‘Covering Variable Costs’ in the Daniels Administration (For the membership only, not for publication, quotation or distribution) A friend of mine, a professor, has a fancy way of telling his family that he’s not doing much — “I’m covering variable costs,” he might say from the couch on a Saturday afternoon. He is using the economist’s term for someone engaged in activity unrelated to overhead. We journalists are never supposed to admit such a thing,…

For the use of the membership only (808 words) When the Indiana State Supreme Court behaves as a micro legislature, setting aside Rule of Law to pursue its notion of the sublime, it opens itself to political criticism — and here comes some on the issue of property rights. In a myopic ruling in Siwinski vs. the town of Ogden Dunes, Justice Steven David led the court in deciding that homeowners couldn’t lease their property…

For the use of the membership only (687 words) It seemed a harmless enough idea. The copy editor here, Joyce Preest, who holds a graduate degree in communication, wrote a lament about the recent decision by Indiana educators to abandon cursive or so-called “secretary” writing. Her column, published widely, split families right down the Carolingian minuscule. Mrs. Preest’s own daughter, a deputy prosecuting attorney, charged her with “fogeyism,” which carries a serious penalty in that…

For release Oct. 19 and thereafter (680 words) Rummaging around in my purse for quarters to feed a parking meter Friday, I muttered something under my breath about City Hall. As a result of Mayor Greg Ballard’s 2010 lease agreement with a private vendor, I not only pay more to park on city streets but have to check my watch to determine if it’s free or not. I’m out $10 since the deal took effect.…

For release Oct. 12 and thereafter (673 words) “Thanks to an astonishing political transformation, many chambers of commerce on the state and local levels have been abandoning (traditional) goals. They’re becoming, in effect, lobbyists for big government.” — Stephen Moore, the Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2007 It is a question asked routinely — almost reflexively — during the last days of a General Assembly: “Will the Chamber score this?” The answer has consequences for…

For release Oct. 5 and thereafter (665 words) If getting people to vote wasn’t hard enough already, a new Indiana law will further stifle democratic spirit on Nov. 8. The measure removes from the ballot municipal candidates who are unopposed. What’s disturbing is that the idea became law in the first place. In hindsight, key legislative leaders call it a mistake. “I don’t like it,” said Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, who as House Speaker signed off…

For release Sept. 28 and thereafter (581 words) Those of us in the private sector wonder what certain politicians mean when they say they are running things like a business. So I read with interest a recent story in my hometown paper detailing a local politician’s business rationale for disbanding the board of directors in one of our so-called “public-private partnerships.” The political promise was that the board, like a business, could raise private-sector money…

Time sensitive; for immediate release Sept. 19 (699 words) Before we sit down for the next GOP presidential debate, we need to resolve a famous exchange from the last one. The topic was health Care. It involved CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Rep. Ron Paul and the partisan crowd. It begs our most careful thought. Blitzer asked Paul about a hypothetical 30-year-old man who refused to purchase health insurance, got sick and needed extensive medical treatment. Blitzer…

For release Sept. 21 and thereafter (679 words) “My vote doesn’t matter.” That’s how a 23-year-old Hoosier justified his failure to vote in the past several elections. It’s a surprisingly common attitude. According to the first ever report on Indiana’s civic health, Hoosiers register to vote, vote, and talk politics a lot less than citizens in other states. Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard, who co-chaired the civic health initiative with former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton,…

For release Sept. 16 and thereafter (588 words) I’m not a big fan of the National Football League (NFL) — I don’t bleed Colts blue — but I do catch a game here and there, and I’ll admit I’m glad the season started on time this year. But according to a recent article in the Indianapolis Star even football haters should be elated: NFL activity is an “economic windfall” without which “billions of dollars would…