IndyStar.com: Opinion
Indiana's leading news source for all the top stories, local news, sports and weather.
A Ripple effect for success
In retrospect, it appears the Broad Ripple High School class of 1965 was destined for success. Several graduates have done well locally in business. Alan Cohen built the Finish Line stores into a major retail footwear business. Fred Tucker III has...
Remember Commerce Connector? Let's try it again
The Oct. 22 propane truck accident on the Northeastside, bottling up traffic on both I-465 and I-69 for many hours, makes a strong case for renewing consideration of a Commerce Connector that would reroute truck traffic around the city. Thousands of...
Beyond politics: Reasons to be suspicious of health plan
Once again Dan Carpenter’s view of government-run health-care reform (“Criers of wolf make foxy hares,” Nov. 15) sounds like something Americans should be ashamed to not support because not doing so is just right-wing, anti-Obama...
Bike lanes could be solution to Allisonville's dangers
In response to Ann Hanley’s letter (Nov. 7) outlining “dangerous spending on Allisonville bike lanes,” it seems that Hanley has answered her own questions. Is it not obvious that any reduction in vehicle travel in one of the...
Republic's survival at risk with current president
It’s good to know columnist Eugene Robinson believes the republic “will survive even” Sarah Palin ("Being Sarah,‘’ Nov. 17). I wish I felt as confident about the republic’s ability to survive Barack Obama. Jim...
Terrorist trial will only comfort the enemies
By stating that Americans won’t find it "offensive at all’’ when (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) is convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him, President Barack Obama has unquestionably prejudged any future trial. Once the...
Not worth killing health reform
Let’s dispense with three fallacies swirling about the question of abortion coverage in health care reform. Two are being peddled by anti-abortion forces. One, perhaps the most relevant, is being pushed by the pro-choice side. To be clear about...
GOP has tradition of picking fights
For Sarah Palin, with her personality and history, to tell Rush Limbaugh that Republicans should welcome primary fights within their own ranks is hardly surprising. As much as it may pain her many critics, she also has a lot of history on her side....
Young survivors understand value of early detection
As a breast cancer survivor, I am saddened and angered by the study released recommending mammograms start at age 50, and also discouraging the use of breast self-exams. I found a lump at age 34. I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. After...
In sickness and in health
Believe it or not, the news isn’t all bad all the time when the health of Hoosiers is compared to the nation’s. America’s Health Rankings, the 20th annual survey conducted by three prominent national groups, shows Indiana at 35th...
Book gives good guidelines for schools on religious issues
Robert King’s Nov. 14 article regarding the Anti-Defamation League’s efforts in Washington Township, “Focusing on religion in public schools,” illuminated a thorny issue for school administrators, teachers and parents. The...
Tired of excuses
Fannie Lou Hamer’s famous lament has now become my refrain: I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. In this case I am speaking of the decline and near extinction of values conveyed by responsible parents to their children, particularly in...
Columnist helps make freedom of religion a reality
Thanks to Dan Carpenter for his thoughtful and compassionate remarks in “Madness and mass suspicion” on Nov. 11. His thoughts will reach hearts and minds that the apologies and press releases of Muslim organizations will undoubtedly miss....
The best of our faiths
The Fort Hood tragedy, where an Army psychiatrist went on a rampage killing 13 people, may be understood as the act of one deeply troubled individual that has nothing to do with religion. All our religious traditions — Judaism, Christianity and...
For healthy state of being, make Indiana smoke-free
The time is long overdue for Indiana to become free of tobacco smoke in all public areas and workplaces. It is no longer a matter of opinion whether smoking is harmful, not just to the smoker but to those around her or him. Smoking tobacco shortens...
Coercion that limits choice
PHOENIX —In 2006, long before there was an Obama administration determined to impose a command-and-control federal health care system, a young orthopedic surgeon walked into the Goldwater Institute here with an idea. The institute,...
Lipstick on a rogue
You have to hand it to Sarah Palin. I don’t mean you have to hand her the 2012 nomination. Nor do you have to hand her the $24.64 I overpaid for “Going Rogue.” But let us give credit where credit card is due. Remember back in the...
A lesson from Ramallah
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Looking at this city, you can imagine what a Palestinian state could someday be like if folks got serious: The streets are clean, there’s new construction in every direction, and Palestinian soldiers line the roads....
Th mammogram factor
Calm. That’s not a word one hears much these days, but calm is what some are urging in the wake of a new federal report on breast cancer screening. Released Monday, the report has caused a stir with its recommendation that women in their 40s...
Adios to Dobbs
Many Latinos probably feel like salsa dancing in the streets now that CNN has finally cleared the air by purging itself of Lou Dobbs. Dobbs’ problem wasn’t that he opposed illegal immigration. That’s true of most Americans. Yet...
Play fair when drawing new maps
Something’s gotten into the water over at the Statehouse, and the Hoosier public just has to hope the spell isn’t broken by details and old-fashioned inertia. Answering the redistricting trumpet recently sounded by Secretary of State Todd...
She made life's work of peace
A cherished ally, exemplar and inspiration was snatched away by a sudden, shocking illness early this month. Mary Harter Mitchell was a professor nearly 30 years at Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis; a devoted student at Christian...
IPS needs visionary, not someone who gives up
With sadness, I have followed Matthew Tully’s columns concerning the deterioration of Manuel High School. Now IPS Superintendent Eugene White has announced that its struggling, meager football team won’t exist next year along with the...
Mayor stands up for freedom, not nanny-state control
I am a fan of The Star and happen to agree with its editorial positions about 95 percent of the time. However, I must take exception to the Nov. 11 editorial’s (“Mayor’s choice: health or foul air”) crucifixion of Mayor Greg...
Ballard's position contradicts goal of a healthier city
I am quite surprised by Mayor Greg Ballard’s opposition to the proposed smoking ban, suggesting that removing hazards from Indianapolis workplaces would have a negative economic impact. It would seem the mayor is contradicting his statements...
No apology for responding to those who brought war here
I read Fran Quigley’s column with interest (“This isn’t what we hoped for,” Nov. 16). My question simply is, what are we to do? A freed reporter states that his captors are upset about civilians being killed by drones and men...
The hand Obama should play
The more President Barack Obama examines our options in Afghanistan, the less he likes the choices he sees. But, as the old saying goes, to govern is to choose — and he has stretched the internal debate to the breaking point. It is evident from...
We need a civilian ROTC
Imagine a time when government work was exciting, widely admired, and much sought after. It seems an outlandish thought at a moment when you cannot turn on your television without hearing government spoken of as almost an alien creature. It is cast...
It's time for real change
Efforts to push legislative ethics reform through the Indiana General Assembly have long faced an insurmountable obstacle in the person of House Speaker Pat Bauer. The South Bend Democrat, a fixture in the House for nearly 40 years, has the power to...
NFL would call legislators out of bounds
I doubt that Peyton Manning has ever invited an NFL game official along for an all-expenses-paid visit to Hawaii during Pro Bowl week. No player would ever think of extending such an invitation, and league rules would never allow such an obvious...
