by Andrea Neal Bison made Indiana’s first highway. It started at the Falls of the Ohio near modern-day Clarksville where the beasts came together to cross the Ohio River at its shallowest point. It ended near Vincennes where they scattered to graze on Illinois prairie grass. If you look closely, you can still see signs of the Buffalo Trace. “You kind of have to know what you’re looking for,” says Teena Ligman, public-affairs specialist for…

In the 1990s at the morning coffee shop, I would run into a former mayor of my city, now retired. He was from the beginning a successful businessman and gifted politician, albeit a Democratic one. This is to thank him for his wisdom and prescience. One morning, the mayor let down his guard to make two observations — bons mots, perhaps, thrown to a young conservative friend. Whatever, both have stayed with me. Indeed, the…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. Recent talks by Barack Obama highlight his personal mission to make higher education more affordable. Affluence at home and around the world increases the demand for education. This increase partially explains the doubling of average tuition and fees at four-year U.S. universities during the past 20 years. Rising educational costs threaten prosperity, according to David Weisel of the Wall Street Journal. The solution to rising costs, however, must be addressed…

“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, OR, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths thereof,…

by Andrea Neal Storied in literature and song, the Wabash is Indiana’s most important river. It is the official river of the state of Indiana, so designated by law in 1996. It is the subject of the state song “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away,” written by Paul Dresser in 1897. It is referred to in the state poem as “the dreamy Wabash River.” Its significance goes beyond aesthetics. The Wabash played a…

(For the use of the membership only) by Greg Walker For decades, Indiana has utilized tax increment financing (TIF), an instrument by which future property-tax revenue is captured to pledge for borrowed funds for capital investment. It nonetheless remains controversial. We need to ask why. Debt, or leverage, is a simple idea, and businesses employ this decision model routinely to weigh the risk and reward of borrowing money to make capital investments with the expectation that increased…

by John Gaski Republican Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz have been pushing a plan to fund the federal government except for the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) in the next budget year. The senators believe this is the last chance to stop a mortal atrocity against public health. Their effort has met with opposition even by some heavies within their own party. Republicans, however, have a winning hand available in this defunding matter if their…

“All that has been said of the importance of individuality of character, and diversity in opinions and modes of conduct, involves, as of the same unspeakable importance, diversity of education.” — from John Stuart Mill On Liberty (1859) by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. K-12 education is the largest component of Indiana’s state budget. Most Hoosier students go to public schools and probably always will. Public schools receive support from the state government for general operations, and…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Later this month, we will observe the 50th anniversary of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Dr. Terri Jett recently penned an op-ed for the Indianapolis Star about the protesters’ demands and their contemporary relevance. In particular, she emphasized a significant increase in the minimum wage (to $10.10 per hour) as “a moral imperative” that would be beneficial to less-skilled workers and the economy as a whole. Dr. Jett…

by Thomas Heller An Indianapolis newspaper recently offered some careful rethinking on why the state legislature hesitated this past session to authorize Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard — and mayors from neighboring suburban cities — to place a ballot before voters for a $1.3-billion mass-transit plan for Marion and Hamilton counties. While conceding that the particular transit system is underfunded and its skeletal transit service must be improved to enable more people to access employment opportunities…