Category: Indiana Writers Group

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. Life expectancy increased by almost 10 years in the U.S. between 1960 and 2015. However, these bonus years are not all spent living the good life in retirement! Rather, some of these years are spent prior to when young adults enter the labor force, get married, and have children. The…

by Leo Morris The president of the United States – the leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful person on the planet – has contracted a dangerous virus, and I’m not sure how I should act. Oh, I know very well what I’m supposed to do. I must choose a side and root…

by Margaret Menge If you haven’t yet heard his name, you’ll probably be hearing it soon. The Libertarian candidate for governor, Donald Rainwater, has suddenly become a contender, thanks to an online poll of likely voters in early September showing him with 24 percent support, and he’s now running radio ads on stations up and…

by Mark Franke I enjoy the intellectual stimulation I get from conversing with those with different perspectives and experiences from my own. One such group is a half dozen or so Roman Catholics who tolerate my Lutheran heresy once each month at our regular breakfast meetings. It must be their concept of affirmative action while…

by Leo Morris I’m thinking of doing something different in the gubernatorial election. Some will say I would be wasting my vote. The same temptation teased me in the 2016 presidential election. Disgusted that our political process delivered the two worst candidates imaginable in Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, I flirted with the idea of…

by Jason Arp What does it mean to be a community leader or a business leader in your town? In the city where I serve on the council it can mean something different than what the casual observer might think. Sadly, it can mean someone who uses the power of government to further their business interests by either extracting…

CARMEL IS A MODERN real estate phenomenon with a per capita income twice the national average. This was largely the result of middle-class families in the 1960s fleeing crime and the Indianapolis School District. Indeed, its population growth exemplifies “white flight,” going from about 1,500 in 1960 to 18,000 two decades later. In recent years, though, it also has become a…

by Mark Franke Having spent Constitution Day on Sept. 17 talking about it to anyone who would listen, I realized that it (the Constitution) bears more reflection on my part. But first, a digression. I was in the dean of students office at a local seminary when a Nigerian student came in and asked if he…

by Leo Morris Complacent, entitled establishment’s hair on fire, Part 1: “We must replace Thurgood Marshall with another African American justice.” “Agreed. Meet Clarence Thomas.” “Aiiiii!” Complacent, entitled establishment’s hair on fire, Part 2: “We must replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg with another female justice.” “Agreed. Meet Amy Comey Barrett.” “Aiiiii!” I’m probably jumping the gun…

IS ERIC HOLCOMB IN TROUBLE? No, not in danger of losing re-election in what is expected to be a presidential-year GOP romp in Indiana. Rather, in trouble as in falling so far behind the ticket that his political clout and that of his senior staff is suspect. There is an opinion survey that shows Holcomb dropping 16 points since April. We haven’t…