PARR: Poli sci class was glimpse of liberal IU culture
As the end of the school year quickly approaches, it seems prudent to let you, the Hoosier taxpayer, know exactly what your hard-earned dollars are going to support.
Opinion
Articles
GARRISON: Fierce hatred of the T.E.A. Party is a conundrum
T.E.A Party: Taxed Enough Already. How hard is that? I was privileged to speak at the first rally of these fine folks April 15, 2009, when about 3,000 Hoosiers gathered on the south lawn of the Statehouse in a 40-degree drizzling rain. No burning underwear, no stolen bicycles, no tussles with the police and not a single potty-mouth slogan or sign. Just folks who could make it to the event because it was held late enough in the day that they were finished with the day’s work. Yes, work, as in “having a job.”
BOHANON: Tax burdens are significantly worse outside Indiana
Two years into the Pence administration, claims and counterclaims abound about its tax policy. Critics claim the policies shower unwarranted benefits on those who need it least at the expense of the middle class, while supporters claim the policies promote economic growth and prosperity.
ANDREWS: Circuits fry in outbreak of local government warfare
I am an accidental tourist in the land of government finance. The natives are friendly enough to me, but they seem to like one another less and less.
TAFT: Another chance to enlist neighborhoods to fight crime
Indianapolis is grappling with one of its most violent years, leading citizens to ask hard questions about why such crime is growing and what we can do about it. While this crime spike has generated loud calls for a much larger police force, the city’s lean budget cannot be our only solution.
LANOSGA: Citizens need better access to government Big Data
Gov. Mike Pence recently signed an executive order creating a data-sharing project called the Governor’s Management and Performance Hub. The idea is to have a centralized clearinghouse for public data that top policymakers can use to systematically analyze problems—child fatalities and infant mortality, for instance—and the state’s handling of them.
SHELLA: Pence still keeping options wide open for 2016
Take a second, please, to think back to the evening of May 2. It was just a couple of weeks ago, a Saturday, and, just possibly, a day worth remembering.
SOUDER: Pence presidential bid more plausible than most think
In the interest of disclosure, I encouraged Mike Pence to run for president in early 2010, for the 2012 nomination. House Majority Leader Dick Armey frequently told us that every senator woke up in the morning, looked in the mirror, and saw a potential president. The curse has spread to governors as well as far beyond. Give a good speech and you are suddenly the great new hope.
SPALDING: Glad Indiana doesn’t ban lies in the political arena
Like you, I am eager to pull up a seat to watch candidates throw caution aside in their political ads. It’s like dissecting a mystery where you piece together parts of what the candidate says, what their opponents say about them, and what you end up believing.
MASSON: Repealing the 17th Amendment would be step backward
In 1854, the Indiana Democratic Party was led by Jesse Bright, a man described as “hateful and extraordinarily ambitious.” He rose to power as a bully and apparently remained one. His pugnaciousness was no small part of the events that led to a two-year period in which Indiana had only one U.S. senator.
BOEHM: Another credible voice for helping voters choose
Justice John Paul Stevens retired in 2011 after 35 years of distinguished service on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has now published a book advocating adoption of six amendments to the Constitution.
KETZENBERGER: We’ve got to stop running elections like this
It always was a little awkward entering a polling place during the primary and declaring to the poll judges which ballot I wanted. As a news reporter, I didn’t like having to declare my affinity for one party or the other.
DINING: Newcomer Chuy’s stands out in crowded Tex-Mex field
It’s difficult to imagine a chain Tex-Mex restaurant generating much excitement. But crowds are flocking to the Hamilton Town Center newcomer.
Citizens deal is working
Recently, Citizens Energy Group received regulatory approval to raise rates [April 23 IBJ] to continue updating the community’s aging water and wastewater systems.
KEY: End the end-runs around public business
Technology that makes a vast amount of public records available with a few keystrokes can also make monitoring government actions more difficult for Hoosiers.
RUSTHOVEN: The union vote proved toothless
Two races on my 2014 watch list were challenges to GOP state representatives Bob Behning of Indianapolis and Jerry Torr of Carmel. The issues differed, but each race showed continued erosion of union political power.
EDITORIAL: Fadness agenda should advance
Fishers voters made their second forward-thinking choice in as many years on May 6 when they picked Town Manager Scott Fadness in the primary election to run as the Republican nominee for mayor.
LOU’S VIEWS: Children’s Museum brings 2,200-year-old statues to Indy
Terra Cotta Warriors make rare U.S. appearance. Chinese treasures were commissioned by the first emperor of China.
LOPRESTI: Indiana—that northern school that plays good baseball
IU beats the odds by creating a baseball power in Bloomington.
Senators to sausage—Mickey’s Camp has it all
Spaces fill up fast in the annual men’s and women’s camps that send money to favorite charities.