Category: Indiana Writers Group

by Andrea Neal Whatever the potential benefits of Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, this much is clear: It would kill Indiana’s coal industry and devastate our economy. Indiana gets 84 percent of its energy from coal, an abundant and affordable natural resource that — when burned — emits carbon dioxide that is blamed for global…

by Andrea Neal He was the A. J. Foyt of the harness racing world. During a 10-year career, Dan Patch broke records and raked in prize winnings. His appearance at events drew fans by the thousands. Through it all, he never lost a race. Sportswriter Charles Leerhsen calls Dan Patch “the most celebrated American sports…

by John Kessler There has been a trend recently in economic development circles to encourage public-private partnerships. In this kind of partnership the government partners with a private business to pursue some sort of project. Typically, the government gives taxpayer money directly to the business as a subsidy to pursue the project or they guarantee…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Although the United States is famous for being a “melting pot,” immigration has often been a contentious topic for us. In recent decades, illegal immigration has brought the issue back to the forefront. And since 9/11, worries about terrorism now mix with concerns about economics, culture and politics. Immigrants have come…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. I think it was Mark Twain who said there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Of course, unlike a mere opinion a reference to a number gives an objective aura to a specific claim. It is no wonder that op-ed writers, this one included, love to pepper their writings with statistics…

by Barry Keating, Ph.D. The tallest and most prominent building in South Bend is the Chase Tower. The tower is also known for inoperable elevators and a crumbling façade; the occupancy rate is about 50 percent. The Summit Club, once located on the tower’s top floor, was considered the most elite restaurant in town. Now…

“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” — Adam Smith by Craig Ladwig Our foundation’s seminar this week focused on Indiana’s expanding business leagues, the various Chambers of Commerce, economic-development departments, regional…

by Tom Charles Huston Land-use regulation is the means by which communities self-segregate by race and class. Through the use of zoning and subdivision control ordinances, regulators establish housing price points and those prices determine who can live in the community. The Obama administration has set out to upend this process by using “disparate impact”…

by Andrea Neal Dubbed the “colored cyclone” by newspaper reporters of the early 1900s, Hoosier Marshall W. “Major” Taylor was a champion cyclist whose speed was surpassed only by railway locomotives. Despite achieving international fame — and defying bigotry and Jim Crow segregationist practices — Taylor died penniless and alone at 53, a forgotten sports…

“There is surely no more squalid idea than that propagated by the death-cult calling itself Islamic State. And there is no finer idea than the freedom that defines Western societies. Let’s not be shy about saying so.” — Dan Hannan THE MAYOR of my mid-sized Hoosier town is a “Hey, Norm” type of guy, the…