For release noon Sept. 1 and thereafter (672 words)It was late September 1918.  Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis was a hub of activity for thousands of soldiers mobilized in the critical final days of World War I. But war wasn’t the only thing they were fighting. Hospital No. 25 had reported 60 cases of flu accompanied by typical symptoms: fever, nausea, malaise. By Oct. 6, 1,100 soldiers were under quarantine. As schools, employers and hospitals…

For immediate release (730 words) There’s a moment in the movie “As Good as it Gets” when the character played by Jack Nicholson explodes in frustration at his therapist. “Look you. I’m very intelligent. If you’re gonna give me hope you got to do better than you’re doing.  . . . I mean I’m drowning here, and you’re describing the water.” Some who attended a recent Indiana townhall meeting felt like that. The presiding congressman…

For immediate release (565 words)   “So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.” — John F. Kennedy There is a call for civility these days in public discourse. No matter that it is a call from those who routinely practice incivility. For in the considered words of Emmylou Harris, “if we don’t get our civility back, we’re…

For release noon Aug. 25 and thereafter (549 words)As parents and teachers, we are concerned about railroading a student into a career track far below his or her potential. It is generally agreed that a broad liberal education benefits most students even when it consists of the continual reiteration of eternal verities upon reluctant minds. The fantasy is that one day a young person’s unique talent will be recognized by a selfless and insightful teacher-mentor…

For release noon Aug. 18 and thereafter (710 words)Congressional town meetings have received lots of media attention of late due to disruptive outbursts by citizens concerned about health care legislation. Expect more civilized and courteous discussion at public meetings to be held on proposed Indiana property tax caps. Aaron Smith, founder of Watchdog Indiana, has carefully designed the events so they will generate more light than heat.    In fact, Smith is organizing something unprecedented that…

The ‘Angry White Man’ Meets Healthcare Reform“The Democratic message on the Republicans has gone from ‘the party of no’ to ‘the party of angry white men.’” — Peggy Noonan in the June 12 Wall Street Journal by Craig Ladwig If you happen to be male, if you happen to be white and if you’ve allowed yourself to get angry over recent shifts in public policy, then, like it or not, you are the last permissible…

For release Aug. 12 and thereafter (652 words) Arthur Laffer’s most famous contribution to public policy is said to have been delivered on the back of a paper napkin. The “Laffer Curve” illustrates the necessary relationship between marginal tax rates and tax revenues — that higher tax rates raise more revenue, but only up to a point. After reaching that level, higher rates will reduce the revenues taken by the government. In the early 1980s,…

For release noon Aug. 4 and thereafter (675 words)   School Superintendent Tony Bennett’s plan to reform the educator licensing system has ignited more controversy than it merits. Although the proposal would make the licensing process more flexible for teachers and the principals who hire them, it certainly wouldn’t make it less rigorous, as some critics have charged.     “This is raising standards,” Bennett says of his plan, now under review by the Professional Standards…

For release noon noon July 28 and thereafter (554 words) To a labor economist watching the saga of Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Officer James Crowley the most obvious point is that discrimination is all around us — since all of us engage in discrimination frequently.  Labor economists distinguish between two forms of discrimination. “Personal discrimination” is a personal preference rooted in a socially unacceptable form of ignorance. A person doesn’t like a group…

For release noon July 22 and thereafter (628 words)Had the mourning period for Michael Jackson lasted just a few days, Sgt. Eric B. Horning might not have said anything. But three weeks of incessant Jackson publicity, most recently newly-discovered footage of the pop star’s hair ablaze during filming of a Pepsi commercial, riled him.    Horning, 31, an Iraq War veteran from Greenfield, wrote a letter to the news media suggesting “an article on why America’s…