Religious Freedom Isn’t Free
For release noon Jan. 25 and thereafter (782 words) Last weekend we observed “Religious Freedom Day” in the United States. The celebration commemorated the same day in 1786 when Virginia passed its “Statute of Religious Freedom.” Written by Thomas Jefferson, it protected what would later be enshrined in the First Amendment in the Bill Read the full article…
Evaluating Indiana Lawmakers
For release noon Jan. 18 and thereafter (663 words) A public school teacher I know makes the claim that teachers would consent to performance pay for their profession if state legislators accepted merit pay for theirs. As a practical matter, the two careers aren’t comparable. Teachers work full-time and can be assessed on results achieved Read the full article…
Indiana’s GOP: Is it Roll-Back Time?
For release noon Jan. 11 and thereafter (549 words) One of Indiana’s most respected Republican politicians, a conservative by the popular measure, acknowledged recently that he had made a “whopper” of a mistake in public policy many years ago. Alas, one man’s mistake, if he is powerful enough, is another man’s disaster. This particular one Read the full article…
The Essential Constitution
Editors: For release noon Jan. 4 and thereafter (675 words); column is tied to Jan. 6 event in Congress. Note date reference in graph 6 Naysayers have dismissed the Republican plan to read the Constitution aloud at the start of the 112th Congress as “cosmetic,” a “media event” and “meaningless political theater.” Similar objections have Read the full article…
The Coming Union Crisis
For release noon Dec. 27 and thereafter (701 words) Some years ago a Republican state senator phoned The Indiana Policy Review to ask why the journal was so critical of government unions. “Somebody’s got to represent those workers,” he argued. Well, no they don’t. Compulsory collective bargaining for government workers is relatively new, dating only Read the full article…
A Sure-Fire Plan to Lower Spending
For release noon Dec. 21 and thereafter (660 words) Even as other states face “a fiscal crisis of unprecedented severity” – to quote the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities – Gov. Mitch Daniels is crafting a plan to give taxpayers their money back. Not this year or next, to be sure. But if and Read the full article…
