Who Should Get to Debate?
On May 14th there was a debate[1] between four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor in Idaho. This debate has gotten some attention nationally, not because of innovative policy...
View ArticleWhat Is a High School Education?
On May 19th, Ivy Tech Community College – North Central announced the Early College Initiative. The initiative is designed to give students support that will make it possible to earn a technical...
View ArticleCivic Hacking
As a teacher, I try to help students look at things from a variety of perspectives. In contrast to the adage, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I do more than teach that principle, I try to...
View ArticleMount Vernon Assembly in Indy
The Mount Vernon Assembly is a group of current state legislators from across the country whose mission is to address problems facing the country by calling a constitutional convention under Article V...
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Formerly known as the Mount Vernon Assembly
Last week I posted that the Mount Vernon Assembly was meeting in Indianapolis to continue their discussion about calling a convention of the states for the purpose of proposing amendments to the United...
View ArticleMaking It Easier to Comply
This week there was a day-long discussion of taxes in Indianapolis. It was not open to the public, but the Indianapolis Business Journal did cover it. Based on reports from the event, there are many...
View ArticleWho is Responsible for Our Economic Health?
Earlier this year we learned from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the number of jobs in the United States finally exceeded the number of jobs before the recession. Earlier this month we learned...
View ArticleUse Power Wisely
William Henry Harrison said, “Few men are satisfied with less power than they are able to procure.” This is an interesting observation when you think of how often the person chosen to chair a committee...
View ArticleTake a trip
For the past several years, engineering students from National Cheng-Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan have visited IPFW as part of a three week trip to the United States thanks to the efforts...
View ArticleWhat Makes a Good Tax System
On July 30th, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard unveiled initiatives regarding early education and public safety. The Mayor proposed to pay for these by eliminating the Local Homestead Tax Credit and by...
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Cell phones
Back in January of 2014, the Pew Research Internet Project reported that 90% of American adults own a cell phone. Fifty-eight percent of adults own a smartphone. That may not sound as impressive as...
View ArticleHere Come the Commercials
Martin Carbaugh (Rep.) (legislative web site; campaign web site) is the state representative for the 81st district (Fort Wayne). This week he began airing a television commercial. (OK. He may have...
View ArticleSingle County Executive Update
This fall, Allen County voters will be deciding whether or not to replace the three-person board of commissioners with a single county executive. If the referendum passes, it also means that the...
View ArticleHow Much Corruption Is Acceptable?
This summer there seems to have been quite a bit of attention given to allegations of, and tales of, corruption (or what some think should be called corruption). I got to thinking about this when I was...
View ArticleFinding the New Normal for Funding Local Governments
On Thursday (9/18/14) Mayor Tom Henry and City Controller Pat Roller unveiled their proposed 2015 budget for the City of Fort Wayne. It is 5.6% larger than last year (2015=$150M; 2014=$142M). Part of...
View ArticleEthics Reform – What Do We Expect?
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette lead editorial on Wednesday 10/1/14 was one of the latest calls for reforms to the code of conduct for legislators. As luck would have it, I am teaching a course on...
View Article(S)electing Judges
A federal judge in Indianapolis has ruled that the way Marion County Superior Court judges are elected is unconstitutional. This is only one of the many ways judges are (s)elected in Indiana. Ours is a...
View ArticleState Education Policy – Ideal or Inconvenience?
Hoosiers value education. We began Article 8 of our Constitution with these words. “Knowledge and learning, generally diffused throughout a community, being essential to the preservation of a free...
View ArticleWhy the Single County Executive Referendum Failed
This fall, Allen County voters were given the chance to choose to replace the three-person board of commissioners with a single county executive. If the referendum passed, it also meant that the...
View ArticleHolding the Supermajorities
A friend of mine has predicted that the Republicans will hold onto the supermajorities in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly for decades. There was a hint of post-election depression in his...
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