by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D.  Indulge in this fantasy: You wake up one morning, turn on your water faucet and a stream of perfectly shaped nuggets that look like diamonds pours out. On further investigation, you find that all your water taps are spewing what seems to be diamonds. You rush to your neighbor who happens to be a jeweler. He assures you that the diamonds are indeed genuine but reports that they are coming out…

(For the use of the membership only) As the editor of something that dares call itself The Indiana Policy Review, it’s important to me that Indiana policy is actually being discussed so it can be reviewed. I fear it’s not. My doubts began to surface several years ago during an early hearing on Indiana’s inheritance tax. A senior Republican was pressed to explain “revenue neutrality,” a concept that to my free-market mind needs a lot…

For release Dec. 30 and thereafter. by David Penticuff Some of us are pleased that the upcoming session of the Indiana General Assembly will include a serious attempt at reforming the way economic-development efforts are conducted in the name of Indiana taxpayers. Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, is working with Sen. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City, to develop legislation that would compel the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to actually report on how many jobs are created…

by SANDRA STOTSKY, Ph.D. The defeat of Tony Bennett as Indiana’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction was attributed to many factors. Yet, as one post-election analysis indicated, the size of the vote for his rival, Glenda Ritz, suggests that the most likely reason was Mr. Bennett’s support for, and attempt to implement, Common Core’s badly flawed standards. Common Core’s English language arts standards don’t have just one fatal flaw, i.e., its arbitrary division of reading…

by Stephen M. King, Ph.D. Seven years ago, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ “Major Moves” legislation, passed along partisan lines, authorized dramatic changes in Indiana’s transportation-funding system. Those changes included a $3.8-billion, 75-year lease of the Indiana Toll Road (ITR) to Macquarie-Cintra, a private Australian-Spanish consortium. The consortium, ITR Concessionaire Company, in  exchange for the upfront cash, assumes all management, operation, costs and revenues for the life of the lease. How did it work out? The ITR,…

For release Dec. 19 and thereafter (679 words) by Andrea Neal Richard Lugar set a record as the longest-serving U.S. senator in Indiana history, yet his career can be summed up in a single word: visionary. During 50 years in Indiana politics, his chief concern was never the next election but the next generation and the common good. In the end, his devotion to the right thing instead of the popular thing cost him re-election.…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. The president of Ivy Tech threw down the gauntlet: “A four year liberal-arts education is a poor investment for America’s middle-class.”  He went on to suggest that a two-year degree provided a more secure path to a job. The provost of Ball State took up the challenge and responded, “The data is clear: A four-year degree is better than a two-year degree, which is better than a high-school degree,” and argued…

(For the use of the membership only) “The envious man thinks that if his neighbor breaks a leg, he will be able to walk better himself.” — Austrian folk saying “Just saying . . .” This was an urban phrase for a few seasons. Its meaning evolved into an expression of willingness to think outside, around and through a problem, against the grain, to throw down a challenge, albeit flip, to the groupthink, the conventional…

by ERIC SCHANSBERG, Ph.D. Part I (762 words) As the daily headlines attest, President Obama has some crucial business with this “lame-duck” session of Congress before he begins his second term. Because of temporary tax cuts, previous budget deals and procrastination in dealing with the debt, the country now faces a “fiscal cliff” on New Years Day 2013. The stakes are high. All working households are scheduled to pay more taxes. And a feeble labor…

For release Dec. 5 and thereafter (650 words) by Andrea Neal  Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln couldn’t have come out at a better time. With congressional leaders hunkered down in fiscal-cliff negotiations, the film offers a useful example of politics based on principle. Lincoln did what was necessary to achieve his goals of saving the union and abolishing slavery, and that included arm-twisting, campaign contributions and doling out patronage jobs to sway wavering representatives. “I am President…