Featuring multiple authors reviewing political events and politicians and issues in Indiana's Porter County and all of Northwest Indiana. On the Chicago Southshore in the "Region" of Northwest Indiana. Good government a key focus. The views expressed are those of each author, not necessarily the editors.
Frugal Hoosiers is showcasing targeted seats that are potential pick-ups for Republicans in the House, our own Northwest Indiana District 19 is on that list. Luke Abbott has announced so far, may get additional primary challengers, and looks to have strong downstate support for his candidacy.
Road to 51 (FH): "At the age of 18 Luke enlisted into the Indiana National Guard U.S. Army. Luke felt the responsibility to serve the country that gave him freedom. He served for a total of 5 years and 10 months. Within that span of time he served one tour of duty in Mosul, Iraq for 11 months until being medically evacuated to Germany and then eventually the States. After receiving two Purple Hearts for wounds received during combat action, Luke spent the next nine months in physical rehabilitation state side until he was medically boarded by the U.S. Army with an honorable discharge."
If check out the links at the bottom of Frugal Hoosiers page, you'll find the twitter and facebook profiles for this candidacy.
On the eve of today's 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution's adoption, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told conservative lawyers in Chicago that the University of Chicago Law School — where he used to teach — has lost its edge and gone liberal.
Back in the days when Scalia — the court's most vocal supporter of adhering to the text of the constitution — used to teach at the school, it was more associated with conservative economist Milton Friedman. The courses had more rigor and the school had a more conservative ethos, Scalia told 500 members of the conservative Federalist Society of lawyers at the Union League Club Tuesday.
After Scalia left the school, it hired now-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and started offering classes like Obama's popular "Current issues in Racism and the Law."
Scalia never mentioned Obama or any other professor. But Scalia bemoaned the proliferation of exotic law classes in the country's law schools.
"I took nothing but bread-and-butter classes, not "Law and Poverty," or other made-up stuff, Scalia said to laughter. He said his advice to law students was: "Take serious classes. There's so much law to learn. Don't waste your time."
The question posed to Scalia was what he thought of the ideological change at the University of Chicago Law School since he was a teacher there.
"I regret it," Scalia said. "I don't think the University of Chicago is what it was in my time. I would not recommend it to students looking for a law school as I would have years ago. It has changed considerably and intentionally. It has lost the niche it once had as a rigorous and conservative law school."
The University of Chicago Law School has consistently ranked as one of the nation's top five or 10 law schools in national surveys. Scalia, a Harvard Law grad like Obama, taught at U. of C. from 1977 to 1982. Obama taught there part-time from 1992 through 2004 while he practiced civil rights law and worked as a state senator.
Scalia has been cited by Republican presidential nominee John McCain and President Bush before him as the archetype of a "strict constructionist" judge who does not "legislate from the bench." As he does in most of his speeches, Scalia criticized what he called the trend of many of his fellow justices over the last 40 years to usurp legislators‚ prerogative and "rewrite" the "Constitution with decisions on abortion, gay rights and other issues.
"What did I learn at Harvard Law School or at my practice in Ohio or in the federal government that qualifies me to determine whether there ought to be — and therefore is — a right to abortion or to homosexual sodomy or a right to suicide?" Scalia said. "I don't know any more about that than Joe Six-pack."
The Federalist Society, like Scalia, advocates a more conservative approach to interpreting the law.
Just four floors below Scalia at Chicago's Union League Club on Tuesday night, the less-conservative Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago celebrated the Constitution's anniversary by presenting awards to Chicago lawyers who fly to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to represent accused "enemy combatants."
The lawyers — including Republicans and Democrats — said the Bush administration had to have its hand forced by the Supreme Court to give the detainees any hearings, even though the government has known that it had no evidence against many of the detainees.
"Eighty-six percent of the detainees were not picked up by U.S. military," said attorney Jeffrey D. Colman. "They were picked up by Pakistani security forces at a time when we were offering bounties of $5,000 a head."
Fifteen physician-owned hospitals across the state of Indiana, including the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital (IOH), could be eliminated causing a ripple effect resulting in thousands of job losses if the healthcare reform bill ready for debate in the U.S. Senate becomes law.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) before Congress contains specific language that bans physician-owned hospitals, strangling currently operating facilities that serve patients in several cities including New Albany, Munster, Fort Wayne, Mishawaka, and Indianapolis. In Indiana, physician hospitals employ more than 4,000 nurses and staff, and 2,610 physicians; which provides the state with a payroll of $180.4 million and $50 million in taxes, according to the 2008-2009 Economic Impact Analysis by the Physician Hospitals of America.
“I feel deeply threatened by the fact there is legislation on the table that has the potential to further damage our already battered economic climate, especially when the nation is struggling to emerge from the current recession and so many families are struggling to make ends meet,” said Jane Keller, Chief Executive Officer at IOH. “Not only would we be eliminating jobs, but we would also lose the ability to offer proven quality of care to patients all across the state.”
Language in the bill under section 6001, Title VI, places caps on growth for existing physician-owned hospitals and prohibits them from receiving critical reimbursements for services rendered under Medicare and Medicaid, eventually phasing them out of existence.
Two other Indiana physician hospitals already in development would also be killed outright by the bill, ending the promise of another 200 jobs.
By Laura Shurr Blaney - Porter County Council Member(reprinted with permission from the author)
The wake of the RTA's crushing defeat brings a renewed push forthe RDA and a rebuke of its opposition. Opponents are coined a"vocal minority" as well as hayseeds, obstructionists and evenracists. We're accused of desiring a wall to keep "them people" outand of spreading misinformation. I believe RDA opponents make upthe majority in Porter County and the opposition is not beingaccurately portrayed.
The RDA was formed for four tasks: South Shore and Gary/ChicagoInternational Airport expansion, bus regionalization and improvedaccess to Lake Michigan. Proponents mailed shiny fliers promising26,000 jobs. Let's examine this closely.
Rail expansion estimates are over $1 billion, but a federal match of $500 million is assured. Or is it? NICTD announced in July that the Valparaiso line is nowhere close to meeting Federal Transportation Administration cost-effectiveness standards, which is necessary to compete for federal funds. Valparaiso has been dropped from study completely and Lowell is on 'hiatus.' When Ifind constituents in favor of the RDA it is generally because they've been led to believe the RDA will bring the South Shore toValparaiso. Now, who's spreading misinformation?
Expansion of Gary's Airport has been 'on the brink of success' for many years. Currently, progress is stalled because of an absolute need for property owned by Gary's schools. The schools know the airport's dilemma and have responded with an asking price well above appraised value. How's that for cooperation?
Why should Porter County residents pay for buses in Lake Countywhen Lake receives millions in casino money and has tax rates thatdwarf ours? In Porter County, Valparaiso's V-line and Chicago Dashneed RDA support. Neither has large numbers of riders nor haseither reached ridership estimates. Nice busses, but cost outweighsbenefits.
Improved access to Lake Michigan is unarguably a good thing. Wenow have a lakefront park amongst steel mills. Yet should peoplehave money taken from their paychecks for an out-of-the way parkduring a recession?
I wouldn't expect a full 26000 jobs yet, but I would expect morethan a few. As far as a wall to keep 'them people' out, the onlywall is that of higher taxes. Opponents aren't worried about 'thempeople,' only 'that government.'
I maintain the best way to attract people and business is low taxes. Couple that with our great schools and unique atmosphere and we've got a winner. Travel time to Chicago is much greater than the suburbs we try to emulate, and one must travel through the nation's murder capital to get there. Without low taxes and ourrural-residential, small town atmosphere, what will we have toseparate us from the pack? Well, I guess we'll have the RDA.
Laura Shurr Blaney is an at-large member of the Porter County Council. (Democrat)
In what will probably send chills through municipal offices statewide, Greg Zoeller filed suit for $259,000 that was defrauded from the Town of Chesterfield. Chesterfield is not in Northwest Indiana, and thus some may suggest not germane to our normal posts, but just think what this might mean for other cities, towns, and municipal entities in the region.
Attorney General Zoeller files suit against former Chesterfield officials
State seeks to recover more than $259,000 defrauded from town government by employees
INDIANAPOLIS – Today Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller filed a lawsuit demanding that five former officials of the town of Chesterfield – including the former clerk-treasurer and former town marshal -- repay more than $259,000 in public funds they allegedly defrauded from the town government. The Attorney General also is seeking temporary restraining orders against the defendants to protect assets from being disposed of or sold.
The lawsuit, filed in Madison County Circuit Court, is part of a stepped-up effort by Zoeller to combat public corruption and misuse of tax dollars by elected officials and government employees.
“The claim that the town’s former top fiscal officer and the town’s former police chief hatched a scheme to defraud the taxpayers who employed them appears to be the ultimate betrayal of the public’s trust,” Zoeller said.
The case stems from an Oct. 26, 2009, certified audit by State Board of Account examiners who found that five individuals, individually or together, allegedly defrauded the town government out of a total $259,626.07 by getting paid for false mileage reimbursement claims, phony automotive-repair and building-repair claims, and for hours never worked during 2007 and 2008.
Named as defendants in the Attorney General’s civil suit seeking recovery of public funds are:
Former town clerk-treasurer and town manager Christopher Parrish. The lawsuit alleges Parrish paid himself $31,535.91 in fictitious travel expenses and approved phony claims and improperly issued reimbursement checks for four other defendants. Parrish resigned from his town positions in January 2009.
Former town marshal James Kimm. The complaint alleges Kimm submitted falsified mileage reimbursement claims to Parrish for destinations to which he didn’t travel and was paid $52,553.06. He also allegedly received $1,700 in petty cash reimbursements from Parrish. The State Board of Accounts audit noted that Kimm’s description for most of the out-of-state travel was to pick up military surplus from the U.S. Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office. When examiners checked with the DRMO, they reportedly found no record of anyone from Chesterfield, including Kimm, obtaining equipment from a DRMO location, the audit said. Kimm resigned as town marshal in January 2009.
Joseph Brown, a former part-time police officer for Chesterfield who is half-brother of Kimm. The lawsuit alleges Brown participated in a scheme with Parrish and Kimm where Brown submitted phony claims for automotive repairs to town-owned vehicles that never were performed. The State Board of Accounts examiners reported that the street address of “Brown’s Automotive” listed on the invoices is a home in a residential neighborhood where there was no indication of commercial automotive work taking place. Brown received 24 checks totaling $115,391.44 between January 2007 and March 2008, the audit found.
Christopher Walters, a former town maintenance superintendent, and his brother James Walters, a former town maintenance employee. The suit alleges the two former employees were part of a scheme with Parrish where they were paid $37,600 for repair work to town government buildings that never occurred, according to the audit. The suit alleges James Walters owes $13,002.88 for hours he was paid but didn’t work and owes $2,850 for tools improperly purchased with town funds. Christopher Walters allegedly was overpaid by $4,992.76 for hours he didn’t work.
'The audit claims this fraud was brazen in its audacity and proportionately large in its scope. The quarter-million-dollar fraud represents a very sizeable portion of the town’s entire operating budget. That’s why we will be moving quickly in pursuing the defendants’ assets in order to protect the taxpayers and restore to the Chesterfield town treasury what was wrongfully taken,” Zoeller said.
The State Board of Accounts audit found that Parrish and the others executed the scheme without the knowledge of the Chesterfield Town Council. Parrish issued “manual” checks the council did not see, the audit found.
The complaint asking the court to order Parrish and the other defendants to return the public funds is a civil suit, not a criminal case. The Attorney General’s office has jurisdiction to file civil cases.
Beyond demanding repayment from the defendants, the lawsuit also seeks payment of the employee-theft insurance the town took out on the employees in 2007 and 2008 and to redeem surety bonds obtained on Parrish and Kimm. The suit seeks $60,000 from Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland and another $8,500 from Ohio Casualty Insurance Company.
If State Board of Accounts examiners audit a government office and discover theft, fraud or malfeasance, they refer the certified audit to the Attorney General’s office, which acts as collection agent to recover the missing funds.
Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly passed a new state law on public accountability that Zoeller had advocated, House Enrolled Act 1514. It requires public employees who handle money to carry larger bond amounts -- $30,000 – and brings the Attorney General’s office into the investigation process earlier when the State Board of Accounts discovers money is missing.
'The new law will allow us to freeze assets at the first indication public funds are at risk of being stolen, so they can’t be transferred while the audit is being completed,” Zoeller said. The Chesterfield case occurred before the new law took effect July 1.
The Indiana DLGF is becoming very adroit at tracking which townships and counties are getting back to scheduled tax bills, and which are continuing to fall woefully behind. In many parts of the state, counties are ahead of schedule, not locally.
A state official is warning Lake County residents aredoomed to late tax bills and expensive borrowing again in 2010unless Calumet Township Assessor Booker Blumenburg improves his performance.
Timothy J. Rushenberg, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, wrote Blumenburg Monday, 'because of your office's untimely and error-riddled work, Lake County is in jeopardy of yet another year of late billing.'
Blumenburg shot back Monday, 'It seems to me the DLGF is becoming a political organization.'
He accused Republican state officials and Nexus Group, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm, of smearing him. 'They are trying to accomplish through the DLGF what they couldn't accomplish through the referendum,' Blumenburg said.
Sadly Porter, Lake and LaPorte Counties have three of the worst on-time records in the entire state for assessing, trending, certifying and getting bills out on time. I can't help but think that we can then surmise something of the politics surrounding these three counties. What would that be?
In a move anticipated by not paying interest payment to creditors, Majestic Star Casino I and II filed for bankruptcy protection today. Both are in Gary and contribute millions to the budget of Gary, which is already in rough shape due to property tax caps mandated by the legislature.
Thoughts on where this ends up?
Will the legislature move to take the licenses from Barden's control immediately?
Will the legislature look to allow a land based casino in Gary and move one license to Fort Wayne as was rumored last year?
Will Gary be forced to file for Distressed Unit Assistance this year at the State?
Update I - Northwest Indiana and Beyond pondering a similar set of numbers, but leaning toward keeping the budgets close to what they are now. Who's paying for highways?
It seems that we've all been pondering the South Shore, environmentalism, commuter access, economic development, and such for a couple years now. I have a proposal, and it may seem naive to everyone who reads ... but I'm willing to offer something and see what we learn.
I was reading in the Chesterton Tribune that the South Shore has serviced roughly 3.5 million passengers (at least one ways as far as i can tell) and that will approach roughly 4 million by the end of the year. The 2010 budget calls for a whopping $38,400,000 in total expenses and only $18,800,000 is covered by the riders paying fares. In really rough figures this means the riders aren't paying to operate their own commuter rail. Oh, as an aside, I bet that budget could be dropped even more if riders knew the money was theirs.
I propose fares be increased to cover operating expenses to an average $9.79 immediately. I realize that due to supply and demand this means less people will be able to use the rail. But I also think that social service providers and communities that want to help should help the riders themselves not ask all taxpayers to do so. At $9.79 my calculations suggest that even with our depressed level of riders now all opearating expenses would be covered by the riders themselves. Now maybe they won't want quite so many employees or ultra-expensive insurance for the employees, since they are paying the entire expense.
Then I propose that we restructure our federal, state, and local dollars that are currently being used to pay for the riders who aren't paying enough ... to layout a ten year plan to bring a commuter leg into Lake County, into Porter County, and into LaPorte County. Since this will cost lots of money (like $500 million I'm guessing) LaPorte needs to rethink their decision not to take part in the RDA and join the RDA as the funding source for $3.5 million per year.
New money for expansion, fares for operating ... and who knows maybe privatize the whole thing in 2020?
Ok, tell me I'm crazy and don't know anything about politics or taxes or being a conservative. That's fine ... better a starting idea for the rest of you to kick around.
U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton is the newest jurist on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
After a half hour of final debate starting at 2 p.m., the U.S. Senate voted within an hour to confirm Judge Hamilton, who was President Barack Obama's first judicial pick.
He has served the Southern District of Indiana bench for 15 years and currently serves as chief judge. He succeeds Circuit Judge Kenneth Ripple, who took senior status in September 2008.
"We're so very happy for our colleague that this long process has finally ended," said Judge Sarah Evans Barker in Indianapolis, "and of course, that it's culminated in his appointment. We have always had complete confidence in his abilities, and that's never waived. We'll miss his collegiality on our court here, but we'll look forward to working with him at the Court of Appeals level."
Today's final vote of 59-39 capped an eight-month nomination process that had been prevented from reaching the floor for debate since June when Judge Hamilton survived the Senate Judiciary Committee by a partisan vote. On Tuesday, 70 percent of the Senate crushed a judicial filibuster threat by some conservative senators, allowing the controversial nomination to finally proceed to an up-or-down vote.
Sen. Jeffrey Sessions, R-Ala., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed Judge Hamilton's nomination because of concerns about his record and work history, which they labeled as "liberal" and evidence of a "judicial activist." Sessions pushed debate because the judge was the president's first pick and sets the stage for how both parties can proceed on future judicial nominations.
But several senators - including Indiana's senators, Republican Richard Lugar and Democrat Evan Bayh - defended Judge Hamilton and called those accusations unfounded, saying the judge is well qualified for the appellate bench.
Speaking on Judge Hamilton's behalf from the Senate floor earlier this week, Bayh called the nomination delays that had stopped the judge from getting a vote since summer a "sad state of our judicial nominating process."
"I know first hand (Judge Hamilton) is a highly capable lawyer who understands the limited role of the federal judiciary," he said.
A formal swearing in will likely occur in early 2010, and the judge will be able to begin his appellate duties immediately after the president signs his commission document. But as has happened in the past with other judges, the chief Circuit judge will likely re-designate him to the District Court in a limited capacity in order to tie up his caseload and assist until a successor is nominated and confirmed. Bayh's office has not publicly released any candidates' names and the White House does not have a timeline for when any judicial nomination might be announced.
By most people's accounts, I'm a pretty libertarian minded Republican. Heck, I fly my State Fair balloon around without a permit and without notifying the FAA. I also own two rifles. Why? Well, it's not because I hunt or am worried about a home invasion. (You get my drift.) I say this because what I'm about to write is going to have the Daffy Duck fringe of the libertarian movement within the GOP raving mad. Then again... they're more like the Donald Duck fringe, because they're ALWAYS raving mad.
Well, what I'm about to suggest will at least have them declaring that I'm somehow a big-government socialist who wants to strip everyone of their civil liberties. Just ignore them - the Donald Ducks will just be having one of their "moments".
What I'm suggesting is that the Indiana Republican Party PURGE the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) and its members out of Republican Politics in our state. Here in Northwest Indiana, we saw first hand at last month's Porter County Republican Party meeting that the RLC (which sets the agenda of the NWI Patriots) is hellbent on discrediting and undermining the Republican Party and its candidates every step of the way. What's worse, the RLC is doing this while simultaneously teaming up with DEMOCRAT Bob Harper to achieve this goal.
The Indiana faction of the RLC isn't the only one to be causing problems. In fact, the same shenanigans were taking place in Florida over the past few months. How did the Florida Republican Party solve the problem? They banned RLC members from holding party positions and launched an active campaign to ensure they wouldn't become delegates at their Florida GOP Convention coming up.
Florida may not have the most open party system, but it's a strong party nevertheless and they weren't going to tolerate Donald Ducks from the RLC undermining the work the FLGOP is doing to elect Republicans to state offices in 2010. Perhaps its time that the Indiana Republican Party and the leadership therein begin taking a serious look at what these fringe idiots are up to.
Indiana, which is usually one of the first two states to be declared for the Republican Presidential Candidate every four years voted to give its electoral votes to the most liberal and progressive politicians we have ever seen. 2010 has GOT to be a rebuilding year for the Indiana Republican Party and the LAST thing that we need is for the RLC to be working with Democrats to discredit our leaders, bash our candidates, and try to spread mayhem by creating unnecessary divisions.
Are the Indiana Republican Party or our County Parties perfect? Of course not. But there are constructive ways to going about solving problems within the party and there are destructive ways. The RLC has chosen a unilaterally destructive course and should be kicked out of the process entirely for it.
On a side note, the NWI Patriots have proved me wrong about my last post, where I predicted their future events would all be pathetically small after abandoning the health care debate to focus on the RTA referendum. Seriously, did you see that their last event had an amazing turnout of 13?! Of course... it wasn't actually their event... and it wasn't actually their people... and it wasn't actually anywhere remotely near here.
I guess the Patriots have sort of died. Yet another example of the RLC's nature of destroying everything they can get their dirty little hands on.
This story is a prime example of the corruption and ineptitude of the the little fairy kingdon called Porter County Indiana; and is the major reason I left there seven years ago.
VALPARAISO | A jury deliberated about a half hour Friday before returning to find former Portage school bus driver Terry Burch not guilty of felony child neglect on allegations of ignoring various disciplinary problems on his vehicle last school year.
The 69-year-old Portage resident, who had faced the possibility of going to prison for three years if convicted on the charge, said through his attorney that he was glad the experience was over and grateful for each juror who "spoke the conscience of our community."
Deputy Prosecutor Tim Haraminac declined to guess what, if any impact the ruling could have on the remaining criminal cases involving the three boys believed responsible for sexual assaulting and otherwise terrorizing fellow students on the bus.
"He was told numerous times something was going on in his bus and he did nothing about it," he said.
You Lie, Tim. Burch filed at least one written student conduct complaint, as well as several verbal complaints with his superiors -- and the Schools did nothing -- but they blamed him for it anyway.
Burch testified Thursday he knew nothing about the Feb. 5 incident, which involved allegations that a female student had been sexually assaulted by two of the three boys charged.
And it's really hard to report what the kids didn't tell you about. He's a BUS DRIVER, not a Security Guard. His eyes were on the road -- not the back of the bus.
And if these little thugs were terrorizing the bus, whose responsibility was it to hire a security guard? NOT the driver's I'm sure.
Defense attorney Gregory Sarkisian told jurors Friday that Burch is not a criminal, but rather has been made a scapegoat by school administrators, who failed to do everything they could to protect the students.
The defense had faulted the administration this week for failing to notify Burch of the lengthy list of disciplinary problems involving the three boys in question and for failing to respond to numerous student conduct complaints filed by Burch.
"The administration should be sitting right alongside this man," Sarkisian said referring to Burch.
Haraminac reiterated his argument Friday that Burch filed just one student conduct complaint while failing to respond to incidents such as the alleged sexual assault.
And here the prosecution screws up their kangaroo-court star chamber prosecution of Burch; they admit he had, indeed, filed a written complaint about student conduct on the bus.
Which puts the lie to Deputy Prosecutor Tim Haraminac, doesn't it?
I don't know why I expected anything other than a cover-up and the Blame Game from the Libs running the School Board.
Once again Sand Creek Country Club is in the news, with parent company NiSource looking to sell the club and parcels of land to yet another buyer. Didn't we just go through all this a couple years ago?
The timeline (correct my memory, I'm driving while typing and will update)
I believe that US Steel owned Sand Creek originally and sold the country club and surrounding land to NiSource 15 years ago
NiSource formed Lake Eerie Land Company to hold these properties and buy additional in that same area for economic development. They invested heavily in the country club and really created the region's best golf course (IMHO)
Lake Eerie went through a flurry of activity, consultants, designs and ideas to eventually complete the lion's share of the housing at Sand Creek as high-end private and gated custom homes. They separated the southern area and renamed it Coffee Creek and shot for the moon by projecting a Neo-Traditional model that was way ahead of it's time.
Lake Eerie sold a big chunk of Coffee Creek to the Carpenter's Union investment fund for an amount that later came into controversy because it was valued far above anything the market would bear, a few people even did jail time because it appears an inside deal was cut to get the union to pay too much.
The carpenter's union bought partially developed Coffee Creek, with streets and sidewalks, but the utilities weren't complete. The lots were very small, holding to the neo-traditional designs ... a few small builders tried their hand, but the activity was spotty at best.
As controversy swirled, NiSource about five years ago began a contract buy-out with Illinois developer James Gierczyk. I don't know the details but basically the developer took over control and needed to make annual payments over a long period of time.
These annual payments came in the form of the developer selling off parts of the project. Now the story gets hazy, because many of these deals were contract deals as well, involving payments over time. Let's be honest an out of town developer, with little at risk except name, selling to out of town builders on contract probably wasn't the best plan for moving these lots in a recession.
I'll stop there because I'm sure others will have details I don't. But to put it bluntly, this project has now at least twice spent too much money trying to recruit out of town developers and builders to do something that frankly could always have been down locally. Builders like Coolman Homes are committed to this kind of development, developers like former LEL attorney Cliff Fleming know these kinds of projects inside and out.
If I were the Town of Chesterton and NiSource, I'd highly recommend that a team be assembled of local talent ... heck I'd even be willing to work on a project with this much potential. Build what the market wants residentially, recruit businesses for a hi-tech park using the personal property tax exclusion passed last year, and make this a NW Indiana success story! If NiSource wants to maximize their investment, dumping at firesale prices is the worst way to go, and the worst result for the citizens who live there now.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Lugar’s wife was arrested Wednesday on a drunken driving charge in Virginia, Lugar’s office said Thursday collided with an unattended car in the suburban Virginia neighborhood where the Lugars live, according to a statement released by Lugar’s office. No one was injured.
“We are deeply sorry and embarrassed that this accident has occurred,” said Lugar, R-Ind.
Charlene Lugar is scheduled to appear in court in January.
Her arrest was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
Superintendent Benway from Valparaiso Schools a finalist for the Carmel job. Is this a testimony to the Valpo school system, or a chance to make some changes? I wonder if the Carmel board is appointed by the mayor and council, or elected? That could make Carmel a lot different environment than Valparaiso.
Mittal released a few details about proposed landfill in Burns Harbor, looks like IDEM application is moving forward (see online details from IDEM) will the nagging complaints of problems with IDEM become an issue for this project as well? (Post Tribune suggest IDEM special treatment). I have joked that I'm a fan of landfills because we end up getting more golf courses once they are filled ... I guess I'd be curious what the plans are for the site once they are done filling it? Can we finally start retaking some of our lakeshore with greenspace, golf courses, resorts?
The Times opinion piece supports the RDA for "doing its job" without the normal NW Indiana retaliation philosophy. They funded the Town of Porter even though the Porter County council is attempting to get out of paying $3.5 million per year. An interesting aside that I tried to tweet when I was at the meeting: Porter County, through it's Economic Alliance, funded a small portion of the matching funds for the Town of Porter application to the RDA.
The news of baseball great Bo Jackson and the City of Crown Point working out a public-private partnership to develop a sports facility, with some rumors privately that the private funding is mainly Dean White money. Good for Mr White and the City of Crown Point, showing the way to leveraging a public-private partnership in an era of anti-growth and attacking developers.
Perhaps too much from the Times today, but they are really the only ones changing their online format, have you seen the new look and feel for the Times daily news blog? Complete with twitter feed for #nwindiana in live format.
Libertarians in Lake County gathered last night for their annual convention to elect new officers. Jeff Duensing was elected as Chairman of the County Party. Duensing has served as Vice Chairman for the County Organization for the last term, as well as running for Congress in District 1 and as Central Committee Representative. His goals are to recruit candidates for every office in the County, and to increase the party's membership.
Jeanine Kirpec was elected as Vice Chair. Janice Glueckert was elected the new Treasurer, and the Secretary remains Adelbert Bell.
Their first act is to begin the process of holding a fundraising poker tournament.
BURNS HARBOR -- ArcelorMittal representatives and government officials dismiss questions about what is in the steelmaking waste pile, what impact it might have on the environment and whether the company's test results can be trusted.
Records about waste at the former Bethlehem Steel and ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor are difficult to come by.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management inspector Scott Ormsby visited ArcelorMittal on Feb. 5 and 6, 2008, and on Nov. 5 and 6, 2008. Both of his reports are available from IDEM's online database, but records show Ormsby also wrote a "draft inspection report" ahead of the formal report in February. IDEM refused to release that draft. Indiana public records laws require agencies to provide a reference to state law to justify withholding documents, but IDEM refused to provide such a reference.
A letter accompanying the two inspection reports states that the Porter County Health Department received a carbon copy of the report.
But county Health Department staffers who are responsible for maintaining those records could not locate any inspection reports for 2008 when the Post-Tribune sought them. They said they file everything they receive but hadn't received anything for ArcelorMittal.
The Tea Party movement is a reaction against the Republican party. Sorry to keep beating this drum, but this truth needs to be said loudly and often. It is popular among the press, the left and even some within the Republican party to paint the Tea Party movement as an Obama-hating reaction to socialistic impulses. That is part of it. The heart of it, though, is that many Americans, across the spectrum, felt betrayed by the GOP for abandoning fiscal conservatism and ethical governance.
My name is Stan Burton (no relation that I am aware of, but we Burtons have multiplied like rabbits, so it is entirely possible that we are related somewhere back in the depths of time.). I am both a Harris County GOP Precinct Chair as well as one of the founding members of the Texas Chapter of the American Conservativer Party. Your story today makes a bad assumption that is simply unsupported by the facts.
The tea party movement is not, and never was “created by the GOP”. If anything, it was created in response to the GOP as it exists today. The GOP contingent in Congress has over the last few years attempted to move to the left and has become virtually indistinguishable from the Democrats. The Tea Party movement was created by the grass roots in order to show our leaders in Washington DC that the people are not leftist, we are by huge majorities, right of center. I realize you may not understand the true meaning of the words “Grass Roots” because it has been misappropriated and misapplied to groups that are in fact “astroturf” groups. Most of these astroturf groups are in fact promulgated by democrat organizations to support democrat causes. The most famous of these is ACORN and it’s hundreds of front organizations, including SEIU. Let me be clear here, the true meaning of a grass roots organization is one that SPONTANEOUSLY forms by individuals, not by groups in order to give political cover to said groups. The Tea Party movement is just such a spontaneous group, as is the ACP.
The Tea Party movement was not formed by the GOP, at least not intentionally. It was formed BECAUSE of the GOP and it’s shift leftward. It is not in of itself partisan, but it does lean to the right, on both fiscal as well as social issues. The ACP however IS partisan and it too was formed as a response to the GOP’s shift leftwards.
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky was among the guests sharing in the celebration of South Shore Clean Cities Inc. 10th anniversary Thursday at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond. The SSCC is a coalition of Clean Cities, a voluntary federal program designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative fuels and vehicles in communities throughout the country.
The Democratic congressman said he was glad the SSCC had the fortitude to start a program in Northwest Indiana, one that is at the heart of moving away from a carbon-based economy in an energy crisis that transcends the price of gasoline.
“You had foresight that most people in this country did not have 10 years ago about the looming energy crisis,” Visclosky said. “Every day you have been adamant in trying to do something about it and trying to solve it.”
Carl Lisek, who coordinates the SSCC along with his wife, Lorrie, said they’ve had a lot of success stories over the last 10 years “but nothing that will compare with what’s to come.”
“We are just getting started,” Lisek said. “It is our goal to become one of the top Clean Cities coalitions in the United States.”
Future plans include working with the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission to implement emission-reduction in 300 school busses in Lake and Porter counties, Lisek said.
Lisek said this will come “at a cost to our school corporations of zero.”
He said goals include working with communities at diesel emission reductions, also at no cost to the communities, and the development of a green fleet program designed strictly for Northern Indiana.
The anniversary celebration included video remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Luger, R-Ind., and a letter from U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., stating his confidence in the SSCC.
“I am confident in the years to come when we are celebrating the 15th and the 20th anniversaries of South Shore Clean Cities that your organization will be responsible for a much cleaner and economically vibrant Northern Indiana,” Donnelly said in the letter.
Students with "do not resuscitate" orders signed by parents will still be resuscitated while in the care of the East Porter County School Corp., the School Board decided this week.
The board approved a new policy directing that students in life-threatening medical situations be resuscitated while in the district's care or on its property, including buses. The policy would supersede the wishes of parents who have signed "do not resuscitate" orders.
Superintendent Rod Gardin said a number of district students who are bused to the Special Education Learning Facility in Valparaiso have such orders. Students in dire situations would be given medical aid until released to a parent's care, Gardin said.
The district has not encountered any situations that would fall under the policy in his four years there, Gardin said.
Well, gosh, that's sure nice. Wanna bet it'll get pretty ugly when -- not if -- but WHEN they violate some handicapped student's DNR order?
And if letting a high-school student die sounds cruel and heartless, these type of DNR orders are only given out for the most severely physically handicapped students who have massive physical birth defects and other problems.
But we're gonna bring them back, by God, despite the wishes of the parents; despite the enormous financial costs it will incur to the parents; despite the devastating emotional toll it will take on the families.
For people in charge of our children's education, they sure do act from ignorance.
And you were expecting something BETTER with government-run Health care?
To the left is a supposed picture from Abu Ghraib, where a form of “stress torture” is being implemented. I know that this is an area that different conservatives find themselves on different sides. The things that were done in Abu Ghraib were disgusting and crossed the line between “advanced interrogation” and “indisputable torture”. There is a difference between approving water boarding (which I am fully in favor of, and even had it done to myself, you can see the video online at my site) and making prisoners pile on top of each other, naked. Those that participated in Abu Ghraib were prosecuted and sentenced accordingly, however, and there is no reason that I can see why the ACLU would want those pictures to become a part of the public domain for any other reason than to further smear the overall good name of the military.
I understand what the ACLU does. At times they fight important battles because one person or another’s civil rights have been violated, however far too often for my comfort do they find themselves fighting against freedom of religion or fighting battles like the release of the torture photos for really no apparent reason. With that said, I always give credit where credit is due, and the Obama administration (more specifically Defense Secretary Robert Gates) have blocked the release of these photos through new powers granted by Congress. Gates (as well as many other Americans, including myself) think that these photos being released will only inflame ant-American Islamic extremists even more so. As I said above, the acts were unjustifiable, however those responsible were served their justice, and the release of the photos makes no sense.
To me, I think of it like this: Let’s say that a person is practicing child pronography. He has a collection of photos that indicate extremely illegal and horrible acts, and he is caught and punished and thrown in jail. Would the ACLU try to make those photos public? I think not. Of course I already know what’s going to be said, and yes, there is a difference between naked children and torture abuses, but still, the analogy has some credence, does it not?
Needless to say, I’m happy that the Obama administration recognizes this as unnecessary, and I hope that they also talk Holder into not trying the GITMO detainees in New York, but that’s a whole nother can of worms and a different post that I think I’ll let Kevin tackle, mostly because he probably knows more about that than I do.
Once again, leading with the passion of his convictions, Indiana Governor Daniels moved to layoff some workers for the state. State workers are not unionized, or of course there would be no way to make these cuts and maintain the commitment to not raising taxes. Sure it's got to be tough to layoff anyone in the season building up to the holidays and in a recession. But this keeps government small, so that private industry and entrepreneurs in Indiana can create jobs ... the last thing we need a a great big government hanging over all our businesses like a wet blanket of taxes and regulations.
Gov. Mitch Daniels' budget ax fell Friday on 33 employees laid off by the Indiana Department of Administration.
Most of the laid-off workers had jobs managing public works construction projects, said Mark Everson, commissioner of the Department of Administration.
"As the governor's already indicated, the state's going to slim down the number of projects it's doing because of the revenue situation. So the people who are actually participating in running the projects, we're reducing that staff accordingly," Everson said.
Other laid-off workers had jobs maintaining the Statehouse and government center campus in Indianapolis.
The layoffs are expected to save $900,000 through the end of the fiscal year in June.
As was predicted here by one author last month, the tea party movement may have run its course. Their inability to work in concert with real candidates and legitimate issues, and their internal squabbles over who's in charge and who are the "real tea partiers" is now being highlighted for the world to see in a fools lawsuit.
The Tea Party movement is being ripped apart by bitter internal rancor, highlighted by a lawsuit against a former leader, vituperative name-calling, and charges of financial mismanagement and corruption. (via Party Foul!)
I watched personally last spring as first the #TCOT movement, then the Tax Day Tea Party, and other Tea Party wanna be's attempted to generate grass roots activism, only to disintegrate into arguments and online sniping. The Indianapolis tea party people tried to take over the whole state, the flat taxers argued that the tea partiers were just Ron Paulies in a new name, the Republian Liberty Caucus rushed to join the patriots/partiers here only to find that it's tough to raise money when you're against everyone.
I even wrote quite a bit last spring about the seeming inability of conservatives to collaborate. Progressives/liberals seem quite the opposite, willing to take some orders from on high ... and march to the beat of the director.
There are two possible directions to take going into the 2010 election cycle:
Join with local Republicans, including candidates, to run President Obama's party out of office at the Federal, State, and local level.
Or, make a legitimate move to a third party, by joining forces with the Libertarians or some other third party.
I heard yesterday that in Warsaw Indiana the tea party movement is down to 20 or 30 people and some of the leaders have been using hate talk, and even advocating violence. These aren't leaders, or even solid citizens, these are activist loonies. So, what's it going to be ...
This announcement came to me by email, but more importantly on The Building Indiana Blog, we're always glad to hand out hat tips and links to northwest indiana bloggers. I'll be there and hope many of you can make it as well.
The Northwest Indiana Forum (Forum) will host the 2010 Indiana Chamber of Commerce Legislative Preview featuring Kevin Brinegar, President of the Indiana Chamber on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at the Forum Auditorium (6100 Southport Road, Portage).
The session begins at 7:30am with continental breakfast and networking followed by the presentation and discussion (including Q&A) from 8:00-9:30am.
Business leaders throughout the region are invited to attend. To register for the complimentary program, contact klauerman@nwiforum.org or 219/763-6303 x181.
Brinegar will focus the issues that will impact Indiana businesses and generate debate during the upcoming General Assembly. Key topics include unemployment insurance, taxes, local government efficiency, the health care dilemma, as well as environmental issues, economic development incentives and education enhancements.
“The Forum is pleased to bring Mr. Brinegar to Northwest Indiana,” said Vince Galbiati, President and CEO of the Forum. “We work collaboratively with the Chamber to create a better business climate and address the issues facing business and industry. The Legislative Preview is an opportunity for regional business leadership to hear viewpoints on top issues directly from the Indiana Chamber President.”
The Northwest Indiana Forum is a non-profit regional economic development organization and the voice of business leadership. Funded by membership contributions and grants, Forum membership translates into a direct investment in the region.
A staff member from the Lake County Solid Waste District accused state Sen. Beverly Gard as being in the pocket of the waste industry. This coming after the district was described as being a waste.
An attorney with 20 years experience should come up with a better argument than personally trying to slander someone who is considered the legislator with the most integrity in the state. The board owes Gard a letter of apology and action taken on this staff member who did not represent us in a businesslike manner.
I am sure she has considered the source, but the district should act in a more ethical fashion.
In a district that from 2000 to 2007 increased solid waste up to 30 percent while its mission was to reduce waste and Porter County decreased theirs by 18 percent, the district is not doing its primary job. Too much use of district cars for personal business.
- Lou Harding, Munster
Then in comments a totally different perspective:
Senator Gard is considered by most Indiana legislators as corrupt. She has been known to sign on as sponsor of any bill derogatory to the waste industry just so she could kill it by not hearing it. She is as much a parasite as the typical Lake County Democrat. Mr Harding obviously does not know what he is talking of. All citizens of Indiana would benefit if Mrs. Gard we eliminated from Indiana Government by any means. She may be the worst legislator in Indiana; and there are many vying for that dishonor.
I have stated a few times before here on this site, where are Chesterton and Burns Harbor and Porter ... are they talking about service mergers?
The above linked article refers also to the merger that becomes official in Zionsville where the City is merging with two townships. This will eliminate the first two townships to be eliminated in the entire state since Lincoln was President. What about Valparaiso and Center township, or Portage and Portage township?
The political divide over the issue of gay marriage is…disheartening, to say the least. As a conservative who really doesn’t take offense or particularly care about this issue, I find myself talking about gay marriage both on my show and in political conversation much more often than I feel I should or even care to. First of all, I’m in favor of gay marriage: IF it is passed on a state by state level. My reasoning, you ask? While I certainly don’t want to equate homosexuality to sexual exploitation of minors, the sad fact is that if an amendment is added to the constitution, groups like the North American Man Boy Love Association (more commonly referred to as NAMBLA) will try everything they can to secure their own rights by using the gay marriage amendment as a precedent. If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is use Roe v. Wade as a case study. However you feel about abortion, nothing in the Constitution specifies one way or the other the founding fathers’ beliefs on the subject. Therefore, the lawyers literally threw every amendment at the Supreme Court until one stuck, and somehow the Supreme Court found that our freedom of speech is in the same category as abortion. The lawyers admit to this fact, and the statements are found in Roe V. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in American History (Landmark Law Cases and American Society) by N. E. H. Hull and Peter Charles Hoffer. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Come on, Travis! That’ll never happen! And perhaps it wouldn’t immediately, or even in the future. However by opening that Pandora’s Box just a hair, I worry about a future where a 40 year old man can have a sexual relationship with a 13 year old boy, and with lawyers getting better and better at manipulating the law I don’t want that box opened at all.
However, I am straying from my thesis. Last week, Maine had the opportunity to be the first state to pass gay marriage at the ballot box. The initiative lost, however narrowly, and anti-gay marriage conservatives rejoiced. I don’t know off hand the amount of money that was raised to campaign against this initiative, but I can imagine it was substantial. While religious conservatives who don’t believe in gay marriage as a matter of faith were celebrating, more moderate conservatives (at least on this subject) are now becoming worried. If some states, especially the more liberal ones like Maine and Vermont, don’t pass this, we may see politicians trying to jam legislature through on a national level not only to appease gay rights groups and other liberals, but because they truly feel that they are doing the right thing. If history is anything else, it is an example of what a government with one party in the majority, whether it’s Democrat or Republican, will do. When the federal income tax was struck down by the Supreme Court with a 5-4 decision, the states simply added the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1913 in order to impose the tax. Democrats are less likely to believe in states’ rights as an answer, and with a liberal Democratic majority I don’t foresee too many more failed initiatives before they decide to go around the Supreme Court by means of an amendment.
I understand the view of some religious people that gay marriage is wrong, and I respect that view even if I disagree with it. I don’t consider these people bigots, and by all means it is their right to voice their own concerns. But to those conservative and libertarian folks out there that share my own viewpoint (this includes Dick Cheney, who has a lesbian daughter), I hope that you will all be a little more vocal the next time that a ballot initiative like this comes around. And more than that, I hope you all realize the consequences of voting against initiatives you claim to support just to make a point.
By a landslide margin of 12,255 to 3,122 voters in Porter County decided they would not participate in a Regional Transportation Authority. I said a whole lot of times here on this site, the budget bill with the RTA language was a total mess, poorly worded and impossible to actually form.
The good news is that voters, at least 15 percent of them, cared enough to vote in an election that featured not a single candidate. Kudos to Democrat Commissioner Bob Harper and his coalition of the Republican Liberty Caucus and the Northwest Indiana Patriots who did a lot of his online and activist work for him.
On this sunny autumn day in Northwest Indiana, residents of Porter and St Joseph counties are voting in the RTA referendum to form a regional transportation authority, which may then impose an income tax of .25% to begin merging and funding transportation solutions for the region. Lake and LaPorte counties are disregarding the law and have decided not to stage the vote, with lots of legal and court battles impending due to these decisions.
Although opponents of the RTA were out early, and some 1,000 voters have early voted in Porter County prior to today, proponents are still predicting a narrow victory due to labor union support of the RTA for jobs creation. It will be an interesting election tally.
In seemingly unrelated news, although regionalism is at the core, an interesting opinion piece in the Times today titled "Merge Gary and Merrillville" from a Gary Indiana resident. I don't know the long term politics of Gary and Merrillville but can only assume that many Merrillville residents will be against the concept. In my opinion though, this is just another testimony supporting Governor Daniels' concept of limiting the size and scope of local government through the much maligned 1/2/3 tax caps.
When local government is restricted from imposing 5 or 6 or even 7 percent property tax rates on property owners, government is forced to get smaller or find new money in user fees. User fees will be either fairer, or in their transparency easier for voters to find objectionable. Property taxes are for the most part a giant melting pot of cash where voters have a hard time deciphering where the money goes. Kudos to the Governor once again for forcing even Lake County to look at efficiencies and possible consolidations.
Yes, yet another SPECIAL Matters of Opinion production. While I have already declared myself neutral on the idea, I decided that I wanted to do an episode on the Regional Transit Authority Referendum Vote which is November 3rd here in Porter County. Whatever your opinions on the RTA, get out and vote (it’s the American way, after all). While the majority of the conversation is from a pro-RTA point of view, I play devils advocate with what limited knowledge that I have. However, I encourage everybody to listen to the show and post your comments and concerns. Robert Ordway, head of the Citizens for Northwest Indiana PAC joins me in this discussion, and has promised to keep an eye on the comment section to address concerns and debate. Unfortunately this is the best way that I could come up with to have a true debate on this subject. I attempted to get a couple of different opinions on the show to have a live “on-air” debate, however because this was put together fairly quickly (yesterday) understandably the anti-RTA side of the argument was busy. For the record, they did not decline the debate. I do hope that they feel free to participate in this debate through the comment section, and once again I hope everybody listens/reads both sides of the argument and judge for themselves. There was an issue with volume control, so the recording has a little more static than I’m happy with, but bear with me, please. Happy listening!
VALPARAISO | A jury deliberated about a half hour Friday before returning to find former Portage school bus driver Terry Burch not guilty of felony child neglect on allegations of ignoring various disciplinary problems on his vehicle last school year.
Defense attorney Gregory Sarkisian told jurors Friday that Burch is not a criminal, but rather has been made a scapegoat by school administrators, who failed to do everything they could to protect the students.
