The Indianapolis Star editorial board has dismissed as a “misplaced legislative priority” Sen. Jean Leising’s effort to require cursive writing instruction in Indiana schools. The Star wondered why time would be spent on such a trivial matter “in a state where the workforce ranks 42nd in the nation in educational attainment.” Perhaps if the Star were more familiar with the latest neuroscience, it would endorse Sen. Leising’s initiative instead of ridicule it. Cursive writing makes…

Here are some ways to separate people by motive, knowledge and creativity on the issue of the minimum wage: Offer to reduce or eliminate the 15.3 percent FICA taxes on every dollar of income earned by the working poor (no exemptions/no deductions like the “income tax” gets); Offer wage subsidies for low-paid heads of household instead; Offer to raise the Earned Income Tax Credit instead; Offer to raise the minimum wage for those who aren’t…

The American War of Independence was fought “by British Americans against a German King for British ideals.” — Lady Astor Other than the fact that the first American settlements wouldn’t have survived had they not abandoned that picture-perfect “sharing” Thanksgiving for a less dramatic year-round market-based economy, America’s defining historical moment may be Paul Revere’s Ride. Yes, it was actually a ride, but he wasn’t shouting “The British are coming!” Dan Hannan argues in his…

The State Board of Education is knee-deep in a strategic-planning process intended to better define the state’s vision for Indiana schools. It should come as no surprise that board members disagree on the most basic of questions: What is the purpose of K-12 education? It is an essential question that must be answered before, not after, we make decisions on standards, curriculum, assessment and accountability. Why? If you believe the purpose of education is to…

by Andrea Neal For one shining moment in the early 19th century, a group called the Harmonists achieved utopia on the Wabash River. Two hundred years later, their experiment continues to inspire visitors to New Harmony, Indiana. Founded in 1814 by 800 German Pietists and carefully ordered by their leader George Rapp, the town of New Harmony was an exercise in both religious freedom and economic innovation. Residents believed they were God’s chosen people and…

“The 17 percent of voters (both Republican and Democrat) who now say most of Congress deserves re-election is well below the roughly 40 percent threshold that has historically been associated with major electoral turnover. With this in mind, Congress could be in for a major shake-up.” — Gallup’s annual Mood of the Nation poll, conducted Jan. 5-8 (For the use of the membership only.) When some at the foundation were challenged to identify the intellectual…

(For the use of the membership only.) by Tom Charles Huston A few weeks before the delegates to the Continental Congress resolved for independence, the Fifth Virginia Convention meeting in Williamsburg adopted a Declaration of Rights drafted in large part by George Mason. It was one of a number of pre-Revolutionary documents marking the advance of liberty in the American colonies, the Virginia Declaration incorporated the following: Lockean natural-rights theory; English common law and constitutional…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. American political discourse has degenerated over the last few decades to little more than vicious juvenile banter. A small but helpful step in restoring civility is to work to understand why those we disagree with believe what they believe. An economic blogger and scholar, Arnold Kling, suggests American politics can be parsed into three camps. Conservatives see politics as a conflict between barbarism and civilization. Progressives see politics as a conflict…

For the use of the membership only (683 words). Cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are not as they ought to be. — The Devil’s Dictionary of Ambrose Bierce THE GOVERNOR didn’t need to throw data at us this week in his State of the State address. We all agree that Hoosier families are overwhelmed. Our political leaders should be commended for dedicating this session to considering the most vulnerable…

(For the use of the membership only) by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the “war on poverty.” That is true, at least in terms of its enacting legislation, with spending expanded a bit under Lyndon Johnson and especially under Richard Nixon. One of the first observations to make is that progress against measured poverty stopped once the war on poverty began. (The poverty rate has fluctuated between…