Category: Indiana Writers Group

A Mamdani for Indianapolis DIFFERENTATION is not allowed in the corporate newsroom. That is, all individuals and groups are to be treated equal in their motivation and character (except conservatives, who are racist and evil). This softens intra-office relationships but makes predicting the twists and turns of politics difficult.  So it is unsurprising that nobody is asking this simple question: In Indianapolis, could a…

by Mark Franke Political drama. Sadly, this was the reluctant opinion of my Socratic discussion group after we took on the issue of immigration last month. Any workable long-term solution requires political sense in Washington DC and particularly in the halls of Congress. Expecting anything sensible from that dysfunctional bunch is drawing into extremely long…

Delineating ‘Growth OUR MAYOR likes to tout her city as being one of the fastest “growing’ in the state. The scare quotes are to alert you that growth needs some definition. The mayor is talking demographically, that is, her city is increasing in the raw number of people. That is the wrong metric, it will be argued…

Race and Crime: Stats Matter (He) “struggled with mental health issues” and appeared to have “suffered a crisis.” — the mayor of Charlotte describing the man who stabbed to death 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska riding the train to her work. A FRIEND, a young man with a wife and two small children, was shot a few days…

We’ve Lost the Founders’ Mindset SOME OF US have spent decades studying the legislative mind. Most of us have worked through our cynical phase where we assumed it was all selfishness and venal ambition. There are many Indiana legislators sincerely trying to advance measures that they consider important for all of our well-being. It’s just that they aren’t trying…

by John F. Gaski, Ph.D.  The media and American people don’t seem to get it.  A few talking heads have verged on elucidating what is happening, but the true gestalt has yet to be adequately processed in the general media.  Namely, why must today’s liberal Democrats resort to such fanatical measures, in government and in…

by Mark Franke We think of money these days as anything but tangible. Venmo accounts, credit and debit cards, ACH transfers—we don’t really touch “real” money anymore. And so we can’t appreciate its importance in the development of civilization and our comfortable standard of living. “The History of Money: A Story of Humanity” (Henry Holt…

Reality Check: NFL Economics BACK WHEN INDIANAPOLIS was selling its grandchildren to bring the Colts to town, an economist friend estimated that the contribution to the local economy would be equivalent to only three Walmarts. He was way off. When spread over 365 days, the daily economic “foot traffic” impact of an NFL stadium falls between that…

History Matters, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez IT IS EASY to make fun of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and her flubs. It is clear she doesn’t  understand the dynamics that created America or her own heritage. But she is not alone. It would be surprising if there are 20 Indiana legislators who would fare better. Surveys of how little this generation understands of Western Civilization are so discouraging that…

by Mark Frank “Time is the only scarce commodity.” I heard this on a Viking commercial from company chairman Torstein Hagen. His point, I assume, is don’t put off things you have always wanted to do. Since Viking’s clientele is largely aging retirees, his advice is certainly well given. The problem with time is that it…