Juan Williams – one of the most accomplished and respected journalists in America – will share his powerful insights with the Economic Club on May 1 (at noon in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom).

Williams’ storied journalism career includes 23 years with the Washington Post, a bestselling book on the Civil Rights movement and an Emmy. He currently works as a senior national correspondent for NPR and analyst for Fox News – where his professionalism and candor through spirited debate has become well-known.

Join us on May 1 as Williams presents an insider’s view of politics, the economy and other current affairs. Get your tickets now.

A recent Indianapolis Star article takes Indiana government to task for not providing online access to important public information. The story is based on a survey by journalism organizations that shows Indiana near the bottom of all 50 states when it comes to providing this information in digital form:

The days when tracking down pertinent public information required sifting through volumes of paper records have long passed. Or at least they should have here and elsewhere based on the technology now available.

We’re unaware of the state’s plans to increase information, but realize it will likely take years before state government provides the access businesses need. After all, we have had the same system of township government since the mid-1800s.

The Chamber’s own government information portal, IndianaNet, was not around during the Gettysburg Address, but has been supplying comprehensive online access to government information for many years.

IndianaNet provides regulatory information, agency information, meeting schedules and follows state legislative activity in real time. In addition to being a one-stop shop for complete government information, IndianaNet provides unique reporting capabilities and other powerful tools to ensure businesses are never blindsided by any state government or legislative action.

Click on the link to learn more about IndianaNet .

The Economic Club is pleased to announce a series of presentations throughout Indiana during the summer months of 2009. These events, dubbed the "Economic Club Summer Series," will feature the same high-quality speakers that the regular season events have become known for.

"We are very excited to be bringing the (Economic) Club, in a physical sense, to other parts of the state," comments Steve Walker, president of the Economic Club.

An arrangement allowing WFYI to produce statewide broadcasts of current presentations has helped generate a great deal of interest outside of Indianapolis over the past two seasons. Hosting events in other cities is part of the continuing effort to bring the Economic Club to all Hoosiers.  

The first stop on the 2009 Summer Series tour is set for June 9 in Merrillville — featuring tax policy expert and nationally published opinion leader Scott Hodge. Indiana Pacers president Jim Morris will be the keynote speaker for a July 14 event in Evansville, and Fort Wayne will play host in August. Details for the August event and other specifics are still being finalized but will be announced soon.   

Current sponsors for the 2009 Summer Series include Ivy Tech, ProLiance Energy, Franklin College, Schmidt Associates and ESW Inc. Speaker’s Reception sponsors include NIPSCO – June; Old National, Regency Commercial Associates – July.

A variety of sponsorship opportunities remain. Contact Jim Wagner for details at jwagner@indianachamber.com.

The Indianapolis Convention Center ballroom was filled to capacity yesterday afternoon as famed political satirist P.J. O’Rourke took the Economic Club of Indiana stage.

O’Rourke’s penchant for making people laugh, even during less than promising economic times, was not lost on the audience. The humorous tone was set early as one of O’Rourke’s more famous quotes was read by the emcee during his introduction: “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."

True to form, O’Rourke mixed humor with the expert analysis of someone who has studied politics and government for over 40 years – delving into controversial topics of spreading freedom through fighting and public education reform. He is known for poking fun at the absurdity found in all political ideologies, and remarked on former President George W. Bush as well as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He even riffed on the concept of democracy, noting that with daughters and dogs at home, dinner would likely consist of Fruit Loops and rotten meat if put to a vote.

To view the upcoming Economic Club of Indiana lunch event schedule, please visit its web site.

If someone in your staff or family recently stated Richard Lugar was doing an admirable job as governor, you might want to read this:

National candidates garner most of the media attention during presidential election years. This has been especially true as the 2008 election season heats up with the intense battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Another truism, though less publicized by the mass media, is that all politics begin at the local and state levels.

Many of the laws and regulations that affect Hoosier businesses and individuals are debated and enacted locally and by the Indiana General Assembly. The Indiana Chamber’s Let’s Talk Politics publication has been bridging the knowledge gap on political candidates and the election process for more than 35 years.

Let’s Talk Politics is a comprehensive yet efficient guide to both state and federal elections. Numerous Indiana schools utilize this publication to educate their students on all aspects of Indiana elections. Businesses and civic groups also utilize it to remind employees of the importance of voting.

Knowledge of political candidates and the election process is vital to the health of our democracy. Order Let’s Talk Politics now to stay informed. 
 

"For the past half-century, free enterprise and what it stands for has been under constant attack,” asserted Walter Williams at the last Economic Club of Indiana luncheon of the season Friday.

Williams, a well-known political pundit, columnist, professor and occasional guest host of the “Rush Limbaugh Show,” presented his strong views on economic and tax policy in America today.

Williams employed obvious and often humorous comparisons to illustrate his message – at one point equivocating the federal government’s wealth redistribution programs to armed robbery with a benevolent motive. 

“We must ask ourselves, is there ever a moral reason for taking what belongs to one person and giving it to another?” Williams asked, reminding the audience that, “government has no money of its very own.”

As a promoter of individual liberty over intrusive government, Williams believes that charitable contributions and other financial transactions are most effective when people are free to participate in voluntary exchange.

Mandating what Americans save for retirement and enforcing it through Social Security taxes is just one of the ways Williams feels government is interfering with voluntary exchange.  He also asserted that the federal government has no Constitutional authority to collect taxes for three-fourths of the things it currently collects.

The next Economic Club luncheon season will begin with Eli Lilly president/CEO John Lechleiter on Sept. 24. He will be followed by editor of the The Weekly Standard (and New York Times columnist) William Kristol on Oct. 27, who will offer his political insights just before the 2008 election. Here is the current schedule, and new speakers are still being added.

Numerous headlines regarding global climate change appear in newspapers around the world every day.  Former Vice President Al Gore and other leading environmentalists have been warning that we are headed for a man-made global catastrophe if our interaction with the planet doesn’t drastically change. More recently, environmental experts such as April 29 Economic Club of Indiana speaker Steven Hayward, have publicly disagreed with Gore and company.

Hayward, an environmental researcher holding numerous prestigious fellowships and an adjunct professorship at Georgetown University, starred in a film rebutting Gore’s claims of pending disaster as a result of climate change.  Hayward is of the belief that the planet goes through natural periods of warming and cooling and is not tremendously influenced by the activity of human beings.

His position on the issue, shared by an increasing number of scientists – such as MIT’s Richard Lindzen – has earned him both criticism and praise. Hayward plans to present his research, "The Unseriousness of Climate Change Policy: Confronting the Economic and Energy Realities” at the Economic Club of Indiana luncheon on April 29.   

Agree or disagree? Either way, you should hear what Hayward has to say. It’s from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 at the Indiana Convention Center.