AFTER a weekend of watching talk shows and talks shows about talk shows, this must be said: Our commentators are falling alarmingly behind in alarming us about our need to be alarmed. We are at a crisis point in the discussion of crises points. You can see it on Fox News even, not to mention the networks. The staffs are struggling to synchronize with a world spinning wildly out of control — “Khadafi Wins United…

  Indiana legislators have received thousands of letters and email messages from concerned teachers, principals and superintendents. Many are politically generated by special-interest groups. Most, though, are from dedicated educators whose passion for the classroom is made clear in every word. Yet, I disagree with almost all of their conclusions. As a new member of the legislature, it surprises me so many of these writers, some personal friends, believe I would leave them vulnerable to…

Time sensitive; for immediate release (670 words) Indiana House Republicans goofed when they added a “right to work” bill to the legislature’s already loaded policy agenda. The bill not only energized organized labor, but it inspired Democrats to flee to a hotel in Urbana, Ill., denying lawmakers a quorum for conducting business. In a reasonable gesture to resolve the dispute, Republicans pulled the bill off the calendar and Speaker Brian Bosma promised it wouldn’t reappear…

For immediate release (511 words) “The road to hell is paved with Republicans.” — anonymous Are Indiana Republicans missing a historical turn? Do they fully understand what happened Nov. 2 ? According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a leading Senate Republican believes his party could have repealed Indiana’s collective-bargaining law this session but “wanted to let teachers know they are valued and give them a sense of security.” Do school patrons stuck with mediocre schools…

The television news and talk shows have met their match. It is collective bargaining, an issue too complicated for the nine-second sound bite. Unions are promising Statehouse protests this week against bills that would weaken their membership here. The televised reports on this important development, if the pattern holds, will be marked by misunderstanding and oversimplification. Even the respected Journal Editorial Report on Fox News confused listeners over the weekend. A comment by the moderator,…

(Feb. 15, 2011) — Over 60 percent of the 2011 Indiana budget is going to whatever politicians and their lobbyists call “education.” Over the past several decades, the percentage of those billions that gets to the classroom has dropped to less than 60 percent.  Our embarrassingly high percentage of administrative buildings and personnel, and the absurd cost of sports programs that serve a tiny percentage of elite students, is inexcusable as average students get fat…

For immediate release (633 words) (Jan. 28, 2011) — Some years ago, an Indiana congressman in casual conversation with a manufacturer asked when his district might see a new plant built here. The manufacturer, putting a hand on the congressman’s shoulder, replied, “I’m sorry, but we no longer invest in heavily unionized states.” The exchange reflected a historic shift in labor relations. American unionism has become an anachronism. The penalties it inflicts in lower  lost…

Last year the Indiana General Assembly took an important step toward reducing sales of alcoholic beverages to minors. They’re now on the verge of undoing that – all because some grumpy old people don’t like being carded. Please senators, do not repeal the law that required universal ID check of retail alcohol buyers. Of all the policies available to deter underage drinking, few have the potential to be as effective. Every study on the subject…

Statement for the Record Ryan Cummins, Adjunct Scholar Indiana Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy February 8, 2011 Senator Banks and members of the committee: I am pleased to submit the following remarks regarding my experience dealing with inheritance tax, steps we had to take as a business, and the ramifications of these actions. My name is Ryan Cummins. I am the owner of a small business in Terre Haute called The Apple House,…