by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. There was much soul searching at the annual meetings of the American Economic Association held in Chicago last month. Four ex-chairs of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, two Democrats and two Republicans, commented in a panel discussion on economic issues facing President Donald Trump. His proposed trade policies concerned the several hundred economics professors in the audience, all generally committed to teaching their students the economic benefits of unrestricted…

by DAVID LANTZ The author is an adjunct instructor for economics at Indiana Wesleyan University. This was written as part of the American Enterprise Institute’s “Values and Capitalism” project. (Dec 30) — The Oxford Dictionary has declared as its 2016 Word of the Year: Post-Truth, defined as: “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. “1 I suggest that the…

“The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks.” — Doug Adams, author of “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” IT IS STRANGE POLITICAL WEATHER when the Democrat plan makes more sense than the Republican one. The reason is not an ideological flip. It is that ideology has died — on the Republican side, at least. Democrats, we have learned through painful experience, mean what they say, that is, adherence to…

by Andrea Neal Indiana education spending is at an all-time high, yet the percentage of money going to classroom instruction is dropping. Lawmakers have criticized the trend for more than a decade and are trying to do something about it. Rep. Mike Karickhoff, R-Kokomo, says it will be a session priority “to make sure more state dollars make it to the classrooms.” K-12 education is the largest item in the state’s biennial budget — more…

“No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems – of which getting elected and re-elected are No. 1 and No. 2. Whatever is No. 3 is far behind.” — Thomas Sowell. by Cmdr. John Pickerill The Indiana General Assembly opened its session in January. It is now the fifth straight year Republicans have had a Democrat-proof supermajority…

“I am a man, but I can change. If I have to, I guess . . .” — The Man’s Prayer from the Red Green Show THE SPEAKER of the Indiana House of Representatives this week defended a state legislator who indirectly made fun of participants in the recent Women’s March on Washington. The massive protest was against a wide range of conservative issues, policies and values but was primarily aimed at a new Republican…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Our new president often expresses hostility toward international trade. On this topic, he will find many allies in Congress for there are winners and losers with trade — and trade restrictions. How can we make sense of the relevant economics and politics? It’s easy to underestimate the value of international trade. Its benefits are relatively subtle while its costs are relatively obvious. Consumers benefit from greater choice, higher quality and lower…

by John Pickerill There was news last week about my county’s economic “development” corporation that may have statewide implication. The mayor and his board of works withdrew all city funding for the corporation. He proposed instead to give elected officials direct control over economic development. Since the county government was already planning to withdraw its funding within the next year, that will soon leave the corporation as a 100-percent privately funded organization. So now the…

by Craig Ladwig The cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star wrote a good-hearted explanation over the weekend for why he has had to “unfriend” a family friend, the vice-president elect. One of his points is that those of us in the high calling of journalism cannot allow ourselves to be corrupted by political friendships. “Just don’t mess up,” the cartoonist remembers warning the young Mike Pence before he left for Washington. “I don’t do ‘atta boy’ cartoons.” But there may be…

by Richard McGowan, Ph.D. “Truth hurts no cause that is just.”—Mohatma Gandhi During the holidays, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, the Star Tribune, had an article with the headline “‘All Lives Matter’ ornament at Minnesota store sparks online backlash.” The Star Tribune reported that a shopper took a picture of the ornament, available at Gertens Garden Center, and posted it on Facebook. As a consequence, many negative reviews appeared on the Gertens Facebook page. For example, one…