Indiana Writers Group column for Feb. 8 and thereafter 740 words INDIANAPOLIS — As state tourism slogans go, Indiana’s latest — "Enjoy Indiana" — had to be an all-time worst. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman was right to dump it and embark on a search for something better.      No controversy there. The question is: Who decides what’s better?      In December, the Indiana Office of Tourism Development made clear that the issue would…

For release Feb. 1 and thereafter 501 words by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Since the Supreme Court’s recent and controversial decision in Kelo vs. New London, legislators in Indiana and elsewhere have begun to pass laws to temper the government’s ability to seize property under the auspices of economic development. Evansville, for example, has moved in recent weeks to reclassify another area of downtown as "needing redevelopment" — in particular, the Hadi Shrine. This is the…

for Jan. 25 and thereafter 616 words by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. What is the proper job of Indiana state government? Reasonable people can and do disagree. Almost all believe the state ought to maintain prisons. Most of us think the state should have a role in financing roads and schools though perhaps not in operating them. Traditionally, conservatives and libertarians have drawn the line here, whereas those who are more liberal or progressive have envisioned…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 18 and thereafter 690 words INDIANAPOLIS — Wells County Assessor Connie S. Prible isn’t seeking re-election, so she can risk being blunt about the inadequacies of township government.   "I can’t think of anything township officials do right now that couldn’t be handled at the county level," says Prible, who’s been handling real estate assessment for her county’s nine townships for most of 20 years. Don’t get her wrong. She…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 11 and thereafter 544 words by Eric Schansberg Labor unions continue to be in the news sporadically. This summer’s 50th anniversary of the AFL-CIO merger was ironically paired with a maverick union group’s decision to break from the pack (the "Change to Win Coalition"). Then, just in time for Christmas, unionized transit workers in New York City hamstrung The Big Apple by going on strike. Locally in recent weeks,…

Indiana Writers Group column for Jan. 4 and thereafter 730 words by Andrea Neal INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana lawmakers have been tinkering with ISTEP for close to 20 years. After all this time, you’d think we’d have a test that meets the needs of parents, teachers and students and satisfies all the state and federal bureaucrats who have hinged funding promises on student achievement. We don’t. During the 2006 session of the Indiana General Assembly, the…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 28 and thereafter 574 words by Dick McGowan A recent series of articles in the Indianapolis Star provided a sampling of opinion from women and shows why our society will not soon have better balance between home life and working life. The articles were written only by women. (Could the newspaper find no men who left a career to assume a larger family role?) One writer immediately invoked "sexist…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 21 and thereafter 735 words by Andrea Neal INDIANAPOLIS — If you could create a superholiday, what would it be? That was the “question of the week” posed recently by an Indy entertainment magazine that surveys staff members on trends and topics in the news. The answers were predictably self-centered from the mostly 30-something respondents. “Combine Oktoberfest and Halloween. Trick or treat for beer,” joked one. “It would be…

Andrea Neal column for Dec. 7 and thereafter 700 words INDIANAPOLIS —  If Rep. David Wolkins had his way, he’d end all use of eminent domain for economic development. As chair of the interim study committee on eminent domain, he’ll settle for the next best thing: making it harder for government to seize private property and, when it does, ensuring owners get compensated fairly.     "I don’t like takings at all, unless it’s for public…

Indiana Writers Group column for Dec. 14 and thereafter 684 words by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. With the recent election results in Kansas and Delaware, the debate in Indiana continues to intensify over teaching Evolution and "Intelligent Design" in the public schools. There is much at stake — from scientific integrity to philosophical baggage. And the stakes are more intense than they ought to be because of the way in which our country delivers educational services.…