For release noon Tuesday Nov. 17 and thereafter (598 words) “STATE SAYS SCHOOL FUNDS IN JEOPARDY: Indiana’s school chief warned school superintendents Thursday that declining state revenues could force cuts in public education spending, education officials said.” — Associated Press, Nov. 6, 2009 The Indiana Policy Review Foundation has released the results of an 18 month research study of the administrative central office and school board costs of all 29 public school districts in the…

For release noon Tuesday Nov. 10 and thereafter (670 words)Indiana voters are getting a taste of direct democracy thanks to a 2008 referenda law, and so far so good. The law lets the electorate approve expensive capital projects and certain tax rates at the school and local government level. Early results show voters can and do discriminate between what they think is nice and what they think is necessary – and that’s exactly how public…

“These soldiers (Vietnam veterans) were not the decision-makers who involved the U.S. in the Vietnam conflict,” said state Rep. Dale Grubb, author of a unanimous Indiana House and Senate resolution on Vietnam Veterans. “They served our country bravely and faithfully, and their sacrifice should be honored — even 35 years after the conflict ended.” by CRAIG LADWIG As a veteran, I dread Veteran’s Day. I recoil at the postured talk about our “sacrifice” for our…

“In reality, we had no idea if the numbers state agencies gave us were accurate. There were no audits, and once the agencies figured out the whole effort was really a political gimmick they often just gave us self-serving nonsense. Nonetheless, the numbers were pawned off on the public because they served political ends.” — Tad DeHaven, a former deputy director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget. by TAD DeHAVEN I have been…

Property Taxes Are Back In the News as Bills Arrive Indiana Writers Group column for release at noon Oct. 27 and thereafter (829 words)Editors: Column body is 602 words; list of property tax hearings is 226 and may be cut Expect property taxes to be back in the headlines now that November bills are due. Some homeowners are understandably dismayed their property values are rising at a time when the housing market is struggling. One…

For release noon Tuesday Sept. 20 and thereafter (685 words) In general, Americans love and respect traditions associated with their schools, public and private. Friday night football, winter basketball games in cozy gyms, high school graduation open houses, senior proms, etc., hold for the most part a warm place in our hearts. In Indiana, old school houses are preserved and enshrined at Connor Prairie and Chain O’Lakes State Park. Indeed, time fades the personal disappointments…

(Editors: Please note that this week’s dispatch includes two articles by economist Maryann Keating: The first on the conflicted relationship between societal aspirations and individual responsibility; and the second on the question of public willingness to support education at current spending levels.) For release noon Tuesday Sept. 20 and thereafter (625 words) Our obsession with leadership misses the point. When an increase in accepting responsibility is really needed, leaders, who believe themselves gifted with particular…

For release noon Oct. 13 and thereafter (675 words) It was 20 years ago this week that easy money prevailed over traditional Hoosier mores. On Oct. 13, 1989 – one year after voters repealed the state’s constitutional ban on lotteries – the first scratch-off ticket was sold. Since that time, we have embraced the gambling culture. Indiana today has it all: pari-mutuel racing, casinos, racinos, off-track betting, pull-tabs, charity bingo. Of the 48 states with…

For release noon Tuesday Oct. 6 thereafter (718 words) Several years ago at Butler University, feminist activists visited classrooms and handed out “Pay Day” candy bars to the students. The feminists were calling attention to the fact that women, collectively, earn less money than men. In addition to the candy bar, feminists gave us a diatribe about the situation. Today, women still earn about 78 cents for every dollar a man earns and feminist activists…

For immediate release (622 words)The news that Indiana missed last month’s revenue estimate by a whopping $165 million brings to mind the pejorative, “close enough for government work.” When or if the nation emerges from the current malfeasance, we will want to rethink our reverence for state government. Particularly, we will want to choose which state model we would emulate, Michigan or Texas. If we want our grandchildren to have jobs, we’ll pick Texas. And…