Declaration of Independence

Although not my favorite actors, they do a fine job on material they can't revise and adapt.

Disciples of No vs. Cities of Opportunity

During the last few election cycles there has been a terrific amount of talk and analysis at the state and national level. Much of that analysis focuses on labels ... Red vs. Blue ... Conservative vs. Liberal ... Republican vs. Democrat.

A few thoughts, and obviously a debate for those that disagree:

• Porter County is predominantly conservative. Many of our residents left Chicago or Lake County Indiana to get away from government largess and hyper taxation. The fraud and outright criminality of those former hometowns haunts many a local resident still.
  
• Porter County residents are not extremely political. Where other regions may feature citizens actively engaged in party fighting, Porter County tends to feature moderate approaches and the political parties working together. I can remember being asked why Valparaiso wasn't fighting harder to get the Bass Pro Shops location ... and Mayor Costas calmly saying something about not wanting to derail a good project in Portage by stepping in and messing things up.
  
• Porter County features lower property taxes than Lake County, but the tax caps passed two years ago will bring everyone to about the same level. Porter County did not have to cut as much from spending though since they were a lot closer.

So why all this banter about the Regional Development Authority? Why does this one issue bring about such intense debate and acrimony?

I have a theory: Although most of us are conservative, the rural residents of Porter County have very different positions on a vision for this county than do the municipal citizens. For further research see Disciples of No from rural resident Bob Wichlinski and A Man for No Seasons from Valpo Mayor Costas. Frankly the D.O.N of Porter County (Commissioner Harper) has run this county for 6 years and has an iron grip on fear. The fear of change, the fear of progress, the fear of growth leading to "them people." This fear plays well in a county where many residents moved from such political messes as Cook County Illinois.

If the cities of Portage and Valparaiso vote in the next couple months to retain the Regional Development Authority, to continue to collecting the tax which invests in the RDA $3.5 million a year but also reduces our property taxes, and overrules the county council ... we will see in glaring lights the problem and the opportunity. I applaud both Mayors for standing up for a great opportunity in the RDA, knowing full well that many outside the cities and towns disagree, but also knowing that they rely almost entirely on those same cities and towns for their economic well being.

The theory of "balance of powers" in the American experiment has been a constant tension for the last 230 years. When we don't like what the President does, we hope for the Congress to overule him. When we don't like what the Congress does we hope for the states to stand up to them. When bad laws get passed, we hope for the Supreme Court to strike them down. There is no shame in this tension, it is what makes our nation great.

Keep debating though, don't let anyone tell you to "hush" these are the debates that make us great. Happy Independence Day Porter County!

Top 50 twitter members in Northwest Indiana

50 tweeps to follow in NW Indiana

My July 4th #followFriday

It seems we all love a list, and twitter is like no other for making us want to rank and list. Here is my own list of Top 50 #nwindiana tweeps to follow. Obviously you can follow me too @daltonsbriefs

Go ahead and comment on who you think is missing, who should be included when I update the list next week. I did not purposely skip anyone, but I'm sure I missed some obvious important people from the region. Are you following them all? Have you gone to their blogs to subscribe so you can keep track of important posts? The order is random, but I did list number of followers.

Lastly, you'll note only one politician. Although a few have profiles they hold, none really use them to engage or retweet or even post links. Hopefully this will change next year.

1. @kathysipple 1,703 followers, organizer of first #nwitweetup
   
2. @davewoodson 2,103 followers, the one and only Mad Mortgage Machine
   
3. @fftmortgage 72 followers #mortgage broker
   
4. @safrin 495 followers #realestate
   
5. @kissmyaster 1,734 followers blogger Kiss My Aster
   
6. @bill_mitch 151 followers and a weather report for #valpo every morning
   
7. @nwiblogs 246 followers, sponsor of first NW Indiana blogger meetup
   
8. @nwi 1,605 followers, breaking news from NWI Times
   
9. @posttrib 323 followers, breaking news from the Post Tribune
   
10. @richschmidt 307 followers the Valpo Rev
    
11. @evelynbaycoffee 536 followers and first #nwitweetup
    
12. @aaronsimac 47 followers #insurance
13. @passtimes 257 followers and everyone's favorite neighborhood pub
    
14. @cendercompany 231 followers, municipal consultant
15. @chucklehman 542 followers, landscape architect
    
16. @mbstockdale 1,227 followers, Suncrest Christian Church
    
17. @allynpaul 1,078 followers, landscaper and blogger
    
18. @jonathonwthomas 788 followers tech/SEO fellow Blog Indiana 2008 attendee
19. @natfinn 2,225 followers
20. @chris_hedges 1,941 followers #attorney and original #nwindiana blog carnival
21. @myCMPS 3,462 followers, #mortgage broker (James Barath)
22. @iamfiction 127 followers
    
23. @livemercial 1,438 followers, many of the staff have profiles as well
    
24. @coachlee 2,135 followers
    
25. @tudorrestores 131 followers
    
26. @loan_guy 265 followers, #mortgage broker (Scott Swinford)
    
27. @lakenetnwi 223 followers featuring Lakenet NW Indiana
    
28. @cameronbanga 326 followers
    
29. @silcottshoes 1,576 followers and uses tweets for biz quite well
    
30. @finucane 315 followers
    
31. @nwireconnect 462 followers and local ning site NW Indiana Reconnect
    
32. @nwitweetup 203 followers this profile used to announce tweet ups
    
33. @cartronix 560 followers wireless services
    
34. @ValpoLife 543 followers, #valpo portal
    
35. @Valpocity 200 followers ... but they arent following anyone ... a mistake
    
36. @PorterGOP 179 followers, Joyce Webster County GOP Chair and Portage Trustee
    
37. @prayeramedic 951 followers, active long form blogger
    
38. @lybolt 528 followers, Joshua Lybolt head of NW Indiana SBDC
    
39. @bargainjane 162 followers
    
40. @bantafeedss 102 followers
    
41. @indianadunes 486 followers
    
42. @indiana_sbdc 484 followers
    
43. @goldentech 26 followers, host of first #nwindiana blogger meetup
44. @emc440 33 followers
    
45. @ktracycom 130 followers, probably biggest blogger by traffic in region
46. @mattsaliga 46 followers, Hammond focus
47. @wendeburbridge 104 followers, Lakeshore Public TV
48. @nwihomes4sale 28 followers, #realestate (Valarie Kubacki)
49. @railcats 211 followers, official profile for Gary Railcats Baseball
50. @primerealestate 107 followers, Mags Lybolt #realestate broker
    

The National Energy Tax mess

Often our articles here on Porter County Politics become inside baseball, and very close to home. But on the national front there is a battle well worth watching on this proposed Cap and Trade or National Energy Tax law. The house has passed cap and trade, with 8 Republicans crossing over to support the new tax law, and now it goes to the Senate which features 60 Democrat votes now. The national energy tax is bad policy, and even worse for the economy.

From the office of GOP Leader John Boehner -

What You May Not Know About Speaker Pelosi's National Energy Tax
More Mandates, More Regulations, and More Costs Than Ever Before

Washington, Jun 26 - Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax is going to raise electricity prices, increase gasoline prices, and ship American jobs overseas to countries like China and India. This, we know.

It would be a bureaucratic nightmare overseen by a confusing web of government agencies that would take and redistribute trillions of dollars from family budgets and workers payrolls. This, we also know. Even Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) admitted in the Washington Post this morning that: “The truth is, nobody knows for sure how this is going to work.” How encouraging.

But what don’t we know? Here are some facts you may not know about Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax:

Homebuyers Beware. Trying to save up for a new home? You may have to save up a little longer for your purchase. The Democrats’ bill would dramatically increase new home costs by mandating California’s expensive new building codes for the entire nation. Immediately upon enactment, the Democrats’ bill would demand a 30 percent increase in energy efficiency for new construction. A couple of years later, the Democrats’ bill would require an additional 50 percent improvement. These numbers were chosen with no concern for cost to consumers or feasibility in implementation.

Homebuilders Beware. The Democrats’ bill imposes new mandatory regulations and civil penalties for homebuilders. If your state refuses to accept the stringent and costly California building codes, the federal government may assess penalties. And don’t get too comfortable with the new mandatory regulations because the Democrats’ bill allows for “consensus-based” codes to supplant those outlined in the bill. So, as soon as you’ve invested your hard-earned money to comply with the bill’s mandates, the rug could get pulled from underneath you. Translation? You’ll pony up more and more money.

Home Sellers Beware. Having a hard time selling your home? Here’s one more hurdle to jump: all homes sales are conditioned upon an energy audit and a new energy rating assessment and energy labeling program for your home that’s outlined in the Democrats’ bill. And if you thought you could improve your property with a fresh coat of paint and some granite counters? Think again! Now your home will be subjected to a new energy rating assessment and energy labeling program that will penalize you for older windows, original fixtures, and dated appliances. So the Democrats’ bill would bring down the value of your home!

New Lights No Matter the Cost. As early as 2012, the Democrats’ bill eliminates all existing lighting technology used in many outdoor lighting fleets (parking lots, stadiums, secured facilities like power plants and factories). Just as an example, switching to the mandated technology in the bill will cost one small utility about $30 million in annual revenue. So you now have to comply with the new mandates for new lighting? Hold the phone. It is not clear that a feasible alternative technology is available for every existing lighting application – regardless of cost – which could force some businesses to close.

The consequences of Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax for families and small businesses are real. It will drive up energy costs, send millions of jobs to countries like China and India, and place an especially heavy burden on rural America. There is a better way. House Republicans have proposed the American Energy Act, legislation that represents the fastest route to a cleaner environment, lower energy costs, and more American jobs. The legislation would:

• Increase environmentally-safe energy production on remote lands and far off our shores;
• Promote the use of alternative fuels that will reduce carbon emissions, such as nuclear, clean-coal, and renewable energy technologies; and
• Encourage increased efficiencies and cutting edge technologies to maximize America’s energy potential.

Today’s vote on Speaker Pelosi’s ill-advised national energy tax will have consequences for every American. It is a bad deal for America. And the American people will remember how their Members of Congress vote.

Governor Daniels wins budget standoff

Update from Hoosier Access Video



While democrats postured and tried to pull money from state reserve accounts, and Republicans postured to try and get cover going into the all important elections next year - Governor Daniels once again did what he does best. He led

He said early on that $1 billion must be left in reserves, and that no tax increases would be used.

He held to those convictions in the face of a storm of legislation and amendments to break those very principles. Kudos to leadership, when many states are groveling at the Federal cash window, Indiana is not.

The article from the Times spells out some of the issues that arise in NW Indiana from this budget and issues that will definitely have an affect on the coming elections:

INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana lawmakers departed the Capitol early Tuesday evening relieved they averted a state government shutdown with hours to spare, but few were happy with the two-year, $28.5 billion budget that Gov. Mitch Daniels promptly signed into law.

"If we don't vote to pass this budget, we are going to shut down this state, put people out of work," Sen. Luke Kenley, a top Republican negotiator, said after enduring two hours of complaints. "I'm going to ask you to vote 'yes' even though you hate this budget."

The spending plan, which also dangles a coveted bus and rail authority for Northwest Indiana, then cleared the GOP-ruled Senate on a 34-16 vote, with Sens. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, and Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, providing half of the four Democratic votes.

Earlier, Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, was the lone region Democrat in the House -- among 14 statewide -- to back the budget as it cleared the Democratic-led chamber by a 62-37 margin. She and Mrvan pointed to the $14 million included to complete Little Calumet River levees, which is expected to be enough to finish the 28-year-old flood control project.

"How could I not support that?" Candelaria Reardon said of the levee funding. "My schools overall take some hits, but it could've been worse."

Statewide, schools are set to receive average funding increases of 1 percent next year and 0.3 percent in 2011. But the School City of East Chicago stands to lose about $3 million in state funding by June 2011 because of declining enrollment, while Gary schools face a $13 million loss over the biennium.

"Every time we deal with a budget, I'm up here with the same sad song about what we're doing to urban schools and most specifically Gary Community School Corp.," Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, told colleagues during an 18-minute speech. "Most of you don't even care what you're doing to Gary, Indiana."

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, also opposed the budget but initially was listed as not voting, a problem he blamed on a malfunctioning voting button. "It wouldn't let me vote 'hell no,'" he said.

Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, complained Republicans would not consider a land-based casino for her hometown, forcing her to settle for a summer study on gaming issues. Rogers said she considered printing T-shirts that read: "My legislator went to Indianapolis, and all she got back was a lousy study committee."

There was an anti-Indianapolis fervor amid the hours of floor debate, as lawmakers vilified the $8 million a year in state tax revenue the budget bill allows the capital city to siphon toward its deficit-ridden convention and stadiums authority.

Among the prizes secured for Northwest Indiana is a local income tax-backed transit district for Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties that won't become a reality unless voters in at least two of those counties sign off on referenda scheduled for Nov. 3.

Kenley, R-Noblesville, said the referendum requirement represents a challenge to region politicians to prove public support for the transit authority. The district, to be overseen by region mayors and county officials, could impose a proportional income tax of up to 0.25 percent in each member county to create a regional bus system for Lake and Porter counties, fund South Shore operations and finance rail extensions to Lowell and Valparaiso.

Region lawmakers, particularly Reps. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, and Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, griped that the referendum requirement was added at the last minute without their consent.

Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Odgen Dunes, agreed the referenda will force four county election boards to spend "a pile of cash" on what could be a fool's errand. She also assailed another budget clause allowing the Porter County Council's decision to withdraw from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to be overridden by any two Porter County municipalities that wish to remain in the RDA -- at cost of $3.5 million a year to the county.

State Budget Details

Region stuff
-- $14 million to complete Little Calumet River levees
-- $3 million to begin planning work on a proposed $400 million teaching and trauma hospital for Gary
-- Allows voters in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties -- in Nov. 3 referenda -- to decide whether to create a regional transit authority that would impose a local income tax of up to 0.25 percent in each county to build commuter rail lines to Lowell and Valparaiso; create and fund a regional bus system for Lake and Porter counties; and take responsibility for funding operations of the South Shore commuter railroad, which runs from Chicago to South Bend.
-- Allows the Gary/Chicago International Airport board to privatize the facility through a lease running up to 99 years, with the profits to be sent to the city's general fund in installment payments.
-- Allows any two municipalities in Porter County to override the County Council's April vote to withdraw from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. If that happens, the county would have to continue $3.5 million RDA dues.

Budget basics
-- Spends $28.5 billion over two years: July 2009 to June 2011.
-- Maintains $1 billion in state reserves.
-- Incorporates federal stimulus money.
-- Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signed it into law at 7:05 p.m. region time Tuesday.

"Like any compromise, this budget has its defects, but it meets the fundamental condition I laid down in January and every day since: to limit total spending enough to preserve our surplus and thereby protect taxpayers against the tax increases happening in virtually every other state," Daniels said in a statement.

Schools

-- Statewide, school districts get an average funding boost of 1 percent next year, 0.3 percent in 2010
-- "Trigger" would guarantee schools get half of all new money if the state revenues beat current projections for the next two years.
-- Gary Community School Corp. projected to see a 3.6 percent funding loss next year and another 4.1 percent drop in 2011 because of shrinking enrollment.
-- School City of East Chicago projected to see 2.4 percent funding loss next year and another 3.2 percent decline in 2011, also because of shrinking enrollment.
-- Creates a pilot program for a Web-based "virtual" charter school that can accept up to 200 students statewide next year and 500 in 2011.
-- Does not limit the establishment of new charter schools.
-- Allows charter schools to apply for state technology loans.
-- No longer requires charter schools to repay state for first-year start-up funds.
-- Allocates $2.5 million a year to fund private school scholarships that Hoosier can donate to on income tax returns.
-- Maintains funding for English-as-a-second language programs at $7 million a year.
-- Flat lines adult education funding at $14 million a year.

Higher education
-- Keeps university operating funding essentially flat, with federal stimulus money offsetting state cuts.
-- $30 million for student services building at Purdue University North Central.
-- $33 million to replace Tamarack Hall at Indiana University Northwest.
-- $20 million for construction at Ivy Tech Community College campus in Gary.

Other
-- Delays start of statewide property tax reassessment one year, to July 2010.
-- Lake County assessor must submit cost estimate and get County Council approval before appealing tax values the state places on region steel mills and BP Whiting Refinery.

The Conservative Papers, Part VII: Book Review of Mark Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny”

Mark Levin, radio talk show host and lawyer, has the #1 rated book on the New York Times list (until this week) for the last few months, as well as one of the top rated books on Amazon as well.

It is an incredible book. I had briefly thought about doing a series of articles about "What It Means To Be Conservative." Levin puts anything I was thinking of writing to shame, and quickly. This is a book that I find myself underling passages, writing notes in the margins, and re-reading over and over again. Levin's analytical mind and quick wit are razor-sharp, and finely honed into a tool of mass destruction of liberal foolishness.

Consider this excerpt from one of the first pages of Levin's book:



Have you ever seen Conservatism framed so ably and aptly, not to mention succinctly? Levin does this type of pockethole categorization nimbly and deftly, with the greatest of ease.

If you consider yourself conservative, this is a book you MUST have, and soon. It not only defines a conservative's views on a virety of issues, it contrasts with Liberals views and why (which Levin defines as "Statists" -- those who worship at the altar of the all-powerful State) and defines how we can, and must respond to Liberals arguments.

You will actually cheer reading this book -- it's that good. (I had to stop taking it to work because I was disturbing patients reading it.)

Most Highly Recommended!

Previously, in "The Conservative Papers":

Part I is “Dr. Thomas Sowell Explains The Stimulus – Briefly”

Part II is “TCOT and Tea Party Coalitions Present ‘Bill Of Federalism’ to Convene Constitutional Convention”

Part III is “Why am I a friend of Israel?”

Part IV is “Dick Morris Gets It Right; It’s The Conservatism, Stupid!”

Part V is “How to Defeat Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules For Radicals’”

Part One is HERE and This is Part Two.

Part VI is from American Thinker: “How to Deprogram a Liberal in One Year Or Less.”

~~Johnny~~

California: Too Big To Fail?

"While the deficit only affects the state, California's deepening economic malaise could make it harder for the entire nation's economy to recover.
When the state stumbles, its sheer size — 38.3 million people — creates fallout for businesses from Texas to Michigan."

This is from the AP, and I have some problems with the many innuendos of the article. The article suggests that California needs to be bailed out and that if California goes under, the rest of the US economy will as well. This simply isn't true.

While I'm not going to argue statistics and predictions in the amount of jobs that would be lost, I will say this: businesses and states alike HAVE to fail when they are being run inadequately or at a loss in order to ENSURE that the bad business/government practices don't spread like cancer into the rest of the economy/states. Let me put it this way. A couple of friends of my wife moved there a year ago(to California), and left a message to my wife saying they love it there because it's just so darn liberal. Hmm... it's interesting, isn't it? Liberal states are looking at raising taxes and fleecing the workers to give to the looters, to borrow Ayn Rands' phrases, while conservative states are typically in the black or at least much better off. Correlations? I think so.

The article goes on, '"California is the key catalyst for U.S. retail sales, and if California falls further you will see the U.S. economy suffer significantly," said retail consultant Burt P. Flickinger, managing director of Strategic Resource Group. He warned of more bankruptcies of national retail chains and brand suppliers.'

This statement is only partially true. The rest of the U.S. economy WOULD get some hammering, but once again, this IS A GOOD THING. Sound business practices would take over where restrictions and meddling with the markets have failed us, time and time and time again. SOMEBODY would step in and buy up these businesses (if the government would ALLOW them to). The only problem is that now-a-days if you are a successful business man who follows the rules and runs the business like a business and not a kindergarten class, you become a villainous heartless sleazebag trying to screw the poor. But in that same vilification, in that very same breathe, that person (probably a liberal, but who knows) would be talking about how the economy needs to be fixed because people are losing their jobs. You can't have it both ways. You need the "rich capitalist pigs" to give out jobs. Its not class warfare, its not pseudo-slavery, its the way things work. Too often common sense gets over looked in favor of bleeding heart welfare.

I went a little off track, but I think I got my point across. LET CALIFORNIA GO BANKRUPT! DON'T MAKE THE REST OF US SUFFER BECAUSE OF ONE STATES STUPIDITY! While the government passes cap and trade, universal health care, a possible third stimulus package, hell, even LIGHT BULB regulations, the businessmen that literally carry the worlds economy on their shoulders are looking at one another and wondering: Is it worth it? What exactly WOULD happen if the Atlas' shrugged? I shudder to think. I've said it before, I've agreed with Rush Limbaugh when he said it, I hope all of this fails. I hope that people get tired of the bail outs and over-regulation from both parties (often so called conservatives have passed more regulatory bills in the past than liberals have) I will be speaking at two Tea Parties, one on July 4th in Valpo and the other July 18th in LaPorte, and this is just a prelude. I encourage everyone on here to make it to at least one of these Tea Parties and tell our government to stop this irresponsible meddling.

Oh yeah, once again, the point of the post: LET CALIFORNIA GO BANKRUPT.

DemoCraps Stonewall Indiana Legislature (Again); Try to Shut Down Gov’t & Blame Repubs (Again)

Just like President Clinton did During the early 1990's to Newt Gingrich; so Goes the Indiana Democrap Party today:

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels warned Friday that all nonessential government functions -- including casinos, the lottery, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and state parks -- will close at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if state legislators can't agree on a budget by the June 30 deadline.

Daniels' remarks came in response to comments made the day before by House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer that the special session might not end by Tuesday, and could, in fact, go beyond July 21. The Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate have been at odds over key items in the budget, including education, Indianapolis' Capital Improvement Board, which oversees the city's sports and convention venues, and gambling.

And there's the nut of the problem right there. Speaker Bauer has a royal mad-on with Governor Daniels, in particular about Daniels' rejection of the Stimulus Funding, and isn't about to compromise with someone he thinks is making him look bad.

Plus Bauer hasn't had an original idea in years . . .

Daniels said since the legislature has not approved a budget, and the House has not voted on a contingency plan already approved by the Senate that would allow bills to be paid until a new budget is approved, he would have to go to what he called "Plan C." He said only emergency services and agencies such as state police, Department of Correction facilities and Department of Natural Resources conservation officers would continue to operate.

Also continuing to operate would be state schools, prisons, and mental hospitals. Unemployment benefits, welfare and child support payments would continue for those already eligible.

However, most other state functions would cease to operate and government employees would be furloughed. Road construction would stop, no tuition payments would be made to schools and no financial aid given to college students. BMV branches and state parks would close, as would casinos and horse tracks, which are required to have state regulators on site at all times.

And when the State parks, the casinos, and the Horse tracks close down in the heart of summer, how long until the voters start screaming?

Daniels pointed the finger at House Democrats, who he said are stonewalling the process.

"The Senate is ready, the House Republicans are ready, and I'm ready to finish and go home. We are waiting only on the House Democratic leadership, which hasn't budged an inch, and has wasted a lot of time and taxpayer money this week," he said.

Jack Ross, executive director of the independent Legislative Services Agency, said the state has not been in a similar situation since 1887, although it narrowly avoided one in 1993, when it passed a budget just five minutes before deadline.

For Boyd Gaming and Harrah's Entertainment, both based in Las Vegas, this would be the second time in three years that a legislative impasse would force the closure of one of their casinos. Boyd's Borgata and Harrah's casino both took financial hits when New Jersey shut down all nonessential government agencies in July 2006.

And here's what should be terrifying Bauer; all the casinos in Indiana by statute are Casino Boats. You piss them off, they'll sail off to Illinois or Ohio -- and they're in no mood to lose money. How many jobs will be lost if the casinos weigh anchor for more friendly climes?

The Senate passed a two-year budget that spends $28.5 billion over 2010 and 2011 and retains $1.225 billion in reserves, as requested by Gov. Daniels. It includes $1 billion in federal economic stimulus money. The House passed a one-year budget that spends $13.8 billion with no stimulus money included. It leaves a $1.25 billion surplus, according to Crawford

Sounds like somebody's in desperate need of a conference committee. Also sounds like Governor Daniels needs to get the word out -- but fast!

Go, Mitch, Go!

~~ACP~~

Why can't they just pass a budget?

As many of you know the Indiana legislature couldn't pass a budget during the regular "long" session and now is mired in the final week of a special session. The Republican dominated Senate has passed a 2 year budget, which follows the dictates of Governor Daniel's desires to protect our rainy day funds and hold the line of spending. The Democrat dominated House just can't seem to get even close, passing a one year mess that spends far too much money that we just don't have.

Two starkly different state budgets have been proposed in the current special session of the General Assembly - a two-year budget by the Indiana Senate under the leadership of President Protempore David Long that follows the guidelines of Governor Mitch Daniels, and one-year budget by the Indiana House as directed by Speaker B. Patrick Bauer. A spreadsheet analysis of each budget can be found online at http://www.finplaneducation.net/senatehouse_ssb_0911.htm.
(from Hammond Tax Payers)

The biggest problem I see is that very very few Hoosiers care. They figure this is just more political in-fighting and don't pick up the phones or email their representatives.

Some (Brief, Hopefully) Thoughts on Michael Jackson, For The Record

I'm sure by now you've heard that Michael Jackson has died. Me, too.

I thought I'd offer what few thoughts I have of the guy who grew up (almost) next door to me.

Michael and his brothers grew up in Gary Indiana, which is about ten to fifteen miles as the crow flies from where I grew up in Valparaiso. The two cities are literally night and day. Valparaiso was then a lily-white farmer's county seat in Porter County; Gary was (and still is) an urban blight-ridden decaying city in union territory, sitting at the feet of the U.S. Steel mill in Lake County.

So you can imagine our surprise when the band at our winter dance in 7th grade was the Jackson Five from Gary IN. The jacksons at that time were still working the "chitlin circuit" up and down U.S. 20 between Gary and portage, and they would frequently turn up at anything from strip shows (as the musical accompaniment) to VFW dances and . . . school dances, in our case.

"Good Lord -- those boys are negroes!"

But then they started playing, and frontman Michael started singing with that incredible voice of his; and when the band started their moves, we were awestruck. It was right around that time their first Motown hit came out, and I pointed this out to my friends at school, who adamantly refused to believe they were the same group.

I still have my yearbook from Ben Franklin Junior High with the Christmas dance poster in it. It clearly says "The Jackson Five" on it.

Michael was a poor kid from a poor town with little opportunity. His Dad Joe was a crane operator in the steel mill who was a frustrated, failed musician who was living vicariously through his kids. Joe drilled those kids over and over and over and over again in their music and their dance routines until they could do them in their sleep. And if they couldn't Joe beat those routines into them -- literally. he beat them bloody many times.

So if you wonder why Michael had all the plastic surgery and looked so weird, maybe he just didn't want to see the face in the mirror that had disappointed his father -- and earned him so many beatings -- for so many years.

You'll never hear this song again without thinking of that kid in the mirror:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgtWIx2zLtk]

And for the record; I still to this day don't believe Michael molested any kids. He may have been trying to live his childhood through others, but molesting? Sorry, I don't see any of the signs or telltale clues. I don't think it happened.

And Michael was six months younger than me; so this is kind of freaking me out.

That's all.

~~ACP~~