Local Opinion

In this iconoclastic age that revels in knocking down as many Western mores as possible, one should not be surprised at what will be frog-marched to the cultural Jacobin guillotine next. I practice a 21st century version of “know nothingness” by simply ignoring much of what goes on around me. Foolish? Yes, according to my family. Eccentric? Of course, but remember my age. Cowardly, no doubt, but we geezers are entitled to our conceit of residing in the world of our distant past.

The Washington Post

Homelessness is a vexing problem, but it’s also one that a community should rally to address. Frankly, that is not happening in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

When lawmakers recently heard an amendment to tackle allegedly harmful or obscene books, one member had a list of objectionable titles at his desk that he refused to read out publicly.

A few months after my father died, I asked my mother how she was doing.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married. President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed the first female justice on the US Supreme Court. What do these events have in common? They all occurred in 1981 … which is the last time the alcohol tax in Indiana was raised.

There is a lot of discussion in Washington these days on what to do about the federal deficit. It continues to grow, and House Republicans in particular have made addressing it a key part of their agenda.

For far, far too long, local jails and hospital emergency rooms have been destinations of last resort for a person experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. You don’t have to be in law enforcement or in medicine to understand that this situation isn’t best for the person, the jail or the ER.

Now more than ever, it is imperative to prevent unwanted, unintended pregnancies. Considering Indiana’s new abortion statute, women should have increased access to birth control measures.

Sometimes, a gesture reveals much more than people realize.