Category: Indiana Writers Group

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR has declared itself a charity of sorts. The executive editor in the midst of the pandemic sent an appeal for readers to give her money because . . . well, because she needs it. “Our company and IndyStar staff are facing the same economic realities that many of you are living,” explained Katrice Hardy in an extraordinary message. “Even as…

by Mark Franke I have avoided writing about COVID so far and intend to continue onward along this path . . . except for today. This column isn’t so much about COVID per se but about the effect it is having on our daily lives. First, I should admit that I neither understand nor care…

HELP US BRING TOGETHER Hoosier councilmen committed to limited government. The foundation again this year will be linking local officeholders throughout the state.*  You supply the contact information, the foundation does the rest. Foothold meetings (free food and drink) are being scheduled now. The good that can come from sharing issues, contacts and strategies cannot be overestimated. Please send your nominee to director@inpolicy.org or call 260/417-4094. *…

LAST SUMMER the Indiana Policy Review released a series of papers reporting on the 3,000 students from China enrolled at Indiana University and why they were more of a national-security concern than typical foreign students. This Friday, a congressman-elect, a former member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, described such students as acting “like a spy network.” First,…

by Richard Moss, M.D. JASPER, Ind. — Chanukah, the festival of lights, is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the victory of the Maccabees (or Hasmoneans) over the powerful armies of the Seleucid (Greek) Empire under King Antiochus IV. King Antiochus, in 167 BC, in a show of force, forbade important Jewish observances such as keeping the Sabbath…

by Mark Franke I used to find English class one of the most boring of all the subjects I suffered through in elementary and high school. I wanted nothing to do with it, even more so than those hated math classes.   It wasn’t the teachers; it was the subject matter. The only part I liked was…

“The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it is so rare.”  — Daniel Patrick Moynihan ERIC HOLCOMB’S JOB seems to be to make the imagined world of his ruling political class palatable to us common zeks. As such, he is making a mess of it — particularly in the intractable matter of…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. The significant contributions of the American political scientist Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone” and  ”Our Kids” are widely recognized. His new book, “The Upswing,” co-authored with Shaylyn Romney Garrett, similarly consists of careful analysis of societal trends but is somewhat troubling given the authors’ conclusions and prescriptions. Many share the authors’…

by Leo Morris In Huntington, the powers that be are getting a little high-handed, so some residents are getting a little testy. It’s politics at its best and worst. Late last month, the City Council passed an ordinance that, among other things, put some teeth in Gov. Holcomb’s mask mandate. Police can issue a written…

WE ARE ACCUSED HERE of being against all laws, even those that would require us to wear swatches of cloth over our mouth and nose as a medical fashion. That is unfair. Below we list a few government actions that have our wholehearted support, some of them laws and others resolutions. The issues range from campaign ribbons to Half Windsors. And yes, a…