Opinion

Since Donald Trump descended the escalator in 2015 to kick off this political era, I’ve sought a historic parallel, a similar personality who captured the hearts and minds of many Hoosiers.

We’ve all been waiting for that first tomato or salad from our garden, and it is time! There are some things to do to help keep that produce safe, both homegrown and purchased. Here’s some advice and some tips from the FDA:

When I was a child we would visit my grandparents’ home in Bartholomew County several times each summer. They lived near a lake and the memories of that lake have a deep hold in my subconscious: I often think of that dark, cool, green lake, filled with bluegill and minnows. In the winter we would walk on the ice, breaking icicles off the neighbors’ docks, and in the summer, we water-skied and tubed and swam and dove. One of the most magical memories I have of the creatures in that lake is of tiny, translucent jellyfish. In several years, we pulled buckets of water out of the lake to find them filled with these creatures.

One afternoon last week I pulled into the McDonald’s drive through but had to pull up short. The “gardening crew” was hustling around and trying not to slow down the traffic too much. One young man in a blue, Brown County Eagle T-shirt was pushing a wheelbarrow full of stones in front of me waiting for the boss to tell him where to put them.

These are alarming numbers: In its recent State of the Global Workplace 2022 report, Gallup concluded that only 21 percent of workers are engaged and invested in their work. More than 70 percent of the nation’s employees are looking for new jobs. Most members of the workforce resent their job and are disengaged, bitter, miserable, unproductive, and doing more harm than good when they come to work. Hate your job—hate your life.

A friend will do his best to prevent you from driving off a cliff. Your enemy will give you directions to the cliff and happily watch you plunge to your destruction. A friend cares enough to caution you about financial decisions or bad investments. Your enemy will be glad to see you lose your money. Your friend will warn you about a snake in the path. Your enemy will tell you to enjoy your walk.

Nikki Kelly, in a column for the news organization Indiana Capital Chronicle, expresses a forlorn disappointment in Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.

This is the season of patriotic display on my cul-de-sac. Three important patriotic holidays occur within a six-week period: Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day. I call this the patriotic pause, a pause to reflect.

On this Memorial Day, I would like to especially honor the United States Marine Corps. Marines refer to themselves as “leathernecks.” As an Army veteran, I’m used to referring to Marines as “jarheads!” But all inter-service rivalry and kidding aside, throughout its history the U.S. Marine Corps has had the highest percentage of casualties of any branch of service. For this, I have the utmost respect for Marines. As for Marine officers, regardless of their original basic training, whether it took place as part of a Marine Corps Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, Officer Candidate School (OCS), or at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, once commissioned they must undergo boot camp again with their enlisted troops. For this, I especially respect Marine officers.

Sign on the road shows loss of civility in politics