The FED, Interest Rates and Hoosier Bicycles
For release Tuesday noon April 27 and thereafter (747 words with optional cut) This last winter the Federal Reserve System (FED) reported that it was raising the discount rate, a type of interest it charges bank, from .5 per cent to .75 percent. What does such action have to do with interest rates in Indiana? Joe, Read the full article…
Lying and Stealing our Way to a Census
For release Tuesday noon April 20 and thereafter (629 words)Government types tell us that the 2010 Census helps Americans two ways. First, adding 800,000 or so census workers to the federal payroll will reduce our country’s unemployment rate. Second, American neighborhoods will receive more “government money” to the extent they participate in the census. The Read the full article…
Gun Laws: Who’s Afraid of Paul Helmke?
For release at noon Tuesday April 6 and thereafter (631 words) “This latest tragedy, at a heavily fortified army base, ought to convince more Americans to reject the argument that the solution to gun violence is to arm more people with more guns in more places.” — Paul Helmke, former mayor of Fort Wayne now Read the full article…
It’s Never ‘Too Late’ for Redistricing Reform
For release Tuesday noon March 30 and thereafter (655 words) The 2010 legislature came and went without reforming the redistricting process, but lawmakers aren’t off the hook. If electoral maps to be drawn in 2011 are to have any credibility with voters, legislators will have to follow a more transparent and honest process than has Read the full article…
The Governor’s ‘Press Release’ Economics
For release noon Tuesday March 23 (651 words) by Tad DeHaven A stint as an Indiana budget official gave me a first-hand view of how policymakers use taxpayer money to serve their political self-interests. So when an Indianapolis news channel discovered that the state’s economic development agency was taking undeserved credit for job creation, I Read the full article…
Neighborhoods Battling Alcohol Permits Have an Uphill Fight
For release Tuesday noon March 16 and thereafter (700 words)Three years ago, neighborhood residents cheered when the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission denied a request by an Indianapolis Circle K to sell beer and wine along with traditional fare: gas, pop and food items. Greg Silver served as attorney for the Nora Community Council, which Read the full article…
