The (Munster) Times. July 18, 2018
Fiscally sound Hoosier state must face low quality-of-place issues
Our best attributes also can create rose-colored glasses, keeping us from identifying and rectifying glaring weaknesses.
The Hoosier state and its leaders should take care not to slip into this way of thinking when charting a way forward for quality of place in Indiana.
The state has plenty to celebrate.
The state recently recorded a $100.4 million surplus in revenue over spending in the 2018 budget year that ended June 30.
That’s even after Gov. Eric Holcomb funneled $327.1 million in needed additional funds for shoring up the Indiana Department of Child Services.
The 2018 surplus means the state now is sitting on a $1.8 billion budget reserve, which is equal to 11.3 percent of Indiana’s annual spending.
It spells solid fiscal footing and the capital for a sterling bond rating....
But the financial prowess earned by the Hoosier state through responsible budgeting and spending shouldn’t overshadow the need for improvement in crucial areas.In a recent annual CNBC poll, Indiana slipped to 16th place, down from 14th last year, in the Top States for Business rankings.Indiana ranked 5th in the Midwest - behind Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio - in the business-centric cable station’s annual business rankings.It’s true Indiana looks great in the standings, compared to the equivalent of economic brownfields in Illinois, which ranked 28th on the list.But that’s not the bar to which our state should aspire.Indiana ranked a woeful 46th in quality of life and earned an F grade for the general well-being of its people.If we’re going to grow our population and retain and care for the populace already here, a gutter-level ranking in quality of life isn’t the place to start.Neither are rankings of 20th in economy, 24th in access to capital, 28th in technology and innovation and a disappointing 35th in education, one of the cornerstones of an area’s ability to attract and retain families.It isn’t all gloom and doom in the Hoosier state. The fiscally sound condition of Indiana government coffers is a testament to responsible leadership.But the ability to plan for a better life for residents is an equally important hallmark of leadership.Ingenuity and investment are essential to that end.____The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin. July 19, 2018Immigration shouldn’t be based on job skillsDuring a recent interview with a reporter from The Herald Bulletin, U.S. Sen. Todd Young proposed the opening of “virtual Ellis Island centers” around the world to match immigrants for legal entry into the United States “based on their job skills.”“We should base immigration on workforce needs,” the Republican from Indiana said. “Match up people to the skills needed for jobs in this country.”Young’s proposal is simply un-American.If immigrants arrive in the United States with the proper documentation, that should be enough. If we turned some away based on their skills (or lack thereof), it would contradict the very spirit of the United States.Setting aside