The Indiana Policy Review

Category: Indiana Writers Group Archive

  • Beyond License Plates: Prepping Inmates for Life After Prison

    Indiana Writers Group column for July 26 and thereafter 730 wordsby Andrea Neal     On July 17, inmates at the new Plainfield Educational Re-Entry Facility began earning college credits in one of three tracks intended to help them land jobs after prison.     The hospitality track will prepare them to work in hotels, restaurants and service industries.…

  • Low Prices or High Prices: We Can’t Have it Both Ways

    Indiana Writers Group column for July 19 and thereafter 566 words By T. Norman Van Cott It seems as if it were only a few weeks ago that Hoosier opinion-makers were obsessing about Wal-Mart’s negative impact on Indiana. Wal-Mart’s offense? Low prices. Wal-Mart’s marketing technology, including its access to low-cost foreign suppliers, was chipping away…

  • Targeting Freshmen on Path to Dropping Out

    Targeting Freshmen on Path to Dropping OutIndiana Writers Group column for July 12 and thereafter 740 words By Andrea Neal     INDIANAPOLIS – If Hoosiers didn’t already grasp the extent of the dropout crisis, they do now. The 17th annual “Kids Count” data book, just released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, labeled our high…

  • The Privatization of the Toll Road: A Bottom-Line Assessment

    Indiana Writers Group column for July 5 and thereafter 744 words by GEOFFREY SEGAL for the Indiana Policy Review Foundation Now that the dust has settled on the lease of the Indiana Toll Road (ITR), Hoosiers should be all smiles. To put it simply, Indiana got a great deal. Last week when Macquarie-Cintra took over…

  • Series: Giving Up on Geyer, a School That Couldn’t Be Fixed

    Editors: Andrea Neal’s series on the state of the Indiana public school system can be run daily in series beginning June 1 or weekly in place of the Indiana Writers Group, which will resume July 5. Captioned color digital photos are available on request. Giving Up on Geyer: A School That Couldn’t Be FixedFirst in…

  • Immigration: Tomatoes Aren’t Free

    By Jim McClure and Norman Van Cott Do immigrants slice themselves a piece of the U.S. economic pie at the expense of Hoosiers and other Americans? Judging from the xenophobic backlash against immigrants, many Americans apparently accept this assessment. As a result, immigration now connotes U.S. international charity. Public debate focuses on whether the United…

  • Down on the Farm (Subsidies) in Indiana

    Editors: This column on Indiana agricultural subsidies can be further localized by inserting as marked the data for your county, region or congressional district. Indiana Writers Group column for May 17 and thereafter 840 words by Eric Schansberg In developed countries over the last century, relatively free markets and massive technological advances have resulted in…

  • Indiana Voters Are Deciding Enough Is Enough

    Indiana Writers Group column for May 10 and thereafter 750 words By Andrea NealLawmakers with long tenure in the Indiana General Assembly should make note of a refreshing trend. Voters are imposing term limits. It happened twice in the May 2 primary: to Senate President Bob Garton of Columbus, a 36-year veteran, and to Rep.…

  • Irony in Intelligent Design

    by Cecil Bohanon Over the past 50 years individual rights have been supplemented and in some case supplanted by group rights. The whole notion of group rights is based on the premise that certain groups are victims of social oppression. Recognizing group identity is the first step in redressing this grievance. A myriad of legal…

  • Another Misguided Attempt at Making all Things Equal

    Writers Group column for April 26 and thereafter 740 words By Andrea Neal      INDIANAPOLIS — A couple of students in my class get “As” all the time and their peers are getting jealous. It’s time to level the playing field. From now on, I will handicap all students who receive a 95 or higher by…