by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. Larry DeBoer and Tamara Ogle of Purdue University presented a comprehensive webinar last month entitled “On Local Government: A Look at State and Local Taxes in Indiana.” It is worthwhile summarizing a few of their findings.   The webinar, sponsored by Community Development Extension, asked, “How high or low are Indiana’s taxes compared with other states?” It analyzed Indiana’s tax regime both in terms of economic incentives and in taxes paid…

by Leo Morris My daddy he made whiskey, my granddaddy he did, too. We ain’t paid no whiskey tax since 1792. — From “Copper Kettle,” a song by Frank Beddoe, 1946 In one of the first big tests of his presidency, George Washington was confronted with a rebellion in the heartland. Farmers in western Pennsylvania balked at paying a federal tax on distilled spirits enacted in 1791 so the new government could retire its revolutionary…

By Richard Moss, M.D With the launching of the New York Times’s “1619 Project,” the self-promoted “paper of record” seeks to reframe American history. Formerly we had assumed the birth of the nation to be July 4, 1776, with the writing of the Declaration of Independence. But no, the newspaper has another date in mind. It is now said to be 1619 with the importing of the first African slaves to America. That moment, the…

by Leo Morris I had not planned on covering the same topic for two columns in a row, but here we are. Let’s call this one, “Retirement musings, Part 2.” That’s what happens when you have time to fill. Your mind tends to wander, and sometimes it lands in a spot you’ve already been to. My sister is coming up on that age when she’s thinking about being a woman of leisure, and she wants…

THE PLAYWRIGHT DAVID MAMET asserts in “The Secret Knowledge” that modern public opinion can be divided into two camps: those who cannot get passed the fact that Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and those who for reasons of historical context are ambivalent are moving on. After yesterday’s gruesome municipal elections, I have some advice for my political friends (you two know who you are). It is to ignore public opinion from that first camp.  A model…

by Leo Morris WIMBERLEY, Texas, early morning, some day or other — This is my first vacation at my brother’s since I retired, and somehow I thought it would be different this time. Less relaxing, perhaps, and therefore less fulfilling. Vacation, after all, means “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or traveling.” Its purpose is to leave everyday obligations and worries behind long enough for the batteries to…

By J. F. Gaski, Ph.D. In the present Ukraine matter, the mainstream media propaganda machine is missing something basic. The error is exposed by the uniform and diversionary way the Trump-Ukraine accusation is framed: President Trump, they say, asked the Ukrainian government to investigate Democrat politician Joe Biden for the purpose of getting “dirt” on the rival candidate. Because of this apparent internationalization of political intrigue, the conduct by Trump qualifies as a possibly criminal…

Please welcome Gary Varvel’s work to our membership distribution list. Varvel joins Andrea Neal, Leo Morris and Craig Ladwig in our group of award-winning Indiana journalists. “Gary Varvel’s Views,” is a one-stop shop of his political cartoons plus links to supportive commentary including selected work from The Indiana Policy Review. Members of the foundation can sign up for it all here. Varvel is a Christian, a conservative, a cartoonist and a speaker “in that order.” He was…

by Leo Morris With Veterans Day coming up, it’s time to demand that the U.S. military truly create a welcoming environment for all who wish to serve in the defense of this country. Efforts have been made to accommodate women, religious and ethnic minorities, gays, transgenders, even non-citizens. But the feelings of one of the largest and longest suffering minorities have been all but ignored. To understand the problem, consider these instructions for how to…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. When I teach about “personal discrimination” I often use the example of bigotry against the number 13. You’ve probably heard that some people have the strange religious belief that 13 has supernatural powers. Owners of tall buildings have succumbed to this bigotry by getting rid of the 13th floor. Well, not eliminating the entire floor, but pretending that it doesn’t exist by adjusting the numbers on elevators and office doors. (The…