Mandatory income tax for buses and trains?

I'll be honest and straightforward ... this is a terrible idea.

Here's the article in the Times "Key Lawmaker links income tax to NWI" ... frankly this is exactly why the Tea Party movement is exploding. People are sick and tired of being told to pay more, especially for things they don't want.

• I'm a fan of a Southshore extension, especially to downtown Valpo
• I'm a fan of buses being used to allow people to move around the region
• But, I have been very specific, let the prices charged for those services pay for the services themselves. If a bus should cost $4.00 charge $4.00 If the train should cost $10.00 to go to Chicago then charge $10.00.
  
• Subsidies to drive down the cost are foolishness
• Taxing four counties without giving them the right to vote, is also foolish.
  

I can only hope this is a setup trap, to sucker Chet Dobis into supporting the idea and then the region Republicans kill it, and kill it fast.

Obama fires GM CEO

GM Stands For Government Motors (from Hoosier Access)

The Politico is reporting today that President Obama (or “the Administration”) has requested that GM CEO Rick Wagoner resign in order to qualify for the next round of government loans.

The Obama administration asked Rick Wagoner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, to step down and he agreed, a White House official said.

On Monday, President Barack Obama is to unveil his plans for the auto industry, including a response to a request for additional funds by GM and Chrysler. The plan is based on recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, headed by the Treasury Department.

The White House confirmed Wagoner was leaving at the government’s behest after The Associated Press reported his immediate departure, without giving a reason.

On one hand this is GM’s fault. They should not have been going to the government, hat in hand, to beg for money. When you have to get money of this amount, the lender is going to set the conditions for which they will make the loan. If that means replacing the CEO, then so be it.

On the other hand, it is pure audacity that would cause the government–particularly the Treasury Department–to decide that they know any better than the GM Board of Directors who should be running the company.

This is awful news. Now we have the government not only bailing out companies and industries, but we have them making key business decisions. This is just dipping their toes in the water. Every day seems to be bringing us more news of the Obama Administration becoming more “Statist” (or insert your other totalitarian, large, controlling government term here).

#teaparty movement in Indiana

In February there were a few large tea parties around the country, but on April 15th reports from the Tax Day Tea Party suggest in excess of 300 cities will host tea parties. Indianapolis of course will host a large party ... but this site shows that even with only 17 days left there are a host of additional groups forming up around our state.

Are you attending or helping organize one of these events? Catch us up here on your links, blogs, facebook pages, and how we can help promote them with you. This site is a firm supporter of national, state, and local tea parties as a way to express our outrage at the Stimulus Package, 8,500 earmarks in the Federal Budget, and the notion of nationalizing banks or healthcare.

Get government back out of our lives, let them defend our safety and rights, and keep the lion's share of our own incomes and property so we can grow the economy and create jobs.

GOP Grunt on lessons from Ron Paul

Originally posted by Chris Faulkner on GOP Grunt I am not a Ron Paul hater…really

I was teaching a candidate school recently in Minnesota and wandered into some dangerous territory. Our firm is often hired to do political education and one of our bigger clients is American Majority We teach several sessions that focus on Communications, Campaign Plans, Fundraising, Social Media and Grassroots Organizing (all ppts are available to download and steal here SlideShare )

The last session of the day focuses on Grassroots Organizing Online and Offline. One of the themes I present is how most grassroots movements are viral and require a "host". I then go on to say that Ron Paul was too weak of a "host" to carry his "movement". Full disclosure – I was a mail vendor for Fred Thompson's campaign (that is a whole other discussion) and I did not support Ron Paul. Having said that, I was constantly intrigued by his supporters and his "movement". I work in the business of political campaigns and like to think I am a student of how they work on a logistics and business end. So for the purposes of this post lets skip by issues and just talk nuts and bolts.

First I have to take a dig at my strident Libertarian friends who loved Dr. Paul – learn a lesson from him

1. Run as a Libertarian for Congress and lose
   
2. Run as a Republican for Congress and win
   
3. Run as a Republican for President and get to take the stage, be in the debates and air your issues
   

Pretty safe to say no one is accusing Dr. Paul of "selling out" even though he ran as a Republican. I can already feel the hate that point is going to draw…

Moving on, Dr. Paul raised over $34 million dollars of which over 99% came from individual small donors. This is a supremely impressive feat for a guy who, candidly, has below average public speaking ability, no message discipline, fairly inexperienced campaign organization and barely eked into double digits in most public polling. So his campaign was obviously not as much about the "product" of the candidate. He benefited from a couple powerful motivators;

1. A disgruntled and angry free-market fiscal conservative base
   
2. A weak field of Republican options for President
   
3. A core Libertarian group that was already online
   

$34 million, unfortunately, is still not enough to get serious traction in a modern Presidential Primary. That is compounded by the fact that his campaign spent almost 50% of their cash on "Administrative" expenses. That is just unacceptable. Barely a third of the dollars spent went towards actual voter contact. Ok, now all my grassroots friends can holler and say "of course that is what an evil money grubbing political consultant would say!" But folks let's get real, modern campaigns are not small mom and pop businesses any more…especially ones for President. They can start that way but at some point you have to bring in experienced folks to run the ship…having said that the grassroots are still vital and important to success, but they have to have experienced leadership.

Looking back at Howard Dean circa 2003…the guy almost became the democratic nominee and was much more viable than Paul. Both had strong grassroots movements but Dean had some adults in charge at HQ. Ultimately, I think both Dean and Paul were not strong enough vessels for their movements. So what happened to many of those early Deaniacs? They became the base of Barack Obama's underdog campaign in early 2007. So why was Barack successful where Dean was not?

1. Obama is a FAR superior candidate "product" than Howard Dean
   
2. Obama's team of very experienced political folks had a whole list of lessons learned from the Dean Campaign
   
3. The online left-roots had only grown larger and stronger since 2003
   

In short I would propose that Barack Obama would NEVER have gotten off the ground had it not been for Howard Dean.

So if you were a Ron Paulie in 2007 what should you be preparing for? Look for the well spoken Liberty candidate. Can you imagine if Dr. Paul had the TV appeal or speaking skills of a Mike Pence or Jeff Flake? There will be a Republican candidate running in 2012 (in all seriousness they have probably already started) that will carry many of Dr. Paul's limited government issues, learned from his mistakes and have a more experienced team around them. Don't know who that "Candidate X" is yet but if you find them let me know.

Candidate X is looking for your passion, your love of liberty and yes your dollars too. That candidate will finally be worth the absolutely incredible effort that so many Paul supporters poured into the 2008 primary.

Be looking for that candidate because they are probably already looking for you.

If you really want the full story read the comments at each of the cross-posts:

I am not a Ron Paul hater…really (from Gop Grunt)

I'm not a Ron Paul hater...really (from The Next Right)

March 28, 2009, cities around the world have pledged to take part in Earth Hour, when as much electricity is turned off as possible for one whole hour, to try and give the Earth and its resources a break.
Earth Hour is voluntary, when people shut off power in their homes, offices, public places and commercial spaces from 8:30 to 9:30 pm to raise awareness of how much electricity and light pollution is contributing to global warming and climate change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This irritates me. Now, I understand all of you environmental dorks believe in this crap, and that's fine, free country and all, but on March 28th I'm also taking a stand. To show how much I disapprove of cap and trade programs and more taxes on power, I will have everything I have that uses ANY electricity turned on for the full hour. I encourage everybody else to do the same.

I suppose the reason this irritates me so much isn't the whole global warming/climate change (whatever it is this week) its the fact that the government (once again) wants to punish businesses for being productive! It seems to me, Obama went into a room with his staff and said, "How can I f*ck things up even more? Oh! I've got it! Punish the people that are actually manufacturing things!" Now cap and trade sounds good to people who believe Al Gore (look, it's manbearpig! If you don't watch South Park you won't get that one...) but to those of us that work in, say, the mill, and would like to continue working their while what little steel is being made continues to do so, cap and trade is just another burden on companies. I covered this on my last show, why cap and trade? Why not offer tax cuts to companies that produce LESS than a set limit of carbon dioxide (which means all of us that work there will stop breathing every so often to help make money). That way companies have something to look forward to instead of sweating it everyday and worrying not just about making a profit, but whether or not Al Gore and the Eco-Nazis will come knocking on their door. It makes sense to me, but hell, what do I know. I don't drive a hybrid.

Town of Porter stands up to Auditor Kopp

Kudos to Town of Porter attorney Patrick Lypp for pointing out that Porter County Auditor is out of line in his intrusive suggestion that municipalities hurry along their budget process. If I'm not mistaken every municipality in the county met the budget deadlines in 2008 ... but Mr. Kopp and Assessor Scott are still working to complete the tax billings for 2008 that are approaching an entire year behind.

The local government entities have made cuts, consolidated services, and prepared themselves for the tax caps.

The Obama budget under scrutiny

Property tax deadline extended again

Talked to Porter County Treasurer Jim Murphy tonite and he has once again extended the deadline to pay property tax bills in Porter County ... the new date is now April 13. The state DLGF continues to review the entire assessment of the county with some political leaders calling for the entire county to be re-assessed.

A reformers view of property taxes in #indiana

Last year we featured a series of articles written by former Porter Township Trustee and outspoken advocate for local government reform in Indiana, Bob Wichlinski. I've asked the northwest indiana site 219.com for current links to those articles so you can all get a refresher.

Today I came across Bob's most recent essay entitled Hoosier Dreams Trended Away, which reflects on a very current controversy in Porter County right now. Some quotes and a recommendation that you read the whole article:

If you own property in Porter County you undoubtedly received the installment bill of your 2007 taxes payable in 2008. You may have noticed a dramatic spike in assessed value on your tax bill. If you only paid attention to the decrease in the amount you owed, go back and dig up the bill and note the top line “assessed valuation” and note any increase. That number will be increasingly important because it is upon THAT number that your tax caps will be computed in the future. A great many taxpaying citizens believe their 2007 taxes went down because of tax caps. NOT TRUE. They primarily went down because of the increased homestead credit granted by the State legislature when they discovered their new “market-based property valuation featuring trending” was flawed. The homestead credit is scheduled to be phased out in favor of tax caps.

He makes a great point, the tax caps aren't even in effect yet. They will affect the next set of property tax bills, not the ill-fated and very overdue ones we just got a year late last month.

"You read it here first the use of trending or neighborhood factors to calculate assessed value is tantamount to ECONOMIC RED-LINING. Trending and neighborhood factoring is unlawful. We outlawed red-lining for any purpose. What infuriates me most is that while Rome burns, the county elected officials responsible for this system – good or bad – have demonstrated their inability or unwillingness to acknowledge the problem, embrace it, and FIX IT They know it’s broken ... They look you in the eye and utter, “it’s the DLGF’s fault, we’re only doing what we’re told.” I THOUGHT you were an elected official"

Township Elimination Update

Update on Marion County townships from Howey Politics ... fees to attorneys surging.

The whole issue of township elimination has sadly faded into the past, with the General Assembly burying the reforms in political games with the Governor ... but in Indianapolis some bloggers continue to keep a close eye on township trustees:

Marion County Township Trustee Wants $1.7 Million Tax Increase

The Wayne Township Trustee in Marion County wants to raise taxes nearly $1.7 million to pay for fire protection.

David “King” Baird has filed notice in this past weekend’s Court and Commercial Record that the township will hold a meeting on April 9 to formally ask the Department of Local Government and Finance to increase the fire protection levy by $1,675, 696. You can see a copy of the notice at the end of the post. It’s unclear at this time why Baird is raising taxes, but the likely scenario is avoid consolidation with IFD and continue to pay for fire protection.

The irony in all this is that Baird opposes consolidation, having argued, in part, it was a tax increase. Joining him in his political tomfoolerly was also State Senator Mike Young.

I wonder if Wayne Township is sitting on any surplus funds? Because I wonder if the Trustee realizes how wrong it would be to try to raise taxes while sitting on a big stack of cash? I hope he’s ready for torches and pitchforks.

Tax Increase Notice

Indy #TeaParty in-fighting

This little story requires a few links, but may be interesting to read.

In December I wrote the Post "Conservatives Attempting to Collaborate" in which I noted that liberals frankly collaborate more easily, they just aren't as individualistic. Conservatives tend to fight pretty quickly for leadership, notoriety, and position. Today I ran into a very vibrant example of this phenomenon:

While perusing my RSS feeds this morning, I came across a post on Hoosiers for Fair Taxation lambasting #TCOT founder Michael Leahy and the entire National Tea Party movement as controlled by big business and bad Republicans. The thrust of the story was that Republicans have no right to lead this charge because George Bush signed the TARP bill and let government get too big in the first place. You really should read all the comments because when I dared to suggest another way of looking at the situation I was roundly beaten up too.

It would appear that a group of libertarian and "liberty caucus" conservatives have decided they are the only ones allowed to throw tea parties, or defend tax payer rights, or demand government reform. See Indy Liberty Tea Party Meetup Group ... letter on Daily Paul ... and my favorite from Sean Shephard suggesting his great dismay at my request that conservatives try reaching out and working together. Sean thanks for making my point for me.

Now the original writer of the letter in question is still working with Michael Leahy on a tea party in Indy on April 15th. And the crux of his anger was a teleconference suggestion that tea parties also collect canned goods for a food drive. Leahy told me today that almost all tea parties would feature a food drive, but that each one could make up their own minds.

Presidential Approval Slipping

From Rasmussen Reports, Obama's approval numbers slipping:

Overall, 56% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance so far. Forty-three percent (43%) disapprove. For more, see Obama By the Numbers or recent demographic highlights.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters nationwide support the President's decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan. More broadly, 54% think that our allies should follow the lead of the United States more often.

Funny how the American public, so bent against finishing the job in Iraq (which now even Iraqi citizens show in huge polling that they support) are for sending troops to Afghanistan to protect drug lords who have yet to really support democracy or crack down on their own border region. Why the hypocricy?

Gary Sanitary may leave tax dollars behind

From the Post -

A plan to eliminate the Gary Sanitary District's property tax revenue and run the agency strictly on user fees is among the records under review by a state tax appeals board.

If implemented, the plan shows, GSD's property tax levies would be eliminated but its customers' user and trash collection fees would rise once again.

Little known to many residents the Gary Sanitary District uses property tax dollars in addition to sewer and trash fees. It looks like the Distressed Unit Board may remove them from property tax rolls all-together.

Reminds me of a debate I had last month wherein I postulated that bus service and train service should charge what it really costs to run the service for rides. Whoaaa I got hammered for losing my mind on that one!

Davich conversations

I noticed the blog on here about Jerry Davich, and I didn't know if anybody would be interested in reading the e-mails that Jerry and I went back and forth on, but if anybody is, feel free to read 'em. As I noted on the comments for that blog, I disagree with him about 99% of the time, but he does write back and so kudos to Jerry in that sense.


Mr. Davich,
I have recently read your article on conservative talk radio, and would like to make a few points of defense. First of all, I happen to be one of those conservatives you were talking about that listens to Rush, and Sean, and others and I'm a little offended when you say that you don't understand people calling each other good Americans. What you must understand is that Rush and others don't specifically say that to conservatives as a way to say that we're necessarily "better" Americans, they say it to all callers both liberal and conservative. I hear on almost a weekly basis several liberals that will call up to debate with these people, to try and get their point across, and the host will always let them make their point and then tell them why they don't agree with it or why they do. And they always tell the liberal caller, as well, that they are great Americans because each of us in our own way are great Americans. We all contribute our part to this country and I think I can speak for both liberals and conservatives when we say that we love our country and love our freedoms. And that, I think, is a great reason why I myself am a conservative.I like my basic freedoms and I don't like how the majority of liberals want to take those away little by little, i.e. the smoking ban in Illinois, seat belt laws, helmet laws, gun ownership rights, the list goes on and on. Also, I don't like the idea of paying more than my fair share of taxes. Not that I'm selfish or anything. I spent ten years in 4-H performing community service projects and try to help out in my community whenever possible. I give to charities what I feel I can afford, and if i can't afford to help people at that time I don't. I don't like the government taking my hard earned dollar and "spreading the wealth" to other people, whether it's their fault that they can't work right now or not. To punish those of us that work that much harder to achieve our goals is wrong.
Second, as a whole, conservative talk radio is very friendly, except for times that conservatives collectively don't agree with something, such as the closing of GITMO or the stimulus package. A great majority don't think these two items are good ideas, and so yes, Jerry, there is some anger, especially if you chose this week to listen to these guys for the first time. If you were to run a story on talk radio such as you did I think it might have been a better idea to give it a fair chance before running an article as you did. And if you were to run an article that seemed very much to be mostly opinion, I think the Opinions page would have been a better bet.
Now, as far as you being "liberal" or your paper "liberal", I say, who cares? An overwhelming amount of my friends are quote unquote liberals and we argue some, sure, but there is a lot of middle ground on a great many issues that can be found. Often times me and my one friend Don will argue, and we almost always find a compromise. That's what America is about, it's what makes this country so great. In fact, I started up my own conservative site ( www.mattersofopinion.net ) because I believe in my conservative values so much. The main part is very much geared towards other conservatives, while the "show" section is partly me on my soap box and part debate. If you want to see how a great many Americans (after all, Obama only had 52% of the popular vote) think about different topics, check out the site.
Even if you choose not to, I would encourage you to spend more time, especially on issues of politics, before writing articles such as you did. I felt it was unfair and condescending and I expect a little more than that out of a journalist.
Thanks for your time,
Travis Gearhart
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Travis,

Thanks for your note and your insightful feedback.
I also addressed this issue on my blog, below, and it has attracted a lot of attention.
I encourage you to visit my blog and share these comments publicly in the ongoing dialogue.
By the way, do you live in NWI?
Take care.
Jerry
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Davich,
I noticed you mentioned Ms. Pelosi's documentary in your column the other day. I just wanted to clear something up about that. I have yet to see the documentary, however I saw her on Hannity promoting it. She went on and on to Sean about how wonderful all the conservatives were to her, how they let her spend the night at their homes and fed her dinner. She joked with him and talked about how she was friends with President Bush. Then, less than a week later, she went on MSNBC and talked about how she was afraid for her life because her last name was Pelosi at a conservative rally. Any credibilitly she may have had, in my opinion, went out the door after she got done pandering her movie to either side.
As far as your comment about conservatives saying they were going to leave the country if Obama won, how soon you forget all the liberals that said that very same thing.. I don't know if you covered those stupid comments when it came to liberals saying it. I suppose I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. However what I find interesting is the double standard that many liberals have. When Bush was President, all they did was fight tooth and nail against anything he did, and then blame Bush for problems. For example, Obama wants to blame Bush for no band regulations, but when Bush had tried to push a bill through I believe it was Chris Dodd who philabustered it in Congress. Now the Republicans are ACTUALLY trying to stand up for conservative principles (and when it comes to expansion of government such as Obama has done, or spending too much money we don't have, or universal healthcare, all three are violations of core conservative principles) the liberals want to demonize them and call them "unpatriotic". It's pathetic, and is just one more reason out of many that I am a conservative.
Travis Gearhart
www.mattersofopinion.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Travis,

Thanks again for your note.
Yes, I did tease the liberals who threatened to leave the country when Bush was in the White House.
I'm an equal opportunity columnist when it comes to politics.
I wonder what percentage of Americans call themselves conservatives? Do you have any idea?
Just curious.
Take care.
Jerry
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as what percentage of America is conservative: its hard to say. Being conservative doesn't necessarily mean that you vote Republican. For example one could use the popular vote percentage and say that 48% are conservative and 52% are liberal, but that would be inacurate because there are a lot of conservatives that for one reason or another voted for Obama. Several African American people switched sides this past election in order to vote for Obama, and to some degree I understand that (don't agree with it, but understand it). Several other conservatives just didn't like McCain or Obama and so didn't vote this year. Plus you have "blue dog" Democrats that are typically conservative on many different topics.

The inclination, especially in politics, to maintain the existing or traditional order.
A political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order.
Conservatism The principles and policies of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or of the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.
Caution or moderation, as in behavior or outlook.
This is definition that Google has, and some of that I agree with, but I think that it's put too simple. To me, being a conservative means
1. being fiscally responsible with my money, because if I'm not it's not my neighbors fault: its mine
2. working hard for that money
3. keeping the government as small as possible because I don't want the government overstepping its bounds
4. doing morally what is right and recognizing what is wrong (not necessarily in a Christian sense, since I believe in morals above all else. I don't care what your religion is, but the Ten Commandments sums up morals farily well)
5. sticking to the Constition that was established by this countries founding fathers

Those to me sum up conservatism well. Not necessarily Republicanism, since that is one reason so many conservatives voted Democrat: many of us were fed up with our parties leaders. Hopefully we have a new leader in Steele, but we'll see. Thank you for returning my e-mail, as I've said in my past e-mails, theres no reason that people who disagree have to be disagreeable. Take care,
Travis Gearhart
www.mattersofopinion.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damn, Travis, you are fast with the info and insights.
Are all conservatives so darned smart and informed? (That's a rhetorical question)
Anyway, thanks for this info.
I'd like to write or blog about it soon.
Take care.
Jerry

More Change You'll Hope Doesn't Happened: "Mandatory Volunteerism" Bill Passes House

And it's not just for kids anymore, either. Here's the link to the bill's text. Some highlights:

*Requires states to develop comprehensive plans for volunteer and paid service by Baby Boomers and older adults.

*Authorizes the Corporation to treat September 11th annually as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

*Establishes within the Investment for Quality and Innovation program: (1) a ServeAmerica Fellowships program providing fellowships to individuals chosen by states to participate in service projects addressing certain areas of national need; (2) a Silver Scholarship Grant Program providing scholarships to individuals age 55 or older who complete at least 500 hours of service in a year in an area of national need; and (3) an Encore Fellowships program providing one-year fellowships to individuals age 55 or older who serve in areas of national need and receive training to transition to public service employment. Makes ServeAmerica fellows eligible for national service educational awards.

*Eliminates federal funding for the Points of Light Foundation.

*Makes anyone 55 years of age or older eligible as Senior Corps volunteers.

*Expresses the sense of the Congress that the number of AmeriCorps, VISTA, and NCCC participants should reach 250,000 by 2014.

Here's the link to see if your Representative voted for this "Mandatory Volunteerism" atrocity. While they sit on their butts in Washington voting what we must dowith our spare time, we have to do it.

Which makes this forced manual labor by the masses directed by an overclass. You know hat that makes this, don't you? Perhaps Wikipedia can help:

Slavery is a form of forced labor where people are considered to be, or treated as the property of others. Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation (such as wages).

Think Congress is arrogant enough yet? Worse yet, Seventy (70) Republicans joined almost all the Democrats in passing this monstronsity:



AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
AK-0 Young, Donald [R]
CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
CA-43 Baca, Joe [D]
CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
CA-45 Bono Mack, Mary [R]
CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
DE-0 Castle, Michael [R]
FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander [R]
FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
FL-11 Castor, Kathy [D]
FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
FL-16 Rooney, Thomas [R]
FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
IL-18 Schock, Aaron [R]
IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
IN-3 Souder, Mark [R]
IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
KY-2 Guthrie, Brett [R]
KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
LA-2 Cao, Anh [R]
LA-6 Cassidy, Bill [R]
MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
MI-4 Camp, David [R]
MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
MN-3 Paulsen, Erik [R]
MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
NE-2 Terry, Lee [R]
NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
NJ-5 Garrett, Scott [R]
NJ-7 Lance, Leonard [R]
NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
NY-3 King, Peter [R]
NY-23 McHugh, John [R]
NY-26 Lee, Christopher [R]
OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
OH-7 Austria, Steve [R]
OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
PA-5 Thompson, Glenn [R]
PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
PA-18 Murphy, Tim [R]
PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
TN-1 Roe, David [R]
VA-1 Wittman, Rob [R]
VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]

Man, what was up with all those Oklahoma Republicans voting for the bill?

I think this may, indeed, be the definitive list of RINOs right here.

~~JD~~

(Cross-posted at Alamo City Pundit)

Right to Life and Sarah Palin

From the Times:

Can Palin pack the house?

As John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin drew rock-band crowds during a couple of fall visits to Indiana.

Now, Vanderburgh County Right to Life is betting fans of the hockey mom will pay $16 a pop for auditorium tickets to view a live feed of Palin’s appearance at the group’s April 16 banquet in Evansville.

The groups says the banquet has sold out all 2,180 tickets. The auditorium viewing party next door will have seating for 2,500.

- Patrick Guinane

Two Views - In conflict

Jerry Davich at the Post Tribune points out today an article suggesting that Indiana taxpayers are footing the bill for Big Oil's tax deductions. You'll note if you go to the article that I disagreed, respectfully of course, and spent a few minutes trying to spell out why this line of thinking is really a trap.

• Basically companies don't pay taxes, they build those taxes into their prices and levy them on their customers. Sure there are times when the government changes the taxes so quickly that the owners of the company get nailed, and have to borrow or take from savings to pay the government, but eventually they build the new tax into pricing. Increasing taxes on any company is really just taxing the consumer more.
  
• Tax deductions that were designed to encourage some kind of energy investment, perhaps even a risky venture that doesn't make money but is worth researching, are merely a way to provide incentive. If the government removes these deductions, the companies may just stop the venture, thus there won't be any new money that the government can burn on something else.
  

There are really two ways of looking at government spending. The first and at least 53% of the population thinks this way, suggests that the more government spends the faster the economy grows. The second, suggests that when government spends it tends to waste a good part of the money on inefficiency and when it manipulates markets it upsets the natural order of capitalism.

I'll have to agree with the second ... and suggest that a general reduction of all tax deductions toward a flatter more transparent taxing policy would be best for our country and our state. But to suggest that there's a way to grab a bunch of cash from Big Oil and dump even more government money on the streets is to blur the truth.

Economy getting back on it's feet

And without all that stimulus cash, since not a single dollar has headed out the door yet, the economy looks to be bouncing back on it's own.

Housing Starts Surged in February

"The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 22.2 percent in February compared with January, pushing total activity to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units."

Stock market surges for fifth time upward in six trading days

Any chance the Stimulus Bill can be canceled?

Some open questions today

We haven't had the amount of activity and traffic here since all the craziness last week with the party reorganizations. So, thought I'd post a few open questions to spur on some discussion especially among our more moderate and progressive readers:

• Which Porter County elected official would you most like to see removed from office? We all have a favorite, but who's your worst?
  
• If our elected leaders did allow us to vote for a County Executive, to run the county like a mayor while held accountable for a board of supervisors or council, who would you like to see be that first County Executive?
• The RBA is re-organizing, who would you like to see in charge?
  
• Do you support the merging of Lake and Porter counties' tourism teams? If so, who should be the executive director? If not, would you prefer to see it disbanded altogether and the monies returned to the communities?
• Much talk about property taxes, especially with Portage and Valparaiso businesses getting hammered pretty hard. What's the solution? Should we re-assess the entire county once and for all so that we all have a base to work off of that we can agree is correct? Should the assessor and/or other elected officials be held accountable, and if so how?
  
• Heard one elected official suggest that we are one of only five counties with taxes this high because we don't have an income tax, we have 1/2% but it's goes to econ develop not prop tax reduction. Want an income tax to widen the burden of paying for government?
  

Just plain ole open questions to get some conversations started. I know we have some Democrat friends that read here, and they were probably very bored with all the GOP talk the last month, so this is your chance.

GOP First District an embarassment

Updated Post
As is often the case, Northwest Indiana Republicans end up looking foolish when the day is over. I don't have all the details, and will continue digging but here's what I know so far:

• Sen. Sue Landske is the 1st District Chair, this is the same Senator who was just last week severely admonished by Governor Daniels for lacking the willpower to reform government. She was backed then by Lake County GOP chair John Curley.
  
• She had previously announced she was not running for chair again, but was obviously backing John Curley for the seat. Lake County formulated a slate (that must be the way that crusty entrenched republicans try to stay safe) and slammed it home.
• Only 6 people showed up for the reorganization meeting ... on time that is.
• The Porter County delegates were not allowed to vote, Senator Landske telling them they would not have that ability as proxies. It appears she was not aware that the law did allow the Porter County chair to send delegates in her stead.
• Those defending the Senator are suggesting that new Porter County chair dropped the ball by not finding out where and when the meeting was ... though there is some question as to why Landske didn't send out that information. This could actually be grounds for throwing out the election and starting over.
• Oh, by the way Kenard Taylor from Porter County wanted to run for Treasurer, but because the Porter County delegates were late he didn't have a nominator present and had to watch the slate go down unopposed.
  
• Further down the comments below you'll note that Valerie notes that John Curley called her and was working to put someone from each county on the slate to get those votes, kudos to John for winning this election. Would be great to win a couple for legitimate elected office wouldn't it?
  

Once again Northwest Indiana Republicans are an embarrassment. Now I'll get that same bunch of emails I got last week telling me to stop airing our dirty laundry on this site ... but frankly that's not the solution.

A tea party in Porter County?

Perhaps the term is getting over-used now, with tea parties in Chicago against Obama and giving away our money to banks and public companies. But right here in Porter County there's an undercurrent of discontent brewing.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. property owners are meeting at Strongbow Inn to discuss options, with some property owners having been taxed at levels in excess of 100% greater than the previous bills.

More as an update in a couple hours after I talk to a few participants.

Quote from Russ Adams owner of Strongbow: "But the owner of Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso said he's not sure how that will happen. "It's crazy," owner Russ Adams said. "I don't know how I'm going to sell enough turkey dinners to pay my tax bill." Adams said his taxes last year totaled about $46,000. This year his bill comes to about $100,000. The increase in taxes is due to a sharp rise in the assessed value of his property. Knowing he's not alone in his situation, Adams is inviting business owners, homeowners and county officials to a meeting at his restaurant at 10 a.m. Friday to discuss the tax bills.

I did pull up the Strongbow tax bill online this afternoon to review the details. A couple things jump out:

• Assessment jumped substantially as a part of the trending ordered a few years back, looks like it took the assessor three years to get around to assessing business properties.
• The tax rate of 2.8% is pretty high, can any small business survive in an environment where they have to pay almost, or eventually a full, 3% every year?
• Assessments in Valparaiso are up an average of 30% for this most recent set of bills, but the associated tax rate is only down 12%. (Comparing gross to gross) ... a question in my mind as to why the rate isn't down 25-30% overall?

Love input, since I'm still digging in and learning with the rest of you.

Educational reform, yet...not.

Now, I had a flicker of "hope" (yes, hope) when I heard Obama talk about education reform and that he backed merit based pay. Great! I was nodding my head yes and saying to myself, "Finally a golden nugget in a basket of crap." It may sound a little crude, but it was true. I thought that Bush with his NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND act actually punished the students, since the teachers get paid whether the same kid is in the classroom or not. However by giving raises to good teachers, maybe we'll have more, well, good teachers.

Now, that smile turned into a frown when I heard that he going to do away with the highly successful voucher system. You know, the system that allowed poorer students in high crime areas to have access to good private schools? The system that allowed ACTUAL academic choice? Why, Mr. President, shouldn't these two statements work hand in hand in order to take a huge leap forward in educational reform? Why, Mr. President, wouldn't you allow a program that is showing such PROGRESS to prove that it is a formidable replacement of the present system? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Mitch Daniels on Lake County Politics

When the Governor was in town on Friday to discuss his ideas on tax and government reform, he complimented one legislator and said he was embarrassed for another:

• The Governor complimented Democrat Dan Stephenson for authoring and supporting the bill to eliminate township government
• The Governor also once again suggested Republican Sue Landske made a misstep in playing Lake County politics, and not backing his reform measures.
  

"After Republican Sen. Sue Landske of Cedar Lake cast a key vote against township elimination a few weeks back, Daniels showed it really isn't a partisan issue, by calling her out. The governor issued a statement saying he was embarrassed and disappointed by her vote."

Don't expect this Governor to back down to either party, or to play partisanship over policy, in his efforts to shrink and reform government at all levels. Here in Porter County we have a bit of this same problem ... with mostly Republican township officials taking talking points from former Democrat Spinks who works as whip for township association against reform. In this author's opinion government reform is the central rallying point for conservatives and moderates in the next three election cycles.

Newt Gingrich on the importance of NY-20

AND, Rudy Guiliani, although a bit moderate for some conservatives, he was there when America needed leadership on 9-11.

The statistics on this site

A mental history of this site and some thoughts on where we head from here:

• The first post was on February 15, 2006 and was a reaction to the Times Bulletin Board, where users were wondering aloud if there could be a politics blog to engage and debate. The bulletin board format was already getting pretty old.
• We've had a total of 778 posts, with a typical day right now featuring 2 posts from different authors. That should put us at 1,000 posts sometime in July of this year.
• Initially I wrote all the posts, with a lot of analysis into the news of the day, or political debates. Now we feature 25 contributors, and many of our posts get picked up on Indiana Hardball Conservative, Hoosier Access, Red County, Red State, Townhall, Active Rain, and other multi-author platforms. If you have political input, thoughts on issues, please leave a comment and we'll get you an invitation to contribute ... it's easy.
• We now feature about 100 RSS subscribers. I'd love to see that number increase as more Porter County residents use a feed reader. If you want to try your hand, click the link above for RSS, I use Google's Reader which is free. Try it out.
  
• Our daily traffic has been all over the place, with more than 40,000 readers in the last three years, but a significant number of those during the presidential elections. Actually this last week during the GOP chairmanship race for Porter County we had 100-200 local readers a day. Would be nice to see that swell as authors increase and residents begin using this site for analysis of news that the Times or Post may not dig into.
  
• Thanks to all the inbound links we have received over the last three years. Great sites from all over the county, and a few from overseas, give us the thumbs up and we sure appreciate your attention.
  

2009 is the political equivalent of a rebuilding year in sports. Both teams go to their corners and rebuild and reorganize to get ready for 2010. Some issues will arise and need some analysis. I look forward to your readership, contributing, subscribing, and engagement. We will use the early summer months to rebuild this site ... with the help of some pros ... I'm no HTML expert or graphics guy ... please bear with us through that process.

Thanks
Steve

And then there was unity

Not sure how happy I am that we didn't actually have an election for county chairman. For those that weren't able to attend here's the rundown:

• Rep Ed Soliday spoke with energy and enthusiasm about our party and the passion we all have for conservative principles, good government highest among them.
  
• David Bengs, with a dynamite speech about party unity, stepped out of the way and did not run for chairman.
  
• Joyce Webster then was elected by all those present
• Joyce then, following the agreement from Tuesday night, confirmed her nomination of David for vice chair. And the rest of the previously disclosed slate of Donna and Ken.
• No major announcements yet from Joyce on direction, strategy, or appointments in leadership

To be frank, I was hoping for an election, a precise counting of the votes. But, alas we now have a Portage Trustee as the first female chairman the party ... and a strong Valpo attorney as the vice chair. There should be little reason to believe going forward that the party can be split apart by those working North County against South, Portage against Valpo.

Last minute politics for tomorrow

I have heard that many of Indiana's 92 counties are encountering dramatic elections for GOP leadership this weekend. I would have to guess that Indiana voting blue for Obama, and some counties like ours voting against Governor Mitch Daniels factors into all this. Thus, many conservatives are demanding that the party take steps to regain their roots and principles and incorporate more grass roots growth into this process.

Let's review our own situation here in Porter County:

• Dave Bengs and Joyce Webster both announced intentions to run for county GOP chair.

• Dave Bengs announced a slate consisting of himself for chair, Valerie Kubacki for vice, Ken Williams for Treasurer, and Donna Levi for Secretary

• Over the weekend some elected officials asked that the two chair candidates find a way to work together, in the interest of the whole county and winning elections

• On Tuesday night there was a letter signed by both candidates agreeing to back each other, we posted that letter here on this site first

• On Wednesday morning there were movement made to challenge Joyce's credentials, later in the day County Chairman Chuck Williams approved Joyce's credentials since her letter of announcement was confirmed to have been given to Donna Levi before the deadline.
  

• On Thursday David Bengs recanted his support for a unified ticket and told the Times that he was agreeing to an election but supporting Valerie Kubacki for vice. One wild side note, at a party celebrating Chuck Williams' retirement from the chairmanship, and allowing speeches by each candidate, Pam Fish the Democrat Clerk of the Courts was in attendance. Not sure why that happened.
  

• Today, Dave posted his formal recant of his support for Joyce on this site under Dave's Letter
  

• I was supplied the copy from Joyce's speech last night to the party insiders at Strongbow, which is posted as well. Speech for Chair. I did email Dave just now to ask for his speech too so we can keep everything out in the open.
  

Dave's Letter

Dear Fellow Republicans, Precinct and Vice Precinct Committeemen


I am writing this letter to clarify my position regarding the recent events that have occurred during this election for the County Chairman position. It is amazing how an election can twist and turn in a very short time. I think to make the events of the last two days clear an explanation is necessary. On March 3, 2009 in an effort to achieve party unity between the supporters of myself and Joyce Webster, Valarie and I agreed that it would be in the best interests of the Party that I would nominate Joyce as Vice Chairman if I should be successful in winning the election for Chairman and she would do the same if she won. Since then, a dispute arose over whether Joyce had properly filed her intent to be a candidate as Chairman. I filed the paperwork properly. However to remove any issue or question in anyone’s mind regarding the election process, I agreed that the election for the County Chairman should be held on Saturday. I do not want a technical violation of the filing rules to decide such an important race. As I stated to Chuck Williams “I do not want to stumble and trip across the finish line.”

Therefore I am asking again for your support in the County Chairman election. I would also ask that you support Valarie Kubacki for Vice Chairman. She has been an invaluable resource in assisting me with this campaign. I think she can be that same invaluable asset for the Porter County Republican Party.

Hope to see you on Saturday,


David M. Bengs

Credentials are in order

We posted here yesterday morning that there was some question on Joyce Webster's credentials, and then the party leaders asked me to take down that post. After further review, there was no problem with anyone's credentials, both the state party secretary and the local party secretary received annoncements of both candidates' intentions to run.

Good, now we can have the elections we all wanted.

The Times does a write-up on the situation, and I guess the only downside is that David Bengs has backed out of a deal to work with Joyce Bengs in backing each other for vice. It's tough to get inside all the wheeling and dealing, and frankly we have been consistent here that a flat out election is better for everyone.

Advice to Joyce - you mentioned last night the party could use a "woman's touch" soon after the announcement of Becky Skillman coming to Porter County on May 5th to speak after Lincoln Day. As much as we all want to see total diversity, you will need to figure out a way to get the support of the women's auxillary (GROW)

Advice to Dave - Portage and south county are feeling pretty slighted, not just during this election but during the last 6 years. It is widely held that solid conservatives are voting Democrat right now, because the Democrats appear to be listening to their concerns about growth and taxes. You will want to reach out to these two areas aggressively, we lost the county for our Governor, sad.

It's Apparantly Transparant

Secret meetings where no news cameras are allowed doesn't seem very transparant to me. Joe Biden has been in meetings with top union leaders discussing the card check program. The program would eliminate secret voting when people decide to become union or not. Now, I'm in a union, and let me give some first hand experiences when it comes to exactly what unions do, both positive and negative. The positive aspect is of course it keeps your boss from firing you for no reason what-so-ever. It makes bargaining for pay raises easier, and establishes contracts with the employer with set rules and regulations. Good union, good boy. The negative aspects are as follows: It allows lazy, worthless people who don't pull their fair share of the work to keep being lazy and worthless. Pretty much the only ways to get fired at my job is to fail a drug test or excess of call offs. That's about it. Those of us that do more than our fair share of the work *cough* me *cough cough* get paid the exact amount as those that sit on their ass all day. The managments hands are tied. Also, lets say the words "lay off" begin to float around the lunch room. Miraculously, at least three guys have twisted their ankles and need to go on medical leave! Let me give you all an example of how messed up the system is. I was having a debate about Reagan and how he was the best President in recent history. An older guy was using the argument that Reagan broke up unions and was "bad". This is his argument: "Man, back in the day it was great. We'd show up for work high or drunk or late, and the bosses would b*tch at us about it. All we had to say is 'I'm calling the union' and they would back off because the union was so strong." Now, those of us with common sense, we know the fault in this argument. I didn't say anything at first. I let him sit and reflect on his sentence. It took a few minutes, but when it clicked in his eyes, I knew it. "So what your telling me is that it was a good thing to show up for work and run heavy machinery f*cked up? So it was a good thing for the unions to be that strong? Let me tell you about what Reagan did. Air traffic controllers walked off the job to go on strike while airplanes were still in the air. They endangered those peoples lives just so they could get an extra couple bucks an hour. That's immoral and wrong, I don't care what anybody says." He of course stormed out, but that wasn't the point of this post. The fact that Biden is in these meetings "secretly" and won't allow press coverage just elevates my fear that card check is going to become a reality. No longer will we have the freedom to vote on these matters in private, and more than likely union coruption will run rampant. Those of us in unions know how corupt unions can be, and how unfair they are for those of us who have a strong work ethics and strong moral convictions.
I'm no rat, get that straight right now. However I won't sit on the sidelines any longer. It's time for other union workers who know these facts I've spoken of to speek up as well, and to try and stop the corruption. Transparancy doesn't mean taking away our rights to decide our own futures.

Valparaiso makes staff changes

With Bill Hanna announcing his departure last week to head the Regional Development Authority, Mayor Jon Costas made staff moves yesterday:

Bill Oeding becomes city manager
Lori Good becomes executive assistant
and Matt Murphy picks up Mayor's liason

Frankly, what a testimony to Bill Hanna that three people needed to move around to take over the entire role. Once again we see Valparaiso willing to reorganize to maximize talent while allowing great talent to move into regional and state roles.

School reform - tough new Superintendant

While many communities spent 2008 cutting budgets to meet the requirements of HEA 1001. And then during the legislative session this year many officials have taken the trek to Indianapolis to testify to hold up reforms proposed by Governor Daniels.

• Trustees don't want to eliminate townships, they are concerned that no one else can provide poor relief and fire service.
  
• Treasurers, Auditors, and Assessors don't want to be merged into one Chief Financial Officer because ... that would shut down at least two associations and make it a lot easier to figure out who isn't doing their job.
• County Commissioners don't want to be forced to choose between a County Executive or an expanded Board of Supervisors and a County Administrator. Having three people administrate and not having any legislative authority in the county council has made it very hard to figure out who's doing what ... a safe place for politicians.
• None of these groups wanted to support the anti-nepotism law, a place where all elected officials just plain look foolish when they hire their own family members. Oh yeah and then there is the law that forbids municipal employees from becoming their own bosses on the elected boards and commissions. In Valparaiso I believe 3 of the council members are city employees.
  

Now I read an article this morning that State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett, has suggested that the state has the authority to step in and take over school systems that are performing poorly. Uh Oh.

Check the quote from the Indianapolis Schools:

"IPS Superintendent Eugene White said he won't fault the state for taking over schools that fail to achieve but said he hopes the state does so fairly. For instance, IPS is required by state law to negotiate with the teachers union and must pay teachers accordingly and follow specific steps to dismiss teachers. If the state were to come in and ignore those laws, White said it would give them an unfair advantage in achieving success there.

"If the state paid people more money and didn't honor the teacher contract and got rid of teachers," White said, "then, yeah, they can do better."

Mr. White, if the schools can be run better ... why aren't you doing it? Why don't you have the legislature write you a law that gives you the ability to do what the state may have to do? Or if you are unable to go head to head with the teachers or cut administrators, leave please.

So the state now pays for schools, not local property taxes. I'm not even sure that local school boards elected by local citizens makes total sense. I guess a blend of elected and appointed by city or county officials may make better sense in an environment wherein the board members are spending state money. Another place for reform, efficiency, and yes I'm sure ISTA and the Indiana School Boards Association will be quick to run to Indy to try and save their flow of money and jobs.

#nwindiana GOP Candidates unite for election - breaking

In an unprecedented move, David Bengs and Joyce Webster have released a joint letter this morning asking for unified support of them both. Joyce posted the letter here. I really can't get a solid feel for whether this move solidifies Bengs' support by widening the base outside of Valpo, or helps Joyce pick up a few more Valpo voters who were concerned Dave would get left out.

"... In this vein we have come to a mutual agreement to back each other. We will work hard to win the chair, but the winner on Saturday hereby agrees to immediately nominate the loser for vice chair. We really do want to work together. The election process has been great, and raised debates worthy of all your efforts and attention. We were both concerned that the election had a chance to turn negative or hurtful, and that isn’t what we want or any of you want.

We therefore ask that you follow our agreement and vote with us. You make the decision who you want for chair, it’s an important decision, and then join us in affirming then whomever loses with the vice chairmanship."

There have been rumors of deals, and additional candidates for chair or vice, by noon today those are really all eliminated. A big question then is what will Valerie Kubacki, our own Republicans Rock, do? She has been the administrative glue for the last couple years, and I for one would like to see her officially on the team ... perhaps as our Secretary? Valerie, what is your plan?

Both candidates have been given writing privelges on this site, and I hope they will put some actions behind their words about technology and engagement.

Mainstream Bias

It isn't enough that the liberal media had to do everything in their power to usher in Obama, now they seem to think that it is their God given right to attack Rush. Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm no Rush Zealot who worships at his feet or thinks he should run the world. No way. He is an entertainer, plain and simple. The voice of the Republican party? Not necessarily. The voice of conservatives? More than likely.
I listen to Rush Limbaugh pretty often, and while I agree with about 90% of what he has to say I certainly wouldn't follow him off of a cliff. However my whole point of this post is this: where the hell are all of the free speech liberals? Why is it that when Rush says what I myself hope, that Obama falls on his face, the President of the United States of America has the audacity (he he) to personally attack Rush and essentially to take money out of his pocket. What Obama fails to realize is that Rush is PAYED TO CRITICIZE LIBERALS. Plain and simple. He criticized Clinton, he criticized Bush (when Bush caved to liberal pressure) and SURPRISE SURPRISE he's going to criticize Obama.
When it comes to matters of free speech (like the Fairness Doctrine) I don't think politics needs to be in the equation. Free speech is something that liberals and conservatives alike should be fighting for. The fact that the Fairness Doctrine directly attacks talk radio shows just how "UN"Fair the Doctrine really is. The sheer hypocrisy of it is mind boggling. Every news program (except Fox) and damn near every newspaper (besides the Wall Street Journal) has a liberal bias. Every liberal friend I have begrudgingly agrees. So why is it such a shock that the handful of conservative outlets that we have make a lot of money and do really well in ratings? If you have one hundred stores that only sell hamburgers, and only two that sell steak, why shut down the steak-houses for being successful? Sometimes people get tired of hearing the same tired crap about how we should hug a terrorist, get rid of our guns, and give all of our money to charity (only now without a tax write off). Sometimes people want to hear that message about good old fashioned hard work making a difference. That message that says "Government isn't the solution, it's the problem." All I know is this: All animals are created equal, but some are created more equal than others.

24 hours to cut-off

With the election of GOP chair pending on Saturday morning, candidates for party leadership have until noon tomorrow to file officially.

Things are pretty quiet this morning, I'm sure candidates are making their rounds of calls and sending letters for support. All in all, I've been pretty pleased with the number of conservatives getting engaged in this process. Thanks again to JD, for the article he posted this morning reminding all of us that this isn't really about the leader chosen on Saturday, it's about principles and battles much greater in the future.

Will post updates later today if news breaks ... and once again I'll place an open call for anyone from the Porter County Democrat Party who wants to give us an update on their selection process or principles to contact me. We've had some great discussions here, and the wider the audience the better for all of us who care about our county.

"The Absence of a Thriving, Vital Republican Party"

I was reading and following with great interest the race for Republican Chairman in Porter County.

Lake County provides a clear example of what occurs in the absence of a thriving, vital Republican Party. Joyce Webster (a regular contributor to this site) and attorney David Bengs of Portage have both declared for the candidacy of this position, and both have sent statements here to be posted. That's a good thing, as it shows both are embracing the "new media" of the Internet.

But I think there's more to it than that. And it's something we should recognize.

The chairmanship of the Porter County Republicans is not a post to be held in the traditional sense. It's not a "resume builder". It's not an honorary title; nor is it an honorific of any sort. It's not something that can be put on autopilot and left to it's own devices, although that may have been the case in the past -- like in the 1980's when I was growing up in Valpo.

The chairmanship of the Porter County Republican Party is the bunker of the generals who are fighting for the survival of red-state politics. It's the front line of the blue-politics from Lake County. And it's not just happening there in Porter County. It's happening here in San Antonio, and nationally at the federal level as well. I'm sure you've heard of President Obama?

One of the major things that needs to happen with the next Porter County Chairman is that they need to realize this. Stop thinking in terms of simply Porter County. Start thinking in terms of porter County, Starke County, Laporte County, and Lake County. Lake County is not an anomalous blue county in a red state. Lake County is blue because Cook County IL is blue, and has been bleeding over into Lake County for years and years.

Porter County has held this line against Cook County's onslaught. If we can hold this line, we can also take Lake County back. This is how we do that:

1.) We should be looking for ways to work with and cooperate together with Lake County Republicans, as well as the surrounding counties Republican chairs. Raise funds together. meet together and get to know each other. Get on Twitter and other social networking sites to communicate better.

2.) We should have a plan of action to take back every single seat up for election. Conservatism is favored by every voter it is explained and exposed to. There is no excuse in the world for having any democrat run for any seat unopposed. Barack Obama has made a career of running for seats unopposed and sliding into office this way. I've made a career of voting 'No Candidate' rather than vote for an unopposed liberal.

3.) We need to teach conservatism, and show the electorate how Ronald Reagan turned the country around economically in 1982 against all odds. We should teach the abject failure of the Great Depression and the Democrat New Deal. Again, conservatism is favored by every voter it is explained and exposed to. We should make it cool to be Conservative - and I think that goes back to a basic problem with our schools. How many of our schools even teach basic checkbook or bank account management? When people understand the idea of basic budgeting, they begin to understand how Obama and Congress are spending us into oblivion.

When I was stationed in the Army at Fort Campbell Kentucky, I had to go to a mandatory budget counseling class when I arrived (the commander's idea to keep soldiers from bouncing bad checks.) The classes were sponsored by the local Republican Party, and the instructor (a local accountant) blended simple financial stategy with real-world exoperience - with a Republican slant. This class is the first place I ever heard how the New Deal was a financial disaster that only World War II relieved. It's one of places my turn away from liberalism was really cemented in my mind.

I'm not saying budget classes are the way to make new Republicans - but it is *one* way. and we need to be thinking along the lines of educating people into conservative lines of thought.

4.) Finally, as I said before, We should make it cool to be Conservative. While the Elephant Ear booth is a time honored tradition at the Porter County Fair, the lines at the booth put off people. We don't need image problems - we need to reach people and let them see how cool it is to be conservative. Sponsor dances. Sponsor Soap Box Derby racers. Sponsor bigcommunity events, like the Popcorn festival or Oz Fest. Put our name out there and highlight our brand. Surely there are good advertising people who can make this work in the Party. Is there a committee that already exists that does this? (If there is, they're not doing a good job.)

These are just a few things Republicans can do to get noticed, and make a difference. These just came off the top of my little bald head. Do the candidates for Republican Chair have any ideas they'd like to share?

We'd love to hear them. Maybe we should add Communication to that list, too.

~~JD~~

Joyce Webster for Chairman

Fellow Porter County Republican, March 2, 2009

As you have may have heard, I am a candidate for Chairman of our Porter County Republican Party. This is not a decision I entered into lightly. It came as a result of thoughtful deliberation and discussions with Republicans throughout Porter County; both party “regulars” and Republican voters.

My decision to run is not based upon a specific agenda, rather it is a product of my sincere belief that we are at a crossroads and we must make fundamental changes if we are to remain relevant in Porter County. If the shadows of the last two elections remain unaltered our Party may no longer be viable following the next county election.

A political party's success is measured in election wins. No one can honestly believe our party is presently positioned for success. This is not a criticism of past leadership, but rather a candid observation of what occurs when we collectively refuse to embrace political reality and broaden our reach. This is what occurs when we fail to offer the electorate clear choices and appealing alternatives. I am uniquely familiar with what it takes to defeat a Democrat in a contested election. I successfully did just that, in Portage nonetheless.

Reform and renewal is required. However, this must not occur as a result of alienation or dismissal. Rather, it is imperative that we respect the past, embrace the present, and forge a blueprint for the future of our county and our party.

Lake County provides a clear example of what occurs in the absence of a thriving, vital Republican Party. It is our collective responsibility to change our entire game plan, not just our players on the field. Should we refuse, the seeds of Lake County politics will find fertile ground in Porter County and flourish unabated. More importantly, the Republican Party risks never returning to political prominence in Porter County.

I'm determined to restore the promise of the Party of Lincoln to Porter County and renew its spirit with ideas, innovation, energy, and new organization.

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you should you have any questions regarding candidacy. I ask for your vote this Saturday.

Warmest Regards,

Joyce Webster
Portage Township Trustee

219-689-7052

Note: See Joyce's letter online for list of supporters endorsing

Dave Bengs running for Chairman

We received this from Dave this morning:

The election for the Party Chair person is on March 7, 2009. This election
will be crucial in shaping the Porter County Republican party in the coming
years. The Porter County Republican party needs to grow in membership and
enthusiasm and it is this challenge that I am willing to undertake.

For those of you who do not know me, I am an attorney practicing in
Valparaiso. I am married with two daughters and two sons.  Our family stays
very active and involved in all aspects of our community - - from school
events, youth sports, church activities, and support of local non-profit
organizations. My involvement with the Porter County Republican party began
by assisting with campaigns by handing out door hangers and flyers. I then
was asked to assist Matt Murphy with his successful campaign to be elected
to the County Council. The following year I ran for the City Council
At-Large for Valparaiso.

Since that campaign, I have been the Center Township Chairman, and have
been very active in running the Elephant Ear Stand at Popcorn Festival, Fair Booth,
Voter Registration drives, Lincoln Day Dinner, and assisting in several different
campaigns over the last few years.  I was also appointed to be on the Utility Board by
Mayor Costas. All of these experiences have provided me with a perspective on the
importance of having a strong, well organized county political organization to support
its party candidates so that they are better able to run successful
campaigns.

The combination of these experiences and my family's understanding of the
importance of community involvement are the factors I would draw on to
enhance Porter County's Republican Party. Improvements can be achieved by
increasing participation at the precinct committee level, organizing
regional party meetings that focus on issues that affect each part of our
County, encouraging more unified input and support from all of the
Republican groups and clubs within our County, and expanding  the direction
of the party outward beyond the Central Committee to include more party
members so that each and every member feels that they can contribute to and
be a part of the entire Party's movement. The Republican Party is not the
Chairman alone and cannot succeed without tapping the resources within our
own party. Participation will be encouraged by not only attending meetings,
but by expanding the technology of the party which is an important element
of including a younger generation that relies almost solely on electronic
communication.

One last suggestion that will also become part of the evolution and growth
of the party is that the Porter County Republican party needs to
re-establish its identity as the party of conservatism, small government,
balanced budget, innovation, and lower taxes. It seems that the Party lost
this identity, and as a result, the public no longer has a clear
understanding of what our party stands for. With consistent theme, the
public will be reassured that our candidates are the right candidates for
local political positions.

I hope you made it through this entire letter and I ask for your support to
endorse my candidacy for Porter County Republican Chair person and I
encourage you to support my team of Valarie Kubacki for Vice Chairman, Ken
Williams for Treasurer, and Donna Levi for Secretary. These are the people
that I will be leaning on for support and advice along with your ideas and
suggestions as we move forward.

David M. Bengs
Attorney

And then ... only 4 days now ... leadership matters

Open letter of request to the two chairman candidates, kinda like a training session for the job next week, on the following issues in the news today, what would your approach be? By the way, for those watching from the sidelines today (250 yesterday who read but didn't engage), join the debate ... what "should" the new leader do on these issues?

The Times reports that the Indiana House accomplished very little so far, with our Governor being even more specific ""It's a good thing they don't give out midterm grades," Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said of the work led by Democratic House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend. "The budget bill is of almost no use at all." After the Republican-ruled Senate cut compromises to keep alive portions of the governor's proposed local government makeover, Bauer quipped that the Kernan-Shepard reform agenda had lost its shepherd and arrived in the House a wounded animal.

After all, the bill to eliminate townships no longer would eliminate townships -- just the three-member township advisory boards. And an effort to streamline counties would exempt Lake County and could give rise to a patchwork quilt of up to five different forms of county government.

So, question number one: What will be your approach, on Saturday afternoon, to working with our legislators? Will you ask them to back the governor's reforms? Do you see the role of chairman of the party as important enough to engage these issues immediately? Our own First District chair, Senator Landske voted against many of the Governor's reforms, and personally got Lake County exempted from reorganization laws ... will you demand that she step down as district chair?

The Post-Trib reports that when many Porter County residents received their property tax bills, mind you these are the 2007 taxes, which should have been payable in May of 2008, but we are just now getting bills in March of 2009 ... there was a mixture of surprises with significant increases in values on of the most prevalent.

"I need to get a form for an appeal," Don Turner told the deputy assessor as he walked up to the counter. The Valparaiso resident saw his assessed value go up $34,000. He and another dumbfounded man from Washington Township shared their assessment figures while standing in line. "That's the way they're getting the (tax) caps, huh?" Turner muttered.

So, your second question for the day: After you get done appointing your leadership team for the party and determining where the party will have it's offices (call that Monday) setting the date for Lincoln Day and your first precinct meeting (maybe Tuesday) on Wednesday then how will you approach the difficult issue of our county mess? Who will you interview to gain an thorough understanding of the mess we all call the county administration? I'm not asking where you will land yet on reorganization, but what process will you use to get acclimated?

As an aside: David Bengs has released his full slate for offices on Saturday, I don't have a copy since I'm not a voter, so I'm missing the name of the Secretary he's slated. Chair - Bengs, Vice - Kubacki, Treasurer - Williams, Secretary ?

It's housing stupid

Although we may all laugh at this bumpersticker, it's really not that funny. Until housing recovers the entire economy waits. Government paying mortgages isn't the solutions obviously.

Porter County GOP - 5 more days

Some fun in the blogosphere, and perhaps some hints to those that desire elected office:

National Conservative blogger Kevin Tracy says this morning that he will not be endorsing either candidate for Porter County chairman. As of this morning he had not been able to talk to either, nor has met them. He does suggest he will be attending the party on Thursday night (meet the candidates and Chuck's farewell) I sent notes to both Joyce and David telling them that engaging with Kevin and other solid conservative new media bloggers is the wave of the future.

For those that may have missed the Chesterton Tribune article on the race, I guess from my perspective it looks like they couldn't reach Dave Bengs. A big part of the job is talking to reporters often multiple times in a week.

The Post-Trib article does feature quotes from both candidates. Both appear to be calling for growing the party and grass roots activity. Glad to see David Bengs suggest using internet technologies, would love to hear from him here more on those plans.

Another compliment though, Valerie Kubacki is engaged and has been engaged on this site, on twitter, on facebook, and other locations all through the last year. I'd sure like to see more leaders doing ... talk is cheap and we've heard it before.