When Research Leads One Another Direction

It's kinda funny. With all the noise about The evil Koch Brothers and Koch Industries, the great puppet masters of our age, while large financial contributors to conservative and libertarian causes, are relative lightweights compared to the real heavy hitters. At least, that's how Open Secrets reports it:

Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2010

LEGEND: Republican Democrat On the fence
	= Between 40% and 59% to both parties = Leans Dem/Repub (60%-69%) = Strongly Dem/Repub (70%-89%) = Solidly Dem/Repub (over 90%)

Rank	Organization	Total '89-'10	Dem %	Repub %	Tilt
1	ActBlue	$51,124,846	99%	0%
2	AT&T Inc	$46,292,670	44%	55%
3	American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees	$43,477,361	98%	1%
4	National Assn of Realtors	$38,721,441	49%	50%
5	Goldman Sachs	$33,387,252	61%	37%
6	American Assn for Justice	$33,143,279	90%	8%
7	Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$33,056,216	97%	2%
8	National Education Assn	$32,024,610	93%	6%
9	Laborers Union	$30,292,050	92%	7%
10	Teamsters Union	$29,319,982	93%	6%
11	Carpenters & Joiners Union	$29,265,808	89%	10%
12	Service Employees International Union	$29,140,232	95%	3%
13	American Federation of Teachers	$28,733,991	98%	0%
14	Communications Workers of America	$28,376,306	98%	0%
15	Citigroup Inc	$28,065,874	50%	49%
16	American Medical Assn	$27,597,820	40%	59%
17	United Auto Workers	$27,134,252	98%	0%
18	National Auto Dealers Assn	$26,311,758	32%	67%
19	Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union	$26,229,477	98%	0%
20	United Parcel Service	$25,290,039	36%	62%

83

Koch Industries

$11,002,235

10%

89%

We do have a lot of misconceptions in this country.

I was busy trying to make a point elsewhere about how corporations tend to fund both Ds & Rs so that they can play the game of corporate largesse. That point seems to be supported by what I found on Open Secrets. But it just jumped out at me how much noise we hear about the Koch Brothers, so I looked for them. I looked right at the top. Then I scrolled down. And scrolled down, and down, and down. #83.

Look at the top 20. 11 unions represented. Look at who they support. Is it any wonder there is a political war going on, with unions at the center of it? It takes a willful ignorance to look at this and to feign surprise.

Redistricting Committee Tour Continues

I was in Fort Wayne last night to discuss redistricting with interested citizens. The turnout at IPFW was good and the discussion lively. There was some print & TV media coverage, and I was quoted in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

Commission member Mike Kole, a Libertarian, said that incumbency trumped partisan politics in redistricting. He said Republicans would rather keep safe seats than increase their numbers if it meant incumbents running against one another in reconfigured districts.

“It’s not about party. It’s about self,” Kole said.

The quote came in response to discussion on the conventional wisdom of gerrymandering. After attending several such meetings, I got the impression that people tend to think that gerrymandering happens to protect or unfairly create political power for the party in power. Yes, that's part of it, but I believe it to be secondary.

Probably the most eye-opening revelation I have had thus far was in listening to former Indiana House member Bill Ruppel. Bill is a Republican, but he doesn't mind to tell the story of how the party in majority holds a special meeting of their caucus, whereby the members are given pushpins and directed to a large wall map. They place the pin where they live, and the districts are drawn to protect them as incumbents.

In my opinion, if a fair district map was drawn for the Indiana House, that did not take into account where incumbents live, the Republican Party would likely gain 6-10 seats in 2012. So, why wouldn't the Republicans be all over this? Because, again, in my humble opinion, you would see at least 30 incumbents from both parties gone in 2012, because the fair redistricting would result in some districts with two (or even three!) incumbents in them, and other districts with no incumbents in them at all.

That's why I said that self comes before party. If party was the primary concern, the Indiana GOP would be leading the crusade for fair redrawing of the maps. This explains why, when then-Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Republican, called for fair redistricting in his 'Rethinking Redistricting' initiative, he was blasted by members of his own party. Sure, they didn't blast him directly on point. They just blasted him. Preservation of personal power is the underlying reason for whatever they actually said.

The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Committee will host two more public meetings:

Tuesday, March 29, in Terre Haute
Thursday, March 31, in Evansville

More info on these meetings via this link.

At last, the Indiana House & Senate is going around the state with meetings at incredible inconvenient dates & times: today and tomorrow. Do they really want public input? Putting meetings on a Friday during business hours? On a Saturday morning or afternoon?

If you go to one of the meetings the House & Senate is hosting, be sure to ask them why incumbent protection ranks higher than incumbent blind drawing of the district maps.

Heh- "Fleebaggers"

I'll repeat my position that the Democrats walkout from the Indiana legislature is a surprise gift to me. I never expected any kind of gridlock, but here it is, and I love it. No laws being passed = no reduction in liberty.

That said, I find this website hilarious. INDemsGPS.com "We keep track of 'em so you don't have to." Oh, I love the ease and speed of self publishing online.

In other news, the Indy Star's Mary Beth Schneider at last touched on a future consideration for this walkout, in this article:

The fear that House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long share: If Democrats, outnumbered 60-40 in the House and 37-13 in the Senate, think they are winning this battle of wills, boycotts could become a regular legislative tactic across the nation. Much the same way, Democrats point out, that minority Republicans have used the filibuster in the U.S. Senate to prevent votes on things they don't like.

That would mark a departure from past practice. Walkouts have been used by both parties. But they typically focus on a single issue and end after a couple of days when the majority makes a few tweaks that let the minority declare victory and return. Not this year. (bold is mine)

What a wonderful gift that would be! I'm not dismayed at all. This is perfect! No new laws passing? Excellent!

2-party partisan politics has been such that when one team employs a tactic, the other team decries it... until they are on the other side, and then they happily employ the same tactic they had until recently decried, justifying it with a Charlie Sheen-like righteousness. So, you gotta know that the next time the Democrats have a majority in the Indiana House, the Republicans will walk out for the entire session. This becomes the safest bet in politics.

The other side of that coin comes to pass in November 2012. Will voters reward or punish Democrats for this action? I'm betting that every Democrat who walked out will now have a Republican running against them, and the top campaign issue will be the walkout. Some districts are so solidly Democrat that it won't matter, but others could be swayed.

So, let's assume for consideration's sake that the voters do punish enough of the walkout Democrats such that the Republicans gain a quorum-ready majority. What do you think the Rs will do with their legislative agenda? Think any compromise will be part of the plan? I conjure images of ramrods.

Even if the voters don't punish the Dems, the redistricting that will take place this year is controlled by the Republicans. In my estimation, if the maps are drawn blindly, without partisan consideration, the Republicans gain at least 8 seats in the Indiana House. If they gerrymander it? Maybe 12-15 seats? In any case, my opinion is that, barring some amazing shift that suddenly makes the Democrats exceptionally popular, or an incredible shift to the Libertarian Party occurs, the Republicans are going to have that quorum-ready majority in both the Indiana House and Senate. The Republicans are seething right now. I expect a full cram-down in 2012.

Isn't It Rich?

Rah-rah, Amtrak! Yeah, passenger rail! Obama pushes this pet project, and Joe Biden gets a little action- the station in Wilmington, DE is to be named for him.

So, all the brass go out to the station, including Amtrak's CEO. Of course, he traveled by train. Would the CEO of Amtrak travel to one of his own stations any other way? From the Daily Caller:

One problem: the CEO of Amtrak got stuck on the train.

ABC News Deputy Political Director & Political Reporter Michael Falcone tweeted at approximately 10 a.m. that the Acela train he was riding had been “delayed” in Baltimore and that he was sitting next to Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman.

Falcone tweeted, “Acela to NY delayed for ‘unknown period’ Should I feel better that the Amtrak CEO is sitting next to me?”

It quickly became apparent that the CEO’s presence wouldn’t fix the train. A subsequent tweet from Falcone noted, “BAD sign: Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman just got OFF the train to take a car to Wilmington.”

“Amtrak CEO abandoned his own train to make ribbon cutting ceremony for Joe Biden station in Wilmington,” Falcone reported. “When I told Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman it was a bad sign he was ditching the stranded Acela, he chuckled.”

An Amtrak spokesman offered “no comment” to ABC News on the incident.

Interestingly, ABC's own online coverage of the event did not bother to note the manner of Boardman's travel. How is it that an ABC reporter could be an actual eyewitness to an interesting story line, and then the coverage not include it?

The conclusion is left as an exercise to the student.

Jury Duty!

I am amazed. I have always wanted to participate in jury duty, but every time I get the letter inquiring about my eligibility, and I am either a candidate or an officer of a political party, I shortly thereafter get the rejection letter.

Not this time! I am no longer a candidate, nor an officer of a political party, so I am hereby summoned! Apparently, when when statuses like these change, a person goes from interested insider to objective citizen in a flash.

No matter, I am excited! I will be juror in the later part of this month. Can't wait to see what the case is about!

More Trail Success

It bums me out endlessly when I consider the Nickel Plate corridor- the railroad that ran from Noblesville to Indy by way of Fishers- and the light rail nonsense that is pushed for it. I would much rather see a greenway, like the Monon through Carmel, or the Indianapolis Cultural Trail downtown.

Wherever the trails & greenways are installed, we see property values rise, we see an increase in greenery and a reduction in pollution, and people start getting more active.

The Indy Star had an article full of praise for the newest trail, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail:

More than a year of construction kept some customers away from stores and restaurants along Massachusetts Avenue, but businesses are beginning to see the Indianapolis Cultural Trail's payoff.

Even during this winter's frequent snow and ice, people using the walking and biking path have found their way into unfamiliar shops.

This particular trail cost less than $70 million to construct, will be very inexpensive to maintain, and is loaded with positives. Light rail will cost over a BILLION dollars, will lower property values, will have endless high maintenance costs, and will never live up to the puffy projections for usage. Bah.

Love The Gridlock

I never thought there was even the slightest chance for gridlock this year in the Indiana legislature. Republicans are complaining, as are some Libertarians, but not me! I'll take my gridlock any way I can get it. From the Indy Star:

Republicans who control the Indiana House will try again today to convene the chamber, but boycotting Democrats said last week it's unlikely that they'll show up.

Democrats' absence would again deny the House the quorum it needs to do business. Democrats fled to Urbana, Ill., 14 days ago to derail Republican-back bills they oppose.

Stay all year! I support you, Dems!

Now, if only Governor Daniels doesn't go and command an extended session. Sigh.

This Article Could Be My Life

Thank you to The Onion. I'm from Cleveland, but I'm 42.

CLEVELAND—During an unexpected moment of clarity Tuesday, open-minded man Blake Richman was suddenly struck by the grim realization that he's squandered a significant portion of his life listening to everyone's bullshit, the 38-year-old told reporters.

A visibly stunned and solemn Richman, who until this point regarded his willingness to hear out the opinions of others as a worthwhile quality, estimated that he's wasted nearly three and a half years of his existence being open to people's half-formed thoughts, asinine suggestions, and pointless, dumbfuck stories.

Oh, how I love The Onion. Great satire, and they're really on a roll lately. Check out this one on the Obama Administration's statement that it will no longer back the Defense of Marriage Act.

Pretty Good Government

Whenever the legislature is in session... yeah, insert the Mark Twain quote here. But, at the beginning of each session, I try to be a bit positive and try to list things I can be hopeful might happen.

I was especially hopeful when, back during the election season, Republican governor Mitch Daniels called for a truce on social issues, urging his party to stick to economic issues. Republicans then retook the majority in the Indiana House, thereby giving them again ownership of both the Executive and Legislative branches of Indiana government.

Last time this happened, just a few years ago, I was hopeful that The Blade would work in tandem with the Republican legislature to cut the size and scope government. It didn't happen. So, my hopes were only marginal. But hey! Daniels is a presidential hopeful (possibly), so maybe his party would heed his advice? Not a chance.

I never expected to be delighted with gridlock. I hoped for it on the national scene, but thanks to the Democratic walkout, we are getting real gridlock here in Indiana.

I love it! As of now, the Democrats are the closest thing to the small government party, thanks to their flight to Illinois. And the good news rolls on. They have no intention of coming back on Monday! From the Indy Star:

Democrats have been in Urbana since leaving the Statehouse on Tuesday to shut down GOP efforts to advance several bills impacting labor unions and public schools.

“We will not be returning to the House floor session on Monday,” Bauer said. “There has been no progress in negotiations.”

Perfect! I think of all the lousy laws that might have advanced out of committees, or might have reached the floor for a vote. Going nowhere! If they continue to stay away? It might be the best legislative session in my 8.5 years here.

Of course, Daniels is promising an extended session. I wish he would recognize this as success.

My Facebook Chill

I generally love Facebook. I caught up with more old friends in 2010 because of it than I had in the previous 10 years without it, and really enjoyed it. But lately, the politics has gotten way too stupid, even for me.

Part of the problem is that my friends range the political spectrum. My libertarian friends are there. My punk rock friends are almost entirely left of center, and generally far left. I have friends on the far right. Political agreement is not something I require of friends.

But lately, in this union fight, the unreason has come to dominate. The partisanship is the whole story anymore, and that's hard to take, because left and right look fairly identical to me in mechanics.

• Grousing about the Koch Brothers funding the right? Forgetting about George Soros? Or Peter White?
• Outraged that Republicans would go after unions? Forgetting that unions fund the Democrats?
• Shocked (I tell you) that Democrats walked out of the Indiana Statehouse? Forgetting that Republicans have done this too? Several times?

Few are those who can acknowledge these things, on either side. So, I've tuned out for a while. I had tried to engage, to it failed. I loved the one where the claim was made that if teachers made minimum wage for every hour they put in, they would be paid $250,000/year.

$250,000 / $7.25 (min. wage) = 34,483 hours
168 hours in a week
8,736 hours in a year

The claims are outrageous. When you can't even bother to pull out a calculator to verify the most basic claims, you're killing your cause. Another claimed that public school teachers are paid less than private school ones. That's so incredibly backwards, and again, kills the cause.

In 2007–08, the average annual base salary of regular full-time public school teachers ($49,600) was higher than the average annual base salary of regular full-time private school teachers ($36,300). Source link, from the US Department of Education.

I never thought I would, as a Catholic School survivor, feel the desire to rally behind my old teachers as The Oppressed. The numbers are what they are.

So, because there is so much bullshit flying around, I'm on a sort of Facebook sabbatical. I still look here and there, because there might be an old friend out there, and because there are a million other things to share besides politics. When I get to that point, you know the stew is thick.

Big Changes Lie Ahead

(Fishers, IN)- Is this my midlife crisis? Aren't I supposed to get a sports car or something?

I've been fairly dissatisfied with my work situation over the past 2+ years. It isn't that I don't enjoy the work. I do! I just can't get enough of it in this economy to make the kind of money I want to.

But then, it isn't all about money. I like doing the work, because when I'm done, not only do I get paid (I'm not hourly), but I leave with two other parties that are pleased with my role: my client is happy I have acquired the right to use someone's land; the land owner has some money for a remote corner of the property they weren't using anyway. That's satisfaction! But, if it isn't there, it isn't there.

I have a business idea in mind that I've had in mind for 10 years or more. I know it can work, because I am watching others in other states make it happen. Being that I subscribe to the 'better to regret something you have done, than something you haven't done," I really want to get after it with the necessary research and investigation into feasibility here in Central Indiana.

One door closes, another swings open. Perhaps. We'll see. I'm being vague, but in time the story will be told.

Greetings From Costa Rica!

(Turrialba, Costa Rica)- I hear the weather is crap in Indiana even still. While I really like cold weather personally, I'm no fan of cabin fever, so I'm pleased to have missed out on all of last week's icicle works. And this week's.

This picture selected to only rub it in mildly.

As we did three years ago in Ecuador, we are staying with a local school and studying Spanish. The photo was taken during a day trip to the tiny town of Tuis, where we visited farms with coffee, sugar cane, bananas, yuca, and other delights.

Parting Message

Follow this link for the full text, but here it is in sum:

Great opportunity for Libertarians in Hamilton County! To continue momentum, run candidates for Mayor in Carmel, Noblesville, and Westfield.

Time to push the envelope. I ran a moderate show, but the sands have shifted, and people are ready to hear a more radical message of smaller & less intrusive government. See: budgets & debt; TSA; War on Drugs; Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.

I wish the next Chair great luck and tremendous success!

Cutler's Worse Than...???

Ok, so I pretty much thought Jay Cutler was a wuss with the knee injury in the NFC Championship Game, but this is waaaay out of line.

ESPN has a poll running: Which of these is the least likeable person?

• Jay Cutler
• Ben Roethlisberger
• Michael Vick

My ranking? Vick, Roethlisberger, Cutler, although that would change if Roethlisberger was ever convicted of his alleged sexual assaults. Vick was convicted, so top of the list of least likeables. Makes sense?

Nah. Current polling on ESPN goes:

• Jay Cutler 44%
• Ben Roethlisberger 35%
• Michael Vick 21%

I just don't understand that. I guess the immediate aftermath of game results really clouds rational thinking.

Kole Stepping Down As Chair

The time has come for me to step down as County Chair. Family, work, and continued education concerns make it so.

I take stock in the gains that our organization has made in the past two years:

• Libertarian candidates for offices in our county were on the ballot again in 2010 for the first time since 2006.
• Our base more than doubled! I have previously crunched the numbers via this link.
  
• We have a full roster of officers in the organization.
• Our monthly Meet-Ups are well attended.

It is crucially important that somebody steps up to replace me as Chair. In the seven years I have been involved with the Libertarian Party here in Hamilton County, our organization has been characterized by members who will vote for our candidates, attend our events, financially support the organization, but shy away from being involved in leadership, and for the actions that are the reason for this organization to exist: running for office, and campaigning door-to-door.

We have very capable people in our membership. Libertarians are almost universally self-sufficient and achievers. Please consider bringing your talent to the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County, as a leader and/or as a candidate.

We have a clear momentum we can build upon! People are talking about libertarian policy and philosophy like never before. Hamilton County voters are at last beginning to shift from the old parties towards us. It would be a tremendous shame if the chapter were to fold for lack of participation at the leadership level.

At minimum, the Chair spends about 5 hours/week. This is what is needed to recruit candidates; answer questions from media and the public; watch issues affecting us here. Ambitious Chairs of course spend more time than that.

So, we will host a County Convention for the purpose of electing a new County Chair. Here are the details:

When: Thursday, January 27, 2011; 7-8pm

Where: Claude & Annie’s, 9251 E. 141^st St, Fishers IN 46038

Who Can Vote: Those with current membership in either the national or Indiana Libertarian Party. Membership can be made current at the meeting prior to votes taking place.

I'll look forward to seeing you at Claude & Annie's on Thursday!

Sincerely Yours-
-Mike Kole
Chair, Libertarian Party of Hamilton County

Good Time To Leave Town

I have this weird feeling of deja vu. Yet again, the country will endure two weeks of Super Bowl hype, and yet again I don't care. The Steelers & Packers? Yawn. I can't stand the Steelers and their horrible fans, but I don't care to root against teams. It isn't nearly as satisfying as rooting for a team and watching them win.

No matter, I'll be in the Costa Rican rainforest, and chances are good that I wouldn't be able to see the Super Bowl even if I wanted to. But the teams in the Super Bowl remind me why the NHL playoffs are so superior: There is no doubt after a 7-game series that the better team advanced. Counter and say that football is too physical for multi-game series. Ok, I counter by saying, ever watch hockey?





Jay Cutler? Meet Eric Belanger or Duncan Keith- a guy who plays in Chicago after all.

Three of the best teams in the NFL are sitting at home- New England, New Orleans, and Atlanta. If the Patriots played the Jets 10 times, in my estimation, they would win 8 of those. And, New Orleans-Seattle? Fluke of the last half-century. So, I was bored with the conference championship games, as the Steelers seemed to be the only ones really worthy of being there, and I hate the Steelers.

So, the trip to Costa Rica is well timed, so as to avoid the monotony of the hype and the game. We'll improve our Espanol, take in the wildlife, and generally have a great time.

The Market Reacts More Swiftly Than Legislation

I was fascinated by this Indy Star report on the sales at Don's Guns in the aftermath of the awful shootings in Arizona.

Since Saturday's deadly shooting in Arizona, Don's Guns in Indianapolis has run out of a magazine that enables Glock pistols to fire extra rounds.

"We sold out, just since that happened," owner Don Davis said. He has ordered more and expects the resupply to sell quickly. The rush to buy the accessories, he said, probably is motivated by fears that lawmakers will try to limit magazine capacity in the wake of the shootings.

The thing the article didn't do was talk to customers. I would be interested to know why they rushed to buy. I suspect that many are buying because they see an investment opportunity of sorts, as if the clips are banned, they become more scarce, and therefore sometimes more valuable. But the other buyers?

Going To The Colts Game

I'll cross another item off the Bucket List tonight in going to a Colts playoff game. Actually, it will be my first game at Lucas Oil Stadium. It's been ages since I'd gone to an NFL game.

Some I talked to have taken to tweaking me about attending an event at a publicly funded stadium, given my opposition to same. Give it up. I long ago came to the conclusion that I couldn't do much of anything on this earth if I was going to live by litmus tests.

How could I eat any food but that which I grow? After all, I oppose farm subsidies, and virtually all American foods are subsidized. How could I interact with any other living human being? After all, I don't agree 100% with anyone? The battles over funding the stadium are over. The battles over continued subsidization of the team carry on, and I lend my voice. But, do I boycott the stadium forever? To what end? Am I hurting those with ill-gotten gains at that point? I don't really think so.

So, go Colts! I hope they win, and I hope it's a great game. I'm going with great friends for pre-game fun, and for the game itself. That's what matters.

New Podcast, At Last

Without further ado, here's a link to "This Podcast Could Be Your Life".

It's a little over an hour long, and like a lot of first shows, there's some 'splainin' going on, mixed in with Big Respect to Mike Watt, a bucket list report, part of an interview with Steve Wainstead, music from fIREHOSE, and I found time to drink a beer.

If so inclined, you can subscribe on the page, and it will send every episode to your iTunes. Yeah, automation!

Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission Formed

I am pleased to announce that I am participating as a member of the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission. The gerrymandering of electoral districts and the need to redraw maps with districts without political considerations is an issue I have been pressing for several years, including with my 2006 run for Indiana Secretary of State, and through the present with the lawsuit against the town of Fishers.

The Commission was assembled by Common Cause Indiana, and true to the organization's name, Commission members represent a range of political perspectives. There are Democrats, Republicans, and yes Libertarians represented here. From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel:

A citizen panel backed by the League of Women Voters and AARP will hold public hearings on the redistricting process and will monitor the drawing of new maps by the Indiana General Assembly.

The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, co-chaired by former lawmakers Dave Crooks of Washington, a Democrat, and Republican Bill Ruppel of North Manchester, says it wants to ensure the redistricting process emphasizes competition and fairness, not incumbent protection and partisan advantage.

Points I made with regard to the numbers of unchallenged races were carried by the Muncie Star Press report:

The citizens commission said a politicized redistricting 10 years ago, when Democrats controlled the House, resulted in the northwest Indiana city of Chesterton, with a population of about 8,000, being divided among three Indiana House districts and the towns of Frankton and Rockport, each with populations of about 2,000, both being divided between two House districts.

It said 17 of 100 Indiana House candidates and five of 25 Indiana Senate candidates faced no opponents in the general election.

Libertarians represented the only challenge to 11 more Indiana House races, and 1 of the Senate campaigns. The Libertarian Party of Indiana has for years recruited candidates specifically in the unopposed races so as to keep issues alive through November in these districts. Without a challenger, the incumbent is done with the May primary, and doesn't have to talk issues at all. The accountability of unopposed candidates is nil.

Link to the Common Cause statement.

We have seen that redistricting can happen without politics, with Marion County being the best example. The county shows a narrow Democratic majority of voters, and since redistricting, the county went from Republican domination on the City-County Council to slim majorities that tip back and forth, which is vastly more representative of the people in the county.

And that's how elections should be. Government should be representative of the people. Sure, politically I might wish it to be a Libertarian government, just as Republicans and Democrats would prefer their party to rule the day. But elections shouldn't be foregone conclusions, thanks to deals between political bosses that protect certain incumbents and certain seats. It's time to draw the map in compact geographical districts and let the chips fall where they may.

Members of the citizen panel agreed to serve at the request of the Indiana chapters of the League of Women Voters, AARP, the political watchdog group Common Cause/Indiana and the Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Other members of the commission include Barbara Bolling, president of the Indiana conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; AARP Indiana President Clyde Hall; Executive Director Gil Holmes of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana; Mike Kole, chairman of the Hamilton County Libertarian Party; and Briana Dines of the Indiana University student group Democracy Matters.

I am honored to have been invited to participate in this Commission, and look forward to gathering input from voters from around the state.

Sue Everybody! Punitive Damages!

The title is a reference to an early Jerky Boys crank call, where they called a lawyer and made an absurd claim ending with the caller wanting to sue everyone, including the lawyer on the line. This new suit against McDonald's by a California woman over Happy Meals isn't exactly as stupid, but close. From CNN:

Parham, a 41-year old state employee, says her kids repeatedly ask for Happy Meals, mainly for the toys. "We have to say no to our kids so many times and McDonald's makes that so much harder to do. I object to the fact that McDonald's is getting into my kids' heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat."

I'm 42. I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, so I have some basis for comment here. There is no word in the English language they hear more than "no". It is a word I am happy to issue. Kids are Want Machines. Parents guide children by saying "yes" to things they approve of, and "no" to things not approved of. Any parent is, in my opinion, abdicating the most basic role of the parent when they decide saying 'no' is too strenuous an act for them to carry out on an ongoing basis. Lovely, but typical for our times.

In the Kole house, the kids know better than to ask Dad for McDonald's. It ain't happening, with one significant exception. When we are doing a long drive, I will take them to a McD's with a "Playplace" in it. That way, they can stretch their legs and generally be kids in a way being cooped up in a car for hours denies. Isabel has been to McDonald's less than 10 times in her life, despite two of their restaurants within a mile of our house, either of which we will drive past, depending on which way we're headed out of our neighborhood.

I hope this mother does what we did here, and remove the TV from her house. If one would give up so easily to McDonald's commercials, it's going to have a lifetime of frustration. Suits will undoubtedly have to follow to toy makers like Mattel, and then later Anheuser-Busch, and General Motors. Not sure what recourse you'll have if the kiddos are introduced to cocaine and gangs.

This is a frivolous lawsuit as Exhibit 'A'.

Balanced Budget, Explained With Pork

It seems the public perception is that balancing the budget would be impossible, that it would require a Herculean amount of political courage to cut out all the fat necessary to end deficit spending.

Alas. Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie trims the fat to show just how absolutely huuuuuuuge the cuts would have to be:



No reason not to cut to at least the balancing point. Heck, maybe even get into that deficit. Congress Critter, you can even leave your leather jacket on.

New Podcast Almost Ready

Now that the nature of the thing has been decided, I've begun assembling bits for the first episode of "This Podcast Could Be Your Life".

I interviewed Steve Wainstead as my first guest, drank a beer, and discussed some Bucket List stuff. In the next day or two, I'll have it in finished form. Stay tuned!

Podcast Decided

I've come to a conclusion about a podcast direction. It's going to be a personal thing, and hopefully entertaining to listeners.

I'll call it "This Podcast Could Be Your Life". That's a tribute to The Minutemen, and their great song, "History Lesson, Part 2". I took a great deal of inspiration from them, and specifically this song, over the years for the DIY ethic, and in particular the line, "Punk rock changed our life".



The plan is to simply talk about and play things that are important to me. Old WCSB pal Keith Newman and I share an outlook on great radio- it's personal and at least a wee bit obsessive. People get drawn into the lives of great radio personalities on the basis of the things they can relate to, and to the passion the host has for these things. Howard Stern is my favorite case in point, at least up until he got divorced.

So, I have a minor format that I've been working on. "Minor" because I don't want it set in stone. I like having features that recur, but not every time, and not in a set order.

Big Respect. I want to give a nod to someone important to me in each podcast. The title is a tribute to Mike Watt of the Minutemen. Watt has his own lingo, and when he speaks glowingly of someone, he often says "Big respect to...".

Musical Rediscovery. In going through old radio show tapes and in ripping old 7" records to digital files, I've rediscovered some great music, and want to share it. I'll focus on one artist each time.

Bucket List Report. No, I'm not dying, but I like the concept of the 'Bucket List'. It keeps me focused on goals. When I'm not striving for something, I get listless, so I'm making it an active priority to continuously put some goals out there. The first things I'll cover are travel related.

Radio Days Flashback. Those old radio tapes have some real gems. There was a lot of crap, too, but I'll spare the world and myself, acting like the latter never happened.

Mike Kole Drinks a Beer. Once upon a time, I was a home brewer, and even wrote articles about beer. Sometimes I even got paid for it. I really enjoy craft beers, and have missed beer over the last 8-10 years. Isn't that strange? I'm actually making a podcast as a tool for enjoying a beer once in a while. Well, when I'm a candidate for office, I feel I always have to be 'on', and I never drink. Throw in Lyme Disease, and I really just can't handle very much alcohol, so I've stayed away from it. But I do miss the enjoyment of one really good one now and then, and I've learned how to manage the symptoms of Lyme, so why not bring it in? Sad thing is- and this will annoy my drinking friends- I rarely even drink the whole thing. I get my fill in 4-6 ounces anymore. Go ahead- tell me I'm old. It's cool.

Mike Kole Drinks a Root Beer. Over the past decade, I discovered root beer as a lovely substitute for beer. Plus, with a horrible kidney stone episode in 2006, I learned I had to stay away from sodas with phosphoric acid, which means all colas. No Coca-Cola! I really am getting old. Funny how diet gets shaped by disease.

People In My Life. This will be the best thing. At least, this is the thing I'm most looking forward to: Interviews with friends. I've been taking stock of my friends and family and really getting to how great they are, with fantastic stories to share.

Beyond these, I figure there will be reports on family, travel, hockey, Where's George?, and yes, political opinion.

One-Eyed Views Of Economics

I swear, the willful ignorance is growing and growing. There are two ways to balance budgets: increase income, and decrease spending. In any responsible person's personal budget, the first thing one does when the income sags is to cut spending. Not borrow and spend. Cut. Then, after stabilizing the budget, look for other sources of income.

Well, I used the word 'responsible'. So, here comes the 'Chart of the Day' from Reuters.
Oh, I love the one-eye blind preaching in the article:

This chart should be ingrained in the mind of anybody who cares about fiscal policy. The main things to note:

• Federal taxes are the lowest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea of why America’s long-term debt ratios are a big problem. If the taxes reverted to somewhere near their historical mean, the problem would be solved at a stroke.

Here's the foil, because one good chart deserves another, and because I care about policy, without taking the belief that all we're spending on right now is good, necessary, and proper:And, using the above Reuter's paragraph as a building block, here's the other side of the coin:

"Federal taxes are spending is the lowest highest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea of why America’s long-term debt ratios are a big problem. If the taxes spending reverted to somewhere near their historical mean, the problem would be solved at a stroke."

So, let's end with an update to their conclusion:

If you were structuring a tax code budget from scratch, it would look nothing like this. But the problem is that tax hikes budget cuts seem to be politically impossible no matter which party is in power. And since any revamp of the tax code budget would involve tax hikes cuts somewhere, I fear we’re fiscally doomed.

Federal fiscal policy goes like this: We're committed to spending, so let's figure out ways to get the money. Why are we committed to spending what we're spending? Anyone have any interest in that? Why are so many elected officials, and worse, pundits, willing to accept that all spending is good, and must, I mean MUST, be underwritten?

This position is the extreme on one end. I'm not the extreme on the other. I'm not saying 'Cut it all!" I'm saying, "Let's cut to the historical mean." That's a moderate position.

Note to my Democratic friends: Look at the spending as % of GDP chart. Remember the Clinton years? You know, the ones that were so glorious, at least as heard told during the 2008 campaign season? What did federal spending do during that shining era of surplus? Yeah. It went down. Then, it went up sharply in the middle of the Bush years, and continued upward sharply into the Obama Administration. Over to the tax chart, you'll notice that taxes went up during the early Bush years, and then down in the middle and into Obama's term.

Seminar On Gerrymandering Upcoming

The gerrymandering of districts is the act of drawing a map with political boundaries that serve to assure that the party in power stays in power. Libertarians, myself included, have long campaigned against this practice, urging instead for districts that are compact and geographical in nature, thereby allowing voters to more accurately select representatives that reflect the geography.

Common Cause Indiana is hosting a lunch seminar that addresses these issues.

When: Friday, December 17, 2010, 11am - 1pm
Where: Senate Chambers, Indiana State Capitol

Panelists include The Honorable Theodore Boehm, Indiana Supreme Court; Dr. Michael McDonald, Associate Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University; and Virginia Martinez, Esq., Legislative Staff Attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

Register via this link. I'll be there. Look for me!

This is extremely timely, as the Indiana Legislature is charged with redrawing the map this year once the 2010 Census data is released. The release is expected to happen in February 2011, and the Legislature will be looking to act quickly. Proponents of an honest redistricting need to be active right away.

OK Tea Party, Have At 'Er

I hope this causes incredible cognitive dissonance for many. From the Indy Star:

Operators of the popular Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky are seeking state tax incentives to build a creationism theme park at a nearby site -- a project that Gov. Steve Beshear officially will announce today.

That's a nice test for those who believe in Creationism and limited government. But, this item really has something for everyone:

Advocates for church-state separation question whether the tax incentives would raise First Amendment issues.

Louisville attorney David Tachau, who successfully sued over a state appropriation for a religiously affiliated pharmacy school, said he would have to further research the issue.

"It certainly sounds as if the mechanism for supporting a particular religious dogma would violate the establishment of religious prohibitions in the state and federal constitutions, but there may be slippery ways this could pass muster," he said.

There are some days I wish I did talk radio. Hmm... There's that podcasting...

A Complete Herbert

One of my favorite 'new' hobbies is Where's George? You've seen dollar bills stamped with the website and messages like 'track this bill'. Yeah, I do that. I've always been fascinated with currency and coins, thanks to the influence of my Dad, who has been a lifelong coin collector. It isn't just inflation and the Federal Reserve policy that holds my interest regarding Federal Reserve notes.

Here's my Where's George profile, for your amusement. The dynamic map is pretty great. Put your cursor over any state and you will see how many of my bills have been tracked there. Click on the state and you will see in which counties.

The diaspora are interesting. I can recall trips by some hit clusters (Niagara Falls, NYC), and you can see how I've beaten a path between Indianapolis & Cleveland by way of Columbus. Almost a perfect line on I-70 from Indy to Columbus, then up I-71 to Cleveland.

Some 'Georgers' are complete Herberts. They go to the bank every day and get straps of $1 bills, mark them, and conduct all of their transactions in ones. The last thing I need are my friendly bank tellers thinking I spend all my time at strip joints.

Thinking About Podcasts

I've generally enjoyed the experience of producing the LPIN's podcasts, but have been thinking of doing something more creative, probably in place of the LPIN one. The last thing I really need is another project. I'm looking to reduce projects, not take on more.

So, there have been two ideas I've been tossing around. One involves interviews with members of the Cleveland punk/underground/indie rock scene. The other is some kind of, dare I say, variety show?

The punk show is pretty straightforward. It occurred to me that the scene is getting elderly in a hurry. The bands I have in mind are generally not current ones, having played from the mid-70s to early 90s. There are a lot of fascinating characters in that scene, and a lot of stories to document. I know that many of these folks aren't going to be writing these things down. That's too much like work. Talking for interviews is easy and fun besides. Now, it has also occurred to me that I don't live in Cleveland. No big deal. I wouldn't want to be the only one doing the interviews. There are better connected people who have interviewing skills that can also do them.

The variety thing... Well, that's not straightforward. I have a lot of interests, and also am not a fan of regimenting or formating a show in a rigid fashion. Why not talk about hockey, root beer, politics, music, and have an interview with a friend all in one show?

The punk thing would be for posterity. The stories are invaluable, and I would work as a sort of archivist. The variety thing would be my favorite kind of 'radio'- totally idiosyncratic, where the process is the fun, and bonus if anyone listens. I'm sure my Libertarian / political friends would push me to continue the LPIN podcasts. Preferences?

Sad News - David Nolan, R.I.P.

Libertarians across the country were saddened to learn that a co-founder of the Libertarian Party, David Nolan, had died suddenly Saturday night. The Libertarian Party was actually formed in Nolan's living room. There are many articles in response. Here's a small sampling:

Libertarian Party's blog

The Advocates For Smaller Government blog

Tucson Citizen

Freedom's Phoenix

Independent Political Report - the comments are loaded with tributes

David Nolan was on the current Libertarian National Committee, and just recently ran for US Senate against John McCain. He invented the "Nolan Chart", a later version of which is now used by the Advocates For Smaller Government, which we all use for outreach at events.

Greg Noland administers 'The World's Smallest Political Quiz', which incorporates 'The Nolan Chart". Photo from recent Good Earth Festival in Atlanta, IN.

David was apparently driving to an event to support the Advocates. He had created a fundraising event for his upcoming birthday - Tuesday - asking Facebook friends to support the Advocates as a birthday wish. Link to the page to donate in David's memory.

I had the opportunity to meet with David at several LP national conventions. My lasting impressions of him are of his calm demeanor at the microphone during heated platform arguments, as the voice of reason, but as one deeply respected by each of the various factions within the party. The room always got respectfully quieter when David Nolan began to speak.

Better Off Without TSA

I would rather go back to the days of no screening whatsoever in airports. It's a whole lot of cost, invasion of privacy, loss of decency, and hassle for very little in return. Are we safer? I don't think so. Interesting discussion from Bob Greene at CNN:

The atmosphere at the airport is as free-and-easy as in a public park. The official assumption is that the people around you pose no threat; from the moment you walk through the front doors of the airport until the moment you step onto the plane, not a soul will stop you or ask you a question.

Would you feel safe? Would you want to live in such a country?

You did, if you were a citizen of the United States before the 1970s.

He's right that the people who are working the jobs are bewildered. They probably believe in what they are doing. But their belief doesn't change the invasive nature of what they do, and it certainly doesn't eliminate the possibility that some lunatic can think of another way of commandeering a plane that doesn't require any metallic object.