Some intriguing ideas on taxes were presented to an interim study committee of the General Assembly this week:
Under one plan, the state's 7 percent sales tax rate would be lowered to 5.5 percent and be applied to all services except medical and legal. Young and Waltz said that would raise enough money to replace $2.2 billion in property taxes that homeowners pay.
A few things: 1) I'm a graduate of Ball State University, 2) I'm a product of Central High School, which also produced Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Wendy Robinson, and 3) Wendy and my younger brother Larry were Central contemporaries, friends even, which means I probably know more about her than she wishes I did.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has some good ideas for prodding our public universities to emphasize graduation instead of just trying to boost admission. We're 10th in the nation in the percentage of high school graduates who go right to college but only 27th in the percentage who graduate in four years. This, though, is perhaps the most interesting idea:
Poor Ralph Nader. Once, he mattered. Now, he's reduced to appearing at a Cracker Barrel in northwest Indiana:
These days, the 74-year-old champion for the people looks like just another old suit on a dusty hanger in the back of a long-forgotten closet, both figuratively and literally.
A representative of Gov. Mitch Daniels' office says Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson is making a "political attack," which is pretty hard to refute. Running for governor is a political act, isn't it?
Long Thompson is calling on the Governor to release travel records. She claims the Governor has used state airplanes and other vehicles for personal and political use.
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My friend is suffering the effects of PTMD, and I don't feel a bit sorry for her. We were at my sister's in Indianapolis Saturday to celebrate my birthday. I got my amazon-ordered gifts and started playing with the new toys while the two of them toddled off to see the Bodies exhibit. Despite assurances from Nance in a comment here a while back that I could probably handle it, I decided not to risk it.
Coming soon to a meeting near you, the hard sell:
Those who plan a big legislative push to streamline local government say they know what's coming their way: a lot of shoving back.
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The proposals include eliminating township governments and having one elected county chief executive who would appoint county officials now elected such as the sheriff, treasurer and auditor. School districts would be reorganized so they would have at least 2,000 students.
It used to be that way a few decades ago. Labor Day marked the unofficial end of summer and the time for administrators, teachers and students to head back to the classrooms.
Lehe said one of the reasons for the shift to start school in the middle of August was due mainly to ISTEP testing in the fall. That argument no longer holds water as ISTEP tests have been moved to the spring.
Colts kinda stunk up the joint in their Lucas Oil premiere game, didn't they?
So for a week the Bears, not the Colts, are the Super Bowl contenders. Heck, having beaten Peyton Manning and with Tom Brady injured, maybe the Bears are Super Bowl favorites.
Surely I jest. Yes, surely I do. But the Bears are a week ahead of where they were expected to be in, say, December.
Can the arts help prevent crime? No. The following is idealistic in the extreme:
Esserman, who has made Providence's police headquarters available for various art exhibits, said an increasing number of young Americans are being arrested. He believes that families, teachers and others can make a difference in whether young people fail or succeed by approaching them "with love," and by encouraging them to pursue educational and artistic challenges.
