For release Dec. 14 and thereafter (554 words) On Monday Dec. 5, Charles Evans, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was the keynote speaker at the annual Indiana Economic Outlook sponsored by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie. Rumor had it that “Occupy Muncie” activists would stage a demonstration at the event. Delaware County sheriff deputies were on hand…

Editors:  The following column was first published on May 16, 2005. It is being reposted because of pertinence to economic-development proposals before this General Assembly (266 words). “Lilly Seeks Tax Breaks on Cascade of Projects.” — the Indianapolis Star, May 16, 2005 At first glance, the headline prompts the thought that if a company the size of Lilly needs help, where does the Mom & Pop Bakery turn? Actually, though, Lilly’s tax bills are high…

When Feds Spend Highway Money, Taxpayers Get Fleeced For release Dec. 7 and thereafter (680 words) Right before his inauguration in 2009, Barack Obama invited the nation’s governors to meet with him in Philadelphia to discuss the nation’s economic problems. Gov. Mitch Daniels teamed up with his buddy, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, to start a conversation about federal stimulus spending. Their idea was for the government to suspend federal rules and regulations that slow down…

For immediate release (596 words). “In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington Wednesday, Noblesville Republican State Senator Luke Kenley said Congress should allow states to collect sales tax from all Internet retailers, regardless of whether they have a physical presence in the state. — Indiana Public Media, Dec. 1, 2011 When all you think you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. That cliché comes to mind when reading reports…

Some say the decline of Indiana politics began with air-conditioned meeting rooms and multi-issue legislation. You should doubt that; history is rarely so subtle. Rulers, especially, find it comforting to think that way. It implies there is time for a gentle correction of course. They tell us we need only be patient for one or two more election cycles until certain small, reasonable and effortless turns can be executed — a gradual, perpetual fine-tuning of…

For release Nov. 30 and thereafter (613 words) For decades, Indiana’s school-choice programs have helped send Hoosier students to the colleges of their choice and provided school books and bus transportation for children in private schools. Never before have programs like these been challenged on constitutional grounds. Until now. In an attempt to maintain their monopoly on K-12 educational funds, the Indiana State Teachers’ Association and National Education Association are supporting a lawsuit against Indiana’s…

For release Nov. 30 and thereafter (650 words) As a reporter covering the Indiana Statehouse 30 years ago, I followed a hard and fast style rule imposed by my employer: Don’t ever use the term infrastructure. Instead use words that actually mean something to readers like “highways,” “bridges” or “overpasses.” When it comes to assessing Mitch Daniels’ legacy, that rule has to be broken. With a full year left of his governorship, there’s not much…

by Ryan Cummins I had lunch downtown recently. The experience always gets me to evaluating my local government’s efforts in “economic development.” Like nearly every Indiana city, we back up our nostalgia for the downtown area with millions of dollars taken from taxpayers all over the city, county, state and nation. The truth is our downtown is a pleasant place. But given the staggering amounts of our money poured into it in the name of…

“Lord, make me chaste, but not yet.” — St. Augustine I know a guy who’s 130 pounds overweight, slowly dying from atherosclerosis and diabetes. He’s been living a slouchy lifestyle for the past 10 years: fast food every night, hasn’t seen the inside of a gym since high school, smokes a pack a day. His doctors have been adamant: He must lose weight, start eating healthy and otherwise get fit if you want to live…