Kittle Resigns, No Surprise

I received several emails today asking me if I was surprised to learn that Indiana GOP State Chair Jim Kittle intends to resign. From the Indy Star report:

State Rep. Luke Messer, the Shelbyville Republican who recently announced his own decision to give up his post as the party's executive director, confirmed that Kittle has decided to give up his political post. A news conference will be held Friday afternoon at the GOP's downtown Indianapolis headquarters to formally announce Kittle's resignation and announce his replacement.

I am not surprised that he is resigning. I am only surprised by the timing.

I would have expected Kittle to wait a week or two at least after Governor Daniels' State of the State address for this action. That way, it could seem a little less like Kittle is running from the firestorm started by the Governor in suggesting that so many township and county offices by eliminated.

After all, the majority of Indiana counties and townships are Republican dominated. The Republican Party would sacrifice many hundreds of elected officials. If the internal war hasn't started already, it will soon. The Star also reported on the Governor's follow-up press conference, from this morning:

The plan also would change the way property is assessed for taxation, taking it out of the hands of 1,008 township officials and giving the responsibility instead to the state's 92 county assessors.

Asked whether this was a first step toward elimination of township government, Daniels said: "Let's just say it's a first step toward the extreme makeover that I spoke of last night of local government."

So, Kittle walks. He gets out while the getting's good. He can take credit for turning his party into a fundraising machine, earning legislative majorities in both houses, and electing a governor under his watch. Someone else who will be handpicked by, and puppet to the Governor, will get to spend their time as chair trying to put out fires inside the GOP's house.

I'll have comment on the elimination of township posts shortly.

Quick Reaction to State of the State

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels just finished his second State of the State address. Here is an instant Libertarian response:

Governor Daniels repeatedly touted the bold initiatives undertaken in his first year, but in reality, these moves were splashy and not substantial. Moreover, the most stunning of his moves were carefully omitted from his speech.

Daniels spoke of the many ways Indiana government was made more efficient. He cited a litany of savings, all of which are excellent and very well appreciated.

But that the efficiencies were the best to be bragged on of the first year points to the troubling realization that beneath it all, the Governor is every bit as committed to big government as his Democratic predecessors were.

No departments were cut. In fact, departments were added. The budget wasn't reduced. In fact, it grew. Indeed, the Governor never called for an actual budget cut. All Daniels called for was greater efficiencies. Great that he delivered, but too bad he under-promised.

The boldest, most substantial thing a man knicknamed "The Blade" could have done to help restore fiscal sanity to Indiana would have been to urge at least a 1% reduction in the budget. Instead, he urged a 1% hike in income taxes on the wealthiest Hoosiers. In the first year under Daniels' watch, spending continued to climb, but at a slower rate than before. It's progress, I guess, but not nearly as strident as the Governor's tone would have led one to believe, and certainly not indicative of a deep commitment to smaller government and lower taxes.

Daniels urged the legislature to allow Indiana municipalities greater ability to manage their finances. With so few leaders willing to be so bold as to recommend cutting budgets at any level, the Governor has, in effect, asked for the legislature to give the green light to cities who would raise taxes rather than cut spending. With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?

Daniels chose not to mention Daylight Savings Time. I can't blame him. Why gash a festering wound, right? Nor was the BMV closings a cause for patting himself on the back this evening. The Colts Stadium project, which Daniels dramatically wrested away from Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson was also conspicuously absent, and not surprisingly given the public outcry against the planned theft of the NK Hurst land by the state.

The biggest surprise of the evening was the Governor's call for a 25-cent per pack hike in the taxes on cigarettes. For all the Republican rhetoric in opposition to using taxes as a means to change behavior, there was Daniels, sounding very much like a liberal Democrat.

On a purely political note, Daniels may have set a fire in his party's house by urging the elimination of some township offices. While this will handicap Indianapolis Republicans, who are fighting consolidation in Marion County, it will create enemies of the numerous elected Republican township assessors, trustees, and board members. If Daniels has his way, many of these people will face having their political careers ended, along with the growth of their pensions. How entertaining it will be to watch the GOP devour itself!

Just wait until tomorrow's press conference, when he discusses eliminating other elected county offices, such as surveyor, auditor, recorder, and commissioner. The loudest calls for a one-term Daniels Administration may well come from the very people who worked hardest to elect him.

Great Result on Eminent Domain

I was positively delighted to learn that House Bill 1010, which provides restrictions to the commercial use of eminent domain in our state, emerged from Committee, passing on a 10-0 vote. Moreover, in support of the NK Hurst Company, the bill was made retroactive to November, which means the Stadium Authority's attempt to steal the Hurst land via eminent domain proceedings would be foiled.

There are many worthwhile articles to read on the subject. I recommend these few:

Inside Indiana Business news report with audio from Jim Hurst.
Indianapolis Star article with the pertinent details.
Shall Not Perish's commentary, from Rob Beck.
Mike Sylvester's first person account of his testimony given to the Committee at the Statehouse.

To those ready to celebrate, I urge caution. Now that the bill has left the Committee, it enters that phase of the game which earned the comparisons to making sausage, which specifies that you don't want to see the process. In fact, now is the time that the opponents of eminent domain abuse, and the supporters of the NK Hurst Company, need to be most vigilant. Citizens need to continue to contact their State Senators and Representatives with letters, emails, and phone calls, to let them know that they need to stand firm on curtailing eminent domain abuse. If legislators only hear from lobbyists on the other side, the other side will be effective.

Lobbyists will now besiege the members of the General Assembly, hoping to get amendments added that would water down, or even gut this very solid bill that the Committee just passed. Expect several mayors and town or city councilors to so lobby, and especially the increasingly villainous Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.

In a local note, I sadly observed that Hamilton County Attorney Mike Howard testified on the side of allowing municipal governments to steal land from property owners. From the Louisville Courier-Journal report:

Hamilton County Attorney Mike Howard said using eminent domain for economic development virtually would be ended if the legislation passes because the definition of blighted is too difficult to meet.

"I suggest to you that you may be taking the pendulum a little too far," he said. "Please think seriously about leaving this tool in the tool box of local government."

There is no "too far" when it comes to protect the rights of private property owner. The problem with leaving the blighted tool in the tool box is that the definition of blight is so regularly stretched by local governments in order to suit the desires of some elected officials and the developers they befriend. This is exactly the problem in the Kelo v. New London case.

Alas, Howard is just another Hamilton County Republican who wavers on private property, along with Luke Kenley and Meredith Carter. Shame!

Joke Making The Rounds

Here's one that was passed to me by a half-dozen friends. My only protest is that it should be broadened to include our state and local governments as well. They function in largely the same way, but the scale is only slightly smaller. Enjoy a chuckle!

Official Announcement

The federal government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an eagle to a condom because it more accurately reflects the general mindset in government today.

A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually being screwed.

Special Program Alert

WXNT will do a special broadcast Wednesday night to provide coverage of Governor Daniels' "State of the State" address. The Libertarian response can be heard immediately afterwards.

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, host of "Abdul In The Mornings," will have Libertarian Party of Indiana Executive Director Dan Drexler on as his studio guest. The show will pre-empt the Michael Savage show- always a good thing- starting at 6:00 pm with a preview of the speech. Following the live broadcast of the address, Abdul and Drexler will review the speech and take calls.

Tune in to WXNT on 1430 AM, or listen online to the streamed signal at www.wxnt.com.

Why Libertarian?

Because Libertarians are consistent with their application of principles.

This truth sometimes earns condescending sneers along the lines that Libertarians are incapable of, or unwilling to, compromise.

That condescension is a safe jesture when it comes from a distance, but consider when the application of principles directly affects you. Consider again the case of the NK Hurst Company.

Ask the Hursts, or any other property owner, if the idea of the right to their property is something that should be the object of a compromise of principle. That compromise results in the theft of their property, and an unfair, laughable compensation.

Two Republican lawmakers, Senator Jeff Drozda of Westfield, and Dave Wolkins of Winona Lake, had their letter published by the Indianapolis Star this morning. Together, they cite the impending theft of the Hurst property as the case-in-point for why eminent domain must be curbed in our state.

I agree with Drozda and Wolkins 100%. However, their stand illustrates the inconsistency in the application of principles within other political parties, and in this case, the Republicans. After all, the Stadium Authority that is poised to steal the Hursts' land is comprised mainly of Republicans, including Hamilton County office holders Meredith Carter (Hamilton County Councilor) and State Senator Luke Kenley.

Drozda and Wolkins are working hard to complete legislation that will curtail the use of eminent domain for commercial purposes, with a hearing at the Statehouse tomorrow morning. That does the Hursts little good, as the Stadium Authority would be exempt from any changes in the law because the motion was filed in 2005. It would have been better for the Hursts if Drozda and Wolkins were on the Stadium Authority instead of Carter and Kenley. Alas.

And that's the problem with Republicans. The talk is in the right place, but the action can be lethal. From one Republican to another, you really have no idea whether a principle such as the right to property will be defended or abandoned- until the moment of truth.

So: Why Libertarian? Because you can count on Libertarians not to compromise on principle. If Libertarians comprised the majority on the Stadium Authority, the eminent domain filing would never have happened. The issue would still be at the appropriate place for compromise- in the negotiations.

Libertarians on the Stadium Authority would have been looking for a way to redesign the project in such a way that a loyal Indianapolis company could have stayed put. Is it necessary to have so much area-devouring surface parking? Couldn't a less area-consuming multi-level garage, like the one at Canseco Fieldhouse, have been designed instead? That's the place for compromise.

Recent Linkage

Thanks to the NK Hurst company for linking three of my commentaries on their company website. I appreciate that very much. www.nkhurst.com

The links can be found via their 'stadium fight' link on the main page, and then via the 'media clippings' link. It's a comprehensive list of links that includes the major media in addition to blogs like this one and Rob Beck's.

Support NK Hurst's right to their property!

Ad For Blogs

I am very pleased to announce that former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kenn Gividen placed a long-running ad on the online version of the Noblesville Daily Times. The ad appears on the right side of the page, with the header "Top Blogs".

The ad is primarily a tool to drive Daily Times readers to LPIN State Chair Mark Rutherford's blog, but it also links to this blog, along with blogs from Rob Beck of Carmel, Mike Sylvester of Fort Wayne, Rex Bell of Hagerstown, Debbie Harbeson, Al Barger, and also Kenn's blog.

So, I welcome those of you who are visiting from the Daily Times site. I invite you to read throughout my blog to find out where Libertarians stand on important issues that really affect us in our homes and our businesses, such as eminent domain abuse, forced annexation, property rights, and taxes. I think you will find yourself agreeing with our positions more than you might have expected.

Indy Star Mailbag

I sent a Letter to the Editor in defense of the Hursts, which the Star did not print today. There is hope that it may be printed tomorrow. Here are links to four letters the Star did print today, also in defense of the Hursts.

Look For Other Solutions To Stadium Parking
Take Private Land Only For Real Needs of The State
A Request Irsay Should Make: Drop The Lawsuit
Put Hurst Proposal In Writing, Keep It Downtown

The last one is by Rep. Phil Hinkle. Here's my letter, which was not printed:

The Star's editorial position on the Stadium Authority's eminent domain procedings against the NK Hurst Company was shocking and disappointing.

The Hurst Company is a model corporate citizen who made a commitment to Indianapolis. The Hursts perservered in the inner city while other businesses fled for the suburbs or even other states and countries. On that count alone, the Hursts should be given honors. Instead, they are faced with the wrecking ball and the theft of their property.

The Stadium Authority's eviction notice should be seen as a troubling signal for other inner city companies. How many other family businesses will have their property stolen for the next political project, such as a 4-star hotel?

While the Stadium Authority does have a mission, and is a steward of the State's interests, that mission addresses only a very small subset of the State's greater responsibilities. One of those fundamental responsibilities is to assure the security of Hoosiers in their properties.

On this crucial count, our state government and the Star, have let Indiana down.

Sincerely Yours,
Mike Kole
Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State
Former State Secretary, Libertarian Party of Indiana

Recommended Reading Extended

Yesterday, I recommended checking out Rex Bell's very fine blog, The Bell Curve. Today, I have several interesting reads that are worth your while if you have an interest in the state of liberty in our fair state.

Rob Beck's blog, "Shall Not Perish," is always excellent and worth reading. Today's entry is something that occasionally comes to my mind, but that I haven't recently researched.

How much of the Marxist dream has been realized in Indiana and the United States? You may scoff or laugh, but Rob compares Marxist doctrine to current public policy. The next time a Democrat laments some sort of shift to the right, laugh in his face. Republicans may be sweeping elections, but policy is moving ever leftward.

As a third party candidate, I take stock in the fact that 'unsuccessful' third parties such as the Socialists, Progressives, and Communists have in fact been successful in advancing policy. Consider: 40-hour work week, minimum wage laws, child labor laws, and environmental laws, on the short list. All of these originated with these third parties. So, even though Libertarians aren't winning huge percentages of elections -yet- we still can move policy our way. There is a history. So, don't let Rob's fine analysis get you down.

Please, Forgive My Exuberance

If you heard me chime in on WXNT's "Abdul In The Morning" today, you may have been taken aback by my direct appeal to voting Libertarian while offering support to the Hurst family.

The Hursts are under siege by the Stadium Authority, and it angers me significantly. Back in Ohio, I worked in a family business with my Dad and my brother. Our name was on the door, just as the Hursts have had their name on the door since FDR's second term. I empathize completely, and emotionally.

Callers were similarly expressing their dissatisfaction with their government on this issue. One asked what they can do. Yes, writing letters to the players in the Stadium Authority and the Governor can make a difference. But, remembering that these players are mainly Republicans, another thing that can be done, and which I think will be more effective, is to let these Republicans know that they have lost the support of people who believe in property rights, and that support has gone elsewhere.

Because the Libertarian Party has been unyielding in its support for all private property owners, and unequivical in opposing eminent domain abuse - rather unlike the wavering Republicans - it is fitting that the support should shift from the Republicans to the Libertarians.

Letting these Republican officials know this, and then following up with a shift in financial and electoral support, is exactly the message they need to receive in order to get it in any meaningful way. If you tell them that, darn it, you're really hopping mad at them, and then you still give them your money and votes, they learn that your anger is fleeting, and that they need not listen to it.

Make them pay!

Great Writer In Our Midst

I direct you now to Rex Bell's new blog, The Bell Curve, for what I consider the finest column writing amongst Hoosier Libertarians.

That's no small compliment. I had to stumble over my own sizeable ego to get to it.

Rex's writing reminds me of the Mike Royko columns I grew up with. Where Royko had his Slats Grobnik, Rex has his Stinky Wilmot. Rex writes with a voice that is unmatched among us more urbane writers- he's rural, homespun, and loaded with good humor.

Start with Rex's most recent entry, "You Say You Want a Resolution," and you may find yourself plowing through the entire blog, which is kind of short at this point. Encourage Rex so that he loads it with regular entries.

Update: The Noblesville Daily Times agrees. They printed the "Resolution" column in their Tuesday edition. Link.

Exactly Backwards

That's how the Indianapolis Star got it in this morning's editorial. Link.

Let's not make it, as critics have tried to do, into something more than that. It's not a romanticized clash between a small family business and a callous state government.

The Stadium Authority is the callous government running roughshod over a good family business. The NK Hurst Company is a victim of a political decision made with making of Governor look good placed above every other concern. NK Hurst's land belongs to NK Hurst. Period. Trying to defend their right to their property is unfortunately something to belittle in the eyes of the Star's editorial writers.

The building authority has offered the Hurst family $3.7 million and a chance to keep the factory at its current site in exchange for about four acres of land near the stadium. It appears to be a reasonable offer, but the Hurst family has every right to continue pressing for more money or other concessions.

That's called a negotiation.

The Stadium Authority isn't negotiating by running to eminent domain. By filing for eminent domain proceedings, it has ended the negotiation. The state isn't merely stepping away from the table. It has taken the table away, dismantled it, and burned it.

It's not even about the abuse of eminent domain. The courts have consistently agreed that taking land for a public stadium, which in this case will be the site of scores of events each year, is a legitimate use of eminent domain powers.

Would the Star have justified slavery? Certainly that was legal, and the courts upheld it for years. There is a parallel. Slavery is the theft of one's freedom and productive output. The right to own property is one of the key American freedoms, and this property represents the NK Hurst Company's ability to produce.

There are legitimate causes for eminent domain takings- genuinely public uses, such as the building of roads, bridges, or sewers. But, for the creation of a VIP parking lot?

Socialized football is wrong. Governments do not belong in the business of owning sports arenas and playing landlord. Stealing property from the Hurst family for a parking lot on a property that is really representative of a huge transfer of wealth to the Irsay family is positively disgusting.

It should be an embarrassment to a Republican governor who dares site libertarian influences.
It should be an embarrassment to a Republican senator who advises the Stadium Authority and considers himself a fiscal conservative.

Really, I wish I had an extra $20 million lying around. I'd form a company, line up investors, and file an intent with the City to build a 4-star hotel on the Indy Star's site, a la the Lost Liberty Hotel. Inside, I would rent space to a franchisee of the Just Deserts Cafe- but only if the land could be acquired by eminent domain. I would then be interested to see whether or not the Star's editorials came to the defense of the property owner... Or would that be the mere romanticization of a routine business transaction into a David v. Goliath story?

Policy Reality Hitting Home

Smoking bans are feel-good public policy. There is no debating that the bans are very good for eliminating hazardous and unpleasant second-hand smoke. However, the bans have real-life consequences for business owners, and they often hurt. From today's Indy Star report:

And area restaurants, most of which will become smoke-free under the ban, are wrestling with whether to limit dining choices for families in order to be exempted from the policy.

"That's the decision everybody is trying to make. That's the tough part of it," said Chad Ashley, general manager of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Downtown Indianapolis. "Most likely, we will be smoke-free."

Bars and restaurants that don't admit patrons younger than 18, private clubs and cigar bars are exempt from the ban.

Restauranteurs have to figure out where their money really comes from. Does it come from smokers or non-smokers? Then, they will exclude that group that represents the least of their incomes. Or, as one industry insider puts it,

"They have to decide whether to give up prom business or family business," said John Livengood, president of the Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana. "It's a tough economic decision."

Public policy should never include zero-sum games like this. Public policy should always empower business owners to improve their bottom lines, not reduce them. Most importantly, public policy should always respect property rights.

Republicans and Democrats have all lost sight of these things in the rush to sign feel-good legislation into effect. Make it your New Year's Resolution to vote Libertarian in November!

More NK Hurst Eminent Domain Outrage

Check out the post on Indy Tax Dollars for a well-deserved skewering of the Stadium Authority and the Governor. It makes my entry look tame, and has a very interesting comment filed on it. You will note that I have a permanent link to Indy Tax Dollars, for Fred McCarthy's excellent commentaries, and especially for his ability to recall past statements of warning on bad policy.

The Star has since reported more of the Hurst side of the procedings to date. Link to Star report. It would be an interesting full-length feature article- nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Make sure to drive by the Hurst property today if going to the Colts game. If you have the time, post one of these signs on the property for me. It's okay if you scratch out 'home' and replace it with 'business', or 'factory', or 'family'.

More Eminent Domain Abuse

I ask Colts fans going to Sunday's final regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals to take a minor side trip as they drive in. File past the NK Hurst Company's facilities just south and west of the RCA Dome and understand what is happening there.

NK Hurst is a family business. Hurst weathered tough times as the inner city underwent decline in the 1970s. They put their faith in Indianapolis and resisted the temptation to flee to the suburbs, or to other Indiana cities. They remained to this day, and would continue if allowed to.

What is Hurst's reward for their perserverance? A slap in the face. Their land is being stolen by the Stadium Authority, who is using eminent domain procedings to do quickly and on its terms what fair negotiations take a while to achieve and on more just terms. From the Indy Star report:

Company vice president Jim Hurst, who learned of the lawsuit this morning, said he was surprised and offended by the court action because he thought negotiations were progressing.

“Our business is again under direct threat,” he said.

Hurst said that the family needs more land for employee parking and its storage trailers than what the stadium is offering. They've offered alternative ideas to the stadium authority, which have been rejected.The stadium authority acknowledges that they filed this action on the last business day of 2005 to pre-empt any changes the Indiana General Assembly may make in the 2006 session.

Look on it well, especially if you take the position that Hurst is just one small property, and is being served up for the greater good.

Eminent Domain represents a threat to the security of every property owner in our state. No matter if you own a simple residence or a productive business, government can steal your property from you and deliver it to those who would dream up something bigger- usually for the purpose of swelling the tax rolls. Or, in this case, as a political feather in a Governor's cap.

The legislature may put an end to this awful practice in the 2006 session, as a joint committee has been studying the issue in the wake of the Kelo v. New London decision. While the legislature should ban all commercial use of eminent domain, such a ban is of no use to the NK Hurst Company. The Stadium Authority filed its motion on December 30, 2005, which means the action is not subject to any subsequent change in the law. From the Star:

And that has legislators furious. Sen. Jeff Drozda, R-Westfield, who will likely help sponsor eminent domain legislation next year, said the stadium's actions were "highly suspicious and disingenuous."

The only just recourse would be for the Authority to withdraw its filing. Hopefully Senator Drozda and others who support curtailing eminent domain abuse, such as Rep. Dave Wolkins, will exert pressure to that end.

That is very unlikely to have a significant effect anyway, as the Governor worked so hard twisting arms behind the scenes to make Republican county councilors go on record voting for 1% food & beverage taxes they would rather not have on their records.

So, make sure to file by the Hurst property. Unless and until the legislature of this state acts to end commercial eminent domain takings, your home or business property could just as well suffer the same fate as the Hurst's- theft, and the wrecking ball.

Good Show, Dan

It was very good to hear Dan Drexler alongside his Democratic and Republican counterparts this morning on WXNT's "Abdul In The Morning" show. This was his first public forum with the other Executive Directors, and he sounded right in place.

I was especially pleased at how Dan distinguished the Libertarian Party from Luke Messer and the Republicans. Reponding to Democrat Mike Edmonston's charge that since Daniels took office, the state has slipped in job creation ranking, Mr. Messer was talking about how the new Daniels Administration has created in other ways. Dan picked up the cue and noted that the Administration has created new levels of bureaucracy.

Messers response was the tired hyperbole that a Libertarian government would result in lawless anarchy, when in fact, Libertarians would bring fiscal sanity- the kind the GOP used to talk about (but never achieved) when Ronald Reagan was President. It appears the Republicans are done with even talking about it.

Good show, Dan!

Radio Alert

Be sure to tune in Thursday to "Abdul in the Morning" on WXNT 1430-am, as Abdul conducts a year in review program with top officials of each of Indiana's ballot access political parties.

Libertarian Party of Indiana Executive Director Dan Drexler will be there, presumably with his Democrat and Republican counterparts at 8am. The show airs each weekday from the ungodly hour of 5:00 am through 9:00.

Latest Writer's Bureau Column

I am on a rotation with four other writers in the Libertarian Writer's Bureau. The Bureau's work goes out to every newspaper in the state of Indiana. It was picked up locally by the Noblesville Daily Times in their Monday, December 28 edition. Too late for Santa Claus perhaps, but none to early for the citizens of our state. Link.

A shopping list for the Legislature

Commentary
By Mike Kole

I have a wish list for the Indiana Legislature.

I'm not looking for goodies or expensive toys. I am seeking items that would bring good will, security and prosperity to all Hoosiers.

As our state legislators return to the Statehouse for the Committee Days that will help to formulate the next legislative session, it would be a good and positive sign if three things went straight to the top of the list.

Eminent domain belongs at the very top. The Kelo v. New London case shook most property owners to their foundations. Why? The sort of eminent domain taking practiced increasingly by municipalities threatens every property owner in our state.

Kelo showed that private property is not merely open for taking for genuinely public purposes, such as for bridges or drainage projects. Cities and towns can now take private land and give it away for redevelopment projects that will result in a higher tax base.

It doesn't matter how big a property owner you are. If you own a simple residence in a neighborhood, your land can be stolen and given to the developer of a luxury home subdivision. The luxury homeowner is no more secure, as his land can be swapped in favor of a shopping center. Even Wal-Mart can be replaced by a 12-story office complex, which in turn can be replaced by a 20-story building.

No matter what property you own, a developer can conjure something that will deliver more tax dollars by the structures in place. Kelo creates a climate of insecurity.An absence of trust in the state of private property will chase people away from our state to take refuge where they can feel secure that their right to property will be protected by the state, not threatened by it. Alabama and other states have passed tough restrictions on the use of eminent domain for commercial use. Indiana must follow suit. It would be embarrassing to have people flee Indiana for Alabama.

The state budget is next. Now that we've had the tax amnesty program and the controversial cuts at the BMV, it's time to get serious about restoring fiscal sanity. This means a minimum 1 percent across-the-board budget cut. Make no mistake: the budget increases that are smaller than the increases in previous years are not cuts.

Cutting across the board means department heads can't point envious fingers at other departments that might have been spared a cut. Having a Republican majority in both the Indiana House and Senate means there is no reason for the Legislature to hide from cuts. They have the numbers.

Moreover, they have a governor who earned his nickname, “The Blade,” for his willingness to cut budgets at the federal level. Here in Indiana, it's time to put away the penknife and tweezers and get some real cutting tools into action.

Cutting 1 percent is nobody's idea of a radical proposal. If Republicans lack the will to cut a measly 1 percent with this kind of majority, they simply lack the will. Libertarians in the same seats wouldn't flinch from the job.

Finally, it's time for another look at municipalities engaged in annexations. While the rules were clarified for cities and towns regarding what they can and cannot annex, not enough thought was given to the forced nature of so many of these takeovers.

It is perfectly admirable for a city or town to annex a neighborhood that voluntarily seeks to be added. On the other hand, forced annexation is the equivalent of a hostile takeover. It is an ugly and greedy process and should be banned statewide.

The right to self-determination is the very principle that founded our nation, and forced annexation negates this right for residents and business owners in areas targeted for forced annexation. On that principle alone, the practice should be banned, but there are more reasons.

Too often the real reason a town council craves the addition of a neighborhood in an unincorporated area is to add it to the tax rolls. With the added assessed value, the city or town can float more bonds. Meanwhile, residents who were getting along just fine without the town are presented with higher property taxes if they give in or an expensive legal bill if they fight.

Cities make flimsy promises because it's all they have to offer. The township resident doesn't need city police protection because they have the county sheriff. Likewise for fire protection, highway maintenance and other services. Councils, and especially the citizens, would be better served with councils looking for ways to spend less money rather than hunting creative ways to grab dollars, while offering no value in exchange. Forced annexation is wrong and needs to stop.

Should the Legislature address these three items correctly, they will go a long way toward making Indiana a more secure, productive and harmonious state — one that would serve as a wealth and job magnet instead of the kind that results in the brain drain that we have sadly become accustomed to.

Mike Kole of Fishers is the former chair of the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County. He wrote this article for the Libertarian Party of Indiana.

Back From Cle

My trip from Cleveland was enjoyable, as always. It felt like being on tour, whisking from one set of relatives to the next. It's great to bring back the love and support of those who care for me.

It's not great, however, to bring a head cold back. If it seems like I am underproducing here at the blog, chalk it up to that.

However, as the pipeline sometime crawls a bit slowly, I can report that the Noblesville Daily Times recently printed my current article for the Libertarian Writer's Bureau. Here's the link. Because the link will expire in a week, I'll post the text above.