Category: Indiana Writers Group

For the use of the membership only (448 words) The author, an intern at the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, is a sophomore at DePauw University majoring in political science. Miss Hang La is a native of Hanoi, Vietnam, where she was winner of the A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) scholarship. Most recently she…

by Craig Ladwig Up until 15 years ago Indiana had something special. It was the single-class state basketball championship. But Hoosiers, despite the iconic movie, never understood what was so special. So they lost it. Last week, the Indiana High School Althletic Association (IHSAA), announced that the public and the experts had spoken for good:…

If you’ve ever wondered where the line is between extreme and reasonable in the Indiana political discussion this gubernatorial election is going to draw it for you. Don’t expect, though, to learn much about the issues themselves. We’ve been writing lately about the importance of an independent mass media as an honest arbiter of the…

by Andrea Neal Visalia, Calif. — In Sequoia National Park in California, tall trees beckon one million visitors a year. The tourists come from all over the world to see something exceptional: the largest living things on earth. Rangers don’t think twice about marketing the park’s uniqueness. Brochures in multiple languages brag of “big trees,…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Here is a simple federal income-tax reform proposal. All earners report their income based on the current definition of adjusted gross income (AGI). All current tax exemptions, deductions and credits are abolished. Taxable income becomes adjusted gross income. All tax preferences are gone — tax breaks are nada, nothing, nil, not…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. Gov. Jerry Brown refers to the California state budget, riddled with earmarks and creative accounting, as a “pretzel palace of incredible complexity.” If a governor is challenged by the complexity, what hope does the ordinary resident have in getting a handle on state revenue? There will be a cost, however,…

(For release June 20 and thereafter, 661 words) by Andrea Neal A battle is brewing on the education reform front over Indiana’s embrace of Common Core — a set of Math and English standards being implemented across the country to govern what is taught and tested from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The debate is half…

A Change of Guard The tour of duty of the earring-wearing, socially hip, corporately charmed editor of the Star is over. Indications are that his replacement, Jeff Taylor, understands that it has become easier, not harder, these past few years for government to lie to a newspaper’s readers. (April 10) — That politicians are liars…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) is encouraging state-supported institutions to: 1) increase graduation rates; and 2) ensure that students graduate in four years. The broader goal is to generate more college graduates in Indiana and more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical) grads in the mix. As higher education…

by MARYANN O. KEATING, Ph.D. Imagine, if you will, a small island economy; you may call it Pennsylvania, Virginia or Indiana. Assume that the population of the island is steady with 100 residents, two born and two dying each year. Sixty residents are in their prime years, working at home or in town; the remaining…