Education. Work-force development. Quality child care. The war on poverty. Crime. Economics. These are all familiar words and phrases used readily by policymakers, business leaders and child advocates. But rarely have the concepts been more tightly intertwined into good state policy than they were during this session of the General Assembly.
Disagreements about education reform result from conflicting models: the business model and the social model. Governors such as Daniels and Pence, reflecting their backgrounds and support structures, tend toward the business model. Superintendent Ritz, with almost 35 years as a teacher/communications coordinator in elementary schools, is more aligned with the social model.
A medical epidemic is one of the worst scenarios a hospital can face—when a significant portion of the population is suddenly struck with a life-threatening illness.
An entrepreneur, risking personal wealth, would approach the problem from a different angle.
I wasn’t prepared for what greeted me when I walked into Denver’s Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse a couple of weeks ago for jury duty.
The Pirate Code made famous in the series of “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies established rules to avoid the heightened opportunity for chaos among 18th century pirates. In some respects, all laws are established by societies to bring certainty in an uncertain world.
In the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Jordan Belfort, disgraced broker and owner of the now-defunct brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont, is portrayed by Oscar-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio as over-the-top good looking, witty and motivational. Belfort, if we are to believe what we see in the film, is a phenomenal salesman—a self-made man committed to making lots of money for himself and his friends.
Many years ago, a legislator told me it was “country bankers” who killed Indiana banking. They and their lawmakers carried the day in the 1970s and 1980s with regulations against buying banks across county lines. The big Indianapolis banks were thus held in check.
Over the past two decades, Indianapolis has become a vibrant metropolitan area, powering growth throughout Indiana. The next phase for the Indy region requires not just statewide progress, but global integration.
There have been many heartfelt and thoughtful positions both in support of and in opposition to same-sex marriage. I have friends who are equally passionate and respectful on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate.
Among the more mystifying arguments against a constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman is the claim that having such a conversation creates an intolerant tone that hurts Indiana’s business climate. It’s mystifying because as we have respectfully debated this issue, Indiana’s economy improved remarkably.
Renewable or reliable? That is the unavoidable choice when debating energy policy. For Indiana, you can have one, but not the other.
We have seen what this city can do when it pulls together, focuses on a big goal, and works hard to make it happen.
If you’re a natural-gas customer in Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court last week delivered a costly blow to your pocketbook.
The fatwa on gay marriage must end. The state Constitution is no toy for the disengaged to manipulate real love. I’m hoping the Legislature does the right thing: reverse the hatred and disinformation that makes us appear like Iran on an evil day.
Most Hoosiers probably didn’t know too much about the European Union until the crisis that broke in the euro zone in 2009. The worries sparked by that crisis were a double-edged sword: They made more of us aware of the EU, but the news we heard was mainly bad.
When I was growing up, like most kids, I worked a summer job. During that time, I used to think if everyone had to work in the restaurant industry, the world would be a better place. I was wrong.
Apparently, it’s no longer possible to undertake a project in Broad Ripple Village without its being labeled “controversial.”
Last month’s government shutdown wasted a lot of time. Now that it’s over, it’s time for our elected officials to get down to the business of the people, and the people want manufacturing jobs.
As we all know, the Great Recession that began in 2008 was the worst economic disaster to hit America and the global economy since the Great Depression. While the Great Recession is technically over as measured by economists, millions of Americans are still out of work or have stopped searching for work, and some sectors of the economy have not recovered.
