by Andrea Neal “Left camp at 9 o’clock. Rained all last night. Bad roads, slavish traveling today. Snowed all day, stalled several times … Traveled 10 miles.” Private Albert S. Underwood of Parke County wrote those words on Jan. 18, 1864, as he moved south toward Tennessee with the 9th battery, Indiana Light Artillery, during the final phase of the Civil War. There were no skirmishes that day. Nothing remarkable to note in his diary.…

For the use of the membership only (649 words) PERHAPS IT’S JUST THE TONE, but the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s approach seems the same regardless of the issue. There is the assumption that if Hoosiers knew what the Chamber knew — if we weren’t so dumb or lazy — then we would get out of the way and let progress progress. And so it is with government-sponsored preschool. It doesn’t cost, it pays — or…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Indiana’s Common Construction Wage Law is typically referred to as a “prevailing-wage” law. Such laws are a state’s version of the federal Davis-Bacon laws dating back to the 1930s that provided minimum wages on public-sector construction. In Indiana this year, there are measures seeking to repeal or weaken the state’s prevailing-wage law. As always, the choice is whether to allow markets to do their thing or to use government to regulate…

by Ryan Cummins A decade ago, I wrote an editorial titled “A Fair Field with no Favors” to point out the tremendous costs that are shifted to taxpayers when a city engages in what we commonly know as corporate welfare. It struck me as I prepared to testify before a legislative committee this week that the very same argument exists regarding the Common Wage. Both are interventions in the market by government, both allow government…

A LONG TIME AGO, even before Madonna was born, post-modern journalism began to take recognizable shape. It featured a spectacularly creative news matrix, one that put a premium on good looks, a dramatic television news set, graphic magic and emotional presentation. The initial effect was encouraging. The newsrooms filled with good-looking and glib young people. Energy abounded. An attendant flippancy was ignored. The best-looking and most glib found themselves able to negotiate shockingly favorable contracts,…

by Stephen M. King, Ph.D. A dismal future for traditional marriage was predicted by two events in 1996. That future has arrived. First, Robert Bork, a federal judge and former Solicitor General, wrote “Slouching Towards Gomorrah.” Therein he all but predicted that American culture and society would continue to slide into moral oblivion, causing the collapse of American institutions and structures of authority and morality. Nothing short of a moral revolution would stem the tide, he…

by Cecil Bohanon There are at least two theories of regulation, both that apply to the ongoing debate over the sale of liquor on Sundays. One is the public-interest theory of regulation. In its story, legislators strive to craft just and beneficent regulations that balance legitimate concerns. Legislators are like a good parent: They divvy up responsibilities and benefits among the children to assure that the family works well. A second is the capture theory…

by Tom Charles Huston In this country, people who read the news on television are called “anchors.” In Great Britain, they are called “presenters.” The latter term strikes me as more honestly descriptive. An assortment of editors and producers put together what they have concluded constitutes today’s news, and key up the teleprompter. Dan Rather, Katie Couric or another in the long line of attractive personages reads the text, smiles broadly and, on cue, nods…

by Andrea Neal Ask historians to name Indiana’s greatest governor, and most will answer Oliver P. Morton. He was the first governor born on Hoosier soil. He played a critical role during the Civil War — he backed the policies of President Abraham Lincoln and supplied troops for the Union Army. He was driven more by principle than political considerations and because of that was not always popular. “Morton was a polarizing figure who many…

By Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Government is supposed to help individuals with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Using this metric, let’s see how our government often struggles and how people are damaged as a result, especially the most vulnerable in society. We’ll look at a host of economic and social policies, chronologically — from before the cradle to beyond the grave. Before the cradle, we start with abortion, where life is snuffed out before…