will oversee the opening of agency Young & Laramore’s first Canadian office, which is being set up to grow the firm’s 2nd Globe division in the Pacific Northwest. 2nd Globe, a 12-year-old division dedicated to bringing art, architecture and commerce together, is the brainchild of Young and is known for its work on several high-profile central…

Read More

BEHIND THE NEWS: Judge in fraud case fines Brightpoint defendant $50,000

A federal judge in a high-profile fraud case has slapped a former Brightpoint Inc. manager with a $50,000 fine-a relatively modest sum, but one the manager says he lacks the resources to pay. Judge Harold Baer of U.S. District Court in Manhattan late last month assessed the fine against Tim Harcharik, the former director of risk management for the wireless phone wholesaler. Harcharik, 53, was the sole remaining defendant in a securities fraud lawsuit the SEC brought in 2003 against…

Read More

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Big Three carmakers’ slide will not be easy to reverse

The last writings of the late novelist Kurt Vonnegut portrayed the Americans of today as “drunk” on fossil fuels. Of course, that’s only partly true. What we’re really addicted to are the machines we pour the fuel into, especially the automobile. We have more registered vehicles in this country than we have drivers. In 2005, we collectively drove more than 3 trillion miles in our vehicles-15,000 miles for each of the nation’s 199 million drivers. And the numbers go up…

Read More

EYE ON THE PIE: Indiana property taxes, explained

It was a beautiful sunny Hoosier day and I was delighted to see Faye of the Forest perched on my deck railing. “Hey, Faye,” I said. “What’s up?” “My property taxes are up,” she said, with irritation in her voice but a tear in her eye. “You know my little treehouse. I’ve lived there for years and the taxes keep going up. Why? What is going on?” “I hate to say this,” I said, “but the explanation gets more complicated…

Read More

INVESTING: Tax hikes are just what the bull market doesn’t need

The seed of the next bear market might have just been planted, and what better place than right here in the Crossroads of America. A seed is a tiny and innocent thing. But one tiny seed from a destructive weed can ruin an entire garden. A little background for those who don’t live in Indianapolis (or for those who do but don’t follow local politics): For years, there has been a gaping hole in the promised retirement benefits for retired…

Read More

Commentary: We can learn some things from Turkey

Turkey isn’t high on the list of countries Americans visit. Tell friends you’re going to France and they congratulate you. Tell them you’re going to Turkey, and they ask why. They might follow the why with a reference to the movie “Midnight Express,” a 1978 film about an American’s nightmarish experience in a Turkish prison. Midnight Express had such a negative effect on Americans’ perceptions of Turkey that the man who wrote the book the movie is based upon recently…

Read More

City steps up effort to help immigrants: Mayor’s wife spearheading program to better acclimate newcomers

The burgeoning number of immigrants arriving in Indianapolis have a new source available to help them navigate unfamiliar surroundings and the kaleidoscope of social support systems available. The Immigrant Welcome Center is a program launched in October that uses volunteers dubbed “natural helpers” to link foreign newcomers to such basic needs as health care, government and transportation services. Although the effort is nearly 9 months old, it’s just now getting up to speed as organizers are interviewing candidates to lead…

Read More

Commentary: Don’t like new taxes? Voter, blame thyself!

A lot of people across Marion County are going to be upset this month as their property tax bills start landing on their doorsteps. Taxes are expected to increase an average of 24 percent. Although that means there will be some people with tax increases much less, there will be a lot more with increases way above that number. I’ve already heard stories of 30-percent increases in tax bills, 50-percent increases, and one poor soul told me he got a…

Read More

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Long spoiled by low rates, nation now faces increase

It wasn’t long ago that writing an economic analysis column meant-surprise-that you analyzed the ups and downs of the economy. And if you came of age in the 1960s and ’70s, there were plenty of ups and downs to keep track of. Volatility in just about everything was higher then, with strikes, inflation and more frequent recessions the order of the day. And even though that environment has changed remarkably since the mid-’80s, the habit of peering at the data…

Read More

Legislators to look at mass transit’s potential: Review is timely for backers of a northeast transit line

If a downtown-to-Fishers mass transit system ever happens, its first stop-figuratively, at least-will be at the Statehouse. There, at least one legislator could be influential in getting the state’s help toward building a system that could cost upwards of $1.5 billion, depending on the type of transit vehicle used. Rep. Terri J. Austin, D-Anderson, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, plans to convene a summer study committee in August that will look at the state’s future in mass…

Read More

BULLS & BEARS: Answers to tax questions are sometimes surprising

Taxes are always a consideration in investment decisionmaking. Investors need to be vigilant to changes in the tax code, because from year to year there may be changes that can affect the choices they make. And while there are some broad tax generalities, an individual’s tax profile is specific to that person. Navigating the tax code can be daunting. Yet with some tedious reading and a strong dose of common sense, investors can arrive at rational decisions. I have found…

Read More