RICKER: How banks got their hands in your pocket
Buy $40 worth of gas and the bank will grab as much as $1.60 right off the top for a transaction that costs it just a few cents.
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SMITH: Revenue forecasts are remarkably accurate
Indiana is among 15 states that implement the best practices outlined by the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for methodology and processes. Kentucky is the only nearby state that can make a similar claim. But it’s Indiana’s process for forecasting tax revenue that stands out.
HARRIS: Lawmakers must invest in IPS success
For years, state and community leaders have been calling for these types of reforms in IPS, and now that they’re in motion, such changes have put the district on a path toward dramatic improvement.
BRADY: Time to tackle city’s most solvable problem
As we strive toward the goal of attracting talent and making the city more vibrant, we have to start with the most fundamental practice of keeping Indianapolis clean.
KENNEDY: Another reason single-payer makes sense
If health coverage were de-coupled from employment, the United States would become a much more attractive location for new businesses, and incentives to outsource production to overseas workers would be reduced.
WESTERHAUS-RENFROW: A leader’s apology in a tweet
The good news is, people don’t expect online perfection from even the savviest leaders. People understand that leaders are bound to make mistakes when using online platforms to connect with stakeholders, share knowledge and increase transparency.
WAGNER: Mentoring women to be Democratic leaders
Our focus should be on electing women, who are woefully underrepresented in office, as well as nurturing women who already are on a professional career track but who might be looking to give back in other ways—perhaps a year or two in public service or fundraising for a candidate or taking on a leadership role in the community.
BURNS: Arts, humanities should remain a priority
We all need to advocate for museums as significant economic engines, stewards and trustees of important collections, community connectors and education providers. But museums do so much more.
PETERSON: Let’s lift those the economy has left behind
Average wages for Indiana’s non-management workers have risen less than 50 cents an hour since 2000, according to inflation-adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
KITTLE: Bury the idea of a border adjustment tax
Unfortunately, all the good tax reforms could be wiped out by a separate, complicated proposal from the House GOP that amounts to a huge new tax that will slam consumers.
QUALLS: Reforms strangle regional banks, small biz
Dodd-Frank means regionals like Fifth Third, which have branches here in Indiana and focus mostly on consumer and commercial lending, face the same red tape as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, banks with distinct business profiles that involve risky trading activity with enormous sums of money.
McCABE: EPA works without political overtones
The recipe for success of relying on science, following the law and being transparent should continue to guide EPA and will lead to a stronger economy and improved public health for all Americans.
FAENZI: Before the Muslims, there were the Italians
The internment of Italian and Japanese during World War II is considered by most people today a stain on our history—a case where fear became blind fear.
SMITH-JONES, NICOLINI & KLITSCH: Middle-skill workforce is high-level priority
It’s important to erase the perception that our advanced-industry employers are looking for only college-educated STEM professionals or tech-savvy millennials. Roughly half of all advanced-industry jobs are “middle skill,” requiring a two-year degree or technical certificate.
NEFF: Refinance health care reform
The party best situated to manage cost and allocation of benefits (above the safety-net level) is insurance companies.
WATSON & McGUIRE: New transit system would help students
Having good, reliable transportation is paramount to ensuring that our students can take full advantage of their academic opportunities.
SAYSANA & FULLER: Hospitals collaborate on safety issues
The Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety provides a forum for area hospitals to share information about best practices and work together to solve patient safety issues.
CEO PERSPECTIVE: Defining tech’s many facets
As technology permeates companies and industries, there is increasing talk that every company is becoming a tech company. So how are we to make sense of these blurring lines between businesses?
WESTERHAUS-RENFROW: How to deal with bullies at work
An Accountemps study found managers and executives at Fortune 1,000 firms spend 13 percent of their work time resolving uncivil behavior. That’s the equivalent of seven weeks a year down the proverbial drain.
KENNEDY: Trump: And so it begins
In his first week in the White House, Donald Trump exceeded my expectations—and not in a good way.