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…
Indiana’s General Assembly is working through some details on the final education budget, and there are issues that merit discussion. Be warned, this column is likely to leave most folks a bit flustered. Facts are unfriendly to badly informed opinions. I begin by noting that the State of Indiana does not pay teachers. The State…
In the field of economics, there is a term rarely understood by those outside of academia or policy debates. Its lack of comprehension is probably not by accident, for, if it were understood, the public would cause an uproar. Regarding the proposed Coal to Diesel plant in Dale, though, the concept is critical for the…
Last week the Brookings Institution released yet another study that should be read aloud in every Hoosier school, city council and in the General Assembly. This study was an examination of the automation risks to employment across the nation. It is worth discussing the findings, with a focus on what is currently happening in Indiana…
