Franke: Family Farms or Agribusiness?
by Mark Franke There used to be an economic-outlook panel from the IU School of Business that would travel the state to give advice on the state of Indiana’s economy. I attended enough of those during my professional career that, while the presentations were interesting, they soon got relegated to the dustier recesses of my Read the full article…
Outstater
Because We Live Here . . . INDEPENDENTLY, a friend and I like to design thought experiments to test public-policy conception. He, an economist with a construction background, is working on one that challenges the “affordable” housing narrative. I am working on a model for crime-plagued retail. The friend’s idea is that affordable housing is Read the full article…
Franke: Hagiography or Iconoclasm?
by Mark Franke Someone, and I wish I could remember who, said culture was the telling to ourselves stories about ourselves. OK, but what if we have conflicting stories to tell? The assumption behind all this is that the stories are at least partially true, if not in every detail then at least in the Read the full article…
The Outstater
Islamists, Welcome? “Islamism is a totalitarian ideology that seeks to impose a rigid, theocratic order, incompatible with the pluralistic values of Western civilization.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born author and activist for women’s rights. THE DEGRADING EFFECTS are inarguable in a half dozen U.S. cities, not to mention in the great cultural centers of Great Britain and Europe. So why are Read the full article…
The Outstater
Urban Life: Shoplifting HOW ARE THINGS GOING? Well, few venture out after dusk on our multi-million-dollar trail system; there are stabbings at Promenade Park, if that tells you anything; shootings threaten to become routine on the streets below our majestic new downtown constructions; and there is shoplifting and theft throughout. At some point we are going to have to face a sad fact, that is, there Read the full article…
Franke: Population Worries
by Mark Franke During the 50 plus years of my adult lifetime, world population has been an issue but with a change in perspective. In the 1960s the concern was uncontrolled and unsupportable growth especially in the poorer parts of the globe. The doomsayers predicted mass starvation and other unpleasant outcomes unless the rate of Read the full article…
