A Failed Session : Politicians Come and Go but Public Employees Rule
For release Tuesday noon March 9 and thereafter (702 words)The proven job- and wealth-creating policies were dismissed early this session as “non-starters,” to use a bit of legislative lingo. There was never any chance of reforming the Collective Bargaining Act, for instance, or introducing a right-to-work law or opting out of wage controls. Instead, we Read the full article…
Indiana Alcohol Regulations Are in a State of Confusion
For release noon Tuesday March 2 and thereafter (680 words)It is the public policy of Indiana “to regulate and limit the manufacture, sale, possession and use of alcohol and alcoholic beverages.” The words sound old-fashioned but there’s more than Prohibition-era thinking behind them. We limit access to alcohol to protect children and to reduce side Read the full article…
Hatian Property Laws: Sowing and Reaping Devastation
For the use of the membership only (572 words)Pictures of Haiti’s earthquake devastation reminded me of a National Geographic aerial photograph along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic (the two nations share a Caribbean island). The photograph shows a heavily forested Dominican Republic but a barren Haiti, which once had been heavily forested.* I Read the full article…
Anti-Incumbent Mood Still a Factor in U.S. Senate Race
For release Wednesday Feb. 17 and thereafter (678 words) With Evan Bayh’s stunning decision not to seek reelection, Dan Coats has become the “incumbent” in the Senate race. And that’s why Republicans should avoid him like the plague. 2010 is looking to be the year of the non-incumbent. A February report by the Pew Research Read the full article…
State Pensions Built on Rosy Expectations
For release noon Tuesday Feb. 9 and thereafter (754 words) Each time Indiana promises future payments to a state employee, it creates a liability for taxpayers. If total monies in state pension funds, accumulated each year by employer and employee contributions, are insufficient to meet promised benefits, state constitutions generally provide explicit guarantees that public Read the full article…
Third Grade Too Late to Fix Reading Woes
For release noon Tuesday Feb. 2 and thereafter (690 words)A legislative proposal to hold back third graders who can’t read well is too little and way too late. If we want to avoid reading woes with our third graders, we have to address the root of the problem: Our kindergartners, first graders and second graders Read the full article…
