For release noon Tuesday Jan. 26 and thereafter (665 words) “Tyger, tiger, burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” — William Blake In anticipation of Mr. Woods’ expected return to public life for this year’s Masters, and with apologies to the poet Blake, it is important to know there is no symmetry in this story — not, at least, in regard to the gender…

For release noon Jan. 19 and thereafter (891 words with optional trim to 670) Ohio, the last state to mark a bicentennial, spent a decade on planning and poured $16 million of taxpayer money into an elaborate year-long celebration in 2003. Among the highlights: painting bicentennial logos on barns in all 88 counties, a Tall Stacks riverboat party on the Ohio River and publication of a series of books on Ohio history. Politicians, schools and…

For release noon Jan. 12 and thereafter (695 words) “The cynical view — Republicans can sit back and wait — is naive. The idealistic view — we must stand for things and move on them now — is shrewder.” — Peggy Noonan, columnist and former speech writer for President Ronald Reagan As the political class resumes rolling the dice for our future, now is the time to calculate the odds and place our bets. The…

For release noon Tuesday Jan. 5 and thereafter (665 words) Considering there’s no money in the bank and only 30 days to do business, the 2010 legislature can’t do a lot. Yet this could be one of the most meaningful sessions on record if lawmakers pass three measures to enhance the citizens’ role in the political process.            For starters, Indiana lawmakers need to put a constitutional property tax cap question on the ballot for Hoosiers…

For release noon Tuesday Dec. 29 (691words) How would you like a new tax hidden in the price you pay for goods? Or one determined more by politics than actual market cost? Or that exempts tourists? These are features of a Value Added Tax (VAT), an option that some in government argue is commanded by our economic troubles. Before taking up the issue, the full brace of Indiana taxes should be considered. The Tax Foundation…

For release noon Tuesday Dec. 22 (670 words) When Tony Bennett was chief of Greater Clark County Schools, he made $130,000 in salary, paid $1 a year for his family’s health care and got a free car. He speaks from experience when he says there’s room for cutting K-12 education budgets. Now as state superintendent of public instruction, Bennett is convinced $300 million can be trimmed without a teacher losing a job.            School corporations should…

For release noon Tuesday Dec. 15 and thereafter (665 words) “The evidence suggests that (estate, inheritance and gift taxes) actually cost states more in lost revenue than they generate, that they negatively impact smaller firms disproportionately versus larger firms and that they promote the concentration of wealth by preventing small businesses from being passed on to heirs.” —  Antony Davies, Ph.D., “Myths and Realities Surrounding the Estate Tax” A tycoon of the late 19th century,…

Let’s Get Heritage Agency in Place Quickly For release noon Tuesday Dec.  and thereafter (675 words) “Good ideas are not adopted automatically,” Admiral Hyman Rickover once said. “They must be driven into practice with courageous patience.” Rickover’s counsel is an understatement when it comes to the idea to create a Department of Indiana Heritage. A proposal to combine Indiana’s diverse history-related offices into a single agency has been percolating for over a decade with support from…

For release noon Tuesday Dec. 1 and thereafter (619 words). “If someone wants to play golf, get a ride to the store, build a building for their business, watch a sports event or attend the local symphony, it is not a denial of their rights to expect and demand they pay for it themselves.” “Revenue reduction” — those are words striking fear into the hearts of municipal bureaucrats and politicians across Indiana. And the immediate…

Giving Thanks for Indiana’s Natural Wonders For release noon Tuesday Nov. 24 and thereafter (685 words)by ANDREA NEAL (Note to editors: This column is written for publication on Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving Day. If published prior, please use alternate opening graf found at bottom of column) My children and I woke up this morning in tents pitched along Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It is our first Thanksgiving away from Indiana,…