Local Opinion

INDIANAPOLIS - When a politician makes the decision to accept a vice presidential or lieutenant governor invitation, it generally means taking on a subservient posture. All the time.

Lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60 percent according to the Surgeon General’s advisory about the devastating impact of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States. The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, and a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.

When a small group of farmers and concerned citizens banded together to form the Boone County Preservation Group, it was with the desire to protect the county’s farmland from development. We’d heard rumors that large parcels of farmland were being purchased. We later found out that the land was going to be used for the LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District – an enormous up to 11,000-acre advanced manufacturing park.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana became a state 207 years ago. All of our governors and U.S. senators have been white guys. So have all our House speakers, Senate presidents, House Ways &Means and Senate Finance and Appropriation committee chairs.

Dear Rusty: My wife (born May 1962) and I (born April 1963) are retired and will soon be looking to start collecting our Social Security as we each hit 62. As this is new to us, I’m wondering what things we may need to be aware of or consider as we get closer to her 62 birthday in May. Any advice or information will be appreciated!

American workers made great strides in 2023. Autoworkers, UPS drivers, Kaiser health workers, screenwriters, and actors all scored significant gains in earnings and benefits as a result of their respective unions taking tough, assertive stances in strikes and other forms of workplace activism. The agreements emerging from these actions will mean substantial improvements in the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers and their families.

INDIANAPOLIS — The last two American presidential assassinations — coming about 60 years apart — set in motion different yields when it comes to trust in government. When bullets felled President William McKinley in Buffalo in 1901, the subsequent ascension of President Theodore Roosevelt commenced a progressive movement that largely persisted over six decades, bringing us the New Deal and the Great Society.

Dear Rusty: I’m turning 95 this year and am caretaker for my wife in our 70th year of marriage. I served before 1968 (1951-53) during the Korean War. How do the “special extra credits for military service” work for me? Is it retro-active? My wife, who only worked a short time, gets half of my Social Security so would it affect hers, too? Signed: Korean War Veteran

INDIANAPOLIS — As things stand today, former President Donald J. Trump is the prohibitive favorite to win his third Republican presidential nomination next year. He leads the Real Clear Politics national polling composite by a resounding and unprecedented 53%. He leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 33% in Iowa and Nikki Haley by 31% in New Hampshire.

I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. There was an older man and little boy in front of me, and the little boy was chatting a mile a minute. The older man was smiling, nodding his head and not talking much.