Indiana Blog Review

The Courthouse's Take

Scott Fluhr walks us through the convoluted gambling revenue sharing among southern Indiana counties and the latest developments therein.

Committee Chairmen

Doug Masson lists the new chairmen in the State House of Representatives and comments:

I was pleased to see that Representative Crooks is the Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, a committee on which I served as staff counsel about 10 years ago. I think Rep. Crooks was a fairly junior member at that point. I see that Kreg Battles, who defeated Troy “I’ll Never Vote For It” Woodruff, has been appointed as co-chair. I was also pleased to see that Representative Dvorak is the chair of the Environmental Affairs committee.

Jim Shella points out:

If you're wondering where Pat Bauer gets the support he needs to continue as the leader of Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives, and you understand that leadership positions are the way you reward supporters in politics, then take a close look at the list of committee chairs released yesterday.  Bauer's core support is in the Black Caucus.

African Americans hold 6 committee chairmanships . . .

The number of African Americans with no leadership post:  zero.

But Advance Indiana isn't happy with the new Ways & Means Committee Chairman:

If Bauer cares anything about ethics, he needs to clear the air immediately concerning Crawford's ties to Shrewsberry & Associates, a local MBE/DBE consulting firm founded by William Shrewsberry, a former deputy mayor under Mayor Bart Peterson (D).

Senate Jockeying

Frugal Hoosiers:

One interesting story that came out of last week and received little attention was the attempted shake up of the Senate Democrat Caucus.  Senator Vi Simpson attempted to take control of the caucus by running for minority leader, a position that has been occupied by Sen. Richard Young for years. This move presumably was a first step toward a Vi Simpson run for Governor, putting her a position of leadership and giving her a platform of relevancy for two years.

Legislative Pay

Chris Douglas:

Never has a  topic been thrown about with so much heat and so little light as legislative pay and benefits.  If we don't begin to pay our elected officials seriously, we're going to get the worst form of public servant.  In many  cases, we already have it.

Marcia Oddi:

Could this be a coincidence? So far I've read three stories today, from different parts of the state, all making a point that Indiana legislators are poorly paid.

She also finds more on the topic.

Advance Indiana:

It seems to me that Indiana's current compensation system is not at all transparent. Per diem pay is being systematically used and abused to boost legislative pay . . .

The current system is also quite generous to lawmakers who hold jobs where employers do not penalize them for time spent away tending to legislative business . . .

. . . if Indiana legislators think they are undercompensated, they should begin by devising a more straight-forward system of pay than the current system, which by design makes their pay appear much less than what it actually is. Indiana should also consider whether it wants full-time or part-time legislators.

Leo Morris:

But unless we're going to make it enough for a full-time job, the General Assembly will continue to draw the same kind of people it now does -- i.e., people who can take off from their normal jobs a few months a year -- and continue to not attract the "middle class."

FSSA Privatization

Advance Indiana: "The $1 billion privatization agreement is being done for all the wrong reasons."

MORE: AI continues:

The Star's Tim Evans describes Governor Daniels' $1.16 billion decision to privatize Indiana's welfare system as "bold", but I can think of several, more apt descriptions. "Ill-advised", "reckless" and "rushed" are all better adjectives in my mind.

And Doug Masson says the recent snag "highlights one of the problems with privatization — lack of transparency and lack of accountability."

Absentee Democracy

William R Groth at the American Values Alliance discusses how Indiana's new voter ID law leads to more great disenfranchisement via absentee ballots.

O-Day

Abdul reports from the General Assembly's Organization Day.

Transparency Or Muddying the Waters?

Doug Masson says Gov. Daniels has plenty to worry about if the legislature gets involved with the FSSA privatization contract.

The (Other) Good Effect

Fort Wayne Observed points out a benefit of Indiana's voter ID law:

Thousands of Hoosier voters will have their voter registration address records changed to reflect their proper voting address.  This will ensure much more accuracy in 2008 in ensuring voters are properly represented in elections for legislative seats and possible congressional seats.  It will mean that voters are properly allocated in the correct city council districts.

Voter ID Wars

credo gives her take on Indiana's Voter ID lawsuit.

Abdul links to the audio of the appeals argument.

Incompetent, Not Criminal

TDW posts the report of the special prosecutor on "Heather Bolejack and Kate Gullans, the disgraced former director and deputy director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute."

Advance Indiana says the report makes no sense.

Indy Undercover adds insult to injury with some gossip.

A Brewing Debate

Doug Masson considers upcoming calls to limit alcohol distribution at convenience stores.

No Perks? What's the Point?

Advance Indiana:

A troika of Marion Co. Democratic legislative candidates are proposing changes to end legislative perks. If they hope to be successful, they will need to find another leader for their House caucus.

Clueless Newlyweds

Mike Kole reports from the campaign trail on policy differences:

When asked what I might possibly do differently, I took the opportunity to point to the recently released Guide For Newlyweds, which is essentially a reprint of a Kiplinger's article repackaged as a brochure. I stated that I would never authorize something like this for two reasons. One, it's fine for the Securities Division to advise the public of scams that are being perpetrated on our people, but it's the job of individuals to seek out education for financial planning on their own. Two, the brochure was produced with funds from fraud case settlements. That's just profane. The money secured in fraud case settlements should be returned to the victims of fraud!

In S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

TDW has the documents on the BMV's Secret Inspecter program.

A Good Long Shot

Fort Wayne Observed has an audio interview with State Senator David Long, a front runner in the race to be President Pro Tempore of the Indiana Senate.

AI comments.

Experimenting with Votes

FWOb on the future of elections.

Aim High

Frugal Hoosiers ponders a Republican supermajority in the Indiana Senate.

Health Cared

Doug Masson:

The August 10, 2006 Minutes of the Select Joint Commission on Medicaid Oversight describes an interesting presentation by Rep. Orentlicher on expanding access to health care for uninsured and underinsured individuals.

But "Cafe" Sounds so French

Sheila Kennedy blogs about her experience at the Constitution Cafe.

Vote Or Something

Steph Mineart reminds you to double check on your voter registration and adds a cautionary tale:

In all the recent hullabaloo surrounding the GOP purging voter rolls in Indiana, it turns out that although I returned my postcard with my corrected new address on it promptly, my voter registration was not updated. I talked to at least one other person who discovered that they are no longer registered to vote either after calling the Marion County Election Board Voter Registration. They returned their registration card also, and they didn't have the additional wrinkle of having moved recently.

Meanwhile, as for absentee ballots, Frugal Hoosiers makes some hay out of some Democratic mailings, with PDF goodness:

the Indiana Democratic Party mailed out absentee ballot applications.  On those applications they placed nice little red arrows that tell voters where to sign and fill out the application for an absentee ballot.  Convenient for voters? Yes.  In violation of the state election law governing absentee ballots?  Maybe.

And TDW posts a letter from "Indiana Election Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler to all county election officials using MicroVote Infinity systems" describing a now-fixed problem with straight-ticket tallies.

Are you updated?

The LPIN Legislative Center has a bunch of new posts.

SOS

Mike Kole, "A frequently asked question posed to me about running for Secretary of State is why the Indiana Libertarians put so much effort into it."

State Salaries

Marcia Oddi at ILB has some fun poking around the Star's database.

Summer Study Sessions

Doug Masson has a summary and some helpful links on the General Assembly's summer study sessions.

State Energy Plan

TDW, "Here's the political question: Why did the Guv and the House Republicans put their proposals out separately? Kinda weird."

State Government Shuffle

Advance Indiana has some interesting thoughts on relocating the Mayor's office, Indianapolis city/county personell, the State court system, and the Marion County court.

LPIN Update

Two updates at the LPIN Legislative Centre on controlled substances and homeland security.

Cig Taxes

Leo Morris takes the same tack on sin taxes as do I:

You could say the governor's cigarette-tax proposal is more honest than most -- it proposes to raise money AND states up front that a disliked behavior is intended to be discouraged. Given that taxes are a necessity, where should we look to raise the revenue, from activities most people like or from activities that many dislike? As someone who, um, occasionally engages in behavior that others might disapprove of, I would like the maximum freedom I can get in a free society. Don't ban my sins -- just make them more expensive and let me decide if the cost is worth it.

Doug Masson comments:

The cigarette tax I can take or leave. It’s palatable for politicians for the pernicious reasons cited by the Chronicle Tribune: it taxes an unsavory behavior of a minority of the populace. On the other hand, I’m not pure of heart. I really dislike smoking and if the tax imposed either reduces smoking or reduces the need for taxes on me, then I’ll win to a small degree one way or another.

Kole's Election Follies

Part 11.

Statehouse Hours

TDW:

From the new signs on the Statehouse doors, it would appear that the People's Place is getting some new hours. And, as you might have guessed, the new schedule won't make it much easier for folks to visit.

According to the sign, as of August 8, the new building hours of operation will be 7 a.m. 'til 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. And the weekends? Closed both Saturday and Sunday.

Anyone have more information on this?

LPIN Legislative Centre Updates

Two more posts looking at the Rainy Day Fund and Eminent Domain.

Kole's Election Follies

Parts Nine and Ten.

Election Follies

Mike Kole has Part 6.

More:  Part 7.

Realty Bites

Advance Indiana points out that WRTV 6 did a feature on the new anti-competitive real estate broker law in Indiana and teh consumer groups who are fighting it.

The Indiana Law Blog further notes that Inside Business Today also did a story about opposition to the new law from Angie's List.  Marcia Oddi comments, "Interestingly, the CEO of Angie's list is Bill Oesterle, who managed Governor Mitch Daniels' 2004 campaign. Daniels signed the new minimum services law earlier this year."

I think it's great that this law is getting ever more scrutiny from the Old Media even as the Indianapolis Star continues to ignore it.  However, Advance Indiana notes ruefully:

None of the MSM reports have credited either the Indiana Law Blog or Advance Indiana for the earlier reporting on this issue, even though they relied heavily on those reports for their stories.

Maybe the Star could redeem themselves by noting how online citizen journalism made this story.

MicroManagement

Taking Down Rumors:

From the "Rumor Has It" file, we hear that the work environment these days is anything but pleasant at the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The walls that speak tell TDW that four IEDC staffers recently resigned in rapid succession because they were tired of being micromanaged.

Aiming Lower

Advance Indiana:

Confirming that his administration is more concerned about rewarding political contributors and business cronies than cleaning up state government, Gov. Mitch Daniels has confirmed that FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob's former employer is now the only bidder left in the competition for a $1 billion privatization deal at FSSA.

Election Follies

Mike Kole has posted part four of his Election Follies series.  Mike wrote to IBR in an email I don't think he'll mind me disclosing, "The sad thing is, I have no idea where the series will end. It's easily into double digits in my notes."

Thus we have part five:

After introducing the reader to four minor irritants caused by our election laws, now we come to a serious malady, as inflicted by the Elections Division. Observe this slap in the face, as delivered by the Legislature, via the Elections Division.

Pay Attention

Doug Masson points us to the minutes for the June 13th meeting of the Legislative Council and discusses.

Frank's Four Hundred

It takes 400 words to biograph Frank O'Bannon?  Matt Tully comments on Legacy of a Governor: The Life of Indiana’s Frank O’Bannon by Andrew Stoner.

He further asks, "I guess we have to decide which Indiana governor should next have his story told in hardback: Evan Bayh or Mitch Daniels?"

Curtailing First-amendment Rights

Libertarian Party candidate for Secretary of State Mike Kole has a series of posts detailing the arcane rules of campaign finance he has had to deal with so far: here is Part 1 and Part 2.

The kicker:

I would like to urge readers for a change in the laws, but I cannot. It is forbidden.

Clean Your Plates

Lots of interesting posts on specialty license plates:

• Advance Indiana
• Doug Masson
• Jezebella
• Indiana Parley
• Frugal Hoosiers

Meanwhile, Doug Masson also has a comment on the BMV's recent troubles:

The Indianapolis Star has a scathing editorial excoriating the performance of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. They say that the poor service Hoosiers are receiving in the wake of the installation of the BMV’s new computer system is unacceptable and that Gov. Daniels needs to have a “stern talk” with Joel Silverman.

Frankly, I’m inclined to cut the BMV some slack on this one; not because I have low expectations for state government, but because I have low expectations for transitions between computer systems. Such transitions, in my experience, are always bumpy.

Budget

Advance Indiana opines on politicians, budgets, and Indiana's surplus.

(Bole)Jack is Back

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz:

Just when I thought things were settling down at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, I hear that things might have actually been worse under former director Heather Bolejack's reign than previously thought. Sources tell me officials are looking into possible grant mismanagement to the tune of nearly $1 million. Stay tuned...

Losing at the Lotto

TDW-B:

The Blogsitter tried to stay away from this one until further news was made, but I can no longer bite my tongue given the attention that TDW's parting post has garnered.  And we think we have a few clues that dear Esther is not long for this world.

Cutting Schneider

Jim Shella:

Is Esther Schneider on the bubble?

Governor Daniels said this morning that he is still gathering facts with regard to reported management problems in the state lottery.  Asked if he still has confidence in director Schneider, he said, "Till somebody shows me the contrary."

Sliding Down the Firehouse Poll

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz reports:

Indianapolis Fire Fighters Union says a new survey shows Marion County voters will support fire consolidation if they get all the facts. The April poll was conducted in Washington township where a survey of 400 registered voters showed them supporting fire consolidation by 46 to 11 percent. 30 percent said they didn't think it would make a difference. Union President Mike Reeves says the survey shows when voters get the facts about consolidation they will support it. Reeves says the poll will be helpful in their push for consolidation. He says another poll may be conducted countywide in the future.

Spinning the Budget

Jim Shella, "Do you think the Daniels Administration is managing cash flow to insure a balanced budget on June 30?"

Lotto Fever

Taking Down Words posted the anonymous complain the the Inspector General about Hoosier Lottery Director Esther Schneider.  Shortly thereafter, the complaint landed in the hands of ever legislator and the media, and the frenzy started.

Advance Indiana summarizes the complaints, to which Schneider remarkably responded quite candidly.  AI continues:

At the same time, they do raise some very serious questions about her management of the Lottery, an extremely critical source of state revenues. Her own admission of partisan political activities is particuarly troublesome . . .

Schneider, prior to taking the job as Lottery director, was described by some who know her as very principled and moral in her approach to her work. It has been said that Brad Hiller, the former consultant for the Senate Majority Campaign Committee who was caught embezzling more than a hundred thousand dollars, would have never been prosecuted had she not demanded it of Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton and other Senate GOP leaders when she worked for them. According to sources, she threatened to go public and tell the prosecutor if Garton didn't agree to do so. In the end, Garton and the GOP leadership agreed to cooperate in the investigation of Hiller, which eventually led to a conviction and several months time in prison for Hiller. While she obviously did the right thing with respect to Hiller, that is now the standard to which people are now going to hold her.

Unlike the case of Bolejack, it is quite apparent from Schneider's admissions to Smith that the Governor's office has been well aware of at least some of the problems laid out in the complaint for quite some time. This will no doubt open the Governor up to new charges that he is not taking the ethics he preached when he first took office as seriously as the public might expect him to. It also raises questions about why the Inspector General wasn't called upon to investigate the agency sooner rather than have it become public in the unconventional way it first reached the blogosphere and then the mainstream media with still no official word from the administration itself.

Per Capita

Mike Sylvester notes a really interesting study by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance on per capita spending by city governments.  For 1st and 2nd class cities, the top 17 are:

The biggest spender is no surprise, it is Bloomington, Indiana at $5,446.
The next highest was Gary at $3,947.
Then Richmond at $3,714.
Then Anderson at $3,342.
Then Mishawaka at $3,029.
Then Evansville at $3,006.
Then South Bend at $2,887.
Then East Chicago at $2,868.
Then Michigan City at $2,679.
Then Hammond at $2,220.
Then Marion at $2,134.
Then New Albany at $1,968.
Then Fort Wayne at $1,694.
Then Kokomo at $1,678
Then Muncie at $1,608.
Then Terra Haute at $1,353.
Last is Indianapolis at $1,016.

As for Bloomington, I have to wonder what figure they used for the city's population, specifically whether they included the transient student population that rely on city services.

The full report is here (PDF).

FSSA Fizzles Out

Advance Indiana on the FSSA privatization, "When your only choice it to choose between the lesser of two evils, it's time to cancel the bid and focus on improving the agency's performance."

Voting Woes

Advance Indiana:

While Democrats were quick to blame Secretary of State Todd Rokita's new statewide voter registration system (SVRS) for allowing his name to appear on the voter lists of two precincts in Marion Co. in the May primary election, Indiana Democrats are determined to block Rokita's efforts to purge such duplicative registrations from the voter lists . . .

AI has a middle ground solution which will at least save the state a lot of money. The Secretary of State should limit the mailing to only those registered voters who SVRS detects as being either duplicative or dead, which numbers about 320,000.

Inquest

Leo Morris continues the discussion on the role of coroners in Indiana:

If you've been following this story, you will have seen published examples of similar mistakes and noticed that they are few and far between (both geographically and over time). Eliminating the coroner system would require the complicated procedures of changing the state constitution -- passage by two sessions of the legislature, then approval in a statewide referendum. That seems like an awfully big fix for a relatively rare problem.

Tracy Warner responds to several points, including this one:

Perhaps the best argument that opposes my suggestion for replacing elected county coroners with appointed medical examiners is that voters will ultimately choose the best candidate. Perhaps, but there are a couple of problems: What if only one candidate runs, and that candidate is not very qualified? What if two candidates run but both are unqualified?

Indiana Parley finds a counter-point:

Today's news brings word of another misidentification of a child killed in a car crash. This time it's in the state of Maryland. This time there's a medical examiner system.

Maryland has a full medical examiner system of appointed officials.

And Fort Wayne Observed has the big picture:

This looks to be yet another issue where Fort Wayne's fledgling blogosphere has provided a worthwhile forum for discussion and debate. Frankly, I much prefer it to the old model of waiting for the local editorial pages to determine their position, then another few days for the same five readers to mail in their letters to the editor in response.

Coroners

Advance Indiana notes that Grant County Coroner Ron Mowery is going to step down at the end of the year.

Tracy Warner opines that the VanRyn incident will be a wake-up call for Indiana to move away from our elected coroner system.

Indiana Parley fisks Tracy Warner.

Andrew Kaduk and Ft. Wayne Observed back Mitch up.

Bolejack Blues

Advance Indiana:

I have had the opportunity to thoroughly review the Inspector General's Report on the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and have reached several conclusions. At the outset, let me say that what the Inspector General left out of the report is as noteworthy as what is included in the report. Having said that, I can say that the report confirms my earlier conclusions that Heather Bolejack and Michael McKenna were up to no good--perhaps even more so than I earlier believed.

(NB: Commenters are discouraged from cutting and pasting.)

A Gubernatorial Directive

Advance Indiana comments on the fact that Governor Mitch Daniels is taking personal responsibility for privatizing much of FSSA's services:

Kelly also reports that the Governor has appointed an interagency team to review the two bids and decide whether to move forward. The team is made up entirely of Daniels political appointees, none of whom know anything about the services FSSA is planning to privatize under the deal.

The Governor also refused a request for a cost-benefit analysis.

Doug Masson says the State is in a tight spot:

The problem with the FSSA privatization so far is that there are only, apparently, two companies willing/able to provide the services. One (ACS) is tainted by conflict of interest involving Mitch Roob who worked for them for 4 years. The other (Accenture) performed poorly when it received a similar contract in Texas.

FSSA has historically been poorly run and a big sink of money. Part of that, I think, has to do with the fact that the agency exists to spend money on something nobody is terribly excited about — the needs of the poor. Partially as a consequence of that, the agency was never well designed. My understanding is that it was cobbled together out of several existing agencies that provided social services of one sort or another and the enacting legislation provided a relatively short duration for the overarching agency (but not the sub-departments of the agency). In any event, the agency is poorly designed and spends money we’d rather not spend, so it has a huge target on its back, and for the most part rightfully so.

Pre Tempore

Matt Tully reports that state Senator Tom Weatherwax (R-Logansport) has announced his candidacy to become the next Senate President Pro Tempore.

Advance Indiana, "Weatherwax is a nice guy, but AI doubts he's the man Senate Republicans will turn to as an alternative to Steele or Long."

Literal Fireworks

Matt Tully has a followup to his recent article on Indiana's fireworks law, "Interesting, isn't it, that our Department of Homeland Security is charged with overseeing fireworks."

Vote or Die or Sue

Abdul summarizes some examples of voters disenfranchised by Indiana's new voter ID law and concludes:

The point of all this in three of the four examples my Democratic friends cited in their press release, these could have easily been addressed. To me it seems more about the misinformed, rather than actual malicious intent. So I don't think the disenfranchisement argument will work. I do think the Democrats can go the legislature next year and amend the photo ID law so that these types of problems are easier addressed. I would recommend that is where my friends put their efforts. It would have a lot more appeal than the one they're trying to get in front of the 7th Circuit.

Rumor Miller

Taking Down Words does a little original reporting:

An anonymous TDW tipster told us yesterday that Indiana Criminal Justice Institute general counsel Silvia Miller, who was rumored to be under investigation for the Heather Bolejack sweetheart contract deal, has fled, er, moved across the street to Secretary of State Todd Rokita's office. She's apparently going to be working as a higher-up in the Securities Division.

Miller was in Rokita's office before she became the staff attorney at ICJI, but we have to wonder why the SOS took her back in times like these. Absorbing allegedly damaged goods in a campaign year? Eeek.

We had heard a couple weeks back that Bolejack gave Miller a $12,000 raise not long after she came to ICJI. Wonder if she got to keep the bonus.

Meanwhile, Advance Indiana comments on Miller's retaining a criminal defense attorney.

Comprehensive Reporting

Chris Hardie reports on Richmond's Comprehensive Plan meeting.

So You Want to Vote, Huh?

TDW has an anecdote about ballot problems in Marion County.

Advance Indiana, "wonders where the Marion Co. Clerk's [Doris Anne Sandler] office figures in all of this. "

Abdul reports some of Sandler's comments.

Doug Masson rounds up some other troubling news.

stAllio! casts a disapproving eye on ES&S and Microvote.

>100

Matt Tully has a new question:

The idea might seem a little wild but it does highlight something strange about this state: There are few people lining up to run for governor -- whether in 2008, 2012 or beyond.

Think about it. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels is facing some strong public opposition right now, but not one Democrat is out there talking about running against him in 2008. The list of potential future candidates for governor is very, very short -- on both sides of the aisle.

So give me a suggestion? Name a Hoosier you think should start thinking about running for the state's top office -- Democrat or Republican. Feel free to offer up politicians, business leaders, entertainers, neighbors, or anyone else.

We know the obvious names -- Bart Peterson, Joe Kernan, Kathy Davis, Becky Skillman -- so try to think a little more outside the box.

SVRS Passes

Advance Indiana has more good news on the Statewide Voter Registration Service, "The biggest complaint remaining is that the system's speed isn't what the counties expect of it."

Vote Early.

TDW has coverage of a forum held last night at Martin University on Indiana's new voter ID law:

Keynote speaker Cody Kendall of the Indiana Election Division did a great job explaining the law and answering questions, but we left the forum with the distinct impression that this year's elections could turn into a complete nightmare for a number of reasons.

I certainly hope 'nightmare' is overstating it.

Speaking of Lame Spin . . .

Advance Indiana, "Sorry Indiana Democrats, [the Statewide Voter Registration System] Works."

For now.

Plogress from Indiana

Wondering what our Congressional delegation has been up to?

Doug Masson has the latest.

Pitching Out Laws on Pitch Ins

Should the State regulate church potlucks? Russ Pulliam notes that State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Greenwood) is sponsoring legislation to exempt churches from state regulations that

[reach] even into those informal church pitch-in luncheons. Unless a church has a retail food establishment license, it could be breaking the law if a non-member brings food or if a member forgets to put a personal label on a food container.

Since most Christian churches take a dim view of breaking the law, this legislation would help clear up some theologically troubling contradictions, even if those regulations are rarely enforced.

Zach Wendling

Legislative benefits

Marcia Oddi at the Indiana Law Blog has done a great job covering Indiana's legislators' health care for life benefit.  See ILB's Legislative Benefits category for detailed coverage of the controversial issue.

Alert: More health & pension news coming

Marcia Oddi at the Indiana Law Blog writes: "The ILB has unearthed a weath of information this weekend about these health and pension programs, and will be putting together a very long entry for tonight or early tomorrow."

Report reveals Clinton corruption

Gary Welsh at Advance Indiana writes:

Any doubts this writer had about the extent and depth of corruption within the Clinton Administration were completely erased by the damming report Independent Counsel David Barrett released this week after a 10-year investigation of former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros and obstruction of justice by the Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service to hinder Barrett’s investigation of Cisneros. For the American public, the report reveals the truth of our criminal justice system: everyone is not treated the same by their government when it comes to matters of criminal conduct. If you are part of the ruling elite as Henry Cisneros was, you can get by with just about anything.

Senate lifetime health plan under fire

Lifetime health care benefits for state senators comes under fire.

Indiana Barrister's Abdul Hakim-Shabazz writes:

State Senate Pro Tem Bob Garton says his chamber will address the issue of free lifetime health care for lawmakers before the session ends.

Advance Indiana's Gary Welsch writes:

Of course they’re not going to reveal the entire record. Everyone in the know is well aware that Sen. Garton helped hatch this ill-conceived, self-serving perk for lawmakers. For him first to refuse to take any action to eliminate the perk once it became apparent that it was going to impose a huge ongoing liability on the state’s taxpayers, and then to pretend that he had nothing to with the enactment when he alone decides what legislation is considered in the Senate as he has done for the past three decades, demonstrates just how out of touch and unresponsive he has become. His arrogance is only outdone by his deception.

Consolidation bill 'dead?'

A bill to consolidate local government might be dead, reports Abdul Hakim-Shabazz at Indiana Barrister.

Pence townhall meeting coverage

Chris Hardie's Weblog and Kemplog cover Rep. Mike Pence's meetings with voters.

Writes Chris Hardie:

Pence talked about his recent decision not to join the congressional leadership so that he could continue to pursue his ideals and issues (limited government, strong defense, "traditional moral values," etc.), about his two major concerns for the year (deficit reduction and border security) and the "War on Terror."

E. Thomas Kemp reports:

Mike Pence had a town meeting in Richmond. Pence fielded questions about domestic covert spying by the feds, the healthcare crisis, and other issues.  He also expressed the following opinion about immigration: 

When Tucker said she wanted to see the U.S. citizenship-by-birth right end, Pence said that policy has served as a perverse incentive for aliens or immigrants to break U.S. law.

Are you going to be on 'the list?'

Suspicious Hoosiers be forewarned.  Indiana plans to keep an eye on you, if legislation introduced in the legislature passes.  Taking Down Words has the report.

As an aside, one TDW correspondent pointed out that it's kind of funny that the "intelligence fusion center" would be located in the state government center.

Marie at Welcome to Hoosier Land! writes:

Fran Quigley, executive director of the ACLU of Indiana, said his group is OK with the concept as long as any intelligence gathering is done lawfully.

The case of the missing hate crimes legislation

Gary Welsh at Advance Indiana is on the case of the missing hate crimes legislation.

Last August Advance Indiana reported on Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi's intention of seeking legislation this year to increase penalties for crimes committed against a person or property out of hatred toward's a person's race, religion, sexual orientation and other bias motivations. Unfortunately, we have to report that no legislation has been filed in the Indiana General Assembly as of the filing deadline for bills in the House and Senate, which came and went last week.

Advance Indiana sent several e-mail messages to Prosecutor Brizzi's office seeking comment on the legislative development, but his office did not respond.

Legislators' health insurance to be cut

Advance Indiana reports that Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma plans to scale back legislators' lifetime health insurance coverage.

Writes Abdul Hakim-Shabazz at Indiana Barrister:

House Speaker Brian Bosma has ended the free lifetime health care benefit for 100 members of the General Assembly. ...  No word yet on whether Senate Pro Tem Robert Garton will end the benefit for lawmakers in his chamber. Garton has his first weekly media availibility Wednesday morning, so I'm sure someone will ask.

Majority of N. Indiana lawmakers oppose Toll Road plan

The majority of Northern Indiana lawmakers oppose Gov. Mitch Daniels' Toll Road lease plan as it stands today, reports Deliberate Chaos.

A joint Post-Tribune and Elkhart Truth survey of Northwest Indiana and Northern Indiana legislators found that a majority are against Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' plan. Almost all of Northwest Indiana's legislators surveyed are against or are leaning against the plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road.

Indiana State Rep. Chet Dobis, (D-Merrillville), is quoted as saying "It seems the people in my district are very much against it." Rep. Bob Kuzman, (D-Crown Point), said, "The RDA was not designed to pay for road projects and that is where we need the money."

Said Rep. Ralph Ayers, (R-Chesterton), who is leaning against the Toll Road Lease plan: "If it came up for a vote today, it wouldn't get 10 votes, but the vote is not today."

Taking Down Words has more on the Toll Road leasing plans from across the country.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram takes an in-depth look at the toll road privatization trend that's sweeping the nation right now:

"Since 2004, private companies have pledged about $35 billion to build and operate toll roads across Texas and the United States, a Star-Telegram review of proposals shows.

"That's more than the $34 billion in federal highway aid that Congress disbursed nationwide last year.

"The value of the projects, many of which are still being negotiated, astonishes even those who support toll roads. The proposals include the Trans-Texas Corridor toll road from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio and toll express lanes on Northeast Loop 820 and Airport Freeway.

"At least 17 states are pursuing privatization of highways at some level, a compilation of reports by the Federal Highway Administration and the Reason Foundation shows. Supporters say this may be the beginning of a trend that forever changes how America pays for roads."

Thoughts on gun control

Foxs Rants responds to Bil Browning's post about gun control featured in yesterday's IBR.

So Mr. Browning wants increased laws, which will only make it more difficult for the LAWABIDING citizens to have access to guns. The call for more regulation NEVER makes sense to me… “This person did something illegal, we should make the tool they used illegal too!” Um… now MAYBE its just me, but isn’t the problem with criminals the fact that they break laws? Obviously the major laws like “Don’t kill anyone” don’t stop these people so why would “Fill out this form before you purchase a gun” stop them?

Guns and hunting

Bil Browning at Bilerico.com comments on gun control in light of a poaching incident in Southern Indiana.

Yesterday's Indianapolis Star had an article on three teenagers from the Evansville area who were driving around and shooting deer from their car. The teens weren't hunting - they were "poaching." While they've admitted to shooting and killing over 30 deer, they didn't keep any of them; they let them die and rot wherever the noble animals fell. They killed for the blood and violence.

This reminds me of why I think Indiana and the US need tighter gun laws. You have to be 18 to vote or buy cigarettes. You have to be 21 to buy alcohol. And yet, any under-age kid can get a hunting license if they've taken a "hunter education" course. My entire 6th grade class in middle school had to take the course and it was a complete waste of time. I will never go hunting - yet I was forced to take the class. Wouldn't the time have been better spent showing me the dangers of smoking or drinking? I think more people will drink liquor than will hunker down in a blind during duck season. Perhaps a little more focus on civic duties to prepare for voting instead of preparing me to be able to kill an innocent animal?

While you were watching Mitch ...

Taking Down Words writes:

While everyone prepared for the Guv's speech yesterday, the Department of Administration was busy requesting information for potential state contracts.

The Department of Natural Resources issued an outsourcing RFI for seasonal positions.