EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE public policy meets an absolute, that is, where no compromise is possible between two conflicting options. Such is the case now with law enforcement in Indiana’s metropolitan cities. City councils in the next few years will have to make a hard choice. Yes, politicians hate that but it cannot be avoided in this case. One choice is being made in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Police and fire fighters are offered…

by Mark Franke I watched my first baseball spring training game last Sunday and was immediately transported back into the mists of memory, that of a young boy at the first sign of spring heading outside with his glove, baseball and pitchback contraption. First, a word about that pitchback. It was a metal frame with netting strung across it and a strike-zone target. An aspiring pitcher, I would deliver a repertoire of pitches at the target and…

by Leo Morris I will defend myself. I do not claim that as a “right.” I merely state it as a fact. It is a biological imperative – is it not? – for an individual to decline to submit meekly to the murderous intent of others. To that end, I possess a license to carry a handgun issued by the state of Indiana. I know many of my fellow licensees dislike revealing that, but it’s…

by Richard McGowan, Ph.D. During the years I taught ethics at Butler University, I asked my students what word they heard most. The word? Diversity. I also asked them what their parents said to them when they did something stupid with a bunch of friends. I requested they finish this sentence: “If your friends jumped off . . . ” Around 95 percent said a ‘bridge,” “roof”  or “cliff.”  There was little diversity. However, when I was young…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. Personal advice like, “Don’t buy a house costing more than three times your annual salary” or “Mortgage payments should be no larger than a quarter of your take home monthly income,” are useful. In these contentious times, wouldn’t it be great if Americans, regardless of political persuasion, could adopt a rule of thumb regarding Federal budget deficits?  The federal government in 2020 spent about $26.3 out of every $100 produced.…

We trust the membership to continue its support so we can publish the quarterly journal, weekly backgrounders and columns. If you have not done so already, please make a tax-exempt donation HERE to register for the spring journal. An individual annual membership is $50 and a corporate membership is $120. The foundation accepts credit cards and PayPal (or personal checks to Indiana Policy Review, PO Box 5166, Fort Wayne, IN 46895).  THE SPRING JOURNAL was commissioned after members expressed concern over the disruption of the rental market…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. The South Bend Tribune reported on a horror in Indianapolis that began with an argument that plays out in nearly every American family with a teenager: a battle over staying out too late (“Police: ‘I love you’ were father’s last words.”) It appears that an angry teen, in trouble for leaving the house without permission, fatally shot his mom, dad, two siblings, a pregnant teen and her unborn child. An extreme case, but…

by Leo Morris Profound apologies to my brother. It was just a couple of weeks ago that I wrote of hating him for basking in 70-something sunshine in Texas while hapless Hoosiers were shoveling through several inches of snow and preparing for sub-zero temperatures. Mere days after my outburst, the Lone Star State was slammed with a massive storm of historic proportions. My brother lost power and had to carry water into the house from…

by Richard Moss, M.D. When one ponders the treachery of Republicans in the aftermath of the recent stolen election, one wonders what purpose they serve? It was dormant Republican-controlled state legislatures in many of the “battleground” states, after all, that allowed the changes in election law, perpetrated by scurrilous Democrats and their lawyers that led to the whole debacle in the first place. Some rose up after the fact, but by then it was too late.  Where…

by Mark Franke One thing we geezers, I mean senior citizens, are not so lovingly known for is constantly whining, I mean commenting, about being on a fixed income. Every time the price of gas goes up at the pump or groceries seem to cost more at checkout, an irritating choir of voices is heard about the unfairness of having to live on a fixed income. Back when inflation was a real concern, there was…