The summer months bring the holidays we celebrate related to the privilege of living in a country where our citizenship is the foundation of our society. Citizenship can exist only in a democratic society. The uniqueness of a democratic society is that political strength is available to all who choose to participate in it. This […]
We’re approaching the part of election season when we should all become comfortable asking our incumbents seeking re-election, “What have you done for me and my community lately?” And with asking new candidates, “What do you plan to do that improves upon what is being done for me and my community?” Municipal election years should […]
Recent news that Rep. Susan Brooks will conclude her service in the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of her fourth term has generated an incredible amount of buzz in Indiana political circles. One simple reason is that, because it’s the middle of summer in an off-cycle year with no statewide or federal elections, […]
Nearly all the 2020 presidential candidates have tackled the cost of attending college, with some proposing the elimination of tuition and all fees at public universities. What has been missing from candidate proposals is how we support innovation and boost quality in higher education. I recently returned from my undergraduate college reunion with a new perspective. […]
There’s no question that Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon 50 years ago was a giant leap for mankind. But many scientists and entrepreneurs will tell you many more steps are needed to take full advantage of this achievement. As museums, libraries and Armstrong’s own Purdue University mark the momentous anniversary next month of the Apollo […]
In 1978, Harold Trulock, the late editor of The Muncie Evening Press, told me, “You’re good, kid, but we can’t afford to pay a guy to draw cartoons.” His words were prophetic in more ways than he knew. Even large newspapers have counted the cost of a cartoonist and decided they can’t afford it. This […]
Having spent 24 years in the state Senate and more than six years as a layperson working on state commissions, I am now looking through the other side of the lens. What I see is far different from what I experienced the previous 24 years. For example, unlike legislators, those serving on commissions must take […]
E-cigarettes were introduced to the United States in 2006 with a primary goal of helping adult smokers quit. Today, one in five American high schoolers uses e-cigarettes, and there’s been a subsequent rise in the use of all tobacco products among youth under the age of 18. This increase in tobacco-product consumption comes after a […]
June is Gay Pride Month. If the number of people who attended and participated in the celebration is any indication, the size of the community and its supporters is impressive. As the month comes to an end, and the fight for equal treatment continues, I think it is appropriate to reflect upon how far we, […]
On June 17, Time magazine released a report that reveals life expectancy based on ZIP code. To no surprise, yet nonetheless unsettling, data showed those living in poorer ZIP codes have a shorter life expectancy, and not by just a few years. In some places, the disparity in life expectancy is 20-plus years. This study resonated […]
Is the GOP the party for business interests? Indiana businesses are facing new problems. First and foremost, they simply lack adequate numbers of well-prepared employees. Our business leaders have reflexively turned to the Republican Party for help. In response, they have been given lots of “workforce” programs but no real assistance. Real help would mean effective […]
Is the GOP the party for business interests? Low taxes. Balanced budgeting. Responsible reserves. Great government service. These common-sense Republican policy solutions—and more—have created an attractive environment for business growth in Indiana that benefits not only our state’s economy, but most important, the people who live within our state. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look […]
Less is more. We hear this phrase a lot—when writing emails, disciplining our kids, or preparing a presentation. When it comes to leadership, these same three words ring true. But two truisms intersect to make “less is more” difficult in practice: The first is, we have access to more information than ever before; the second […]
Urban living means more than just locating in the downtown core of the biggest cities. What people are looking for is not a compromised blend of suburban and urban, but an urban condition scaled to their lifestyle.
The statue’s boosters are trying to raise $262,000 to ensure its permanent presence. Critics argue Ann has had her day and the funds could be better used elsewhere.
Just like Clara Peller in the 1984 Wendy’s commercial, investors should be asking, “Where’s the beef?” at Beyond.
Successive revolutions in mechanization, horticulture and biotechnology have been an enormous blessing, enabling a tiny percentage of Americans—today fewer than 2%—to feed the rest of us and much of the world.
Among the many things that have kept our climate changing for 4.5 billion years is an 11-year solar cycle, volcanoes and the “North Atlantic Oscillation”—a cold phase that occurs every 20 to 30 years. It began about three years ago and has cooled the Atlantic Ocean to the coolest it’s been since the 1980s.
Turning the city into a national, not just a state or regional, talent magnet can happen. Indy will never compare to the coastal giants, but it very much can replicate the success of Southern boomtowns like Nashville.
The Chicago service was not perfect, but there was little done to improve it. It needed to operate more than once a day in each direction, the travel times could have been improved, the tracks could have been upgraded, and the state could have done a better job marketing it.
