Indiana Blog Review

Major Unmoved

Advance Indiana discusses how Governor Daniels has ignored a one-year-old study of an Indianapolis bypass.

For Whom The Road Tolls

• Advance Indiana:

Could someone try to convince me that this wasn't a plan drawn up by a group of greedy road contractors sitting around the same table with a group of lawyers from Ice Miller?

• Jen Wagner:

So, can anyone explain the political logic behind announcing, a mere 48 hours after an election where you personally helped generate several GOP losses, that you want to build a toll road in Central Indiana? (Central Indiana being the only place in the state where you are still liked by slightly more than 50 percent of people.)

• Fort Wayne Observed:

Most important to Fort Wayne is that this will provide a more direct route to Greensburg's new Honda plant from northeast Indiana's auto parts manufacturers . . .

One other point likely to be debated is whether the Governor should have made the announcement prior to this week's election.

• Gary Varvel:

You have to admit the guy is full of ideas and the timing of this announcement changed the subject from the Democratic takeover to another Daniels' highway makeover. Genius.

Here is a suggestion for the governor that just might win over some of his opponents. Turn this beltway into the Indy Autobahn. I'm talkin' no speed limits. What better way to entice the toll haters to take the toll road than by giving them the opportunity to really open it up.

• Jane Lichtenberg, "Gov. Mitch Daniels demonstrated once again Thursday that he has “the vision thing” down pat."
• Dan Carpenter, "And he'll do it in 10 years. Ask the ghosts of I-69 Past about that one."
• Tim Swarens:

After his party lost the Indiana House on Tuesday, political observers wondered if the governor would roll back the fast-paced agenda he’s pushed for the past two years. Not Mitch.
On Thursday, he unveiled a highway construction and economic development plan for Central Indiana that is nothing if not bold. Next week, he plans to take on welfare reform. Full-day kindergarten is at the top of his legislative agenda. Daniels made it clear Wednesday night at an Indiana Chamber of Commerce banquet (he was honored as the government official of the year) that he has no intention of slowing down.

More:

• Chris Douglas:

Try this.  Go to Mapquest and play.  Begin by entering Detroit, MI as a starting point and any major Texas City as a destination.  Or any city at all in the nation's southwest.  Where does that map take you today?  Through Indianapolis, where I-69 meets 465.    Now expand that map to include Toronto, Canada.

• Ruth Holladay:

The buzzword for Indiana's future supposedly is logistics . . .

If that's true, then Gov. Mitch Daniels' bold plan to build an outer loop around greater Indianapolis is a stroke of genius . . .

I'm a fields-and-water kind of girl, and far be it from me to recommend anything that is going to destroy farmland, but the truth is: we're dying out here in the boonies. Farming isn't cutting it for a lot of Hoosiers . . .

• Scott Fluhr:

Winston Churchill once said that there is nothing so exhilarating as to be shot at without result. Having dodged the bullet (or only been lightly grazed) this time, the governor seems eager to attempt the same thing again. Maybe he can pull it off.

• RiShawn Biddle says the concept isn't necessarily bad, but the Daniels Administrations plans aren't even half-baked, "But Daniels should have told his aides to do more heavy lifting on the proposal before making it public. "

And More:

• Doug Masson has a few good questions about this thing.
• Fred McCarthy says none of this makes sense.

IndyGoNowhere

Manfred Eye:

IndyGo, the Circle City’s pathetic excuse for mass transit, has decided to raise fares again. Why do you suppose that this would be necessary? Could it be due to the fact that nobody rides IndyGo because of the crappy service?

Emphasis on the Moves

Chris Douglas, writing at FRF:

There are reports of a Democratic Party proposal to reserve a subtantial portion of the Toll Road lease proceeds from investment in the state's infrasture, and keep it on hand for future use. 

That's a ridiculous proposal.

The Road to Somewhere

Thomas Kemp describes the aborted plan to upgrade the route to Brookville Lake.

Exclusive Info on BMV Database Woes

Taking Down Words:

The BMV may be telling the public that all's well with their records, but behind the scenes, the agency sent a memo last week to the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council with a slightly different take on things.

The memo, which has been scanned and uploaded below, states that "The Bureau has complete confidence in all driver records that are certified for use in judicial proceedings up to June 30, 2006. However, driver records for the month of July may be incomplete and should not be certified for use in court at this time."

Not only are law enforcement officers on Indiana highways receiving faulty data, but now our courts are being told they also can't rely on the BMV's new system.

Read more: Download prosecutorBMVletter.jpg

69 Nickels

Mike Kole recaps his debate with Mark Fisher on "Abdul in the Morning" over mass transit and light rail.

Partisan Tolls

One frequent argument over the Indiana Toll Road is that state Democrats are opposing a policy that Democrats in other states embrace . . . like Premier Daley in Chicago.

Well, that coin has another side, as Doug Masson points out:

An Illinois Republican state senator argues against privatization of Illinois toll roads, at least if the privatization is done without serious study and if the proceeds will be used for the benefit of the State generally rather than the areas served by the toll roads specifically . . .

Sen. Dillard includes plenty of invective against Illinois Democrats, but, aside from that, his position seems remarkably similar to that of Indiana Democrats, particularly those in the northern part of the state.

Heh.

I 69?

Jason Borneman says that the current plans to relieve traffic on I-69 on the northeast side of Indy are all wrong.

But Mike Kole said light rail is all wrong.

So what's the answer?

Saving Silverman

Frugal Hoosiers:

Democrats aren't calling for Silverman's resignation for high crimes and misdemeanors, or for stealing money from the state.  His resignation is being demanded because as he tries to rebuild another broken agency, unforeseen problems have arisen that have prolonged wait times at the BMV.  *Gasp!* 

The political move here isn't entirely stupid.  No matter how well it worked, people would like the BMV about as much as they like broccoli and doing their taxes.  So why not capitalize on it this election year?  As a political hack I respect the opportunism.  But the truth is far from what they profess through such progressive means as... on-line petitions.

Democrats would have you believe that the BMV was full of smiles, rainbows and lollipops before evil Joel Silverman took over.  The fact is the agency was in shambles, heavy on bureaucracy and brick and mortar (Indiana had as many BMV branches as California with a fraction of the population) and a computer system that was grossly out of date.  Which brings us to the issue of the day.

Nickel and Dimed

Mike Kole recaps his interview with the Indiana Business Journal over the proposed light rail from Noblesville to Indy:

In the end, three things are required for light rail to work:

1. The urban center must have high density.
2. The line must serve a lengthy commute.
3. The passenger's ride terminates in a place where having a car is a liability.

None of these things apply in Indianapolis . . .

And More Rumoring

TDW on the BMV:

TDW is starting to hear rumors from a number of folks -- backed up in part by the WISH-TV story about the employee fired for e-mailing the Guv's Office -- that people who were spot-testing the system told higher-ups on the administrative food chain that the computer system was going to fail if they launched it when they did. But they did it anyway. And now they're paying the price.

Toll Roaded

Over at the eminent Becker-Posner Blog, they've turned their brilliant minds to the Indiana Toll Road.  There's a lot of talk about the general nature of privatizing public assets, but the specific deal gains some attention as well.

Judge Posner writes:

It is difficult to determine whether the $3.8 billion price tag for the Indiana Toll Road is closer to the competitive or the monopoly price level. On the one hand, the lessee cannot raise tolls until 2010 or 2016 (depending on the type of vehicle), and increases after that are capped. On the other hand, the tolls were raised significantly just before the lease, and allowing the operator in 2010 to begin raising toll rates annually by the increase in GDP may confer windfall gains, since the cost of operating the toll road may not increase at so great a rate. One would have to know a great deal more about the economics of operating a highway than I do to figure out whether the terms of the lease confer monopoly power on the lessee.

I do not regard the monopoly concern as a strong objection to the leasing of the toll road, however. The reason is that most, maybe all, taxes have monopoly-like effects, in the sense of driving a wedge between cost and price. Suppose the lease price would have been only $2 billion had the state imposed more stringent limitations on toll increases. Then the state would have $1.8 billion less in revenue and would presumably make up the difference by increasing tax rates or imposing additional taxes, and these measures would have allocative effects similar to those of higher tolls charged by the lessee of the toll road. If the monopoly issue is therefore considered a wash, the principal effect of the lease will be the positive one of reducing the quality-adjusted cost of operating the toll road and the lease is clearly a good idea.

He goes on to engage a common criticism of the lease:

Against all this it will be argued--it is an argument emphasized by opponents of leasing the Indiana Toll Road--that privatization, at least when it takes the form of a sale or long-term lease of government property for a lump sum, beggars the future by depriving government of an income-producing asset. The argument, at least in its simplest form, is unsound, because the state is not disposing of an asset but merely changing its form: from a highway to cash. The subtler form of the argument is that, given the truncated horizons of elected officials, the state will not invest the cash wisely for the long term, but will squander it on short-term projects. This is a danger--how great a one I do not know. It would be an interesting study to trace the uses to which privatizing governments here and abroad have put the proceeds of sales of public assets.

Of course, proponents of the lease have pointed out that the $3.8B is being invested for the long term, in their opinion, quite wisely in Indiana's logistics-based economy.

Prof. Becker, on the other hand, includes this bit:

I differ with Posner in believing that the revenue from a monopolized privatization would not be fully raised elsewhere if not raised from the privatization because it is difficult to tap other sources of revenue to substitute for foregone revenues from privatizations. Put differently, governments end up with bigger total spending budgets when they increase their revenue from privatizations by giving privatized companies some monopoly power.

But overall, he too is in favour of privatizing public infrastructure, and if anything, the Indiana Toll Road lease wasn't generous enough:

When dynamic competition is effective, a public enterprise, like a toll road or the postal system, should be sold without any restrictions on future pricing, unlike what happened in the sale of the Indiana toll road.

Meanwhile, Doug Masson wants to be a bit more specific, citing two additional objections:

1) It’s unfair for the motorists of northern Indiana to be the main source of taxes to build roads in other parts of the state; and 2) Toll Roads are not as conducive to economic development as are free roads . . . Does anyone believe Honda would be locating in Greensburg if I-74 were a toll road?

The second objection sounds like it could yield testable hypotheses.

Advance Indiana contends that the roads in the other parts of the state will pay dividends to those in Northern Indiana, and chastises the partisanship of regional politicking.

Your Something at Work

Indy Tax Dollars:

Ten months ago we posted an item here in which we described a very sarcastic proposal we had made in February of 2004.  It was a suggestion that IndyGo set up a general transfer point near the new stadium to prevent unnecessary inconvenience to patrons who might want to ride a bus to a football game.

Well, guess what?  They're really going to do it!  In terms of a brand new bus station/hub!!

The announcement carried the news that IndyGo will pay for most of the cost of this project from nearly $30 million in Federal grants accumulated over the years.  We can't prove or disprove whether a new bus station will improve service and increase riders.  But the location does seem questionable.

Instead of finding some vacant or low-use land centrally located in the central downtown area, we're going to buy the United States Post Office.  This is the building cited in the same story as "...the state's busiest mail sorting center."  That purchase will take nearly half the available funds.   We're not told what it will cost to tear down this huge building which is only a few years old.

TollSuit

A Mess o' posts on the Indiana Toll Road Lawsuit:

• Rishawn Biddle, "Either way, for opponents . . . it means having to take their case to the citizens in November's general elections. Which is what they should have done in the first place because the lawsuit was merely a waste of money, both taxpayers and their own.
• Doug Masson, "The Court appears to have avoided a major confrontation with the Governor and the General Assembly primarily through two definitional maneuvers: 'muncipal corporation' doesn’t have to have anything to do with a municipality; and 'public debt' doesn’t refer to debt for which the public is ultimately responsible. "
• Mark Rutherford, "The Indiana Constitution died today"

TollSuit

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz sat through the oral arguments and summarizes.

Doug Masson notes, "The legislature has been passing special legislation under the fig leaf of population parameters for so long that the Supreme Court might be reluctant to wander into the snares that await if it tries to put an end to the practice."

He also has a good roundup of links.

Major Recusal

"Fort Wayne Observed has learned that Indiana Supreme Court Justice Brent E. Dickson is recusing himself from hearing the appeal of the trial court decision in the lawsuit challenging  Major Moves. 

Justice Dickson is widely considered a scholar and expert on the history of the Indiana State Constitution."

Doug Masson notes that this:

. . . raising the possibility of a 2 - 2 split at the Supreme Court level. The Plaintiffs asked (pdf) that the Supreme Court reverse its decision to take the case directly from the trial court and asked that the matter be remanded back to the Court of Appeals where the Plaintiffs originally filed the appeal. The background on this is that, if there is a tie, the trial court’s ruling stands even without any controlling appellate decision on the matter. The Plaintiffs argue that a decision of this magnitude really ought to be made by a controlling appellate level decision.

TollSuit

Doug Masson comments on the Toll Road Lawsuit plaintiffs filling an appeal:

I have questions about the judge’s decisions interpreting the public lawsuit statute under which such a bond is authorized. But, that aside, I wonder about the validity of legislation that makes a Constitutional challenge too expensive for anybody to reasonably sustain. Because the sale involves so much money, nobody can get a court to determine whether the transaction was actually within the authority of the General Assembly.

He also has a summary and analysis of their brief.

Tracy Warner:

I don't think the plaintiffs can win the element of the suit that argues proceeds from the sale of a state asset must go to pay state debt. St. Joseph Superior Judge Michael Scopelitis’ ruling makes a compelling case that the lease is a lease, not a sale.

But the question of whether the bill authorizing the lease is unconstitutional "special legislation" is intriguing and could still raise legal doubts, Scopelitis' ruling notwithstanding. I suspect the Supreme Court is eager to rule on that element.

Get Off the Train

Mike Kole runs down the list of why a commuter rail on the Northeast side is a bad, bad idea.

Tollsuiting Up

Doug Masson, as always, has sharp commentary on the Toll Road lawsuit.  Here are on the briefs, and here on the decision.  And the Palladium-Item gets a few knocks as well.

Tollsuit

Doug Masson catches us up on the latest in the Indiana Toll Road lawsuit.

Not-so-Major Moves

FWOb makes a pertinent observation on the scope of Major Moves, "A 130% increase in diesel fuel has a big impact on how many miles of road can be built with a given amount of money."

And Doug Masson takes another look at the lease lawsuit, "It’s a close call, but it sounds to me like the State went out of its way to make the Indiana Finance Authority a non-public instrumentality . . ."

Toll Suit

Doug Masson puts some brakes on Daniels' response to the Toll Road litigation.

Rail Splitter

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Lincoln Highway, including an audiopost, at Fort Wayne Observed.

Toll Road Suit

Legal junkies will delight at Marcia Oddi's post, "Parallels Between the Toll Road Suit and the Fort Wayne Airport Suit."

Short Term Costs

Taking Down Words has an original thought: Will the bumper-to-bumper hassle of new road construction produce short-term political costs?

A New Season for 24

Mitch Harper's personal story:

Whatever else might be said about the Governor's Major Moves program, it is about the only way that the killer road U.S. Highway 24 east of New Haven to the state line is going to be made safer.

Fort to Port is a needed project.

I should know. I organized the cross-state meeting in 1989 that started Fort to Port.

Major Wrapup

Well, we have ourselves a PPP.

Doug Masson has a couple of points:

• "I don’t believe in an advantage that the Democrats can’t fritter away somehow, but this was something of a Ben Kenobi/Darth Vader moment for the Democrats, particularly in northern Indiana. "
• "Another objectionable trait I notice in those who have backed two of Governor Daniels most controversial initiatives, Toll Road privatization and Daylight Saving Time, is a sort of inferiority complex they have on behalf of Indiana."

Advance Indiana looks at congressional commentary on the deal.

TDW has a roundup of news stories on Major Moves.

Leo Morris finds some praise from Kentucky, where they wish their politicians had our kind of courage.

Major Deal

It looks like lawmakers have reached a compromise on Major Moves (IndyStar or FWJ-G).

Commentary from Advance Indiana:

Legislators are going to have to take a gamble that their constituents' opposition will fade as they get used to the idea that the private management of the toll road isn't going to be such a bad thing afterall, particularly when they see all the benefits coming to their communities. The question is whether that will happen before this fall's election. That may be too big of a gamble for some legislators.

And Tracy Warner thinks the worst new provision gives the governor too much power, " to build the route as a toll road from Evansville to Martinsville but have to get legislative approval to make it a toll road from Martinsville to Indianapolis."

MORE:  Doug Masson concludes:

So everybody wins. Except, of course, for the motorists of northern Indiana. And their Senators and Representatives in northern Indiana if they defy the will of their constituents and pass this unpopular bill at the insistence of the Governor who is basically radioactive in northern Indiana. And, pretty much all Hoosiers who live here for the last 65 years of the 75 year lease. So, almost everybody.

RU4I69?

Advance Indiana notes Evansville Mayor Weinzapfel's plea for the I-69 extension to our State's beautiful southwestern city:

Gov. Daniels and Republican legislators are listening to Mayor Weinzapfel. Are the House Democrats? Or are they more concerned about denying Gov. Daniels' a major political success? If Major Moves fails, the I-69 project will revert to the 20-year schedule--the same one announced four decades ago. That's obviously what has Weinzapfel so concerned.

Minor Moves

Lots of posts spouting off on Major Moves:

• Mike Kole: "When the CEO of the company feels compelled to try to sell the deal through the media, my nonsense detector starts beeping. "
• Doug Masson:
  • "Selling vs. Leasing"
  • "Northern Indiana constituent polls overwhelmingly oppose Toll Road privatization"
  • "Toll Road Roundup"
• Jeff Fraser:  "I see two camps: those who understand the bill, and those that are against it."
  • Mike Sylvester offers a counterpoint in the comments

BAAd Sensationalism

A few of you noticed Matt Drudge's attempt make something of the management of Indianapolis International Airport:

• Abdul Hakim-Shabazz: "It is true that BAA Indianapolis, LLC, that manages the airport and it's security, is owned by BAA plc, which owns and operates several airports in the United Kingdom. However, BAA has been doing this since 1995, more than 10 years. The last time I flew out of the airport I didn't see tea and crumpets or a torch or fag (that's a lighter and cigarette). "
• Mitch Harper: "The contract is years old. Mr. Drudge is welcome to write about it. However, it is not a stunning revelation."
• Advance Indiana: "Drudge’s comparison of the Indianapolis BAA deal to the Dubai Port deal is totally misplaced. Here are just a few of the distinctions we would raise . . ."

A Fellow Traveler on the Toll Road

From Jim Shella's blog:

February 28, 2006 12:48 pm Remember the independent radio ads during the 2004 race for governor, the ones that scorched Mitch Daniels for his involvement in the IPALCO deal? At the time Tommy O'Donnell and the IBEW got the blame for them from the Daniels camp. That's what made it so interesting today to see O'Donnell on stage with the governor at the Major Moves rally. The rally was even orchestrated so that O'Donnell introduced the governor. That line about politics and strange bedfellows never gets old.

A Thousand Times Yes!

"With so much going for roundabouts, shouldn’t we demand more?"

Yes, we should!  Jim Chalex explains at length over at IndyScribe.

Zach Wendling

Toll Road updates

From Masson's Blog:

The Indiana Barrister has a post wondering why the House Democrats are making such a big deal out of the fact that the company being sold the rights to the Toll Road for the next 75 years is a foreign company. Personally I agree that the foreignness of the company is beside the point when we are debating whether the sale is good policy. I think the policy question is whether it is a good idea for the State to relinquish control of its transportation infrastructure to a private entity that has the interests of its shareholders as a priority rather than the interests of the citizens of Indiana for a long period of time in exchange for a short term infusion of cash.

Taking Down Words provides lots of coverage in multiple posts about the Toll Road issue, including the Australian company that won the bid to run leased highway.

No new toll hikes?

Taking Down Words reports about an amendment that would bar toll hikes on the Indiana Toll Road for 10 years for people living in toll-road counties.

No final vote yesterday, but a somewhat bizarre twist to the Toll Road bill:

"An amendment by Rep. Timothy Neese, R-Elkhart, would negate those or any other fare increases over 10 years for those living in seven toll-road counties who travel the highway in their private cars or pickups."

Advance Indiana adds:

Further showing their constructive approach to the issue, House Republicans today announced several positive changes they would make to Major Moves to address the valid concerns of lawmakers from northern Indiana. Those include the following:

• Placing a 10-year freeze on tolls paid by local commuters.
• Creating a regional economic development authority for northeastern Indiana.
• Providing stronger legislative and public oversight over future highway leasing deals.

So how will the House Democrats respond to the Republicans' proposal? If the past is any indication, they will pick up their balls and go home--using the House's extraordinary majority requirement for a quorum to defeat legislative action by walking out.

Will Indiana lose money with Toll Road lease?

Indiana Politico asks if leasing the Toll Road as proposed will result in a loss of revenue for Indiana and comes to the conclusion that it might be a good deal.

The Bottom Line: It is possible to go forward with this plan in such a way that Hoosiers both now and 75 years in the future are better off.

Editor's note: The previous version of this post gave the wrong impression about Indiana Politico's viewpoint on the issue.  I apologize for the confusion.  Chris.

Major Moves debate

Major Moves is a major subject for bloggers.

RiShawn Biddle offers an explanation of why the Toll Road lease deal works in his Indy Star Expresso posts.  Dan Carpenter offers a dissent on the Star's editorial page.

Doug at Masson's Blog takes on the Indy Star's editorial writers.

The Indy Star an editorial that purports to provide answers on various toll road questions. There is actually some rather good information in there. But, I’m a blogger and not generally inclined to focus on the positive. So, I won’t. I thought this non-answer was pretty bad, particularly given that they were asking themselves the questions.

Isn’t the deal moving too fast?

Leasing the Toll Road is a logical extension of the role the private sector already plays in design and construction of public roads.

Just 10 percent of new road design is handled by INDOT, according to Sharp. State governments can’t offer large enough salaries to keep the necessary expertise in-house; so private firms handle most of the work. All the road construction itself is handled by outside companies. INDOT acts as the project manager and financier.

This response does not at all address the question of whether the process is moving too quickly.

Taking Down Words has a series of posts about the Toll Road lease plan.  One points to a humorous column in a South Bend paper and another asks if it is just about the money flowing to those with connections.

And, finally, someone sent an email with a proposed Indiana Toll Road sign if the deal is approved.  The email didn't have a link to a blog, otherwise I would have pointed back to it.

Dems offer Toll Road alternative

Indiana's Democrats offered an alternative to Gov. Mitch Daniel's plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road.  Under the governor's plan, the Toll Road would be leased for 75 years to pay for road construction programs in the state.

Democrats have expressed opposition to the plan saying that while it provides money up front, it doesn't provide any money for future generations.

While it may get lost among the other news issues of the day, what happens to the Indiana Toll Road may end up being a major story for decades to come.

Writes Masson's Blog:

The Democrats propose doubling the tolls (something that would happen anyway under the sale to the foreign consortium) and using the revenues to take out 20 year bonds, generating $1.6 billion for the state to use for major highway and bridge projects. The State would retain control of its highway.

Is the Democratic proposal good or better than the Republican proposal? I don’t know. But more disturbing is the administration’s snap judgment on the plan. ” State Budget Director Chuck Schalliol immediately dismissed the Democrat[ic] plan.”

Taking Down Words opines:

It's that kind of snap judgment we've come to expect from this administration. You and your boss took a whole 48 hours to consider the bids to buy the Indiana Toll Road, and you picked a winner without sharing any details with anyone, so naturally you're able, in a split second, to dismiss any alternative.

Advance Indiana adds:

A major complaint of the Democrats is that under Gov. Daniels' plan to privatize the toll road the profits earned by the foreign-controlled entity will leave Indiana rather than being re-invested here. By Bauer's calculation, the private contractor will have recouped its initial $3.8 billion purchase price for the lease after the first 17 years of the 75-year lease. Bauer said, "Under the terms of a 75-year lease proposed by the administration, every nickel generated by those toll increases over nearly 58 years would go into the pockets of foreign investors. That means about $21 billion in profit will be leaving Indiana.”

Bauer omits the fact that the private contractor, in addition to the $3.8 billion purchase price, will be required to invest an additional $4.4 billion in toll road improvements over the life of the lease, which would have otherwise been paid by the taxpayers, in addition to bearing the costs of maintaining and operating the toll roads, a cost otherwise borne by the taxpayers. Bauer also complains that toll road increases will wind up in the pocket of foreign investors, but he fails to mention that two-thirds of the toll revenues are generated from out-of-state auto and truck tolls.

...

As we recall, Democrat politicos enjoyed quite a bit of graft and skimming from operating the Indiana Toll Road during the 16 years the Democrats controlled the Governor's office. If we're not mistaken, a few of them went to jail for their misdeeds. So when Bauer talks about the "risky business" of operating the toll road, he should explain that there are plenty of risks associated with entrusting the toll road's operation to the politicians as well.

An in-depth look at Toll Road privatization

Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana takes an in-depth look at the issues surrounding Gov. Mitch Daniel's Toll Road privatization plan.

Speaking as one of the attorneys who drafted and helped enact the original Public-Private Agreements Act on behalf of the City of Indianapolis during the administration of then-Mayor Steve Goldsmith, this writer believes strongly that public-private partnerships, erstwhile known as privatization, can be beneficial to all parties, in particular the taxpayers. Much attention is now being paid to pending legislation, HB 1008, the enabling legislation for Gov. Daniels’ Major Moves initiative to privatize the Indiana Toll Road to fund much-needed transportation projects. The question this writer poses is why we need another public-private agreements law as proposed in HB 1008 when one already exists?

Toll Road round-up

Taking Down Words has two posts about the Indiana Toll Road and efforts to lease it to the highest bidder.

Post 1: It's All Toll Road All The Time Right Now: Here's A Look Via The Information Superhighway.

Post 2: The Big Day Is Almost Here: TDW Does A Little Toll Road Thinking.

St. Joe objects to foreign controlled Toll Road

Taking Down Words reports that St. Joseph County's elected officials passed a resolution against leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign entity.

St. Joseph County officials are on record stating their preference that the Indiana Toll Road not be sold to foreign investors: "The St. Joseph County Commissioners on Tuesday threw one more objection into the debate over a possible Indiana Toll Road lease agreement by asking that foreign companies be barred from the transaction."

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."

Driver's permits for undocumented workers proposed

East Chicago's state senator, John Aguilera, proposes issuing special driver's permits to undocumented workers, reports Deliberate Chaos.

Since many people are out on Indiana's roads without insurance and licenses, anything that encourages people to obtain insurance and learn the rules of the road is a good idea. Not granting special driver's permits won't stop people from driving as they do now. Our roads will be safer if driver's permits are issued.

Speed kills?

Is the toll road lease idea moving too fast?

Taking Down Words cites the example of a California toll road lease plan that didn't work out in Orange County.  The government subsequently bought back its express lanes for $207.5 million when the highway needed $1.6 billion in improvements.

Opines Taking Down Words:

Thankfully, it seems to TDW like more media are picking up on and reporting about the pace on this process. There's a meeting tomorrow for potential contractors at the Statehouse, and the Governor will be pushing for legislative approval in a matter of weeks.

This is a huge deal, and we think it's moving way too fast. You know, considering it's a decision that would give control over our state's largest asset to a foreign company for period of time that could be as long as 99 years.

No Seat Belt? No Problem!

Adam Packer urges the general assembly to repeal a law:

The offensive passages: Indiana Code Section 9-19-10-7 states that a front-seat passenger's failure to wear a seatbelt does not constitute fault and cannot be used to mitigate damages. Indiana Code Section 9-19-11-8 says that a failure to properly restrain a child under the age of three in a child passenger restraint system "does not constitute contributory negligence."

This means that if I am in an accident with a person who fails to wear a seatbelt and he suffers an injury, I am prohibited, by law, from raising the fact that he didn't wear a seatbelt as a defense to the injured person's claims against me. The same goes for unrestrained children.

Out of State

Will a foreign company operate the Indiana Toll Road?

MORE: Masson's Blog

Slow Down!

Deliberate Chaos:

I knew a guy who used to work at the Indiana State Prison.

He said certain counties in Indiana had a reputation for capturing fugitives and criminals on the run. The guy said his inmates were always nabbed speeding through Kosciuosko or Jasper counties for speeding. U.S. 30 near Warsaw is infamous for dropping from 60 MPH to 45 MPH.

I heard a similar story from a friend from Gary who said that she and her companions once were stopped after leaving I-65 someplace south of Lake County. Don't speed in those smaller counties where not too much is going on! Especially if you aren't from around those parts.

ALSO: Deliberate Chaos on the federal campaign finance restrictions that, "threatens bloggers' abilities to speak out on political issues."