“The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people and especially of government always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended.” — the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Before lawmakers put finishing touches on any private-school voucher bill, they should consider the law of unintended consequences. Opponents of vouchers worry that they’ll lead to excessive entanglement of church with state. Proponents should worry about excessive involvement of state in private…

There is an intense argument under way in the letters columns of Indiana newspapers between the head of the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) and a GOP state senator. One side thinks the other side’s estimate of the cost of teacher unionization is too high. The two sides, though, are not equally credible. The position of the senator is straightforward and politically courageous, i.e., a powerful private entity, the teachers union, is destructive and should…

Considering the Democratic histrionics that have stymied the 2011 legislature, you could hardly blame Republicans if they used the reapportionment process to stick it to the opposition. For the public’s sake, let’s hope they don’t. There are only two things that lawmakers absolutely must accomplish before adjourning for the year. One is to pass a budget. The other is to draw congressional and state legislative districts to reflect the latest census data. None of the…

A family has come on hard times. Both mom and dad are unemployed. Although the mortgage is paid-up (for now) and there is enough food in the pantry to last to the end of the month, two service disconnections are scheduled for today. The first is for a cable television bill of $88 and the second for a natural gas bill of $102. The unemployment checks are coming in 10 days but only $122 is…

For release March 16 and thereafter (670 words) When Sen. Richard G. Lugar declared his candidacy for president on April 19, 1995, he offered an ambitious domestic policy goal: balancing the federal budget in seven years. Central to his vision was a plan to replace the national income tax with a retail sales tax and to drastically cut government spending. We’ll never know if Lugar could have delivered. The Oklahoma City bombing overshadowed his announcement…

AFTER a weekend of watching talk shows and talks shows about talk shows, this must be said: Our commentators are falling alarmingly behind in alarming us about our need to be alarmed. We are at a crisis point in the discussion of crises points. You can see it on Fox News even, not to mention the networks. The staffs are struggling to synchronize with a world spinning wildly out of control — “Khadafi Wins United…

  Indiana legislators have received thousands of letters and email messages from concerned teachers, principals and superintendents. Many are politically generated by special-interest groups. Most, though, are from dedicated educators whose passion for the classroom is made clear in every word. Yet, I disagree with almost all of their conclusions. As a new member of the legislature, it surprises me so many of these writers, some personal friends, believe I would leave them vulnerable to…

Time sensitive; for immediate release (670 words) Indiana House Republicans goofed when they added a “right to work” bill to the legislature’s already loaded policy agenda. The bill not only energized organized labor, but it inspired Democrats to flee to a hotel in Urbana, Ill., denying lawmakers a quorum for conducting business. In a reasonable gesture to resolve the dispute, Republicans pulled the bill off the calendar and Speaker Brian Bosma promised it wouldn’t reappear…

For immediate release (511 words) “The road to hell is paved with Republicans.” — anonymous Are Indiana Republicans missing a historical turn? Do they fully understand what happened Nov. 2 ? According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a leading Senate Republican believes his party could have repealed Indiana’s collective-bargaining law this session but “wanted to let teachers know they are valued and give them a sense of security.” Do school patrons stuck with mediocre schools…