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If Indianapolis is considered a model on fronts ranging from downtown revitalization to fiscal responsibility, why is it so late to ban smoking? George Geib, who has been observing Indianapolis as a Butler University historian for 45 years, thinks the reluctance can be traced to immigration patterns.

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Are Indiana Dems brain-dead?

July 1, 2009

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Now that another General Assembly is mercifully behind us, itâ??s a good time to raise a festering question about the lopsided nature of ideas bantered about the Statehouse in recent years. Gov. Mitch Daniels has driven a wide-ranging agenda characterized by...

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Goldsmithâ??s latest venture

June 4, 2009

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Former Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith, never one to let grass grow under his feet, has started a not-for-profit with one-time presidential candidate Howard Dean to promote Goldsmithâ??s pet cause of public-private partnerships. The Council of Project Finance Advisors aims...

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Fodder for special session

May 1, 2009

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Charitably speaking, not much got done in the legislative session that ended Wednesday. Now Gov. Daniels plans to call a special session to force passage of a budget, the only bodyâ??s only legal requirement. Should anything else be put on the...

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'Livability' for Indianapolis

February 23, 2009

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A year into his tenure as mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard over the weekend articulated what may be the closest thing weÃ¢??ll hear for his vision for the city. BallardÃ¢??s State of the City address touted making Indianapolis the...

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Wobbly on township government

February 12, 2009

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State legislators seem to be looking for excuses to dodge the recommendation in the Kernan-Shepard report to eliminate township-level government. This wasnâ??t unexpected. Township officials often are close friends and political allies of legislators, so the legislators donâ??t want...

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Tap the rainy day fund?

February 9, 2009

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The weakening economy is producing worse and worse tax revenue forecasts for Indiana. As a result, Democrats are calling for Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, to open the stateâ??sÂ $1.3 billion rainy day fund. Tough times like these are what...

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Tax cheats, or just ignorance?

February 6, 2009

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A third nominee to join the Obama administration has gone down in flames after revelations about problems with income taxes. A Senate panel last night called off confirmation hearings for U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis, who was nominated to lead the Labor...

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Obama and executive salary caps

February 5, 2009

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All things considered, there shouldnâ??t be a fuss about President Obamaâ??s plan to cap salaries of executives in companies that receive federal bailouts. Thatâ??s the take of Dan Dalton, an Indiana University specialist on corporate governance. Dalton points out that...

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Hoosier lessons for Obama

January 20, 2009

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Some people went ballistic when $40 million was spent on George W. Bushâ??s inauguration in 2001, and now $120 million is going toward Barack Obamaâ??s inauguration festivities today â?? much of it donated, of course. Few people would argue against celebrating...

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Daniels' budget axing priorities?

January 7, 2009

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Gov. Mitch Daniels said yesterday he wants to spare schools and public safety from the scalpel as he looks to prepare an honestly balanced budget during a time of declining tax revenue. But Democrats accuse the Republican of crimping...

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Smoking ban back on the table

November 19, 2008

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Smoking in public places is in retreat across the country, and now Charlie Brown, the state representative from Gary, wants to ban it in bars, casinos and other enclosed places in Indiana. Brown plans to introduce a bill during...

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Whatâ??s next for Daniels?

November 12, 2008

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Mitch Daniels has plenty of reason to feel good about himself these days. Last week, he won reelection in a landslide after cutting a wake through a change-averse state, and without going negative on his opponent, Jill Long Thompson. Daniels also needs...

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Obama, Daniels and Indiana

November 5, 2008

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Change agents Barack Obama and Mitch Daniels won over Hoosiers yesterday, but from different ends of the political spectrum. Barack Obama took the state after a campaign in which he promised to increase regulations on business, raise taxes on...

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A historian previews the election

October 8, 2008

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Jerry Handfield hasnâ??t lived in Indiana since 2001, when he moved to Washington to take a similar job overseeing that stateâ??s archives. But Handfield still keeps tabs on Indiana. So much so that he checks the Weather Channel when tornadoes rip...

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Race and the Obama vote

October 7, 2008

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Yet another poll shows the contest between John McCain and Barack Obama as too close to call in Indiana. The WISH-TV Channel 13 survey has each with 46 percent of likely voters. With margins like this, the election could...

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Bloodbath on Wall Street

September 29, 2008

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Thereâ??s no time like an election to make politicians nervous about taking a stand on a controversial issue, and this afternoonâ??s House vote on the $700 billion bailout plan is no exception. Many Republicans and some Democrats, leery about facing voters...

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