Writers Group column for April 26 and thereafter 740 words By Andrea Neal      INDIANAPOLIS — A couple of students in my class get “As” all the time and their peers are getting jealous. It’s time to level the playing field. From now on, I will handicap all students who receive a 95 or higher by multiplying their score by 90 percent. That way, a grade of 100 will actually be a 90, a 99 will…

For Immediate Release 850 words   by Eric Schansberg   The tax man come this week. Actually, he comes all year round. But on April 15 he is most obvious — and most irritating. It’s bad enough that he takes so much money, but why does Congress make us spend billions of hours filling out forms to pay him? (Does anyone know how many members of Congress fill out their own taxes?)   Aside from…

Indiana Writers Group column for April 12 and thereafter 740 words by Andrea Neal INDIANAPOLIS — By Indiana law, all high school students must take a one-semester government class before they can get a diploma. A proposal by former presidential candidate John Anderson would reward those students with a voter registration card as well.    In an April 6 article in The New York Times, Anderson and Ray Martinez of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission proposed…

Indiana Writers Group column for March 29 and thereafter 730 words by Andrea Neal A March 23 report by the Heritage Foundation puts congressional spending trends into terms taxpayers can understand. At current rates of increase, "the budget will require a $7,000-per-household tax increase" within a decade, says researcher Brian M. Riedl. Think it can’t happen?  Take a look at the language in S Con Res 83, the Senate-passed budget resolution that sets forth spending…

Indiana Writers Group column for April 3 and thereafter 547 words FICTIONAL NEWS FLASH:  Purdue University professors have developed an orange-production technology for Indiana. State economic development experts lauded the news, saying hundreds of new jobs are coming. "The hemorrhage of Hoosier dollars to Florida is over," said one.    By T. Norman Van Cott So, can Hoosiers ride oranges to the economic Promised Land? A land filled with new jobs and retained dollars? The…

Indiana Writers Group column for March 22 and thereafter 556 words by Cecil Bohanon and John Horowitz In 1970, English language newspaper circulation in the United States was 62.1 million subscriptions. By 2004, this had fallen to 54.6 million subscriptions. This is a 12 percent decline, during a period when population has increased by 45 percent from 203.2 million to 293.7 million. One of the reasons for the decline has been the emergence of substitutes…

Indiana Writers Group column for March 15 and thereafter (A mug shot of Superintendent White is available on request) 750 words by Andrea Neal On a recent Sunday night, when so many were gathered around TV sets to watch the Oscars, some 500 Indianapolis residents gathered to hear Superintendent Eugene White lay out his vision for Indianapolis Public Schools. And to pray for him. The connection between the two  — public school and prayer —…

Indiana Writers Group column for March 8 and thereafter 568 words by Nicole Garnett Here is something bound to keep late-night comics busy: A recent poll revealed that Americans apparently know more about the television cartoon series "The Simpsons" than about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Only one in four respondents could name more than one of the rights protected by the First Amendment; only one in a thousand could name all…

Indiana Writers Group column for March 1 and thereafter 780 words (Editors: Optional 83-word trim noted in text) by Andrea Neal In 1836, the Indiana General Assembly set out on a major venture to boost the economy. The title of the legislation told it all. The Mammoth Internal Improvements Act would establish a system of canals connecting Indiana to the Great Lakes and, from there, to the East Coast and the world.    Lawmakers, undeterred by…