The television news and talk shows have met their match. It is collective bargaining, an issue too complicated for the nine-second sound bite. Unions are promising Statehouse protests this week against bills that would weaken their membership here. The televised reports on this important development, if the pattern holds, will be marked by misunderstanding and oversimplification. Even the respected Journal Editorial Report on Fox News confused listeners over the weekend. A comment by the moderator,…

(Feb. 15, 2011) — Over 60 percent of the 2011 Indiana budget is going to whatever politicians and their lobbyists call “education.” Over the past several decades, the percentage of those billions that gets to the classroom has dropped to less than 60 percent.  Our embarrassingly high percentage of administrative buildings and personnel, and the absurd cost of sports programs that serve a tiny percentage of elite students, is inexcusable as average students get fat…

For immediate release (633 words) (Jan. 28, 2011) — Some years ago, an Indiana congressman in casual conversation with a manufacturer asked when his district might see a new plant built here. The manufacturer, putting a hand on the congressman’s shoulder, replied, “I’m sorry, but we no longer invest in heavily unionized states.” The exchange reflected a historic shift in labor relations. American unionism has become an anachronism. The penalties it inflicts in lower  lost…

Last year the Indiana General Assembly took an important step toward reducing sales of alcoholic beverages to minors. They’re now on the verge of undoing that – all because some grumpy old people don’t like being carded. Please senators, do not repeal the law that required universal ID check of retail alcohol buyers. Of all the policies available to deter underage drinking, few have the potential to be as effective. Every study on the subject…

Statement for the Record Ryan Cummins, Adjunct Scholar Indiana Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy February 8, 2011 Senator Banks and members of the committee: I am pleased to submit the following remarks regarding my experience dealing with inheritance tax, steps we had to take as a business, and the ramifications of these actions. My name is Ryan Cummins. I am the owner of a small business in Terre Haute called The Apple House,…

For release noon Feb. 8 and thereafter (621 words) The candidate announcements have begun. Every mayoral office and council seat in every city and town in Indiana will be on this next ballot. And the buzz has started for the 2012 gubernatorial race. So soon? Indiana just completed an arduous election cycle. And the results sent a clear message to those in state and federal government. What was that message? That it is time, long…

For release noon Feb. 1 and thereafter (800 words); note South Bend and Fort Wayne pegs. Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors last weekend with a glamorous debut. Featuring Indiana limestone and Italian stone beneath a Palladio dome, the center will last 500 years or longer, its website says, “creating a legacy that will be passed along to our children and grandchildren for generations to come.” That’s not all that will get…