Some Food for Thought on Thanksgiving Giving
Editors: This week’s column is set for immediate release to accommodate holiday publishing schedules (527 words) Earlier this year I received an email from a charitable organization. It began in bold typeface with this: “Hunger and Poverty continue to plague America . . .” The missive then referred to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Read the full article…
No Place for Cowards in Right-to-Work Debate
For release Nov. 16 and thereafter (675 words) The 2012 legislature will be fraught with risk for Democrats and Republicans alike. At some point, lawmakers will have to vote on right-to-work legislation, and those votes will carry political consequences. Those who support it will be targeted by the unions in ads, rallies and election propaganda. Read the full article…
The Indiana GOP’s ‘Issue Problem’
Many years ago, when the Indiana Republican Party was something, when it had a voter-turnout apparatus on which even the bland candidate could depend, I was let in on the secret. Over lunch, a legendary outstate county chairman told me he never raised the Big Issue* if he could help it, that serious idea capable Read the full article…
Christmas Trees and Crony Capitalism
For immediate release (595 words). by RYAN CUMMINS I’ve been involved in selling fresh Christmas trees for as long as I can remember. Our family vacations often consisted of walking grower’s fields with my dad, tagging the trees that he wanted for the upcoming season. So my interest was piqued when word got out that Read the full article…
Please Vote — Or Don’t
Editors: The column is being distributed early to accommodate election-week news budgets. (506 words). Now that the election is over, many of my academic colleagues may decry that turnout was too low. In their view, voter turnout is a measure of “civic health” and they will call for satellite locations for voting, same-day registration and Read the full article…
Are Superintendents Greedy or Just Over Regulated?
For immediate release (581 words). Public school superintendents are greedy, selfish, over-paid, a big waste of taxpayer dollars, etc. — or so popular thought goes. Such perceptions are fueled by news reports of superintendent compensation packages, retirement packages and contract buyouts. The Philadelphia School District this fall bought out its superintendent’s contract for $905,000. And Read the full article…
