With the mid-year point rapidly approaching, I like to review my 2019 forecast and evaluate what I got wrong and what I got really wrong. Of course, all forecasts are wrong, but some are more useful than others. So far, it looks like I have been off just a little through 2019. My forecast was…
Our Republic is a unique place, founded on radical ideas. The notion that we each have value, we have rights bestowed by higher authority and we can only be ruled through the consent of the governed remain as fresh, revolutionary philosophies. From the very beginning, service in our armed forces differed from that of other…
The research center where I work just released a study on immigration in Indiana. Sociologist Emily Wornell was the lead author of a work that most Hoosiers will find interesting. Part of the study reported surprising data, but there was also some analysis that should clarify many misunderstandings about the issue. Let me explain. So…
Although it was not a surprise it still had its effect. The leader of our beloved high school marching band was retiring. An email from the sainted one himself, Mr. James Goodhue, so stated it. He had hinted at it before. But now there was the reality. I had asked him to stay on, at…
Socialism seems to be garnering renewed interest in media and political circles. A millionaire socialist currently leads in some polling for the Democratic Party nomination in 2020, and the most outspoken new members of Congress unabashedly proclaim themselves democratic socialists. Most readers will chuckle at the rise in popularity of a form of government that…
Originally posted on Chalkbeat by Stephanie Wang on April 23, 2019 Indiana lawmakers unveiled a revised budget Tuesday afternoon that would pump $539 million more into K-12 schools, increase teacher bonuses, reduce funding for virtual schools, and expand the state’s school voucher program. The plan would also cushion potential funding cuts to high-poverty schools, proposing…
The United States Census Bureau released their annual estimates of population change last week. The data told a familiar tale for Indiana. Indiana very clearly struggles with population growth, and what growth we do experience is concentrated in just a few places. However, the data is not without bright spots. Indiana enjoyed population growth of…
We’ve all heard about it before; the Move Over Law. In 1999 Indiana was the first state in the nation to pass such a law requiring motorists to move to an adjacent traffic lane, or reduce speed by 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit if unable to change lanes safely when driving…
Over spring break, I read Bryan Caplan’s very popular book, “The Case Against Higher Education.” Many readers of this column might suppose I’d like this book. I tend to support smaller government and am a frequent critic of higher education. Recall that I’m the professor who thinks tenure is mostly counterproductive to good research and…
Job quality, especially with respect to wages and benefits, will be a central part of the next national election. With job creation strong but wage growth lagging, we should expect tough questions about a variety of labor market policies. This will be especially true in the few states that have experienced mostly low-wage job growth…
