BLOOMINGTON – If you followed this year’s elections, at some point the question probably occurred to you: Why do people do this? The endless campaign events, the constant scrutiny… and increasingly, the very real and alarming threat of political violence. What drives someone to put up with it all?I suspect that if you asked a …

MUNCIE – A reader recently suggested I write about the speed with which government policy can affect the economy. I’ve only lightly touched on this topic before, but it is both timely and interesting, and rich with theory and empirics.The best place to begin is with a timeless warning about the role of public policy …

INDIANAPOLIS  – Officially there are 838,000 Hoosiers (13% of the population) below the federal poverty level. But that’s not close to the full story. It’s the poverty of opportunity and the poverty of thought in our state that also deserves attention.Poor quality of education, matched with poor expectations, results in a poverty of opportunity. The …

INDIANAPOLIS – Mayoral races for 2023 are picking up steam. On Tuesday night, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced for a third term, while in South Bend, first-term Mayor James Mueller said he would seek reelection.On Wednesday, State Rep. Eddie Melton, who briefly ran for governor in 2019, announced he was seeking the Gary Democratic mayoral …

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana remains, essentially, a one-party state after Tuesday’s mid-term election. Republicans are poised to increase their state Senate and House super majorities; elected Diego Morales as secretary of state by a 14% plurality despite numerous allegations of vote fraud and sexual harassment, and came within several points of picking off the 1st Congressional …

CARMEL – I went into the 2022 general elections with several questions that I hoped might be answered by the ballot box. Some of my questions were answered and a few issues are still up in the air. Without any further bloviating, I bring you my 10 questions and my take on the answers.1. Was …

INDIANAPOLIS – Destiny Wells, Tom McDermott, Terri Austin, Jennifer-Ruth Green are all patriots.They all lost tough races on Tuesday. And in an election where democracy was seeking survival on the ballot, they all conceded, which is an American rite. Traditionally in Indiana, if you blubber about losing a football or basketball game or refuse to accept …

WASHINGTON – Jennifer-Ruth Green’s bid to for an upset in the 1st CD ran aground when an expected Republican wave turned into a trickle.Green was attempting to be the first Republican to win the Northwest Indiana seat in 94 years. Her campaign was confident she had the momentum to do so going into the final …

SOUTH BEND – A red wave sweeping along the banks of the St. Joe River washed away the long-held image of St. Joseph County as a Democratic bastion.Republicans won control of the County Council and the County Election Board. They won the key county commissioner race to keep Republicans in all three seats on the …