THE ETERNAL IMPULSES that argue for consolidated government, regional zoning, county executives, etc., have awakened in our corner of Indiana. Someone forgot, apparently, to drive the stakes through their hearts during the last rising. So we citizens finds ourselves divided by an argument that won’t be resolved in the light of day; that is, rhetorically in advance of policy. Some of us simply believe; others of us simply don’t. The thing will be settled only in…

by Andrea Neal In 1825, the Erie Canal was completed with great fanfare. Cannon fire, parades, balls and speeches celebrated the speed and skill with which New Yorkers built “the longest canal in the world,” as one eyewitness erroneously called it. (The Grand Canal of China is longer). Two years later, Indiana was busy planning its own transportation marvel. In 1827, Congress authorized a grant of a half-million acres of land to build a canal…

By Bruce Ippel, M.D. Go to school. Get a license. Practice medicine — I’m one of the few who remember when this was actually possible. Just me and the patient in the exam room. I give my best care, and the patient pays a fee. If the patient likes me and I like him, we develop a relationship that can last a lifetime. To the benefit of both of us, God willing. Forty years on,…

By Stephen M. King, Ph.D. “Political polarization,” “divided government” and “Washington gridlock” have been on the rise for the last 15 years. Public calls for compromise and de-emphasis on centralized government stand out in public opinion polls; yet, nothing changes, and the old order of governance marches. What is wrong? What can be done to significantly and decisively make changes for the better? Polarization and gridlock are only the symptoms; the problem runs deeper. Doris…

THE INDIANA LEGISLATURE could set in motion a process that could help restore a more bicameral Congress, allowing selection of two candidates for U.S. Senate who would then represent their political parties in a general election. It is one of various proposals for making the senate more accountable to the states that is analyzed by Attorney General Gregory Zoeller in a white paper for the quarterly Indiana Policy Review. “Many in our state and nation…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Back in 1998, the state of Indiana had more than $1.3 billion in surplus funds in its general account. This was about 57 days of state spending. The state had total surplus funds of more than $2 billion that was over 24 percent of its annual operating revenues. I remember the cries of the time: The state should not be a bank, social spending has been cut to the bone and…

The States’ Relationship with the Federal Government after Passage of the Seventeenth Amendment  By Gregory F. Zoeller* for The Indiana Policy Review Many in our state and nation have serious concerns with the seeming dysfunction that grips Washington, and are searching for answers to what appear to be systemic problems. These problems raise questions that go to the structure of our constitution. Overlooked by many is the role of the states within our federalist system. Our…

For the use of the membership only (532 words) A FRIEND RECEIVED a coveted invitation to join what at the time was an all-male club in Fort Wayne. He declined, but not for the reason you might think. He had no objection to the club’s various exclusionary clauses, believing the right to assembly was absolute. His concern, rather, was that the club was changing its bylaws. There was a motion on the table to admit…

By Tom Charles Huston Indianapolis was the site of a large prisoner of war camp during the Civil War. Camp Morton housed thousands of Confederate soldiers captured on southern battlefields, many of whom died from disease, wounds and maltreatment. They were buried in an unmarked mass grave in Greenlawn Cemetery. In 1912, the federal government erected a monument to mark the graves and identify the individuals buried there. Among the dead Confederates was William Blythe,…

by Andrea Neal It is one of Indiana’s best-kept secrets: Limestone quarried from three Indiana counties is responsible for some of America’s most impressive structures. It was used to build the Empire State Building, the Pentagon and the Indiana state capital. It bedecks the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., the Tribune Tower in Chicago and the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. According to the Indiana Limestone Institute of America, “Indiana limestone projects exist in every…