Backgrounder: Bye-Bye Robert Redford
“The narrative was right, but the facts were wrong.” — Columnist Evan Thomas on learning of the innocence of the Duke lacrosse team by Craig Ladwig Perhaps the national media never really believed that a four-minute video clip showed overt racism by MAGA-hat-wearing southern teenagers. Maybe it didn’t care whether the killing of a seven-year-old Read the full article…
Morris: Winter with Pierre and other Knuckleheads
by Leo Morris Pierre was a knucklehead. He was my first feline companion and lived to the ripe old age of 19 despite being an indoor-outdoor cat with more spunk than sense. At least once or twice a year, he would come home after a neighborhood excursion all battered and bloodied and spitting mad. A Read the full article…
Holcomb-0; Rent-Seekers-320
“According to Amazon, the cost per job for New York taxpayers is $48,000 for its new headquarters, compared with $22,000 for Virginia and $13,000 for Tennessee. In a statement released by Amazon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the agreement ‘one of the largest, most competitive economic-development investments in U.S. history.’” — Nov. 11, 2018, Fox5 News, New York City GOV. ERIC HOLCOMB was Read the full article…
Backgrounder: Soybeans and Washing Machines
by Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. Can soybeans be turned into washing machines? The alchemist of times past might try to convince us that it can be done. But we know better. Alchemy is an early, unscientific form of chemistry that tried, among other things, to change base metals into gold. Alchemy fell out of favor Read the full article…
Morris: Autopilot Spending
by Leo Morris A new session of the Indiana General Assembly has just begun, and there’s not a news outlet in the state that hasn’t emphasized what a tight budget the state faces this year. Tragically, our legislators will just not have enough of our money for all the spending they want to do. Here’s Read the full article…
Franke: Will the ‘Poor’ Always Be with Us?
by Mark Franke The local newspaper recently reported that my county has an official poverty rate of 13.1 percent, better than the other urban counties in Indiana. This is a good thing, right? Much of what we think of when the word “poverty” comes up involves ubiquitous government programs that provide what is popularly termed Read the full article…
