Category: Indiana Writers Group

by FRANK STAHL Marion, Ind. — Marion in Grant County makes a handy laboratory for examining the mix of politics, capitalism, economics and, some might say, neo-mercantilism that is municipal economic development in Indiana today. With only about 30,000 residents, Marion is of a size that meaningful documentation can be gathered in only an afternoon.…

by Andrea Neal Historians aren’t sure which white man stepped first on Hoosier soil, but he most certainly was French, and he likely arrived in the 1670s — 150 years before Indiana statehood. “Possibly it was an obscure Frenchman whose adventures were never recorded — if he lived to tell the tale,” wrote the historians…

by Leo Morris Indiana can take a lesson from Detroit — the biggest city in American history to declare bankruptcy: Stick with your “red model” of governing based on restraint and fiscal discipline. Resist those who urge you to drift closer to the “blue model” of high taxation, profligate spending and unsustainable benefits. Yes, there…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. There is currently discussion about apprenticeship and structured work experiences to promote the school-to-work transition. This concern emphasizes the development of young people to have the skills needed for applying academic learning to real-life situations. Here in Indiana there exists an exciting such program that enrolls thousands of young people…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D The Wall Street Journal recently listed penthouses available for sale at $2.1 million or more at Philadelphia’s “most prestigious address.” Units were designed by an award-winning architect and are located in a fully staffed building with five-star concierge services. Each sale includes a 10-year tax abatement. In March of this…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Recessions are always traumatic and recoveries always seem slow. This one is particularly hard on teens and young adults. The most recent report indicates a national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent in June 2013. This is a welcome decline from the June 2009 rate of 9.5 percent. By means of comparison,…

by Tad DeHaven The Indianapolis Star’s investigation of a contractor hired by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to select companies to receive taxpayer handouts is further evidence that a separation of state government and commercial interests is needed. For that to happen, however, Indiana will need to separate itself from the federal money that perpetuates…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. A prevailing wage is a legal arrangement to set minimum compensation (wages and benefits) in public-sector construction at rates above where market participants (demand and supply) would otherwise reach equilibrium. As always, the basic choice is between markets and government; we either allow people to do what they want — or…

by Andrea Neal By the time Europeans reached Indiana in the 1600s, our economic future was already set. Cornfields stretched for miles along the river valleys and colorful vegetables filled gardens tended by Native Americans. Indiana was destined to be an agricultural state. Climate and topography made it so. In 1794, after Gen. Anthony Wayne’s…

by Stephen M. King, Ph.D. The chairman of the Howard County Republican Party declared recently that we do not have an “immigration problem; we have a Hispanic immigration problem.” His solution is to penalize employers who illegally hire illegal immigrants and redirect the considerable resources of the Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)…