TO WATCH THE PENCE CAMPAIGN is to watch a lab experiment in biological tropism. The word picture is a group of amoebas on a microscope slide reflexively retreating this way and that as someone (we suspect Matt Tulley, the Star columnist) threatens them with a pencil tip. First there was the about-face on protecting Christian merchants against a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender power play. Now comes an about-face on a promise to eschew Washington-defined pre-school education. That…

by John Gaski, Ph.D. A perennial, or at least quadrennial, staple of Democratic Party argumentation is the claim that economic-growth rates under Democratic presidents outpace those under Republican presidents. Recently, Hillary Clinton resurrected this familiar mantra. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story. Every president’s economic record benefits (or suffers) from the economic conditions he inherits from his predecessor. Moreover, an outgoing administration’s final fiscal year doesn’t end until Oct. 1…

by Andrea Neal “The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose, especially their lives.” With those words — and a few more like them — Hoosier socialist Eugene Debs gave federal agents cause to arrest him for violating the Espionage Act in…

“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,…