December 7, 2023
Most people in prison are not lifers, most are not dangerous, and as Sister would say, all are far more than the worst thing they have done. I can tell you from experience, that there is more hope, goodness, optimism, and energy in most reentrants than they will be given the opportunity to use. But as a society, we have given the deep freeze to people coming out of incarceration for as long as I can remember.
November 21, 2023
We have children in our midst who are not protected, not warned, not given rules, not advised, and not taught the value of life—their lives or the lives of others. Far too many kids believe they'll be dead by the age of 21, and too many of them are right. While total homicide figures are down from 2022, The rate of teen murder has almost doubled.
November 7, 2023
Of course fathers can be part of their children's lives without a marriage certificate. But, over the years, dads seem to have been officially downgraded from being standard equipment to being an option. When you buy a car you know you'll get a steering wheel, but you can decide not to get the heavy duty drive train—it's an option. The problem is, life is tough, and two people can do a job so much easier than one. The heavy-duty drive train can come in pretty handy when you are tackling a mountain of kid problems, debt problems, health issues, or just someone to give you a hug on a bad day.
October 21, 2023
Inflation has dealt a crushing blow to families with an annual income of less than $40,000 a year. Sixty-six percent reported hardship to severe hardship. Say you have an income of $37,000 a year. After inflation over the past three years, your family has had to get by with what amounts to a $7,400.00 cut in spendable income. Americans in the middle class are getting especially squeezed says a report by the Congressional Budget Office. For them, prices have increased far faster than their income.
October 7, 2023
Formerly, Indiana schools got graded like the kids…"A" through "F," but that simplistic format left much to be desired. Beginning Oct. 15th, 2023, each grade level must report on its own academic results. Parents will now be able to compare their child's school against the performance of other Indianapolis schools: the magic key to parental power!
September 21, 2023
Dave Ramsey wisely noted, "If your child graduates from high school and his only skill set consists of playing video games, whining, copping an attitude of entitlement, and eating junk food, you have set him up to fail." Too many parents are missing the point of employment. Having a job for a teen is an education in itself...
September 7, 2023
Police investigators here and across the country are concerned about the growing ties between social media and youth homicides. Just connect the dots...
August 21, 2023
Let's just put the answer out right up front: Yes. "In the big picture, religious presence seems to [influence] the amount of violence and crime in a community, it matters to blacks, whites and Latinos." OK. So, everybody? A separate study analyzing crime and religion data from 182 counties in three states similarly found that violent crime decreased when greater numbers of people were religiously active in a community.
August 7, 2023
For those who think that ex-offenders can't make a stunning comeback, I give you Charles Dutton. He was sentenced to five years for manslaughter in 1967 after a knife fight in which a man was killed. Out on parole, he was arrested on robbery and handgun charges and was sentenced to the Maryland Penitentiary for three more years. After a fight with a guard, another eight years was added to his sentence. During that time he spent six days in solitary confinement for refusing to clean toilets.
July 21, 2023
It has long troubled me that our state legislators do not pass a 36 percent APR cap on payday loans in Indiana. Ninety percent of Hoosiers agree that a 36 percent Annual Percentage Rate (APR) cap should be enacted--so what's the hold up? These small loans are aimed at those with an urgent need and a very low income, and payday loan operators notoriously target people of color.
