by Mark Franke “We just agree different.” Yogi Berra I had an unofficial undergraduate minor in philosophy. I studied the greats — Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Hobbes and Locke — and learned how they informed Western civilization and provided the philosophical foundation for the culture bequeathed to us today. Of course this was before the Orwellian Newspeak censors retroactively applied their puritanical sensibilities on all these white European males from the past. It seems I wasted…

Indiana’s Pusillanimous Court “Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial. Meanwhile, the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit.” — Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World, 1932 AMERICAN POLITICS operates as a ratchet. That is, it allows continuous motion in one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction. Some time ago, the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, led…

by Leo Morris It’s probably sacrilegious for a Hoosier to admit this, but I find auto racing the dullest of spectator sports. Watching cars go around and around a track endlessly, lap after lap, until a winner is finally declared just before my bottom falls asleep? Counting the raisins in a box of cereal would be about that exciting to me. At least I can only say that auto racing bores me. It incenses my…

Paradise Lost (but Sustained) RAISED IN RURAL AMERICA, I admit to romantic views of small-town life. And later as a young journalist I wandered around the Midwest passing through the iconic courthouse squares, stopping in the once ubiquitous downtown cafe with the “Eats” sign to sample the coconut cream pie and read the hometown paper. Ah, and the pool halls that served beer in iced mugs . . . I know, I know, those days are gone. Still,…

SETTING ASIDE what the Indianapolis Star copy desk might think is “far right,” a reader of the newspaper’s May 6 headline (above) could assume that Republican voters in last week’s primary election were following the narrative being spit out by our journalism schools, to wit, that wokism is winning. Don’t bet on it. There is another explanation. It is that the Supermajority has held together long enough now to mark the cards in favor of Statehouse power and control rather than any preference…

by Mark Franke I suppose I can be forgiven for relapsing into occasional geezer mode, given my advanced age and deteriorating mental capabilities. Then again, there really is no excuse for letting it happen too often — or even at all. It helps to look for what is still positive in our rancid, rage-driven society and such positives can be found. I was reminded of this several weeks ago when I was privileged to serve…

by Richard McGowan, Ph.D. The Supreme Court appears prepared to visit the abortion question again, as well it should, for Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood of PA vs. Casey are linguistic nightmares with serious implications for the viability of abortion. The Court’s language in both cases shows the Court’s confusion, or perhaps its ignorance, regarding the procedure of abortion. A person need only read the first sentence of the syllabus for Roe vs. Wade to…

by Leo Morris All the pro-choice advocates in my circle are in a “mad as hell and won’t take it anymore” mood, nearly apoplectic with rage at the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting an overturn of Roe vs. Wade. How dare this politicized court take the radical step of upending 50 years of settled jurisprudence. But 50 years ago, it was the pro-life crowd aghast at the direction of a politicized court issuing a radical opinion. Roe…

How Campaign Money Is Spent HERE IS WHAT we learned from Tuesday’s election about how the political system works — for Indiana Republicans anyway. First, you need to imagine for a moment that you are among the most effective Indiana Republicans, that is, that you are wealthy. And presume that as most Republicans your political values generally follow those of the Founding Fathers, that is, a respect for private property and personal liberty. That means you…

by Mark Franke A colleague at the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, Professor Richard McGowan, recently wrote a column bemoaning the lack of required philosophy courses in today’s college curricula. Perhaps lamenting is a better verb due to its classical connotation. McGowan reviewed the general education requirements at Indiana’s major universities and found them lacking. Perhaps they are explanatory as to our inability to carry on an intelligent conversation for more than 30 seconds without resorting…