For release July 21 and thereafter (664 words) In this Great Recession it is sad to travel through this country and see the ranks of the unemployed crowded with so many youth. I think we can all agree that this is deplorable — and that we should endeavor to find an equitable and efficient method for improving the lives of our young people.   So, I have a proposal: Tuition and books at a public…

For release July 13 and thereafter (881 words) Two questions come to mind when considering recent public debt accumulation by Indiana state and local governments and the federal government: How did we get ourselves into this situation? How do we get out? Here we first consider the short-run alternatives to dealing with existing debt and then reflect on behaviors needed to avoid increasing public liabilities. In 2009, state and local debt per person in Indiana…

For release July 6 and threafter (695 words) Before taking the oath of citizenship last week at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 90 soon-to-be Hoosiers learned this fact from Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Five vice-presidents have come from Indiana: Schuyler Colfax, Thomas Hendricks, Charles Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall and Dan Quayle. Only New York has produced more. Our newest citizens know something most natives do not. And here are a few other little-known facts to suggest…

For release June 1 and thereafter (750 words) So the Indianapolis Star is in trouble with deep layoffs and a major restructuring. Some think we should bail out the big newspapers as we did the car companies. Not me. A delegation from Izvestia sat in our conference room one afternoon as the long-running totalitarian regime of Leonid Brezhnev came to a close. The Russians were eager to tell us why Soviet journalism was better than…

For release June 15 and thereafter (664 words) One of America’s biggest economic problems is the decline in work among men. Among industrialized countries, we have the lowest share of prime-age males working in the labor force — just over 80 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 54 have a job, as compared with 95 percent in the late 1960s. Reflecting the 2008-2009 recession, unemployment is still 9.3 percent for males, and…

For release June 9 and thereafter (670 words) Gov. Mitch Daniels, Attorney General Greg Zoeller, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tem David Long and the attorney for a man convicted of battery on a police officer all agree: The Indiana Supreme Court went too far when it ruled 3-2 “that there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” The misdemeanant wants the court to rehear the case. And at…

Editors: The column this week is for immediate release to accommodate holiday schedules. (573 words with optional cut). by Clarence R. Deitsch, Ph.D. and T. Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. Colleges and universities routinely produce lots of things, including evidence about their students’ accomplishments and credentials. Students’ athletic achievements, for example, are reported with fanfare and detail. The measuring rods for athletic achievements don’t change over time — yards per rushing attempt in football means the…

For release May 25 and thereafter (664 words) Bring back the smoke-filled rooms, please. Without the smoke. Thoughtful deliberation by political insiders intent on winning the general election would produce far better candidates for president than the mass-media vetting process we use now. Mitch Daniels decided against a run for the White House because his family didn’t want to endure a national campaign and all that comes with it. Who can blame them? Here’s how…

For release noon May 18 and thereafter (673 words) A friend with an office in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Building, a poor man’s John Galt from “Atlas Shrugged,” has a poster on his wall that could be signed by Ayn Rand herself — a framed copy of “Zimbabwean Corn Production 1975-2007.” His explanation to a visitor serves as an education in economic development, or un-development. The chart is made up of data points representing…

For release May 11 and thereafter (665 words) School Superintendent Tony Bennett wasn’t exaggerating when he declared, “From top to bottom, it’s a new world for Indiana schools.” Even textbooks won’t look the same. House Bill 1429, which passed the House 80-11 and the Senate 40-9, didn’t get the attention that went to vouchers, charter schools or teacher performance pay. But it has potential to change the way teachers teach and students learn. For starters,…