We are hip-deep in our quadrennial passion for Get out the Vote activities–from politicians to rock musicians, everyone’s reminding us of the importance of casting a ballot. It’s a nice sentiment, but have you ever wondered how things would change if we really believed that everyone should vote?
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Are We Safer Yet?
Politicians and pundits can and do argue over the proper role of government, but virtually everyone?from conservative to liberal?will agree that public safety is a core state function. Our leaders are supposed to make policies that are most likely to keep Americans safe at home and abroad. So an important question to ask in the wake of the war against Iraq is: are we safer than we were before?
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That New Time Religion
I am old enough to remember when my religious beliefs and practices were my business, not because bad church-state separationists wanted to "exclude religion from the public square" as the right-wingers like to charge, but because we were taught that respect for the equal rights of others was an important American value.
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Questions for Carl
I remember Carl Moldthan from my days in the Hudnut Administration, when you could depend upon his Taxpayer Association to challenge virtually every bond issue. Currently, he is Executive Director of TAG–an acronym for Taxpayers for Accountability in Government. On its website, the organization says it works for Indiana taxpayers by monitoring government throughout the state and exposing inefficiency and waste.
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Style, Substance & Campaigns for Office
Last week, gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels unveiled his economic plan. What caught my eye, however, was not the plan itself, but the final sentence in the press announcement. After promising to populate the government with "new ideas and new people," Mitch reportedly concluded with the following sentence: "The what is not as important as the who." In other words, good people are more important than good programs or ideas.
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