The Indiana House of Representatives has passed a bill that requires recipients of welfare to undergo drug tests. HB1483 first requires an applicant for TANF to fill out a written questionnaire and, if identified as a possible abuser of drugs, take a urine test. Some have speculated about the format and contents of the questionnaire, said to be incredibly accurate in determining whether a person is a "drug abuser."

   Here at "Civil Discourse Now," through advanced techniques of…

   Indiana Senate Bills 224 and 225 provide guidelines and restrictions for Indiana delegates to a constitutional convention.

   What? The last constitutional convention was held in 1787. Delegates met in Philadelphia ostensibly to make corrections and improvements to the Articles of Confederation. Stewart, The Summer of 1787, 2007, p. 10. Eighteen of the 73 delegates did not attend. Patrick Henry refused to attend, claiming he "smelt a rat" in Philadelphia. What ensued was a…

   40 years ago this very date, about two years after Richard Nixon declared war on drugs, I got high for the first time. A classmate, a recent transfer to our school district, was very cute. She blew of several jocks who had flirted with her, but when I talked to her in French class, the topic of getting high arose. I had smoked, once, but not "gotten off." I told her the first part of that, but not the second in my effort to sound debonair. She asked me if I wanted to get high. I said sure…

   Today on Civil Discourse Now we will discuss public and mass transit in Indianapolis and in Indiana, as well as other topics. The Show will stream "live" from Harry C’s at 5055 South Dearborn on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our guest panelists will be Gary Welsh ("Adance Indiana") and Matt Stone ("Indy Student"). You can listen to Civil Discourse Now on Indiana Talks, part of Live365. Or you can tune in on this website or on U Stream. Better yet, you can go to Harry C’s, order some…

   This week on Civil Discourse Now we will discuss public and mass transit in Indianapolis and in Indiana. The Show will stream "live" from Harry C’s at 5055 South Dearborn on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our guest panelists will be Sheila Suess Kennedy, Gary Welsh, and Matt Stone. You can listen to Civil Discourse Now on Indiana Talks, part of Live365. Or you can tune in on this website. Better yet, you can go to Harry C’s, order some good food, and see The Show for yourself.

   The costs of ownership of an automobile are significant. First, one faces the purchase price of the vehicle. Second, the car has to (should) be insured.  Third, there is a liquid to be poured into the tank on a regular basis. That liquid is not cheap. Fourth, if the car is bought new, in Indiana the plates are more expensive and sales tax higher. The "up" side is most repairs are covered by warranty. Fifth, one has to worry about where to park the vehicle. Work downtown? Parking can be…

   Yesterday I drove to Beech Grove for a meeting with clients. I never had seen the Amtrak facilities. As I passed the place, I was startled to see the engine from a bullet train and several cars from long-distance, double-decker trains. The buildings are huge.

   My grandfather was a fireman on the Monon Railroad and was killed in a crossing accident in Huntington in 1939. I rode trains a lot when I lived in Chicago and, later, Berwyn. The transit was reliable and relieved me of the…

   Here are some solutions to the problems of our economy and society today. Label me or pigeonhole me as you will (or already have).

   1) Re-re-distribute the wealth in this country. In 1981, the president-who-shall-remain-nameless (or you-know-who) set about crushing unions and giving greater consideration to CEOs than line-workers and, thus, gutted the middle class. Money was taken from those who earned it and palmed off to those who inherited it. The lower the socioeconomic class…

   Unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as "drones," will be main topic of discussion as, on Civil Discourse Now we stream "live"—audio on IndianaTalks dot com or Live365 and go to "talk shows"; video on Ustream or this website—from the Indy Cigar Bar today, February 16, 2013.  Join us at the Indy Cigar Bar at 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

   Our guest panelists will be: 

   JoAnne Lingle who is a full-time peace and justice activist focusing on anti-war and Middle Eastern issues.…

   The distinctive feature of the State—a convenient term to use for the sovereign authority of a society—is the recognition it has a monopoly on the use of violence to enforce its decisions.

   One best example is in enforcement of laws. If a person uses a firearm to rob a bank, law enforcement officers are authorized to use similar, lethal force to apprehend the person. Of course, if that bank robber had taken the time to obtain an MBA and go to work for a major bank—and if someone…

   The past few weeks, the format of "Civil Discourse Now" has changed a bit. We have tried to focus discussion on one topic, but also spend time on other events in the news. As always, we try to shoot at establishments of local merchants.

   This Saturday The Show will stream "live"—audio on IndianaTalks dot com or Live365 and go to "talk shows"; video on Ustream or this website—from the Indy Cigar Bar. The focus of our discussion will be the United States government’s use of…

   This is a tale of two trials. Of the two, pick the trial that dominated the front page of what used to be the daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Indiana.

   One trial is a Federal criminal prosecution in which the liberty of two individuals is at stake. The other trial is a Federal civil lawsuit in which a multi-million-dollar corporation has sued and been counter-sued by a multi-millionaire.

   One trial involves allegations that the defendants, one of whom has…

   Unlike Charles Foster Kane, I did not sit down one night and write a "Declaration of Principles." The Show only has two rules: (1) Don’t wears stripes and (2) Don’t talk at the same time as someone else. There are goals for what we do, although those goals never have been stated specifically as such. We seek to inform and educate—ourselves and guests as well as our audience. We seek to address topics of interest in ways and from perspectives people might not have encountered. We try to…

  Jon Easter has commented that Indianapolis faux Mayor Greg Ballard is "open to" running for a third term. Jon also notes our City’s voters have frowned on third terms for mayors, since William Hudnut ran for, and won, his third term in 1987, a third term as Indianapolis Mayor—to use Jon’s technical political science term (and I was a political science major and should know)—is a "no-no." Perhaps, more than anything, it is considered bad taste. If George Washington only served two…

   Life is a process of learning.

   I received an e-mail in which I was asked where a person could find my e-novel "Billion Dollar Ball$."  I replied on Amazon. Their platform seemed the easiest and cheapest. The return communication was that the e-novel had been found, but there was neither synopsis of the book nor reproduction of the cover at the site. The next question was: what is the book about?

   The world of publishing changes daily. I learn as I go. Today I hope to…

   Today, Saturday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will stream "live" from Aesop’s Tables, 600 East Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis. Our topic will by LGBT rights. You can listen to The Show on "Indiana Talks" by going to their website. Or you can go to Live365 and pick up the feed there. Our video live-stream is on this website and UStream.

   There are several aspects to this topic. The most obvious, and what grabs the most headlines, is marriage equality. At present, a…

   Saturday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will stream "live" from Aesop’s Tables, 600 East Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis. Our topic will by LGBT rights.