In recent years, the state of Indiana has worked hard to exercise fiscal responsibility as stewards of taxpayer dollars. At the end of 2024, the state had a $2.6 billion cash reserve and currently has the fourth lowest debt per capita in the country at $186 per Hoosier. While Indiana has maintained responsible management of taxpayer money,…
It’s no secret that in southwest Indiana, many people make their living in the agricultural industry. In fact, when I’m not working in the legislature, my primary job is farming. There is a lot more to running a farm than just taking care of livestock and planting fields. At the heart of every farm is…
This just in from WAIT . . . WHAT? Real News Now: White House Resident Donald Trump has named both Elon Musk and Musk’s son X (formerly Twitter) Ash A Twelve, or X Æ A-Xii, to the front of the line for accessing the Doomsday Device passcode. Musk (home planet, Mars) is at the #1…
The most recent Census population data tell a pretty important story about Indiana’s future. Some of it is great, but not for most of the state. Overall, population growth was tepid. We added 44,144 residents—slower than Kentucky but a tad bit faster than Michigan, Illinois or Ohio. The composition of this growth is most telling….
In an effort to get public support for a leader’s vision and agenda leaders develop titles for their administrations. FDR’s was “The New Deal”, Truman had “The Fair Deal”, JFK’s “The New Frontier”, LBJ had “The Great Society” and today Trump has “Common Sense”. All of theses agendas were the vision of the president at…
As many constituents know, before my time in the Indiana Senate I served in local government on the Dubois County Council and Dubois County Regional Sewer District Board. These roles gave me an opportunity to learn how local governments operate, which benefits me in the Indiana Senate. This year I am serving on the Senate Committee on Local…
The Power of Sport: A Legacy of Unity and Inspiration, which Nelson Mandela embraced as the iconic anti-apartheid revolutionary and President of South Africa, is not a well-known part of his history. Mandela, better known for his contributions to Peace, Justice and equality, was not as well known for his connection to the world of…
Thank you for reading my previous article where I commented on the property tax reduction efforts of our Indiana Legislature. When I wrote the first article, the Senate had just revised this bill and my article did not reflect the latest updates. I did state that the revised bill went from disastrous to bad. Concerning…
The Braun administration has published a rural economic development plan for Indiana. It looks a lot like plans offered by GOP and Democratic governors over the past 75 years. Indeed, the only element distinguishable from such a plan in the 1960s is broadband. Back then, we were worrying about better phone service. Braun’s plan discusses…
Hundreds of bills are filed each year by members of both chambers of the General Assembly during a legislative session. After a bill is filed in the Senate, the Senate Pro Tem assigns it to a committee. Committees allow legislators to use their expertise in given fields to ask questions and hear from the public…
