For release March 11 and thereafter (579 words)American college and universities feed big time at the public trough. That means billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars end up in their coffers. So why aren’t the high-paid heads of these institutions receiving the same scrutiny as bank presidents?The public colleges and universities receive direct legislative appropriations that put them first in line at the trough. But there also are indirect methods of slopping — methods open…

For release March 4 and thereafter (750 words/108-word trim) From a citizen’s perspective, one of the best bills passed by the 2008 legislature was the one giving us a bigger say on multi-million-dollar public construction projects. The House Democrats’ desire to gut the law this session suggests they are either out of touch or oblivious to taxpayer reality.    The Democrat-controlled House voted 52-48 for a measure that would exempt from voter scrutiny school and other…

For release Feb. 25 and thereafter (487 words)   Strip away a multi-year, bigwig publicity campaign, complete with unctuous news coverage and a last-minute statewide tour, and the premise behind the move to consolidate local government is just this:  People in Indianapolis are smarter than the rest of us. A chief GOP proponent now says he was “embarrassed” for those in his party who opposed the plan last week in committee. The comment implies that…

For release Feb. 18 and thereafter (680 words) With all their talk about stimulating the economy, you’d think Indiana Democrats would want a constitutional cap on property taxes. A cap would be an ideal stimulus for Indiana’s anemic housing market.     On Feb. 9, the Senate voted to write into our constitution a property tax cap of one percent of a home’s assessed value. Caps for farm property and business would be two and three…

Editors: In view of the president’s visit today, this week’s column is for immediate release (614 words)How do you respond when people make bad decisions that affect you directly? Your child lies to you. Your boss implements an oppressive policy. Your president comes to town with an offer of a lot of money for you to spend. For Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana Legislature, the most principled stand might be to refuse the money.…

For release Feb. 4 and thereafter (680 words)Students at KIPP LEAD College Prep in Gary spend more time on task than their peers in traditional public schools. A lot more. The youngsters are at school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, four hours every other Saturday and three weeks during the summer. It amounts to about 60 to 70 percent more time in class and that “makes a huge difference,” says April Goble,…

(For release noon Jan. 27 and thereafter (545 words)The public discussion is reduced to name-calling. The mayor of Huntington last week described citizens who want him to cut his budget as “Taliban.” (1) A few days later the Indianapolis Star  implied that those skeptical of the governor’s consolidation plan were “partisans” (or ideologues, one assumes, if they belong to the same political party). (2)You may understand what is meant by Taliban and partisan but in…

For release noon Jan. 6 and thereafter (837 words)by RON REINKING, CPA The coming Indiana legislative session will be historic in that it takes up the founding structure of government itself. Legislation will be introduced that would meld the township functions into a uniform structure governed solely by county officials — an idea that promoters would like you to believe is a simple matter of efficiency. This would follow the recommendations of the governor’s Kernan-Shephard…

For release Jan. 21 and thereafter (675 words)Note to editors: The author’s next column, for Feb. 4 release, will focus on Gary’s KIPP LEAD College Prep Charter (mentioned in graf 8).At first glance, two new studies of Indiana charter schools appear to have reached contradictory conclusions. Not really. A thorough reading of the data makes three things absolutely clear: 1) Students in Indiana charter schools are making more progress than their peers in traditional public…

For release Jan. 9 and thereafter (689 words). “Several psychologists interviewed one day after (Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s) arrest agreed that he might be suffering from an affliction known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” (Dec. 11, Chicago Sun-Times)A few of us will sit out the inauguration festivities. We’ve seen and heard enough. There’s no fun in pretending to celebrate the transition of one failed generation to another. The director of my daughter’s ballet academy has put her…