Sheila Kennedy writes, "while we’ve been focusing on bright shiny objects like cricket fields and Super Bowls, we’ve had an 88 percent increase in poverty."
Yes, folks, the poverty rate in Indianapolis has increased an astonishing 88 percent over the last decade, according to the Center for Economic Opportunity, which used U.S. Census Bureau data from 2000 and 2012 for its computations.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Indiana During a War
"How could a Democrat obtain justice under [the president's] tyranny, they lamented, if a man could be both illegally arrested by the Army and later gunned down while in the act of fleeing, and his murderer acquitted?"
No, we're not talking the War on Terror under President George W. Bush, but an incident in Indianapolis during the Civil War.
Read it all here: "Murder in the Midwest"
No, we're not talking the War on Terror under President George W. Bush, but an incident in Indianapolis during the Civil War.
Read it all here: "Murder in the Midwest"
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Cutting Off Your Nose....
The mother of your Indianapolis Observer used to warn: "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."
It's the first thing that comes to mind when contemplating Gov. Mike Pence's ill-advised opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
As J. K. Wall reports in this week's Indianapolis Business Journal, "[E]ven conservative opponents of Obamacare said Pence's policy is problematic both economically and politically.... Even conservative health economists found Indiana's attempts to block Obamacare's tax subsidies puzzling."
It defies logic that the governor wants to keep 182,000 needy Hoosiers from enrolling in Medicaid, and disqualify, according to Wall, "an estimated 265,000 Hoosiers who would otherwise receive tax credits." But, there you have it.
In case your mother wasn't as descriptive as mine, that saying (which dates to the 12th century) describes a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem. As Devon Herrick, a health economist at the National Center for Policy Analysis, warns in the IBJ report, Gov. Pence is actively promoting "a strategy for getting defeated".
It's the first thing that comes to mind when contemplating Gov. Mike Pence's ill-advised opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
As J. K. Wall reports in this week's Indianapolis Business Journal, "[E]ven conservative opponents of Obamacare said Pence's policy is problematic both economically and politically.... Even conservative health economists found Indiana's attempts to block Obamacare's tax subsidies puzzling."
It defies logic that the governor wants to keep 182,000 needy Hoosiers from enrolling in Medicaid, and disqualify, according to Wall, "an estimated 265,000 Hoosiers who would otherwise receive tax credits." But, there you have it.
In case your mother wasn't as descriptive as mine, that saying (which dates to the 12th century) describes a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem. As Devon Herrick, a health economist at the National Center for Policy Analysis, warns in the IBJ report, Gov. Pence is actively promoting "a strategy for getting defeated".
Friday, November 1, 2013
Leaf Season in Indy
1. 2013 Leaf Season – The 2013 Leaf Season will run from Monday, November 4 through Saturday, November 30.
2. Holidays – There will be NO TRASH, HEAVY TRASH, LEAF SERVICE or CURBSIDE RECYCLING SERVICE on Thursday, 11/28 in observance of Thanksgiving; however, all Thursday routes will be picked up on Friday, 11/29, and all Friday routes will be picked up on Saturday, 11/30.
3. Item Limits – Residents may set out up to 40 bags of leaves per week in addition to their regular trash. Please place leaves in the same location they put out trash (curb or alley), but keep them 3-5 feet away from their trash. Before 11/4 and after 11/30, all trash and yard waste must fit inside the 96-gallon cart (in cart areas). Items outside the cart will not be picked up.
4. Setout Procedures – Leaves should not be set out loose in cans. Loose leaves will pack into a can and not come out easily. As a result, all leaves need to be bagged for pickup. Kraft paper bags are acceptable, but not recommended. They tend to break down very quickly when wet, leaving a mess. Also, leaves should not be set directly in contact with the 96-gallon cart (in cart areas). If they are, the cart may not be able to be emptied. Additionally, before and after leaf season, all trash and yard waste must fit into the cart. Trash or yard waste outside the cart before 11/4, or after 11/30 will not be picked up. During leaf season, only leaves will be taken by the leaf truck. Additional trash that will not fit inside the cart but is set out with leaves will not be picked up.
5. Collection Procedures – Leaves and trash are collected separately. Please make sure residents who call in same day complaints understand that if only one has been picked up so far that day, the other will be picked up by a separate truck before the day is over. We will not inspect same-day complaints that are received in order to allow crews time to service all routes.
6. Compost – Leaves collected during the 2013 leaf season are taken to Southside Landfill where they are turned into compost. When ready, the compost is made available to Indianapolis residents at no charge. Please call Southside Landfill at 247-6808 for availability of compost.
7. Complaints prior to and after the leaf season dates: If we receive any calls regarding missed leaves either BEFORE 11/4 or AFTER 11/30 please make sure that they are coded as a missed hand or cart collection, and NOT as a missed leaf collection. Missed leaf collection codes are to be used only during leaf season. Again, in cart areas, all trash/leaves must be in carts in order for it to be picked up either before or after leaf season.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Mitch Daniels Can't Avoid Politics
"When former Gov. Mitch Daniels became Purdue University's president," reports Gary R. Welsh, "he said he was getting out of partisan politics. Recent events suggest that's an impossible promise for Daniels to keep," Welsh writes in Advance Indiana today (31 October 2013).
"This week, he irritated some on his campus when he announced that Purdue, unlike IU, would not oppose the constitutional amendment opponents of same-sex marriage have vowed to push before the legislature next year.
"At first blush, that would appear to be consistent with his position since Daniels claims the university doesn't typically weigh in on social issues.
"The problem is that the proposed constitutional amendment puts at risk the domestic partner benefits the university has offered for several years and is inconsistent with the university's nondiscrimination policy.
"Thus," Welsh concludes, "some critics argue that he put his own political views ahead of the university's stated policies."
And, this Indianapolis Observer notes yet another reason his selection as Purdue prez was a bad move.
"This week, he irritated some on his campus when he announced that Purdue, unlike IU, would not oppose the constitutional amendment opponents of same-sex marriage have vowed to push before the legislature next year.
"At first blush, that would appear to be consistent with his position since Daniels claims the university doesn't typically weigh in on social issues.
"The problem is that the proposed constitutional amendment puts at risk the domestic partner benefits the university has offered for several years and is inconsistent with the university's nondiscrimination policy.
"Thus," Welsh concludes, "some critics argue that he put his own political views ahead of the university's stated policies."
And, this Indianapolis Observer notes yet another reason his selection as Purdue prez was a bad move.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
False Precedent?
"Two weeks ago, Richard Posner, one of the most respected and iconoclastic federal judges in the country, startled the legal world by publicly stating that he’d made a mistake in voting to uphold a 2005 voter-ID law out of Indiana, and that if he had properly understood the abuse of such laws, the case 'would have been decided differently'."
"The law in question requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls as a means of preventing voter fraud. Opponents sued, saying it would disenfranchise those Indianans without photo IDs — most of whom were poor, elderly, or minorities. State officials said the law was necessary, even though no one had ever been prosecuted for voter fraud in Indiana."
(The rest is here: "The Debate Over Judge Posner's Unforced Error")
This Indianapolis Observer notes that, once again, Indiana is in the news (and, not in a good way).
"The law in question requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls as a means of preventing voter fraud. Opponents sued, saying it would disenfranchise those Indianans without photo IDs — most of whom were poor, elderly, or minorities. State officials said the law was necessary, even though no one had ever been prosecuted for voter fraud in Indiana."
(The rest is here: "The Debate Over Judge Posner's Unforced Error")
This Indianapolis Observer notes that, once again, Indiana is in the news (and, not in a good way).
Monday, October 21, 2013
Luck Bests Manning
Your Indianapolis Observer doesn't follow football, but today's AP story on yesterday's Colts-Broncos game did provide some chuckles.
"If Peyton Manning wanted a preview of what retirement might look and feel like, the Indianapolis Colts gave him a brief glimpse Sunday night," AP reports, commenting on his standing-applause welcome.
"That ceremony turned out to be about the only bit of hospitality his former team extended, handing Manning and the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos a 39-33 defeat."
"If Peyton Manning wanted a preview of what retirement might look and feel like, the Indianapolis Colts gave him a brief glimpse Sunday night," AP reports, commenting on his standing-applause welcome.
"That ceremony turned out to be about the only bit of hospitality his former team extended, handing Manning and the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos a 39-33 defeat."
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