Garrett Mintz: The fallacy of thinking that work must be a calling
Workers run in their own lanes and live their own lives and can achieve happiness and self-actualization in their own ways.
Opinion
Articles
Patrice Dawson: Madam Walker’s legacy still inspires a century later
While the struggles my fellow African American women face today are different from the ones Madam Walker faced as a daughter of slaves in the late 1800s, we can all learn from the persistence that led to her becoming an influential African American businesswomen and one of the first to become a millionaire.
Julie Reed: End surprise billing without damaging access to care
Without an independent dispute resolution process, physicians are concerned the repercussions will lead to higher health care costs and less access to critical care—the exact problems lawmakers have vowed to fix.
GOP should tighten charter-school oversight
For-profit school proposals need more vetting and oversight than the Republicans seem willing to support. It’s time to ask our representatives to change their approach, or we need to change these legislators.
Editorial: State should let cities set rules for landlord/tenant relations
Rules about evictions and landlord/tenant relations seem like especially important decisions to be made locally. After all, the landlord-tenant rules that work in Bloomington or West Lafayette—communities that are packed with rental housing for students—might be less appropriate for suburban communities or urban centers.
Samantha Julka: We can do better. Let’s be designerly.
Simple is smart. Making something simple for other people is actually much harder than making something complex.
Editorial: Lilly Endowment, Indy Chamber step up to facilitate study of inner loop rebuild
Ideally, a broad look at alternatives, with input from diverse stakeholders, would have come sooner in the process of planning the reconstruction of a roadway that was controversial to begin with.
Robert Enlow: In our public schools, central office staff is growing—not shrinking
According to the data presented, from 2000-2013, the number of central office administrators rose steadily and consistently year over year. This was followed by a dramatic and precipitous drop in 2014 and 2015 (from 1,266 down to 547), then a massive gain in 2016 (back up to 1,170), followed by another massive reduction in force in 2017 (down to 603).
April Klein: State should leverage its outdoor-recreation economy
In Indiana, the BEA estimates outdoor recreation is 2.8% of the state’s economy, with nearly 110,000 direct jobs. Just one segment of this important sector, the RV industry, has an economic impact of $32.4 billion and supports more than 126,140 jobs and $7.8 billion in wages paid to Hoosiers.
Letter: Juvenile justice disparities run deep
The reality is, decades of policies throughout the criminal legal system, as well as implicit racial biases, have led to racial disparities.
Ed Feigenbaum: Slow second half creates puzzle for bill authors
The legislative process is a puzzle-solving exercise, dependent upon precisely positioning those pieces. The committee to which a bill is assigned might portend a fast-track or slow death. Even a “good” bill could find itself behind the legislative eight-ball should several other major bills be scheduled for a hearing, and simply die from lack of time.
Mitch Daniels: There’s plenty that’s fishy about fight against salmon
Ultimately, the worst damage of anti-science lies in its opportunity costs. Because they are not yet apparent to ordinary citizens, such costs do not generate an outcry commensurate with the harms they impose.
Robert Aboolian: 3 ways coronavirus will affect the U.S. economy—and 1 silver lining
The number of visitors coming to the United States from China could drop as much as 28% in 2020, which could translate into $5.8 billion in less spending this year and $10.3 billion less through 2024.
Kim & Todd Saxton: When does a side hustle become your main gig?
Millennials are more likely to have a side hustle than older workers, and people earning higher incomes are more likely to have a side hustle.
Rajan Gajaria: Indiana must forge global connections any way it can
With 1,000-plus foreign-owned businesses supporting 193,000 Hoosier jobs, we can’t afford to miss opportunities to invest in efforts that can directly help grow those numbers.
Phil Powell Higher education can lead region’s vision for talent
The data is clear. For Indianapolis talent to enjoy “major-league” status, a larger share of workers must have a college degree. If
Letter: Indiana lawmakers, focus on smoking cessation
Raising the age to 21 must be complemented by an increase in the state’s tobacco tax, and more resources must be directed to underfunded tobacco prevention programs.
Ed Feigenbaum: Opposition doesn’t stop bill to protect coal plants
One senator says calls and emails from constituents have outnumbered contacts on any other bill this session.
Editorial: Lawmakers should say no to bill to prop up coal industry
Utilities are making the switch to other alternatives, including natural gas and solar, because they are cheaper and cleaner. Those are positive changes for Indiana economically—in both the sheer cost of power and the potential for improvements in health that come from cleaner air.
Editorial: Cost overruns for Carmel-backed hotel deserve deep scrutiny by city council
One point everyone can agree on is that, over the past two years, construction costs have skyrocketed, thanks to higher prices for materials and a severe labor shortage. But other developers who spoke to IBJ say those setbacks alone would not explain a nearly 50% increase in the project’s cost.