Smoking Ban Up For Vote

Indianapolis will at long last put the proposed smoking ban up for a vote, next Monday. Indy Star story.

Indianapolis residents opposed to the smoking ban are encouraged to attend the public meeting at 7pm in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building.

While the proponents focus on the health benefits they seek, libertarian opponents stand firm that this proposal is an offense to liberty and to property rights. We continue to assert the right of property owners- in this case, of restaurants, bars, and other entertainment establishments- to set their own policies in their own establishments, as involves the use of a legal product.

Fortunately, the Libertarian Party of Indiana has had an impact on this proposal, working to see it scaled back from what was the most restrictive ban in the country when first proposed. Chances are good that the compromise will pass and become law. If people of principle show up and speak up, maybe we can get this thing scaled back some more.

Hey, Look! A New Tax!

What? In Hamilton County? The most Republican county in the state of Indiana? Well, any more, that's precisely where I expect to find new taxes- where Republicans are involved.

The latest is a hike in property taxes in Fishers, where I live. Noblesville Ledger story. This will give a 5% bump to the schools. What's maddening about this is that the population growth alone should be sufficient to give the schools all they could ever want. As farmland converts to residential, the property tax collected skyrockets.

Here's the list of current tax hikes in the county that are soon to be voted on:

Countywide 1% food & beverage tax
Countywide wheel tax
Carmel 1% food & beverage tax
Fishers property tax increase
Fishers 1% food & beverage tax
Noblesville 1% food & beverage tax
Westfield1% food & beverage tax

Only Libertarian office holders will have a total commitment to keeping these taxes at bay. The Republicans are the ones who put them on the table.

Trump Reads Kole Hard Facts?

It makes me wonder. My proposal for the replacement for the World Trade Center was simply to replace the buildings as they originally were, except one story taller.

Donald Trump unveiled his plan, in an AP story:

Standing in the lobby of his Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the developer turned TV star on Wednesday presented a model of his own envisioned towers, reflecting the original shape of the skyscrapers that fell Sept. 11, 2001.

The towers he advocates would be 111 stories tall - one floor taller than the lost towers.

Mr. Trump? You're hired!

Here is a link to my original post on Kole Hard Facts from Thursday, November 20, 2003.
Here is a link to my similar post on Blogcritics, with commentary, from September 10, 2004.

Latest From Libertarian Writer's Bureau

Sheri Conover Sharlow weighs in with applause for new BMV chief Joel Silverman, and observes how Silverman's cost-saving measures are decried by a prominent Republican.

GOP's Garton shows how self-preservation trumps Indiana's well-being
by Sheri Conover Sharlow

It's no surprise that the Republican General Assembly lacks the backbone to deliver the small government its party brags about. Even their own party members must work around these political invertebrates if they hope to just slow the rate of growth.

Here it is in a nutshell from a story in last week's The Indianapolis Star:

Senate President Pro Tempore Robert D. Garton, R-Columbus, called the planned license branch closings a "sneak attack."

Garton, the most powerful Republican in the Senate, said he believed the closings -- including one in Hope, about 20 miles from Columbus -- were deliberately timed to be announced after lawmakers left town last week.

Asked if he had been sneaky, Joel Silverman, commissioner of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, said: "Yeah. I'll be honest."

It's pretty pathetic that Silverman had to sneak around his own party's leadership to make necessary cuts.

Never mind that taxpayers must pay $1 million a year to keep open offices that locals don't care enough to use. License branches are doing less business because users have more attractive options that don't involve taking a number and waiting. We can buy license plates by mail or at the BMV web site, and renew our drivers licenses online.

Later in the Star story, Garton was quoted saying that government should not be run like a bottom-line focused business, but "government should be run for the customer. The citizens are the customers. It's different. I hope at some point, in what I hope is a short career in government, (Silverman) learns that."

Actually, it's Silverman who understands this, not Garton. The BMV chief knows that the real customers are those who pay the price. That's us taxpayers.

The mesmerizing part is that Garton is so terrified of the handful of constituents who use the Hope BWV branch in his district. His district is so rigged that Democrats haven't bothered to field candidates in the past election. He has won by 18,568 votes in 2002. Even if every one of the about 12,000 users the Hope BMV office voted against Garton, he's unlikely to lose.

Could it be that his only challengers – Libertarian candidates – have him scared silly?
If Republicans like Garton can't handle an easy yet necessary cut like this, how are they going to make the tough yet necessary cuts in Medicaid and education spending or stand up to those who want to extract even more money from Hoosiers?

Hint: They won't. And they didn't.

• They've refused to limit Medicaid coverage to only those items the federal government orders states to spend, meaning that those on welfare in Indiana have access to more comprehensive health-care coverage than those who work full time.
• They've refused to cut off colleges who build pricey and unnecessary new buildings, particularly in places where buildings could be leased for far less, forcing students to pay more for tuition.
• They've refused to say 'no" to corporate welfare for the Indianapolis Colts. Everyday Hoosiers will pay an extra sales tax to subsidize millionaires. They try to pass it off as 'just 1 percent" on a restaurant tab, neglecting how much every little tax and regulation on restaurants has added up into a huge burden, especially on small businesses. No wonder mom-and-pop restaurants give up.
• They've refused to stand up to the overpriced, unnecessary Interstate-69 project. The expensive new-terrain option will cost millions more, at the cost of upgrading and maintaining other federal roads throughout the state for at least a generation. It's even politically crazy: This project rewards a Democrat governor's supporters.

Republican legislators are afraid that the boogeyman of the moment – nasty Democrats, liberal interest groups, the media – will say something unkind to those who do the right thing.

They'd rather complain about the game being rigged. How rigged can it be? They're the majority.

Now we have proof that too many Republicans want leadership titles without providing real leadership, which requires doing the right thing. That's why Silverman deserves applause.

The game is actually rigged against us, the people who pay the bills. Taxpayers and voters must let them know that these so-called leaders will not stay in office if they refuse to cut spending. Don't discount impeachment or recall threats, no matter how impractical.

These guys are chickens and it obviously takes little to scare them.

Opinion Wanted!

OK, Hoosiers. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) wants to know what kind of a job you think they are doing. Are they a good value for the taxpayer dollars? Are they a black hole for dollars to disappear into? Are they part of the bureaucratic quagmire? Let 'em know! Questionaire.

I took the quiz and am darned proud to have participated as a citizen!

Taping Today

Huge thanks to the Libertarian Party of Allen County, and Doug Horner. Doug invited me to be interviewed on their cable TV show. It will broadcast to the greater Fort Wayne area.

The questions are in Doug's corner, but I imagine we will talk about my campaign for Secretary of State and issues related to that office, but also the role the Libertarian Party is increasingly taking and can take in Hoosier politics. I'll post an update with a schedule when I find out when the show will air.

Smoking Nannies Beaten Back- Again

The proponents of the Nanny State from both parties were dealt well-deserved disappointment yesterday when the City-County Council sent the proposed smoking ban back to committee, lest it be defeated outright. Indy Star story.

"I'm very unhappy," said Greg Bowes, a Democratic sponsor of the ban. "I think the community was all ready for this."

If the community is ready for it, how about taking the proposal out of the hands of the Council, and putting it on the ballot, so that the people really can decide. Didn't think so.

There has been one consistent opponent of the ban: the Libertarian Party of Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce is actually in favor of the ban. The restauarant and tavern interests have been somewhat soft on this, surprisingly. The owners of the restaurants and bars know who is on their side, and who isn't.

Be clear on this: No Libertarian I know is extolling smoking as a virtue or urging non-smokers to take up the habit. The basis for the opposition is the defense of business owners, who have the right to set their own policies, and who should be free from the heavy hand of government interference. If you don't like secondhand smoke, why not just avoid places that permit it? Is that too high-minded of me? To ask for a little tolerance of people engaging in behavior you don't quite approve of, in places that do not belong to you?

Libertarians have helped expose the fact that some of the money from the big tobacco lawsuit settlement, that was supposed to go for education, has instead gone into lobbying and into issue advocacy lobbying. From the Indy Star story:

At least one opponent -- Brad Klopfenstein, executive director of the state Libertarian Party -- questioned why government is spending thousands on an advertising campaign.

"I personally find it offensive that this money belongs to the state of Indiana," Klopfenstein said. "Suddenly, you have the state of Indiana lobbying other agencies to pass an ordinance."

So, the vote has been postponed. This had begun as the most restrictive law on smoking in the United States. With the help of the Libertarians, it has lost much of its authoritarian bent. It is assumed that the proponents will go back to the committee and pare the regulations down further.

We'll keep fighting to beat it back further. It's one thing for government to decree that smoking is forbidden in government owned place. It's another thing entirely to dictate to individual property owners on how to manage what belongs to them.

Speak Up!

I found it very rewarding to stand before the County Council and voice my opposition to the proposed wheel tax. I strongly urge opponents of new taxes, larger government, and more spending to do likewise, especially if you are a Libertarian candidate or official. It's an opportunity to let the councils know that there is real opposition, and that they could face continued opposition at the ballot box. The citizens who agreed with my positions came up to me after the meeting to shake my hand, and I talked about getting them involved with the Libertarian Party. Plus, a quote in the newspaper is always a possibility.

I've done the legwork for you. Here are some meetings coming to a Town Hall near you:

Monday, May 9, 7pm / Indianapolis / Smoking Ban
Monday, May 9, 7pm / Westfield / possibly, 1% Restaurant Tax
Tuesday, May 10, 7pm / Noblesville / possibly, 1% Restaurant Tax
Monday, May 16, 7pm / Carmel / possibly, 1% Restaurant Tax
Monday, May 16, 7pm / Fishers / possibly, 1% Restaurant Tax

If you are a resident of these places, you have standing to speak before the Councils and voice opposition to new taxes. You could be the persuasive voice that makes the difference!

Please Forgive My Cynicism

Actually, I'm a real sucker for motivational stuff- everything from the motivational speakers to their products, like the posters that have a picture of an eagle soaring over a canyon with a message about leadership. Also, I'm generally not a big fan of Dilbert or the kind of guy who takes the 'Same Stuff, Different Day' approach. I like work and believe in what I do, so that stuff is generally oppressive to me.

And yet, a co-worker led me to www.despair.com, and I laughed and laughed. The site' s parody of the motivational stuff I enjoy so much is so brutal, so hopelessly cyncial as to bring serious comic relief. After all, there is the man who loves what he does and has serious goals, and then there's the man who desperately needs for someone to take the piss out of him.

Here's a priceless example of one of their posters. It's an image of a snowball that has rolled down a hill, growing in the process.

Teamwork

A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of distruction.

Kind of like the Legislature! Sorry. Was that too cynical?

Meeting Notes

It was interesting to appear at the Hamilton County Council Meeting tonight to speak in opposition to the County's proposed wheel tax. Noblesville Ledger story.

The first thing that struck me was that there were five residents who appeared and spoke. All five spoke in opposition to the new tax. Four elected officials spoke. Three were in favor. Kudos to Commissioner Steve Holt, who spoke in opposition, urging the Council to let this pass for one year to see if the County and State resolve their differences on COIT money that the County claims is owed to it by the State.

Interestingly, the three officials who spoke in favor represent municipalities and serve on city or town councils. This new tax would generate money that is split between the county and the municipalities. In other words, it is a tax that the County Councilor would be responsible for enacting, but the city and town councilors who would not be on record as having voted for a new tax would still see the benefit of that tax in their municipalities. Keep in mind that all of these officials are Republicans.

Now, you might think that the County Councilors would object to this move by the cities, taking all of the money and none of the responsibility. Who would you complain to? The GOP County Chair? Oh, that's right. The Chair is Charlie White, and he spoke in support of the tax on behalf of the Town of Fishers, where he is a Town Councilor. The other Republican councilors who spoke in favor of the new tax: Terry Busby of Noblesville, and Kevin Kirby.

It was interesting to hear the County Councilors speak of cutting budgets. If you closed your eyes and forgot you were in Hamilton County, you would have thought that Democrats were speaking. One councilor commented: "What would you have us cut? Police or other safety forces?" It seems that whenever you suggest any kind of budget cut to a Republican or Democrat, the inevitable response is this. No, don't cut police or other safety. Look at everything else first. If departments get new vehicles every 5 years, make it 7. If new computers are bought every 3 years, make it 4.

There was a dare to inspect the budget and find the fat to cut. That's a challenge I'm willing to accept. I'm betting there is plenty to cut. That the Republicans can't- or, more likely, won't- find anything to cut, it just serves as further proof that they aren't the fiscal conservatives they campaign they are.

Laughable Letter

What happens when you drink the GOP's Kool-Aid by the 55 gallon drum? You write letters like this one, which appeared in today's Star:

The end of do-less, spend-more politicians

Gov. Mitch Daniels had a great start, but citizens are the real winners in the legislative session. Better conditions for business, lower cost of running the state and balanced budgets do not just happen; leaders must lead the needed change. For too long the state was run by spend-more, do-less politicians who cared little for how tax dollars were spent as long as they remained in power.

Those days are over, and we as citizens should remain alert to see they do not return.

Carl Hoffman
Danville

Let's see... The GOP dominated legislature saw to it that the budget grew and was not cut. The Republicans Governor added new layers of bureaucracy, and did not eliminate. Tax increases were put on the table. Some passed, some failed. No tax cuts were even put on the table. No spending cuts were put on the table, but some increases in spending that were lower than last year's increases were adopted.

With fiscal conservatives like the Hoosier GOP, who needs liberal Democrats? You don't want the days of the tax-and-spenders to return? They never left.

The GOP has no commitment to lower taxes and smaller government. The only way you'll get that is by voting Libertarian.

So, Where's The Surprise?

I was chuckling in amusement when I saw this morning's Indy Star's headline for the Colts stadium deal:

Surprise! Check the bill
Stadium deal lets cities raise dining tax but doesn't guarantee low-priced Colts tickets.

Surprise? Where?! This is precisely what I expected and predicted. This is exactly what has happened in virtually every other city that has provided subsidized sports. All taxpayers end up paying a portion of the bill, but the tickets in the new luxury palace are placed out of reach for the average or poorer taxpayer.

Why would you expect any different? The crux of team owner Jim Irsay's "problem" was that the team only made middling profits when compared to the rest of the NFL. He felt he needed to be up higher.

Well, if you do nothing to improve the product- which is very good, by the way- or fail to offer more of it, all you can do to rake in more profit is charge higher prices.

In the vernacular of the average 12-year-old: DUH.

Do read the entire article in order to find out how you will be further screwed. Several cities and counties were given the ability to raise taxes in their locales, with little direction on how to spend the money. You can bet that these locales will impose these taxes.

In Hamilton County, the next County Council meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, May 4, at 7pm in the Commissioners Chambers, in the newer Judicial Center. I will be there along with other Libertarians in order to speak out against the raising of any new taxes, on behalf of the citizens of the county and the businesses that would be affected by them. Be there to speak out, no matter where you live!

Quick Convention Observations

The Libertarian Party of Indiana hosted its' annual convention this past weekend in Clarksville, which is on the Ohio River, just across from Louisville, KY. Top 5 observations:

1. This convention was very well attended, which is a great thing when considering that there were no high profile candidates to select for the ballot, there is no ballot in 2005, and the location was at one extreme end of the state. The delegate total was one greater than in the 2004 convention, which selected the high-profile gubernatorial candidate, and was staged centrally, in Indianapolis. This points to significant growth, and a commitment on the part of those from the northern part of the state.

2. The speakers were relevant. Too often, LP conventions feature little besides libertarian speakers. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy hearing top libertarian speakers. However, I got more insights from Jason Shelley of the National Federation of Independent Business than I would from, say, a James Bovard. Shelley represents small business owners, and that is a core constituency we aim to capture. Best to know what his group wants, and more importantly, what specific policies they suffer under.

3. The events flowed. Convention co-ordinator Cindy Kirkpatrick did a masterful job of making sure everything started and ended on time, so that there was a minimum of down time. Some down time is great, because it allows you to mingle. Too much is just boredom.

4. The focus on the floor was on business. Even with one contentious item on the floor for debate, no lines were drawn, and no blood spilled. Good direction of traffic and remarks by Chair Mark Rutherford made it so.

5. There seemed to be a growing readiness to accept my campaign. I like that for the obvious reasons, but more importantly, I had sensed a resistance to get involved with any campaign up to this point, mainly because the November 2006 ballot seems so far away. I think the majority of the members get the dual reality that there is serious business ahead as well as huge political opportunities to be siezed now.

All of this gives me hope for a spectacular 2006 convention. If trends continue, we will have more delegates and attendees than ever before, and business on the floor that points us towards more growth and to electoral success.

Congratulations, Stacey!

I was delighted to learn that my friend Stacey McGuire was promoted to Principal of Westfield High School, by a vote of the School Board. Noblesville Daily Times story.

Stacey really loves her work, so it's a fine reward for her. I can't think of anything more grinding than being the assisant Principal. Congrats!

Latest From Libertarian Writers Bureau

I'm not big on lording over the corriculum at the public schools. However, if I had to, I would insist that Economics would be taught beginning at sixth grade. So much awful public policy would fail to gain momentum and become law if only the average person had a rudimentary grasp of economics.

Here, Eric Schansberg reminds the reader that cause and effect, and supply and demand, lie at the root of all human interaction; and that public policy more often causes monopoly than anything else.


Keeping out new hospitals won't cure health-care ills

More competition, not less, would be best remedy for consumers, employees

In recent months, there has been considerable discussion about moratoriums on building hospitals in Southern Indiana. In Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties, local government officials have been listening to the competing interests of existing county-run hospitals and those who would like to enter the market for hospital services.

On the surface, it's difficult to imagine why one would want to prevent a hospital from opening. A hospital is not a porn shop or a toxic-waste dump. Building and operating a hospital is not much of a zoning issue; one could seemingly find a suitable place to allow a hospital to operate somewhere within a county.

The best explanation is a common one in the intersection between economics and politics: no supplier enjoys competition for the goods or services they sell -- and they may find government a cooperative ally in restricting their competition.Unfortunately, restricting competition is only in the interest of the provider who wishes to maintain or extend monopoly power. Consumers and society will not benefit from having fewer options and less competition in a market.

Because the general public is intuitively aware that restricting competition is not a good thing, the producers and their politicians must tell "good stories" -- rationales to explain why less of a good thing is supposedly better.

In Harrison County, they're worried about "sky-rocketing health-care costs." But how would a lower supply and less competition keep costs down?

They've also expressed concern that another facility will "undermine the health, welfare and economic well-being of county residents." But how would more health-care options be a detriment to county residents?

Even health-care employees would benefit with more employment alternatives. The best of the good stories is that a moratorium would "prevent unfair competition."

Private-sector hospitals are accused of "cherry-picking" and "skimming profits" by avoiding less-profitable patients, in particular the indigent and those in prison.

Doubtless, this is true to an extent and some cause for concern. But a more direct way to deal with this issue is to directly subsidize the care of those who cannot pay -- wherever they receive their care -- rather than setting up an arbitrary monopoly.

Moreover, proponents of the moratoriums fail to mention that county-run facilities have lower tax burdens. A truly level playing field would also eliminate such subsidies. In a sense, it is comforting to see politicians be so consistent. Most of them work to foster the monopoly power of government-run schools and the post office. Many of them vote for tariffs and quotas to restrict competitors in product markets. So why should the market for hospital care be any different?

Likewise, the business community proclaims its love for the free market. But its love is often fickle, wanting competitive markets for the inputs they purchase and open access to foreign markets, but clamoring for restrictions on competitors in the particular domestic markets where they sell product. Perhaps the most ironic thing in the discussion about hospitals: County hospitals are fighting to maintain their local turf while seeming to ignore the far larger market.

Hospitals in Southern Indiana already face their most significant competition from hospitals across the river in Louisville. What difference would it make to have a few more facilities in Floyd, Clark, and Harrison counties? Despite all of the competition in Jefferson County, Louisville has a robust market for hospital services.

Moratoriums on hospitals are not exactly what the doctor ordered.

D. Eric Schansberg
Professor of Economics, Indiana University Southeast
Adjunct Fellow, Indiana Policy Review

Convention Draws Near!

I'm very excited for the upcoming state convention of the Libertarian Party of Indiana. Stepping aside from the role of State Secretary, while not especially daunting, is a bit of a relief in that I need to fully concentrate on the campaign for Secretary of State.

That's what really has me excited. The most committed party members always attend the off-year conventions, and there is a great deal of effort involved for many, as the off-year conventions are held in either the northern- or southern-most parts of the state. This year, it's Clarksville. Members coming from Allen County, or LaPorte, or Lake will be driving some five or six hours each way, which is an eternity in Indiana travel terms. People at this convention are the ones I really want to talk and strategize with, and to impress.

If you haven't registered yet, by all means hop to it! The festivities begin Friday night, and the business meeting will be conducted on Saturday. Go to www.lpin.org for details. I will host a hospitality suite, complete with a Texas Hold 'Em tournament Friday and Saturday nights.

Bobby Orr For Commissioner!

It's still incredible to me that the NHL lost an entire season over a labor dispute. Any other year, I would be getting my fill of NHL Playoff hockey- easily the most intense, compelling playoffs of any sport- with two games a night throughout April and early May. Alas.

I have no sympathy for either side. The owners are full of complaints that players salaries are too high. Well? Who agrees to the contracts? The players were unwilling to play for a million or so each in the NHL, but were happy enough to play in Europe or in the minor leagues for a fraction of the pay. Well? Is it about the salaries or isn't it?

Worse, the representatives for both sides are engaged in a pointless standoff. ESPN ran a poll, and the majority of respondents said they didn't miss the NHL a bit. That should have scared both sides straight to the table to regain their relevance in the sporting world.

Bobby Orr has it right. His comments were carried by ESPN:

Bobby Orr wants NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players' association executive director Bob Goodenow to "get out of the way" if they can't solve the impasse that led to the cancellation of the NHL's season.

"Our sport is in danger of becoming irrelevant unless both sides immediately put an end to this nonsense," the Boston Bruins great wrote in a column for the Sunday Eagle-Tribune.

Orr, 57, said he initially resisted the urge to comment on the labor dispute because he believed the two sides would resolve their differences for the good of the game. But he said he no longer believes either side is interested in getting a fair deal done.

Thanks, Bobby Orr, for giving both sides the kick in the rear they deserve and need. I'd love it if more NHL legends spoke out in this way.

Hamilton County's Liberal Republicans At It Again

The Republican Governor can't figure out how to get private business to build a stadium, so he goes for a tax package that would include taxing restaurants in Hamilton County and other counties, even though the new stadium would be in Marion County.

Are the Republican leaders in Hamilton County principled tax fighters, or are they the Governor's lap dogs? Quoth the Sunday Star:

John Hiatt, president of the Hamilton County Council, said he was encouraged by Peterson's decision to relinquish control. Hiatt believes the council will raise the tax.

"When we met with the governor, we pretty much told him we'd raise the tax," Hiatt said. "We may have some objections, but most of us on the council feel like this may be the right thing to do."

Enough is enough. He will have his objections. Mark your calendars. The next meeting of the Hamilton County Council is schedule for 7pm on Wednesday, May 4, in the newer Judicial Center's Commissioners Court Room.

Be ready to ask the all-Republican Council why it is so eager to raise taxes. Ask them why they would burden one group of citizens (restaurant owners) so that they can reward another group of citizens (football players and team owners).

Definitions

Several times in the past year, I made the observation that Republicans have made a clever shift. Whereas they used to describe themselves as 'fiscal conservatives', they now tend to describe themselves as 'fiscally responsible'.

What's the difference? A fiscal conservative wants to limit or cut spending. One who is fiscally responsible merely wishes to balance the budget. If tax increases are necessary, so be it. This is the difference between a Libertarian (the fiscal conservative) and a Republican (the fiscally responsible).

This comes to light thanks to the Editorial in this morning's Indy Star, which calls for balancing the budget on an increase in cigarette taxes.

Jeff Espich is nobody's idea of a tax-and-spend politician. But the fiscal conservative, who is chairman of the Indiana House Ways and Mean Committee, recently noted that the state is "going to have to have new revenue."

Legislators must find money to give a small -- many would argue insufficient -- funding increase to schools over the next two years. Money to keep pace, even minimally, with rising costs in Medicaid. Money to complete a truly balanced two-year budget, one that bridges the deficit and doesn't resort to gimmicks.

The best proposal for raising more revenue, or at least the one with the best chance of legislative approval, is a 19-cent per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. The state tax on cigarettes would increase to 74.5 cents a pack.

Actually, Jeff Espich is my idea of a tax-and-spend politician. Name for me one spending cut or tax cut he has proposed this session. It can't be done. But I can name for you two tax increases he has proposed: this on cigarettes, and another on food and beverages for a new Colts stadium- something that should never be done by government, only by the private sector.

The Star, like Espich, fail to consider that one primary way to balance any budget is to spend less. This is what you and I do with our personal budgets at home when money gets tight. We stop spending until we catch up with debt and begin to build a little cushion. The Legislature has one advantage we don't- they can will themselves more money any time they want to raise the money. To quote Bill Clinton: "Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kinda cool."

Not much in the way of incentive there for Espich and his ilk to be anything but tax-and-spend legislators. It's a situation made worse by comments like these, in the Star's Editorial:

But they can't leave the Statehouse a week from today without recognizing a potentially unpopular but necessary truth: Indiana can neither cut nor grow its way out of the budget deficit in the next two years. The state in the recent past has slashed spending on some services, raided reserve funds and waited patiently for economic growth to alleviate the fiscal crunch. But the problems remain.

Can't cut? I've yet to see an actual cut. The only "cuts" proposed this year have been reduced increases in spending. Those aren't cuts. A 1% cut across the board is not too much to ask, especially if you are seeking, as the Star claims to be, a balanced budget that doesn't resort to gimmicks. A real fiscal conservative would propose this kind of modest cut. A Libertarian sure would.

Voting With Their Feet

It seems that Indiana, while growing in real numbers of population, is watching other states grow even faster. From today's Star:

From 2000 to 2004, he said, 19,000 more people have moved out of the state than have moved in from elsewhere in the country. But, in the same period, 47,000 more people migrated here from other countries than left.

"The domestic loss is more than made up for by the international in-migration," Thompson said. "Some of them are college students. I would imagine most of those new people are Hispanic."

In other words, were more attractive than the Third World, but less attractive than other American states.

That is the result of policy. Sure, we always hear about the weather, but frankly, the weather is better here than in New York or Boston. While we lack the attractions of those older cities, we would attract population and thus create the attractions, if only Indiana became a tax haven. Lower the taxes and spending such that Indiana has the lowest tax rates in the country on personal income and on corporations, and you would see massive migration of entrepreneurs and established businesses.

I guess there is a greater commitment here to taxes and government than there is to prosperity. Sad. Oh well- we're still more attractive than Mexico. There's a slogan for our Gov. Mitch!