For release Feb. 20 and thereafter (660 words) by Andrea Neal Senate President David Long says he’s trying to be a leader, not a dictator. That’s why he assigned Senate Bill 230 to the Rules Committee, where it won’t see the light of day. The bill to invalidate ObamaCare is unconstitutional, Long said, and to spend precious legislative time debating it would be counterproductive. His action has ignited a debate over democracy in Indiana, with…

by Cecil E. Bohanon, Ph.D., and Tyler Watts, Ph.D.  Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time. Racial segregation prevailed and women were repressed; conservative cries for family values are naïve and dangerous. Going back to the ’50s is neither desirable nor possible; you can’t bring back Ozzie and Harriet. We agree with parts of this assessment. Going back is impossible. No one wants a return of…

by TYLER WATTS, Ph.D. On the morning of March 3, 1991, Rodney King was infamously beaten by four Los Angeles police. A bystander captured the episode on tape in what would become the first of many video-recorded instances of alleged police brutality. Did the LAPD use excessive force in the Rodney King incident? It’s a tough call on which reasonable people might disagree — after all, two different juries reached opposite verdicts on the charges…

For the use of the membership only (525 words) by ERIC SCHANSBERG, Ph.D. Talk of taxes and tax reform is in the air again. At the federal level, the “Fiscal Cliff” of Jan. 1 was more about political theater and procrastination than effective solutions. Less publicized, the most recent phase of ObamaCare brought some new taxes. In addition, the 2 percent “holiday” on payroll/FICA taxes ended, resulting in much higher taxes for all workers. Politicians…

by Leo Morris Isn’t it wonderful all those shrill “family values” types have knocked off haranguing us about those nasty social issues? How refreshing that we are now free to concentrate our attentions across the aisle only on the pragmatic, quotidian duties of governing and budgeting. Do you feel the love? Me, not so much. I’m feeling – how shall I put it? – carpet-bombed by the progressive agenda. In the short space of one…

For release Feb. 6 and thereafter (660 words) by Andrea Neal  Mitch Daniels’ recent letter to the Purdue University community was the equivalent of a 12-page research paper on the state of higher education, so Boilermakers can be forgiven if they didn’t read every word of it. The content merits attention from all Hoosiers, no matter their college loyalties. To summarize: The cost of college has gone up while the value of a degree has…

Some are confused by the Fort Wayne mayor’s apparently sincere desire to find a better place for his city’s famous statue of Gen. “Mad” Anthony Wayne, resplendent in bronze with sword in hand in full battle gear on horseback. Mayor Tom Henry, as socially sensitive and gun-controlling a mayor as you will find in Indiana, surely knows General Wayne’s history. Indeed, if the mayor had been in office in 1794, his administration might have viewed…

(For the use of the membership only) Members of our coffee group decided that if we were going to change Washington and the nation, we must start with the local leadership. On envelopes and napkins, then, we jotted down what could be called a “State of the County” address — for any county, anywhere in Indiana. Generally, there is a yearning for local leaders who can be trusted to advance a theme rather than the…

For release Jan. 30 and thereafter (668 words) by Andrea Neal Plenty of good reasons exist for Indiana to drop out of the Common Core, the national initiative to standardize what is taught in all public schools throughout the country. It takes away local control. It reduces teacher flexibility. It substitutes the judgment of anonymous educrats for that of expert math and English teachers. It’s too focused on career readiness at the expense of learning…

“Now is the time when men work quietly in the fields and women weep softly in the kitchen: the legislature is in session and no man’s property is safe.” — Daniel Webster by Craig Ladwig Republican legislators, the target audience of last night’s State of the State address, had cause to silently reorder their constituency relationship. Some no doubt decided to become more of a political agent. Others, though, decided to become something new, or…