by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. When ordinary people feel that politicians and experts lack answers to important questions, they respond to leaders offering a complete change of course. Such changes are often referred to as being populist. Populism is a political philosophy directed to the needs of the common people and advocating a more equitable distribution of wealth and power. In practice, however, many populist leaders show ambivalence toward representative democracy and instead exhibit a…

by Leo Morris Sorry, Hoosier tourists – you’ve just been given one more reason to cross a state line in search of that perfect day trip. Indiana Beach, the amusement park operated on the shores of Lake Shafer in White County for nearly 100 years, has been shut down by its corporate owners in California. When all the chin-scratching trend watchers speculate on reasons for the closing, a couple will probably stand out. One is…

by Barry Keating, Ph.D. Turn on the television, and every third add is for something called 5G. The adds say that 5G is fast, reliable, and the next “must-have” technology. But what is 5G, and do you need it? Your current smartphone is probably a 4G device. That is, it uses 4th generation cellular technology. 3G preceded 4G, and about the only difference, you might have noticed when you purchased your latest phone was that…

by John Gaski, Ph.D. Despite Mitt Romney’s contrived and sophistic attempt to justify his Senate vote to convict Donald Trump on one impeachment article, his public verbal contortions fall short. The self-contradiction with respect to his prior vote in favor of trial witnesses is revealing and damning of Mr. Romney and his motives. How so?  First, Romney’s vote for witnesses was inherently an admission that prevailing evidence was insufficient for a definite conclusion or verdict.…

WE NEED YOUR HELP keeping the quarterly journal publishing. Please consider a tax-exempt donation here.  An individual membership is $50 and a corporate membership is $120. “AS A NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR you raised your right hand and likely swore on a family Bible (this is the Midwest, after all). It was a ceremonial event, one verifying to the public that you are formally taking office, an opportunity for your friends, family and any interested citizen to celebrate the…

by Leo Morris Now that our favorite ex-mayor is dropping out of the running, the question can finally be asked: How in the world could reddest of red states, Indiana, nestled in the heart of corn-growing, meatloaf-eating, thank-goodness-it’s-beer-frame-bowling-night middle America, spawn a quasi-Socialist like Pete Buttigieg and propel him to national prominence as a Democratic presidential contender? We’ll get back to that. I promise. But first, a few words from Hoosier political observers on the…

by Jon Bingham Once again, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina winnow the field and shape the race. The looming avalanche of 14 Super Tuesday contests defines (no, more like overwhelms) the prospects of the few candidates remaining. Meanwhile, Indiana watches from the sidelines. Beyond the political calendar noted above, many other flaws in the nomination process persist: the variety of rules for delegate apportionment (proportional or winner-take-all), many states having “open” primaries thus…

The Constitution, Fully Understood THE INDIANA POLICY REVIEW FOUNDATION in cooperation with Hillsdale College is sponsoring the first of what we hope will be a statewide series of Constitution Study Groups. This first session will be held June 19-20 in Fort Wayne. The group, meeting at The Chapel, 2505 West Hamilton Road South, is organized in conjunction with the foundation’s “Foothold” project and is free to its membership, meals included. Registration will be on a…

by Leo Morris A few years after my 1983 move to Fort Wayne, I was sitting in a restaurant on the south side of town when the dishes on all the tables rattled, as if the floor had suddenly shifted beneath us. The next day, I read that a 5-point-something earthquake had hit the seismic zone between Indiana and Illinois in the Wabash River Valley. It was called a “moderate” earthquake, and we were far…

by Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. College students currently graduate with an average student loan debt of $30,000. At a 4 percent interest rate, monthly payments of $304 ($3,648 per year) retire the debt in 10 years. In all the current brouhaha about the college loan crisis, an important cost to borrowers is unmentioned. To wit, the burden of loan repayment following graduation no doubt delays graduates beginning personal retirement programs. Financial counselors have long stressed…