State Legislator Mailings

Ah, first of the year, and we get our franked propaganda home delivered by our State Reps and State Senators. True to form, State Rep Kathy Richardson and State Senator Luke Kenley have seen to it that my mailbox was stuffed just a little more tightly than usual, with their spiels and finger-in-the-air questionnaires.

I'll break down each in upcoming posts, but was first drawn to Kenley's spiel.

Hoosier jobs and the economy are on everyone's mind as state lawmakers begin the 2010 session.

With declining tax revenues, legislators will avoid considering bills that would add costs to state government and raise taxes on already struggling Hoosiers. Instead, lawmakers will be on the lookout for concepts to streamline government and deliver better service to taxpayers.

That interests me because at least nationally, government is one of the primary job growth areas. I'll have to dig up some numbers for Indiana to see where are trends are.

I'd like to see costs cut, not merely held in check. If ever there was a right time and a perfect climate for cutting, this would be it. I'm not holding my breath. That would mean reducing empire and power, something Kenley, et al, have been loathe to do.

Kenley cites five topics as 'major' for the upcoming session:

• Economic issues (creating jobs, controlling state spending and avoiding tax hikes);
• Property tax caps
• Unemployment insurance premiums
• Government ethics reforms; and
• Redistricting

There's bound to be a lot of grandstanding attached to the latter two items on this list. Putting the legislature in charge of policing itself on ethics and reversing gerrymandering? Fox and hen house, I'm afraid. But I'm pleased to see this latter appear, having campaigned on it in 2006. Let's hope they involve the Libertarian Party in the process as a check and balance.

Legislative Review

The Libertarian Party of Indiana has been reviewing legislation being proposed in the state House & Senate for the past several sessions, and 2009 is no exception. A slew of bills have already been reviewed, and while the cynic might expect Libertarians to be opposed to all of them, there are several bills the Party backs.

I like the new changes. It is still a blog format, but includes room for comments, and also a quick checkoff for 'agree' or 'disagree'.

Check it out here.

One thing I am doing is adding the LPIN Legislative Review to my 'Hot Off The Press" item, at the right. Readers here can see the latest review, and click through.