“Aristocracy is society’s default position. For those who stand at America’s commanding heights, social and income mobility is precisely what must be opposed, and a broken educational system wonderfully serves the purpose.” ― F.H. Buckley in “The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America” The late Dr. Charlie Rice, a Notre Dame law professor and an adjunct scholar of this foundation, got us started thinking about better ways to organize Indiana public schools. That was…

by Craig Ladwig The mayor of my city is an average fellow. That is said in a good way. He can relate to the regulars of any neighborhood tavern. And except for the occasional Republican challenger, he has a nice word for everyone. He is a man who clearly means well. Our mayor’s previous jobs don’t fall into any neat occupational category. It is fair to say that he is a professional politician. Since election,…

IN OCTOBER OF 1980 conservatives gathered in Washington for a dinner commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). Following the dinner, a few of the old-timers retreated to Bill Buckley’s suite for drinks and conversation. Bill, stretched out on the floor, was the center of attention and the moderator of the discussion. At one point he asked, “If Reagan wins, how long before conservatives start criticizing him?” Having some…

by Martina Webster In my county we have an issue with tax increment financing (TIF). As of 2014, almost 20 percent of our property taxes go into multiple TIF funds instead of the appropriate taxing units. Our school districts, libraries and general funds lose millions every year to the specially carved out TIF districts, which are supposedly “creating” economic development. In general, though, our county’s method is not to create but to chase economic development.…

IT IS COMMENCEMENT TIME and I want to share the single most profound piece of advice ever offered a college student. It wasn’t a graduation ceremony, actually. It was at the other end of the process. The speaker — he was the provost, I think — was addressing my daughter’s incoming freshman class. He seemed tired, deeply so. “There is only one thing in the world that is exactly as it seems,” he told the fresh…

by Andrea Neal Although few Hoosiers know his name, James Bethel Gresham of Evansville earned a place in the history books for his role in World War I. Corporal Gresham, of the 1st Division’s 16th Infantry, was reportedly first to die in the service of the American Expeditionary Forces. A factory worker at the time of his enlistment in the U.S. Army, Gresham symbolized thousands of Hoosiers who were willing to give all for a…

POLITICIANS LOVE those architectural conceptual images — the brightly colored prints showing various official improvements in the Proletkult manner. They project civic tranquility and well-being but there also is the hint of the power in collective action. You will see a lot of them this election cycle. There was one published in my hometown newspaper the other day. It encouraged the viewer to imagine what might be done, given enough money, with an area dominated by an ugly,…

by Fred McCarthy I have written about the report that the new mayor of Indianapolis wants to jump into downtown development by taking over the disposal of the old Coke bottling plant. We were raising the question of the “tradition” of mayors showing more interest in downtown development than the wants and needs of the great majority of taxpayers One of the options under consideration in the Coke plant deal is outright purchase by the…

I made my guesstimate of the results of the Indiana primary before the first polling was done in the state. My guess was Trump would carry the state and at least six out of nine congressional districts. I thought Trump would be strongest in Lake County and south of U.S. 40 and weakest in the upper reaches of the I-69 Corridor. I figured Kasich’s only shot would be in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis. To…

by Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. How many jobs would the Keystone Pipeline project create? Supporters argue that the Keystone XL pipeline would create tens of thousands of new jobs. But critics claim those numbers are wildly inflated. Both sides assume a higher number would make the project better for the economy. Both sides have it backwards. Pipeline proponents who note a large number of required jobs are unwittingly arguing against the project, just as opponents…