MARCUS: Rethink government consolidation now
Why isn’t our Legislature shredding the fabric of community government by disbanding cities and towns that are only artifacts of horse-drawn days?
Eye on the Pie
MARCUS: Hoosier employment deficit stands
Few people labor for the glory of being employed; most people work for money. When they do not work, they have less to spend and less joy enters the homes of merchants.
MARCUS: Recession’s recovery persistently denied
Indiana’s recovery is only 75-percent complete, lagging the nation.
MARCUS: Indiana says, ‘If it’s broken, throw it out’
Indiana’s new policy is, “If it is broken, throw it out.” We applied that policy to township assessors and now we are applying it to township government. Soon we may do the same to urban school districts.
MARCUS: A good bill benefits dinosaur buildings
Building owners or developers use the Indiana Industrial Recovery Income Tax Credit to reduce their costs in restoring or rehabilitating dinosaur industrial structures.
MARCUS: Daniels ignores deficit of neglect
In the long run, a city or state will attract households and businesses through the services it offers, not the taxes it does not collect. Our political leadership knows this, but ignores it.
MARCUS: Our economic development is endangered
Thus far, the saddest bill proposed in the General Assembly allows Hoosier local governments to seek bankruptcy and management by a state-appointed agent. This bill is a back-door confession that the state’s 30-year war on local governments has succeeded.
MARCUS: State moves forward, with long way to go
Congratulations to Gov. Mitch Daniels and his administration on their development and implementation of the Indiana Transparency Portal. It’s a grand start to detailed information about state and local government activities.
MARCUS: Tax cuts are not efficient as a job stimulus
Many of the best minds in the nation are endorsing the latest stimulus package, which retains the Bush tax cuts and reduces workers’ Social Security contributions nearly one-third.
MARCUS: Redistricting key to economic policy
The key factor determining the change in a county’s representation in the Legislature is the change in its share of the state’s population.
MARCUS: Elves to vote on unionization at the North Pole
Hard times make for hard work. The elves feel that Santa has not given them sufficient credit for the work they have done these past few years, when goodness and kindness were hard to find.
MARCUS: Higher aspirations built on high-speed rail
Hoosiers should discard the cloak of indifference that too many wear with pride.
MARCUS: Show us the progress, not the promises
Why doesn’t Indiana’s economy keep pace with the nation? Why, when we hear so much about new jobs, about Indiana’s beating out this state or that in some national ranking, do the data most often tell a different story? The answers are always the same. It’s hard to turn around a big ship.
MARCUS: If the brain drain stays open, what’s left?
The issue may not be a lack of jobs, but a lack of interest by young people to live in Indiana. It may be a nice place to visit as a post-secondary student, but not a place where one wants to live.
MARCUS: Best Hoosier jobs are out-of-state
In 30 years, the percentage of income derived by Hoosiers from work outside Indiana has doubled.
MARCUS: ‘Self-employment gap’ endangers state
The average earnings of a Hoosier worker was about $44,100 two years ago, compared to the U.S. average of $50,300.
MARCUS: Only tell the good news; why excite people?
You have to love them—the professional spinners, public and private. These are not the public relations people who work for large companies and government agencies. No. These are the corporate leaders and the public officials who listen to the PR people.
MARCUS: A penny is not worth a cent anymore
Ordinary saving by the ordinary citizen became a self-destructive activity in the 1970s and has shown only little improvement since then.
MARCUS: Just ignore ill-conceived rankings
The 24/7 Wall St. website asks the question, “How well-run are America’s 50 states?” To answer this complex question, “we chose what we considered to be the 10 most important ranking [sic] of financial and overall government management.”
MARCUS: Dirty toilets signal mismanagement
Most people take toilets seriously. A dirty toilet is an affront to people who care about themselves, their families and their fellow citizens. Management can always blame the users of the toilets for persistent filth and disarray, but ultimately it’s management’s responsibility.