DOUG ROSS: NWI residents take a stab at federal budget

There's something eerie about writing about the federal budget for the Ides of March, considering all the political backstabbing going on right now. But there are good things happening in regard to the federal budget, too.

DOUG ROSS: Uncertainty hurts economy, that's for certain

If Congress and President Barack Obama were serious about wanting to stimulate the economy, the best thing they could do is end the uncertainty over taxes and spending. If you don't believe me, just listen to some local business leaders.

YOUNG VOICES:It’s time we learned from our mistakes

How many times did you have to stick your hand into a fire to figure out that it would burn you? Once, maybe twice if you’re on the slow side? In 2008 America voted for “Change”. In that moment we also sowed the seeds of progressivism, just as we had done countless times before. The harvest …

GUEST COMMENTARY: Government should borrow more to build stronger economy

Everyone agrees, so it must be right -- we have to lower the federal deficit and national debt. Can everyone be wrong? Well, yes and no.

DOUG ROSS: Budget deficit isn't just an Obama creation

When U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., discusses the federal deficit, he shows a slide that would make fellow Republicans squirm.

BRIAN HOWEY: Pro-earmark doesn't mean pro-deficit

A cornerstone to Richard Mourdock's Republican primary challenge to U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar has been his vociferous opposition to congressional earmarks.

BRIAN HOWEY: A first step toward an uncertain future

The Tea Party set the agenda.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Opportunity knocks during federal debt crisis

With a projected fiscal year 2011 deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion and a massive $14.3 trillion national debt, addressing our nation's budget policies is a critical national priority. The need to tackle this crisis quickly brings with it an opportunity to put in place a comprehensive solution…

GUEST COMMENTARY: A short course on public debt and what can be done about it

Two questions come to mind when considering recent public debt accumulation by Indiana state and local governments and the federal government: How did we get ourselves into this situation? How do we get out? Here we first consider the short-run alternatives to dealing with existing debt and …

BRIAN HOWEY: Without tax code reform, it's budget cuts and tax hikes

Let's see, I'm going to buy a new Mercedes-Benz. And I think I'll buy a new Ford F-150 4x4. I'll sign up for a premium health care plan with a tiny deductible and an array of prescription drug benefits. The scripts will cost me about $4 out of pocket. And I'll take a 10 percent pay cut. If I…

The charter school of thought

The debate over the federal deficit is going to involve a lot of rhetoric before the 2012 election is over, but numbers will be coming up, too. And so will charts based on the data.

GUEST COMMENTARY: No consensus among public on federal deficit

The federal budget deficit is enormous, and the national debt is growing. So the pollsters are asking the public what should be done. The latest poll I've seen was done for NBC and the Wall Street Journal at the end of February. I found it on the Web by searching "NBC deficit poll."

ANDREA NEAL: Are voters ready for Daniels' solutions?

When U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar declared his candidacy for president on April 19, 1995, he offered an ambitious domestic policy goal: balancing the federal budget in seven years. Central to his vision was a plan to replace the national income tax with a retail sales tax and to drastically cut gove…

YOUNG VOICES: Trimming nation's fiscal fat starts with cutting out pork

If there is one issue concerning the future of America's youths that must be addressed, and soon, it is the financial state of our country. Nothing else is as pressing an issue then this country's apparent need to spend beyond its means.

BRIAN HOWEY: The bill for 30 years of sin is due

My earliest exposure to congressional level politics came in 1980 in Michigan's 4th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. David A. Stockman cruised easily to re-election during the Reagan Revolution landslide while Washington Post columnist George Will ardently pushed him to become White House b…