KENNEDY: A chance to choose our lawmakers
I would argue that one of the frustrations fueling anger in today’s electorate is the realization by so many citizens that their votes don’t count.
Sheila Suess Kennedy
Articles
KENNEDY: Questions for Mike Pence
The governor thus “doubled-down” on his previous endorsement of Donald Trump, raising a number of questions about the extent to which he also endorses the various positions Trump has taken and the many controversial statements he has made.
KENNEDY: An election year like few others
This November, Indiana will either re-elect Gov. Mike Pence or replace him with Democrat John Gregg. If The Donald’s candidacy is causing heartburn for many long-term Republicans, the prospect of four more years of Pence is experienced as equally unnerving.
KENNEDY: Is Indy a grown-up city—finally?
If all goes well, Indianapolis voters will go to the polls in November, authorize a modest tax, and join the 21st century.
KENNEDY: Reflections on a disheartening primary
I have students—reasonably intelligent students—who cannot answer the question: What is government?
KENNEDY: Casting an informed vote
A substantial percentage of the American population appears to believe we elect a person to serve as “monarch” for a four-year term.
KENNEDY: The issue isn’t abortion
Ever since Gov. Mike Pence announced that he had “prayerfully” signed the measure, Indiana has been pilloried in the media—including international media.
KENNEDY: Trashing ‘Hoosier hospitality’
This Legislature—and especially this governor—has undone years of effort to position Indianapolis and Indiana as welcoming, business-friendly venues: We offered “Hoosier hospitality” at “the crossroads of America.”
KENNEDY: Anthem’s algorithm and denial of coverage
According to the very apologetic caseworker, insurers deny approximately 50 percent of requested moves to acute rehab. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern for these refusals, which are issued without seeing the patients or consulting with their doctors.
KENNEDY: When the center will not hold
The Internet puts enormous information resources at our fingertips, but it also connects us to massive amounts of misinformation, disinformation and propaganda.
Trump: How did we get to this point?
How did a major political party produce not only “The Donald” but a whole crop of presidential candidates unable to do anything but ape him?
KENNEDY: What Flint should tell us about HB 1082
The legislation is just one of a number of “solution in search of a problem” measures that reasonable folks can only hope die a merciful death during the legislative process.
KENNEDY: Religious liberty—one more time
The U.S. Constitution protects citizens’ right to believe anything. It does not, however, protect an untrammeled right to act on the basis of religious doctrine.
KENNEDY: The unforeseen impact of Citizens United
As a blogger for the Washington Monthly recently put it, the billions of dollars being spent to support the various presidential candidates have yielded, at best, a “mixed bag” of results.
The difference between public and private
I always look forward to IBJ’s “Eight@8” email. It’s unfailingly clever and occasionally snarky, and there is usually at least one item I wouldn’t otherwise see. One of those items was a Pro Publica investigation of the Red Cross—more specifically, the experience of that venerable charitable organization with management practices appropriated from (and appropriate to) […]
Why suspicion runs rampant
When citizens do not believe they can trust their government and other social institutions, they become suspicious of one another.
KENNEDY: What’s really driving Syrian refugee ban
These are, by and large, the same politicians who are opposed to the most cursory of background checks for gun purchases, even for convicted felons and the mentally ill.
KENNEDY: Now comes the hard part–governing
How will mayor-elect Joe Hogsett and the new City-County Council provide even the most basic public services, from public safety to paving streets to picking up trash, in the face of steady erosion of the resources needed to deliver those services?
KENNEDY: A friend’s death reveals important truth
Individual efforts matter—sometimes more than we think and often more than we know.
KENNEDY: Gerrymandering cuts us out of the process
A majority of House districts across the country are “safe,” and we can see the results in our dysfunctional Congress.