Report From LaPorte

Another trip to LaPorte County, another successful trip!

The LPLP headquarters gets a beautiful new purple banner in the window. Fred Lutterman is dressed as Samuel Adams and helped point me in the right direction. Photo: Chuck Timm.

Next stop, Rolling Prairie and the Nowhere Bar to kickoff the official election season. Nowhere Bar owner Ted Pfauth toasts to Sam Adams, naturally. Photo: Vicky Kelver.

Ted Pfauth happily accepts a bumper sticker from me. Funny enough, I have yet to have a single small business owner tell me, "No- I really don't think that describes me". Photo: Karen Wolf.

Local radio stations were announcing the "100 Days to Victory" party being thrown by the local Libertarians, and it prompted calls to the Nowhere Bar from local Rs & Ds, so owner Ted Pfauth brought on two extra servers to handle to extra business. He was glad he did.

About 20 Libertarians came to get in gear for the upcoming election, and to have a good time together. We packed the back tables and end of the bar. Our event even drew a Republican candidate for Sheriff, and we had him speak to the Libertarians, who aren't running a candidate for Sheriff. Smart man- he knows that Libertarians hold a 10-15% base in the county, and that will be more than the difference on November 7.

Ted also spoke to our group. He shared his concerns about the tax burden he shoulders as a small business owner, and also spoke of the issues he hopes make the legislative agenda in 2007. At the top of the list is the issue of the 'cherry master' machines. Pfauth and other bar owners want them legalized and regulated, whereby they can have them in their establishments, make a profit on them, and the state can collect a tax windfall that, according to Pfauth, would outstrip the revenues generated for the state by the Hoosier Lottery. I told Ted he and the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association can count on my support in this regard.

Big thanks to LPIN District 2 rep Greg Kelver and LaPorte County Chair Doug Barnes for staging the event; to Fred Lutterman for sweating it out in the Samuel Adams costume; to the candidates who were there- Lutterman, Mike Sanders, and Andy Wolf (yes, I know...); and to the many photographers who supplied me with the photos!

Three trips to LaPorte County in three weeks. I'll look forward to the next visit!