by Jason Arp to the American Principles Project, Nov. 29 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Thank you all for having me. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to be here today. I blather on about free enterprise and the importance of private property rights all the time back in Fort Wayne. It is so nice to have an audience (besides my dear wife) that is in agreement with me that FREE…

by Leo Morris We apparently have a housing shortage in Indiana that is about to become a crisis. The representatives and senators we elect to serve our interests in Washington seem to be on the verge of homelessness. Consider the sad case of Luke Messer, now serving as a representative and desperately seeking a senatorship. The man is 48 years old and earns $174,000 a year and yet is forced to live with his mother…

For the use of the membership only (428 words). by Craig Ladwig Despite promises during the recent Organization Day at the Indiana Legislature, those hoping for a smaller government from a GOP governor and supermajority are likely to be disappointed in the upcoming session. That is according to the findings of a research project categorizing the more than 1,000 bills introduced into a typical General Assembly. Nor did Gov. Eric Holcomb’s list of goals released…

by Leo Morris I’ve read every story – and there are a ton of them – about the excitement of a Republican lawmaker proposing to make medical marijuana legal in Indiana and the drama of the Indiana Association of Prosecuting Attorneys vehemently opposing the idea. In only a couple of the stories did I see a lone sentence, buried deep within the copy, to the effect that “federal law still considers marijuana illegal.” That was the…

by Joe Squadrito I don’t think that anyone will dispute that gun violence has become all too prevalent in this country. It matters not where you live big city or small rural community each and every American faces the same threat and has the same sense of shock and dismay each time such incidents occur. Will it be my church, my school, my shopping center or my neighborhood next? These are realistic concerns that each…

by Leo Morris The road before you diverges into two paths. You cannot go back. You can only forge ahead, choosing one path or the other. Sentinels guard both ways forward. One sentinel will let you pass only if you either pay a hefty toll or accept suitable punishment for nonpayment. The other sentinel stands aside and says you may pass through and be on your way. Which path will you choose? Not really that…

by Leo Morris Sorry, kids. If you’re in love and plan to take that final step in this state, better think again. According to a news report about the latest statistics from 24/7 Wall Street, a “financial site” on the Web, Indiana has the sixth-highest divorce rate among the 50 states. You’re headed for misery and a life of broken dreams. Just look at the numbers. Out of every 1,000 married individuals in Indiana in…

Some years ago a friend and his father watched as a woman blithely drove past them on a bare steel rim after blowing a tire. Moments before the sparks from the steel scraping cement exploded the gas in the tank, the father, a man known for a wry wit, had turned to the son to ask, “Don’t they teach physics anymore?” I’ve found myself thinking about that this week. Physics involves absolutes, and that sets…

I should have expected it. They all go wobbly once they open on Capitol Hill. A congressman standing on “high principle” and virtue-signaling his faith in the “process” has been the norm on the Right for 30 years. Considering the Hoosier honor roll of Sunny Conservatives from Dan Quayle to Mike Pence, how could I have thought it would be different this time? Confidence that a governmental process routinely functions in the interest of justice makes…

by Leo Morris Acey deucy is a simple card game in which everybody antes, then each player takes a turn betting whether the next card will fall between the two cards he already has. Players can wager anything from nothing to the total of the pot, which can grow in a hurry. One time in the Army, in a game with other bored soldiers, I won $700 in the space of half an hour, then…