The Outstater: Consolidation Unraveled
THE ETERNAL IMPULSES that argue for consolidated government, regional zoning, county executives, etc., have awakened in our corner of Indiana. Someone forgot, apparently, to drive the stakes through their hearts during the last rising. So we citizens finds ourselves divided by an argument that won’t be resolved in the light of day; that is, rhetorically in Read the full article…
Indiana at 200 (30): Fleeting Canal Era Had Lasting Impact
by Andrea Neal In 1825, the Erie Canal was completed with great fanfare. Cannon fire, parades, balls and speeches celebrated the speed and skill with which New Yorkers built “the longest canal in the world,” as one eyewitness erroneously called it. (The Grand Canal of China is longer). Two years later, Indiana was busy planning Read the full article…
Ippel: When Your Doctor Was Your Doctor
By Bruce Ippel, M.D. Go to school. Get a license. Practice medicine — I’m one of the few who remember when this was actually possible. Just me and the patient in the exam room. I give my best care, and the patient pays a fee. If the patient likes me and I like him, we Read the full article…
Polarization Part IV
By Stephen M. King, Ph.D. “Political polarization,” “divided government” and “Washington gridlock” have been on the rise for the last 15 years. Public calls for compromise and de-emphasis on centralized government stand out in public opinion polls; yet, nothing changes, and the old order of governance marches. What is wrong? What can be done to Read the full article…
News Advisory: Zoeller on the 17th Amendment
THE INDIANA LEGISLATURE could set in motion a process that could help restore a more bicameral Congress, allowing selection of two candidates for U.S. Senate who would then represent their political parties in a general election. It is one of various proposals for making the senate more accountable to the states that is analyzed by Read the full article…
Bohanon: Spend the Surplus? Been There, Done That
by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Back in 1998, the state of Indiana had more than $1.3 billion in surplus funds in its general account. This was about 57 days of state spending. The state had total surplus funds of more than $2 billion that was over 24 percent of its annual operating revenues. I remember the Read the full article…
