by Andrea Neal Indiana education spending is at an all-time high, yet the percentage of money going to classroom instruction is dropping. Lawmakers have criticized the trend for more than a decade and are trying to do something about it. Rep. Mike Karickhoff, R-Kokomo, says it will be a session priority “to make sure more state dollars make it to the classrooms.” K-12 education is the largest item in the state’s biennial budget — more…

“No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems – of which getting elected and re-elected are No. 1 and No. 2. Whatever is No. 3 is far behind.” — Thomas Sowell. by Cmdr. John Pickerill The Indiana General Assembly opened its session in January. It is now the fifth straight year Republicans have had a Democrat-proof supermajority…

“I am a man, but I can change. If I have to, I guess . . .” — The Man’s Prayer from the Red Green Show THE SPEAKER of the Indiana House of Representatives this week defended a state legislator who indirectly made fun of participants in the recent Women’s March on Washington. The massive protest was against a wide range of conservative issues, policies and values but was primarily aimed at a new Republican…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. Our new president often expresses hostility toward international trade. On this topic, he will find many allies in Congress for there are winners and losers with trade — and trade restrictions. How can we make sense of the relevant economics and politics? It’s easy to underestimate the value of international trade. Its benefits are relatively subtle while its costs are relatively obvious. Consumers benefit from greater choice, higher quality and lower…

by John Pickerill There was news last week about my county’s economic “development” corporation that may have statewide implication. The mayor and his board of works withdrew all city funding for the corporation. He proposed instead to give elected officials direct control over economic development. Since the county government was already planning to withdraw its funding within the next year, that will soon leave the corporation as a 100-percent privately funded organization. So now the…

by Craig Ladwig The cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star wrote a good-hearted explanation over the weekend for why he has had to “unfriend” a family friend, the vice-president elect. One of his points is that those of us in the high calling of journalism cannot allow ourselves to be corrupted by political friendships. “Just don’t mess up,” the cartoonist remembers warning the young Mike Pence before he left for Washington. “I don’t do ‘atta boy’ cartoons.” But there may be…

by Richard McGowan, Ph.D. “Truth hurts no cause that is just.”—Mohatma Gandhi During the holidays, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, the Star Tribune, had an article with the headline “‘All Lives Matter’ ornament at Minnesota store sparks online backlash.” The Star Tribune reported that a shopper took a picture of the ornament, available at Gertens Garden Center, and posted it on Facebook. As a consequence, many negative reviews appeared on the Gertens Facebook page. For example, one…

LOCAL GOVERNMENT has turned on us. You could watch it happen from a news desk. It was rather sudden actually. One day we were dealing with hard-pressed public servants doing their best in the impossible job of squaring public-policy circles. The next day we were facing mandarins (to use our friend Tom Huston’s characterization), expert at maximizing tax revenue and ducking accountability. This new-model public official is pitted against what may be the last of the real…

by Tom Charles Huston The members of the General Assembly have barely warmed their seats and the fury is already reaching pitched levels on social media. It is over the proposal by the new Republican governor (washed into office by the Trump landslide) and the Republican legislative leadership (known affectionately as the Mandarins) to hike gasoline taxes and impose a number of new fees designed to raise an additional $1.2 billion a year for highway…

by Andrea Neal Although Indiana’s bicentennial celebration is now history, there is a move in the Indiana General Assembly that has the potential to preserve its legacy for generations to come. Sens. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, and Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, would commit Indiana high schools to teaching a one-semester elective course on Indiana history. It would give Hoosier teenagers an opportunity to learn about the political, economic and cultural contributions of their ancestors — an option…