For release June 15 and thereafter (664 words) One of America’s biggest economic problems is the decline in work among men. Among industrialized countries, we have the lowest share of prime-age males working in the labor force — just over 80 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 54 have a job, as compared with 95 percent in the late 1960s. Reflecting the 2008-2009 recession, unemployment is still 9.3 percent for males, and…

For release June 9 and thereafter (670 words) Gov. Mitch Daniels, Attorney General Greg Zoeller, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tem David Long and the attorney for a man convicted of battery on a police officer all agree: The Indiana Supreme Court went too far when it ruled 3-2 “that there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” The misdemeanant wants the court to rehear the case. And at…

Editors: The column this week is for immediate release to accommodate holiday schedules. (573 words with optional cut). by Clarence R. Deitsch, Ph.D. and T. Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. Colleges and universities routinely produce lots of things, including evidence about their students’ accomplishments and credentials. Students’ athletic achievements, for example, are reported with fanfare and detail. The measuring rods for athletic achievements don’t change over time — yards per rushing attempt in football means the…

For release May 25 and thereafter (664 words) Bring back the smoke-filled rooms, please. Without the smoke. Thoughtful deliberation by political insiders intent on winning the general election would produce far better candidates for president than the mass-media vetting process we use now. Mitch Daniels decided against a run for the White House because his family didn’t want to endure a national campaign and all that comes with it. Who can blame them? Here’s how…

For release noon May 18 and thereafter (673 words) A friend with an office in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Building, a poor man’s John Galt from “Atlas Shrugged,” has a poster on his wall that could be signed by Ayn Rand herself — a framed copy of “Zimbabwean Corn Production 1975-2007.” His explanation to a visitor serves as an education in economic development, or un-development. The chart is made up of data points representing…

For release May 11 and thereafter (665 words) School Superintendent Tony Bennett wasn’t exaggerating when he declared, “From top to bottom, it’s a new world for Indiana schools.” Even textbooks won’t look the same. House Bill 1429, which passed the House 80-11 and the Senate 40-9, didn’t get the attention that went to vouchers, charter schools or teacher performance pay. But it has potential to change the way teachers teach and students learn. For starters,…

For release May 4 and thereafter (511 words) It will take years for scholars to fully understand the extent and severity of the 2007-2009 recession. For certain, though, children being raised by parents unable to find work earning income sufficient for a family’s needs will carry long-term psychological effects. Until now, such household catastrophes were believed preventable when two adult parents were willing and able to self-insure against job and income loss. Regarding this concern,…

Senate Bill 575, the first of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ education-reform measures to get his signature, may end up being the most transformative. It’s all in the hands of Indiana schools. The law limits collective bargaining with teacher unions to salaries and wage-related items. This will empower 310 schools — their boards, superintendents and principals — to initiate changes that previously required union approval, whether in the school calendar, the daily schedule or even the structure…

Well, he’s back. Jerry Brown, after a stint as mayor of the City of Oakland, is once again governor of California. This time, however, the ultra-liberal governor has something to teach Indiana. For this is a different Jerry Brown; now he’s attempting to cut $1.7 billion from the state budget to correct a deficit that threatens to crush his state. How does one “trim” more than a billion dollars from a budget that was supposedly…