“South Bend is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. There were 1,012 violent crimes in South Bend for every 100,000 residents in 2016, more than double both the state and national violent crime rates of 405 incidents and 386 incidents per 100,000 people, respectively. As is often the case in high-crime areas, property values in South Bend are depressed.” — Matt Cashore explaining South Bend’s 40th place in USA TODAY’s “50…

“In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing to buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: ‘If you don’t work you die.’”  — Rudyard Kipling “The Gods of the Copybook Headings” IN OUR EFFORTS to string together a continuous run of leisure, success and happiness, life gets in the way. A conservative might…

by Leo Morris From news accounts, former state Sen. Luke Kenley sounds like a crazy old coot yelling at the kids to stay off his Internet. “I’m going to celebrate today,” Kenley is quoted as saying. “I’m probably the only one that is. I’m sure all the millennials who shop online are not going to be celebrating.” Last year, Kenley won his 15-year battle to force online retailers — most all of them, not just…

by Fred McCarthy There are four separate stories in the current issue of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) with some relation to the city’s use of tax dollars. We’ll cover them by headline in the order they appeared: “IndyGo Rethinks Electric Bus Buy” — We’ve been told in years of media hype about the planning that has gone into transit generally and the Red Line specifically. Now, quite suddenly, a lengthy story tells us that…

by Leo Morris With the candidates all set and the pieces all in place for the fall general election, it appears that gay marriage is the only issue people seem to think is worth talking about in Indiana. So, wanting to do my civic duty and be an informed voter, perhaps it is something I need to understand better. Obviously, I must start with the Republican Party’s running feud about the matter, since that is…

by Mark Franke The Wall Street Journal recently ran a front-page article about a dentist in Utah who was in debt over his graduate school student loans to the extent of $1,060,945. Yes, $1,060,945, and he is just one of 101 who owe more than a million dollars. This man had attended the school of dentistry at the University of Southern California, a private institution among the priciest of U.S. universities. One year of dental studies…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. For all of the discussion about race, it is rarely informed by novel ideas, knowledge about historical research or careful analysis. I recently read three books that have much to offer those who are trying to understand race in America — past, present and future. “Slavery by Another Name” — In his 2008 book, Douglas Blackmon describes “trade” between governments and industry, farms and coal mines — from the end of…

by Leo Morris Several months ago, on the occasion of state legislators yet again mulling the rescue of casinos from the doldrums, I wrote of my mixed feelings about state-sanctioned gambling. Since occasionally I have enjoyed indulging in games of chance, I can’t claim any moral high ground. The challenge of beating the odds to reap unearned rewards is a temptation to which most of us have succumbed. But gambling is a weakness that can…

by Leo Morris Don’t trust the Internet. The information you find there might not be entirely accurate. — Mark Twain Pity the poor folks of Monroe County. They’re right in the path of the menacing mile-a-minute vine, another dangerous invasive species from that awful Asia. It can grow up to six inches in a single day, so better not slow down if you’re in its path or it might just crawl all over you. It’s a…

“Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World.” By Daniel Hannan (HarperCollins Publishers, Epub Edition, December, 2013, 6574 Locations) by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. The public’s fascination with the wedding this Spring of Britain’s Prince Harry to the American Meaghan Markel would not surprise Daniel Hannan. Rather, he would see it as support for the central theme of his book, “Inventing Freedom.” As nations around the world devolve into ethno-nationalism, Daniel Hannan hypothesizes that English-speaking…