Category: Indiana Writers Group

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. I’m not pro-Trump in terms of his style or his substance. That said, I’m not as anti-Trump, for a number of reasons: 1. I think a lot of Trump’s approach is rhetoric. To be sure, the rhetoric is not always helpful — and often harmful — and thus, regrettable. Most people,…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Thirty-two years ago I ran as a Libertarian for Congress. I didn’t win. I got 0.3 percent of the vote. The two other candidates were Republican Ken MacKenzie and Democrat Phil Sharp who was re-elected despite the Reagan landslide. Mr. MacKenzie has since passed away. Mr. Sharp has just retired from…

by Martina Webster Pretend you are in the market for a house in your Indiana community. What criteria would you give your buyer’s agent? A common request goes like this: a) within an x radius of their job (the commuting distance is a matter of wide personal preference, honestly); b) with y bedrooms and z…

by Craig Ladwig It is time to have a serious talk about subsidized downtown residential living. It’s not what you think it is — a portend of your community’s return to glory. It is a pyramid scheme operated by a cabal of land speculators, bonding attorneys, tax mavens and other rent-seekers and hangers-on. When it…

by Andrea Neal Riding FDR’s coattails while declaring herself “my own boss,” Democrat Virginia E. Jenckes unseated a 16-year incumbent in 1932 to become the first Indiana woman to serve in Congress. A native of Terre Haute, Jenckes began her political career at age 55 after getting a taste of politics – and liking it…

“The Indianapolis Colts signed franchise quarterback Andrew Luck on Wednesday to the richest deal in the history of the the NFL. Luck was due to earn $16.1 million this season and the five-year extension through 2021 brings the total value of the contract to $140 million, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay.” — June 29…

by Andrea Neal Indianapolis — A David versus Goliath battle is taking shape here as citizens prepare to vote this fall on a controversial tax increase to upgrade public transit. On one side: the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, IndyGo bus officials and hired guns touting the benefits of an all-electric rapid bus line that would…

by Craig Ladwig “While Europeans are accustomed to being ruled by presumed betters whom they distrust, the American people’s realization of being ruled like Europeans would shock this country into well nigh revolutionary attitudes.” — Angelo Codevilla, “America’s Ruling Class — And the Perils of Revolution” in the July 16, 2010, American Spectator. THE EDITORS…

by JASON ARP I left my recent city council meeting disgusted, having participated in the process of reviewing the compliance of businesses with their abatement agreements. State law requires us to grill companies unable to meet the hiring objectives set forth in their application for the abatement. This ludicrous abatement process is only a symptom;…

These bicentennial essays are available in book form from Indiana Historical Society Press. “Road Trip – A Pocket History of Indiana” can be ordered online at shop.indianahistory.org. by Andrea Neal Two decades after Elwood Haynes drove his newfangled horseless buggy down a Kokomo street, cars had become all the rage in Indiana. “From the beginning,…