by Mark Franke There used to be an economic-outlook panel from the IU School of Business that would travel the state to give advice on the state of Indiana’s economy. I attended enough of those during my professional career that, while the presentations were interesting, they soon got relegated to the dustier recesses of my memory attic. One comment I still can remember came from economist Morton Marcus. I will freely paraphrase him here: “People…

Because We Live Here . . . INDEPENDENTLY, a friend and I like to design thought experiments to test public-policy conception. He, an economist with a construction background, is working on one that challenges the “affordable” housing narrative. I am working on a model for crime-plagued retail. The friend’s idea is that affordable housing is what you can afford, not what someone will give you. He would build a house on the specifications and floor…

by Mark Franke Someone, and I wish I could remember who, said culture was the telling to ourselves stories about ourselves. OK, but what if we have conflicting stories to tell? The assumption behind all this is that the stories are at least partially true, if not in every detail then at least in the morals they purport to teach. What we believe may be more important than what we know. Take the story of…

Islamists, Welcome? “Islamism is a totalitarian ideology that seeks to impose a rigid, theocratic order, incompatible with the pluralistic values of Western civilization.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born author and activist for women’s rights.  THE DEGRADING EFFECTS are inarguable in a half dozen U.S. cities, not to mention in the great cultural centers of Great Britain and Europe. So why are there frowns when it is suggested that Islamism may be inherently incompatible with Western civilization?  The social scientist Charles Murray…

Urban Life: Shoplifting HOW ARE THINGS GOING? Well, few venture out after dusk on our multi-million-dollar trail system; there are stabbings at Promenade Park, if that tells you anything; shootings threaten to become routine on the streets below our majestic new downtown constructions; and there is shoplifting and theft throughout. At some point we are going to have to face a sad fact, that is, there is bad, downright horrible, behavior by a segment of the population. OK, but which segment? Our Democrat administration would point to…

by Mark Franke During the 50 plus years of my adult lifetime, world population has been an issue but with a change in perspective. In the 1960s the concern was uncontrolled and unsupportable growth especially in the poorer parts of the globe. The doomsayers predicted mass starvation and other unpleasant outcomes unless the rate of growth was not slowed or preferably reversed. Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich’s “The Population Bomb: Population Control or Race to Oblivion?”…

We’re All Greta Thunberg Now SOME OF US no longer pay attention to opinion surveys. We assume, politics and media being what they are, that the public is too ill-informed to have anything useful to say. One recent poll, though, begs analysis. It finds that a good majority of young Americans are not proud to be Americans. Now, it is wise to approach such a thought assuming the most charitable interpretation. I’ll do my best. A Gallup Poll this month finds that 42…

Meet the New IEDC Board (Yawn) A FRIEND, a former submarine commander now a troubleshooter for a regional manufacturer, shared a management technique: Cancel the company picnic. Please, stick with me; this will explain why Gov. Mike Braun missed a golden eco-devo opportunity. My friend’s experience told him that nobody coming to his office to complain would be able to tell him why the picnic was essential to the plant’s productivity, which was his and their primary job. Most…

by Mark Franke I am grateful these days for the time I can devote to reading. I have always loved to read, with eclectic tastes as to subject matter. Sometimes my reading choices land on disciplines I never took the opportunity to study while in school.  Theology is one such subject area. Having been granted audit student status at Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, I can address that deficiency. These kind folks allow me to…

Auditing Good Intentions FOR ONCE, my mid-sized Indiana city is ahead of New York City fashion — policy fashion, at least. The Democratic nominee for mayor there is promising to build municipal-run grocery stores. Heck, we’ve had one of those for more than two years. It was a political promise of our mayor as well. In both cases, the stated goal is to provide wholesome food options to the deserving. The unstated goal is to counteract vile,…