Category: Indiana Writers Group Archive

For release Feb. 1 and thereafter 501 words by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Since the Supreme Court’s recent and controversial decision in Kelo vs. New London, legislators in Indiana and elsewhere have begun to pass laws to temper the government’s ability to seize property under the auspices of economic development. Evansville, for example, has moved in…

Indiana Writers Group column for Feb. 8 and thereafter 740 words INDIANAPOLIS — As state tourism slogans go, Indiana’s latest — "Enjoy Indiana" — had to be an all-time worst. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman was right to dump it and embark on a search for something better.      No controversy there. The question is:…

for Jan. 25 and thereafter 616 words by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. What is the proper job of Indiana state government? Reasonable people can and do disagree. Almost all believe the state ought to maintain prisons. Most of us think the state should have a role in financing roads and schools though perhaps not in operating…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 18 and thereafter 690 words INDIANAPOLIS — Wells County Assessor Connie S. Prible isn’t seeking re-election, so she can risk being blunt about the inadequacies of township government.   "I can’t think of anything township officials do right now that couldn’t be handled at the county level," says Prible, who’s…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 11 and thereafter 544 words by Eric Schansberg Labor unions continue to be in the news sporadically. This summer’s 50th anniversary of the AFL-CIO merger was ironically paired with a maverick union group’s decision to break from the pack (the "Change to Win Coalition"). Then, just in time for…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 4 and thereafter 730 words by Andrea Neal INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana lawmakers have been tinkering with ISTEP for close to 20 years. After all this time, you’d think we’d have a test that meets the needs of parents, teachers and students and satisfies all the state and federal bureaucrats…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 28 and thereafter 574 words by Dick McGowan A recent series of articles in the Indianapolis Star provided a sampling of opinion from women and shows why our society will not soon have better balance between home life and working life. The articles were written only by women. (Could…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 21 and thereafter 735 words by Andrea Neal INDIANAPOLIS — If you could create a superholiday, what would it be? That was the “question of the week” posed recently by an Indy entertainment magazine that surveys staff members on trends and topics in the news. The answers were predictably…

Andrea Neal column for Dec. 7 and thereafter 700 words INDIANAPOLIS —  If Rep. David Wolkins had his way, he’d end all use of eminent domain for economic development. As chair of the interim study committee on eminent domain, he’ll settle for the next best thing: making it harder for government to seize private property…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 14 and thereafter 684 words by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. With the recent election results in Kansas and Delaware, the debate in Indiana continues to intensify over teaching Evolution and "Intelligent Design" in the public schools. There is much at stake — from scientific integrity to philosophical baggage. And the…