On The Other Hand, Fishers

Lest anyone conclude I've made up my mind on the Fishers city vote, I'll now look at the other side of the argument.

City Yes PAC has been advancing the cause of making Fishers a City from the beginning of this latest push to do so. They list five issues on their website:

1. Elect Your Mayor. Every other community in Indiana gets to elect the City executive. As one of the largest communities in Indiana, Fishers should have this basic democratic right.

I completely agree, but this was one of the specific questions of law the lawsuit inexplicably lost on. I thought it was our strongest point. Alas. If the vote for a city wins, the popular vote of the mayor will NOT happen. The Council will then select the mayor. I can't get excited about that.

2. Council Districts. As a City, Fishers would have real district representation, with 6 districts representing their neighborhoods, plus 3 at-large seats.

Again, as Fishers won the lawsuit, I don't see this happening. If they vote for city wins, the voter gets to choose between the Fishers 'hybrid city' and nothing, as I understand it.

I've understood this from the beginning to be the heart and soul of the reason Fishers Democrats want the City form. Currently, all seats on council are elected at-large, which is a sham, for it favors the dominant party. It makes challengers not only win their district, but the entire municipality, which makes campaigning vastly more expensive, and virtually impossible for Democrats or Libertarians to win. It has resulted in very few General Election challenges for Council seats, and very unaccountable Council members.

I could get excited for this change, but again, as I understand it, when Fishers won the suit, they won the ability to present their form of city on the ballot at the exclusion of all others, including that described on this point. Please- someone correct me if I am wrong.

3. Accountability. With an elected Mayor and real district representation, the government of Fishers would be more accountable to the voters.

As shown in my previous post, this has not been the experience in the other similarly Republican dominated cities that were towns not too long ago, Westfield and Carmel. The mayors there are exceptionally unaccountable. The councils have effectively been rubber stamps for the mayors. There are occasionally oppositional members of council, but nothing even approaching effective opposition to provide genuine checks and balances.

Now, I can take the long view, and try to convince myself that over time, as areas urbanize they tend to move to the left, and Dems could win some seats in time. However, if the 'hybrid city' wins at the ballot box, the checks and balances hoped for by real districts aren't any more possible than they are now, reducing this to a nice talking point, and not really viable. Again- correct me if I'm wrong on the form of city that will appear on the ballot in November.

4. Checks and Balance. As a City, the Mayor would have veto power over unwise council actions. With enough votes, the Council can override the veto. This separation of powers is completely absent in Town government.

Completely agree, and this is the one point that keeps me from advocating for defeat of the Yes/No question. The Town Council currently acts as both legislative and executive, utterly lacking checks and balances. This may be the only positive thing that would come out of any vote in favor of the city form. See my concerns above in Points 2 & 3, though, for the real life play out for the next 30 years. The best we can hope for there is one-party factionalism to provide real checks and balances, which isn't really all that exciting.

5. Economic Development. An elected Mayor is the leader of the City and can negotiate with businesses who wish to locate here. The Mayor is the leader for economic development, something we currently lack.

Again, referring back to my previous post, this is exactly what I fear most. I don't want a Mayor Brainard for Fishers. I don't want pet projects that we will subsidize forever. I don't want politically businesses getting tax abatements while the unconnected pay full freight. We're better off for lacking a Mayor on these points.

So, clearly, I'm not sold on the other side, either.

When I joined the lawsuit, I was the odd man, as both Joe Weingarten and Glenn Brown were very much in favor of the city form of government, while my interests were different. I signed the City Yes petition not because I was sold on the city form, but because I believed the people of Fishers had the right to settle the question at the ballot box, and that the Town Council wasn't going to advance the question unless a valid petition went forward. It's all about representative government to me.

Unfortunately, we lost in court and are now left with two very weak choices, in my opinion. I'm open to suggestion from anyone who wishes to make the case for either side, provided you don't lead with "You're wrong". You'll push me to the other side with that.

After The Lawsuit, Now What?

When I joined the lawsuit against the Town of Fishers regarding petitions to become a city, my interest was not entirely towards becoming a city. It was about giving the people of the municipality the ability to vote on the question.

This year's ballot is going to have two questions on the ballot, the way the Town Council wishes to word them. They essentially go like this:

1. We're a Town now, should be become a City: yes or no?
2. If yes, should we become a City with a Mayor picked by the Council?

The first question is the big one for me, because a City form of government includes a mayor, no matter how you look at it.

My long-standing concern about Fishers becoming a City has to do exactly with adding a mayor, because the track record in Carmel and Westfield- two other Hamilton County former towns that are now cities- is less than impressive to me.

How can this be? All shiny and new? Here's how: Mayors have meant expensive, pet projects. Things that should better have been done by the private sector, and are now a huge drain on these cities. From Indianapolis Business Journal:

Carmel Mayor James Brainard wants to give the Center for the Performing Arts another $840,000 to cover its bills through December—on top of a $5.5 million subsidy he orchestrated last fall.

The latest grant is part of a resolution, which will go before the Carmel City Council Monday, to put $1.62 million into the city’s Support for the Arts Fund.

“We had a huge deficit,” Brainard said of the performing arts center, which is run by a separate not-for-profit organization. “Progress is being made.”

These huge shortfalls and subsidies were entirely predictable. It isn't the proper role of government to fund pet projects, but Republicans have proven clueless about this. 7 years ago, I and other Libertarians pointed this out. We were scoffed at.

But this is my point of resistance about supporting a City form of government that necessarily means a Mayor. For my gripes about Fishers, the fact is that the Town Council hasn't launched pet projects on the scale of the region's mayors.

h/t to Advance Indiana and this article about even the tenants getting subsidized!

On The Run

The running program is continuing, with a dusk trot last night. It was again easier to accomplish than the last run, gaining a mile in 9:37.

This was pleasing, because I remember hovering around the 10-minute mark when I started running again some 9 years ago, and being informed that Oprah did a marathon at a 10-minute mile pace. Pace, not first mile.

I know a runner shouldn't compare himself to another runner, but come on- Oprah? I have to be able to move faster than Oprah could. I do have some pride.

Next week's goal will be to double the distance.

Tempting Fate?

A few weeks ago, I decided the extra weight had to go, and that as much as I dislike running, it would be a great way to shed pounds, build endurance, and generally get fit again. So, I set off for a run, and before I could reach the magical distance of a quarter mile, my calves cramped up something fierce. I stopped, stretched the calves, and ran back home. Little did I know, I was sparking a trip to the hospital.

The great danger for me is to 'learn a lesson' from this and go hard the other way. This has happened before. When I was 18, I was hospitalized with an illness and lost a very unhealthy amount of weight, being a skinny kid to begin with. I resolved to not ever allow myself to become dangerously underweight again, and within six months went from 114 pounds to 195. Lesson learned, problem solved.

What an 18-year-old kid doesn't know. In the past several years, I'd been around 190 pounds, much less fit than before. You know, the typical four inch shift, from shoulders & chest to waist. With last year's back injury at hockey, I stopped exercising and quickly gained 15 pounds.

Knowing myself, the lesson learned would be to not run again, because last time I did it, a trip to the hospital followed. But I can't be a 205 pound barrel with legs. So, I ran last night.

I actually made a full mile, and didn't cramp up hard. Of course, I stretched like crazy before and after, ate a banana and pounded the water. I have the added benefit of a follow-up trip to the doctor today for more bloodwork. Hopefully the kidney functions are back to normal now, and that incident was a fluke.

Now, if I really want to tempt fate, I should go to Cincinnati for a Reds-Indians game tomorrow, then to Moerlein's for beer and munchies...

Update: Got the lab results in and despite my fate-tempting run, my liver functions are all back in the normal range. Hooray!

Now to keep up with the fitness plan.

Where's Judge Gray?

I've been very pleased with Gary Johnson's campaign for President since his nomination at the Libertarian convention earlier this month. He's been doing interviews all over the media and generally bringing the right kind of attention to his candidacy and to the Libertarian Party.

Vice Presidential candidate Judge James Gray? Not so much.

Gray has been virtually invisible thus far. No campaign website. Can't find him on the LP's website or Gary Johnson's website. Doesn't have a Facebook page for the campaign. Has a personal website and Facebook page, but not for the campaign? I haven't seen any media clips with interviews.

Such a fuss was made that Gray should get the nomination. He passionately spoke to a private caucus of the Indiana delegates and he begged, promised that he wouldn't disappoint. Well, sorry, so far it's a disappointment. Almost a month has passed, and nothing to show for it. We don't have forever to wait for the action to start- especially if competing against candidate poised to raise a billion dollars each.

Hospitalization Recap

As promised, the story of my hospitalization, illustrated with pictures, in full color.

Was it the beer or the cheese food sauce?

Friend Keith Kohli and I bought tickets to a Reds-Braves game, Keith being a huge Braves fan. We bought the tickets via Stub Hub two months before the game, and got a good deal on seats in the 8th row, by the 3rd base dugout. We went early, went to Jungle Jim's amazing grocery store, the Reds Hall of Fame, then to Moerlein's Lagerhouse, to have one beer and munchies. All is well.

We got to the gate entrance to discover we had tickets for the wrong game! Somehow we both missed this! We had tickets for the following day's game, so at least they knew we were only stupid and not trying to get in on yesterday's stubs. So, we went to ticket window, bought tickets for this game, and suddenly I had huge pain in my gut that felt like gas. The woman at the ticket window told me there was a Walgreens two blocks away, so we head that direction so I could get Gas-X or some antacids.

This is as close as I would get to this game.

We were stopped at the intersection for a light, and suddenly this wave rushes over me. I was sweating profusely and felt faint. I thought I was going to throw up, and since I was leaning on a garbage can to hold me up, I figured I was well situated. But my knees buckled and I really thought I was going to drop. Felt delirious. Keith asked me if I was alright, and who knows what I said. There was a traffic cop nearby. Keith got his attention and he radioed for help.

The first person on the scene gave me oxygen. That was good! Helped a lot! Next guy there asked me if I had any tingling in my left arm. I did. I think this is because I hit myself goddamn hard on the thumb with a claw hammer on the thumb I've broken 7 times about 10 days before. It started then, and stayed with me, in my estimation, because I spend too much time at a computer. I digress, but the EMT thinks 'heart attack' and everything they are doing is geared towards that. I can't complain. Well, I was delirious, and what do I know anyhow. Besides, I was having trouble saying all of this.

They loaded me onto a gurney and wheeled me into the ambulance. Keith rode shotgun. They hit me with an IV to hydrate me. By time we got to the hospital, I was feeling a lot better. But, since I just scared the bejeezus out of everyone, they're going to run tests. The nurse turns me into a pin cushion trying to find a vein. I started singing "Sister Ray". I don't think anyone got the reference, which is a shame, although if the nurse got it he would have been annoyed at the very least.

Everything on this trip had a twist.

The discussions with docs lead to family history, and my dad's recent surgery to repair an aneurysm in the descending aorta. Now all focus goes there, heart attack being cleared. But one doc says that it was probably just indigestion. I was x-rayed. They gave me a CT scan. Don't know if you've ever had one, but they make you drink a quart of chalk-water (helpfully coconut flavored) and then before your second pass through the machine, they hit you with a solution (via the IV) that allows them to see the internal organs. Wow, that hurt the arm! Felt like the vein was going to explode.

Back to the room, and the solution I drank is living up to the nurse's predictions that I was have a violently upset stomach and diarrhea. At least I can count on the nurse's predictions. This is the worst I've felt all week. It passes, and feeling good, I discover cable TV. Storage Wars is really excellent programming when bored out of your skull and you don't have cable at home. But before long, I got to the stage where I felt so well that just being there makes you crazy. I can't wait to see the doc, expecting to hear that they can't figure it out, and I get discharged. 

Another lead followed was for elevated kidney and liver functions. The first blood test revealed activity that was off the charts. I was asked how many beers I had. One. How many did I have yesterday? None. The day before? One. In the past week? Two. In the past month? 3 or 4. I finally asked what this was all about and was told that if only I was a drunk, it would be so easy to explain. Well, damn my eyes and my bad luck at being so sober. It would have explained the elevated kidney and liver function.

Did I just undergo strenuous exercise? Strenuous, no, but I did go for a run two days before for the first time in 8-9 years. I managed all of a half mile before my calves cramped into knots.

Eureka! A broad smile crosses the doctor's face. Well! That explains the elevated kidney and liver functions. I had an episode of rhabdomyolysis. That means the muscle tissue broke down such that proteins were released into the body to the degree that the liver was struggling to break them down. Ok, nice, but why did I faint? And why did I have intense abdominal pain nowhere near the liver or kidneys, but instead right below the sternum?

No explanation. The upside is that I was tested for everything bad- heart disease, cancer, liver failure, kidney stones, gall stones, etc- and everything came back normal. I have relatively low blood pressure, so I get to eat salt without concern.

I felt bad for Keith, having teased him with great tickets for a game. We did get to see much of it on the hospital TVs, and since he was wearing a Braves jersey, the staff helpfully let him know every time the Reds scored a run. But once it was clear I was out of the woods, the realization struck that I drove and the car was back in a garage by the ballpark. He would have to take a cab to the car and drive it home after all this. Thank goodness he drives stick also! 

Back home, I've had a few blood draws to follow up, and the numbers are back near the normal range for the liver and kidneys. The only thing my doctor could offer about the fainting is that my heart does the opposite of what it should in the face of pain. It should pump more blood to the organs, but mine pumps less. I have to be self-aware, and if I feel it coming on, lay down right away because I can't very well cause my heart to pump more blood.

And, quite gratefully, I didn't scare Keith off from future ballpark road trips, though I suspect he will want to drive next time. 

All Is Well

I was recently hospitalized after fainting outside the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, prior to a Reds-Braves game. The EMTs on site thought I was having a heart attack. Thank goodness, no.

Short story: I'm okay. Tests revealed nothing alarming, everything back to normal.

I'll post later with an amusing recounting of events, which I will cobble together from my Facebook posts on the subject. Mainly, just wanted to assure folks out there that I am well.

Late Report, Libertarian Convention, Part 2

While I was excited about Johnson's win as nominee for President, I was crushed by Mark Rutherford loss in the election for LNC Chair.

You may recall that I previously endorsed Rutherford. Mark was great for the LPIN, teaching candidates to focus on issues of greatest importance to the voters, not self, first; and of relevance to the office which you seek. He also tried to shape the LPIN's Central Committee to mirror boards of successful civic or public institutions, such as hospital boards of directors. This is important, because Libertarian Party boards tend to focus on the finest points of policy rather than creating a top-notch organization. In my opinion, the LNC has often been the most guilty of all Libertarian Party organizations of this wheel spinning.

After all- the point of a political party is to get people elected towards moving policy in your direction, or to do other things, such as lobbying or issue advocacy that moves policy in your direction.

Internal debate for correctness achieves none of this.

So, on all these considerations, the 2012 LNC elections were a complete wipe-out. It was bad to lose, but bitter because the losses were so narrow.

Several votes were taken, and it was weird. At the end of it all, Rutherford lost to Geoff Neale by 7 votes.

Many thanks to Doug Masson, who followed my Facebook live blogging and summarized here. Also see Reason Hit & Run blog, here and here, with vote totals.

My lasting disappointment is with Geoff Neale's track record and what that portends. When Neale was previously Chair (2002-2004), the LP lost membership and his reputation was that of being stand-offish and uncommunicative. He was remarkably later elected LNC Treasurer (2006) and resigned a year afterwards. As was pointed out to me, a Treasurer of an organization doesn't resign. It's a malfeasance to do so, because it sticks the organization in a perilous position- especially as a political party, where one mistake on a filing can result in the organization being taken down.

And, even at this election, he threw another former Treasurer, Bill Redpath, under the bus, blaming him for the problem that led to his resignation. I thought that pretty well foreshadowed that nothing has changed with Neale- stand-offish, divisive, unable to own up to human shortcomings. In sum, a loser.

Rob Place sat next to me during much of the convention and he remarked in his wry way, "Remember how I was saying the worst case scenario was that Hinkle beat Rutherford? This is ten times worse than that. I wish we could have had yesterday's worst case scenario back." I couldn't have agreed more.

As regards Indiana, fortunately, we have a strong party and will survive and thrive despite the anticipated non-assistance and self-inflicted wounds the next two years will bring. Other state affiliates won't be so lucky.

Fortunately, Gary Johnson has won big elections before, and he has Ron Neilson, his campaign chair from both of Johnson's gubernatorial wins, on board as his chair once again. They will build a strong and potent team without the LNC. 

In one way, the clean sweep of the LNC might be a blessing. The past two years were marked by charges of an 'evil cabal' of Wayne Root, Mark Rutherford, Alicia Mattson, Aaron Starr, and others on the LNC sabotaging Chair Mark Hinkle. While I saw it as Hinkle being a weak Chair and failing to make the case on items to win over the LNC members, the 'evil cabal' charges had an impact on Rutherford's chances. (Remarkably, Wayne Root, the focus of so much antipathy by those who dislike the pragmatic voices in the LNC, was re-elected. The only one of the so-called 'cabal'.) Anyhow, the 'cabal' and the pragmatics are out, and the radicals are in. Divisiveness should not be an issue. That will be a relief.

At the end of the day, if Neale and the radicals fail to accomplish anything in the next two years, they won't be able to blame anyone but themselves. Given the track record, I expect failure once again. I hope that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results at last comes to fruition, but I won't be holding my breath.

Late Report, Libertarian Party Convention

It's been nearly two weeks since the Libertarian Party's national convention concluded. I probably would have blogged within the hour had Mark Rutherford been elected, as I would have been excited beyond measure. Alas.

First, the good news.

Gary Johnson was made the LP's nominee for President of the United States on the 1st ballot, overwhelmingly. This was very satisfying, as he has a proven executive record as Governor of New Mexico. Johnson was a Republican then, but he governed as a libertarian. What does that mean? He actually used the veto pen. From wikipedia:

As governor, Johnson followed a strict small government approach. According to former New Mexico Republican National Committee member Mickey D. Barnett, "Any time someone approached him about legislation for some purpose, his first response always was to ask if government should be involved in that to begin with."^[25] He vetoed 200 of 424 bills in his first six months in office – a national record of 48% of all legislation – and used the line-item veto on most remaining bills.^[2]

<sup>The usual saw is that a libertarian would end up with the area of governance sinking into the earth's core. Two of his vetoes were over-ridden. The rest held up. Curiously, New Mexico was not swallowed into the abyss. I guess the vetoed bills weren't really that important after all. Johnson was re-elected, and left the state with a surplus.

Johnson doesn't shy away from controversial issues, but nor does he lead with them. He is personable and energetic. I love his comebacks on the drug issues, being that he doesn't even consume caffeine or alcohol, and has been an ironman triathlete. If he gets into the debates, he will fare very well.</sup>

^{Me & Gary Johnson, after his nomination. I'm holding his obligatory 'book written by candidate for president', and wearing my delegate credentials.}

^{(Part 2 will pick up with the election for LNC Chair)}

Primary Elections For Indiana Libertarians

I have documented at some length about my manner of 'voting' in Indiana's primary elections, wherein I would go to my precinct, sign the book, and walk out. This caused some amusing confusion among election workers, as they couldn't fathom how I didn't want either an R or D ticket.

Ok, in my precinct, they really couldn't fathom how I didn't want a Republican ticket.

I would ask for the non-partisan school board ballot. If there was none, I signed the book and left. If there was one, I would vote accordingly.

No more. The non-partisan school board elections have been shifted from the primary to the general election this year. Municipal issues will also be added to the general election ballot. There is no possible non-partisan voting at the primaries. I'm not complaining. I called for this back in 2006, in the hopes that the school board elections would see more voters, and the private partisan business nature of the primaries would be laid bare and eventually lead to their elimination

I found out about the changes when I went to vote early. It dawned on me that I would be out West on primary election day, so I went to my county seat of Noblesville to do my usual 'sign the book and run' voting. There was the usual confusion at my insistence that I was neither an R or D. Couldn't I just sign the book and go? No- the books aren't at the county for the early voting.

In Hamilton County, Kathy Richardson is the Elections Administrator, and also a member of the Indiana House. I went over to her office to confirm that there really was nothing for me this time around. She confirmed it. We discussed the perjury laws associated with the process, and in her opinion, it would be a perjury this year for one to sign the book and walk out, acknowledging that I used to do this in the past, and it was not an act of perjury then.

I looked at the Secretary of State's website, and found a lengthy pdf file with everything anyone wanted to know about the primary elections- except the bit about the non-partisan school board races being moved to the general election. It takes to Pg 20 before you even get to who is being voted upon.

More than ever now, the primary elections are the private business of the Republican and Democratic Parties, being held at public expense. I object to this, and am proud that the Libertarian Party nominates its candidates at conventions that it funds itself, without tax dollars.

I've heard some discussion about the Rs & Ds doing likewise, with the inevitable rejoinder that it would lead to party insiders picking the candidates.

Got news for you. In 2010, primary turnout in Indiana was only 21%. The people going to the primaries to pull a partisan ballot are largely party insiders. Certainly, the parties themselves treat primary voters that way. If you vote for the same party 3 primaries in a row, never wonder why that party and its candidates hit you up with regularity in their fundraising efforts. The primary voter rolls are where they grab those names from.

Still, a worthy debate to be had. In the meantime, no voting for partisan Libertarians to do.

More Podcasts Posted

Been ripping out the podcasts of late, ahead of the trip out west.

This Podcast Could Be Your Life #19: Part 2 of my interview with Andrew Lee, and a radio clip from June 1991. Andrew & I talk about ideologically driven radio vs market-driven, and podcasting & new media.

This Podcast Could Be Your Life #20: Pre-LP Convention spiels, endorsement of Mark Rutherford for LNC Chair, explaining my role as Floor Whip for Rutherford, audio clip of Gary Johnson speaking at 2002 Convention in Indianapolis

Click here to find the entire archive.

All Hail The Marxist Libertarians!

The Libertarian party always seems to be taking one step forward, then either one step back, or perhaps sideways. The latest insider battle leaves me shaking my head.

There is a minimum charge of $94 to attend the business meeting of the Libertarian Party's National Convention.

Maybe Karl Marx has simply won. TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the phrase attributed to Robert Heinlein, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch". This was adapted very early in the Libertarian Party's life as a slogan. The radicals have been arguing that the LP has been moving away from principle and core beliefs in order to accommodate those weak on core philosophy. Ok, radicals- Are you lining up for your free lunch? Who really is moving away from principle? If you can't live it in something as minor as a $94 floor fee, why can you be trusted to lead a political party by principles, or bigger yet, be elected to office and abide by those principles?

These things cost money to put on, so who should pay for it other than the people who attend? I mean, should the LNC be redistributing wealth? From each according to his ability to pay, to each according to their need?

The crazy thing is, the ones screaming about this measly sum are the so-called radical Libertarians. These are the folks who demand litmus test purity... and they don't measure up themselves.

Yes sir- should be an interesting time in Vegas!

New Podcast - Guest, Andrew Lee

Been a few weeks since I posted a podcast, but the latest is up and available for your free download. Here's a link to the full archive: http://web.me.com/mikekole/Website/TPCBYL/TPCBYL.html

This installment has an interview with my friend Andrew Lee. I was astonished when he told me afterwards that he had never been interviewed before. Andrew was the Program Director at Indy's WXNT 1430-am, hired Abdul Hakim-Shabazz and produced his show before moving to assignments in Tucson AZ & Minneapolis MN.

We had a great conversation about radio, and I really enjoyed discussing the latest Rush Limbaugh incident. Lee is the Program Director at a station that carries Limbaugh in a fairly liberal city. I found it all fascinating.

This installment includes Part 1 of the interview. The next will carry the conclusion.

Working For Rutherford

I am excited to announce that I have joined the Mark Rutherford For Chair team, and will be volunteering for him at the Libertarian National Convention in Las Vegas some two weeks from now.

My role will be that of Floor Whip. The job entails being assigned several states, and then working to drive votes from those states' delegations to Mark.

One thing I really like about the Libertarian National Conventions is that things are very rarely decided before the voting starts. These are real conventions- not the coronations that the Rs & Ds host. Gary Johnson is the frontrunner for the presidential nomination, but I've been at conventions where the frontrunner was surprised very late in the day (e.g.: when Michael Badnarik overcame Gary Nolan in 2004). The Chair elections are always contentious. This one will be no different, as Mark needs to unseat current Chair Mark Hinkle, so I will have to work to earn votes for him.

Contentious conventions are electric. That 2004 event was everything we read about in history books, minus the smoky back room. In that election, Nolan was the frontrunner, but Aaron Russo was thought to be a very strong second. Badnarik gave the performance of a lifetime in the debate, and when the first ballot votes were revealed, all three were within 12 votes of each other. The place exploded with a flurry of activity, as conventioneers ran to their state or regional caucuses, and whips for the candidates worked each group for votes in the suddenly new landscape.

Check out the CSPAN video of the 2004 convention: At the 4:01:00 (that's the 4-hour mark) the cameras found the Region 3 caucus, and delegates took to a chair to speak in favor of either of the three candidates. I took my turn at the 4:05:20 mark to stand on a chair before our caucus to speak on behalf of Nolan. Afterwards, Rutherford thanked the caucus and urged them to vote their conscience.

I am hoping that when the 2012 Convention votes its conscience for Chair, it selects Mark Rutherford.

Policy Vs. Team

This consideration has been a long-running them here at the Kole Hard Facts. I watched throughout the Bush years as Republicans buried their heads in the sand as the size and scope of government expanded with LBJ-like rapidity. I have since been treated to the spectacle of Democrats pretending the wars and civil liberties don't matter and deficit spending is now wonderfully good economics now that Obama is president.

Now comes the Indiana gubernatorial race. I did some google searching for a position on marriage equality for Democrat John Gregg. (I didn't have to google for Pence, thank you.) I couldn't come up with anything at all. His website has a button that says "Issues", but if you go there, you will not find any listed. He's asking what issues are important to you.

But if Gregg is the Blue Dog Democrat I think I know him to be, then he's not going to put this issue at the front of his agenda, even while Mike Pence might. So, while Gregg doesn't say anything about this issue, or any other in fairness, most people who support marriage equality will likely conclude that they have to be against Pence, so Gregg gets the vote.

Here's Libertarian Rupert Boneham's position:

That's as plain spoken as it gets. Doesn't mince words. Doesn't hide. Doesn't hope to win the issue by hoping nobody brings it up.

So, let's see if that creates any real cognitive dissonance. I hope it does. If the issue is important to you, and you want marriage equality, why wouldn't you vote for Rupert?

Enter another common theme of the blog's lifespan: The Wasted Vote Syndrome.

Oh yes, wouldn't want to waste your vote on an unelectable Libertarian. Better to vote for the Lesser of Two Evils, right? Better to defeat Pence, right?

But wait- Gregg is trailing Pence by some 13 percentage points. (See the Lugar-Mourdock poll story and read down.) At this juncture, voting for Gregg is pretty much a wasted vote too.

So- will the GLBT community go with policy or team? You're team guy is giving you nothing right now. Rupert is giving you 100%.

Expected Tax Day Rant

It's a brief one this time. Why do I dislike tax day? Because I don't support some 85% of what the taxes pay for.

Here's a good place to see where the money goes. I can't think of anyone from any political persuasion who wouldn't like to see something cut, if not eliminated. The only thing I would not care to see reduced is benefits for veterans. All else could stand to be cut and reduced.

We do too much to see about taking & spending more money, and not nearly enough about cutting. There are two ways to balance budgets, after all.

Off To St. Louis

Kinda strange going back to St. Louis today, just over a week after having vacationed there with the family. But today I go back alone. Today is Game 2 of the NHL playoff series between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues.

It's tough being a Sharks fan some 1,500 miles away from San Jose, but Indy is somewhat favorably situated between five NHL cities- Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, and St. Louis. The longest drive is to Nashville, at just over 5 hours.

I'm hoping my luck holds out. The past two seasons, I went to playoff games in Detroit, and in both cases the Sharks won the games, both in OT, both by a 4-3 score. You can't expect to have your team win a majority of the games on the road, especially in the playoffs. I saw a playoff loss in Nashville 4 years ago. This will be my first playoff game in St Louis.

It will be interesting to see how the crowd is. Nashville was definitely more hostile than Detroit. Red Wings fans have drawn the comparison to fans of the Atlanta Braves, and I agree. The fans are used to their team making the playoffs, and they don't get caught up in crazed, irrational hatred if your team takes out theirs. In fact, they were somewhat playful with me.The Red Wings fan behind me held his sign too near to my head such that I finally said, "Okay pal, let me see your sign". He showed me and the whole section burst out laughing. I had to get a picture.

Yes- that is a 1991-92 Doug Wilson jersey I'm wearing. Anyhow, time to hit the road!

Strike At The Root

I was floored with comments made by Wayne Root, a member of the Libertarian National Committee. From Reason Hit & Run:

Wayne Root, who ran as Bob Barr's VP candidiate with the Libertarian Party in 2008, currently a member of the Libertarian National Committee that runs the Party, exhibits a lack of dedication to the LP by saying this on a Bill Cunningham podcast, right in the first couple of minutes:

I think the important thing now is to make sure Obama is not elected,and that means in my mind, I would love for a libertarian like Gary Johnson the two term governor of New Mexico would actually get elected President, but I think we all know that’s not going to happen so therefore it’s got to be Romney there is no choice.

I can accept wide ranges of policy thought within the libertarian camp. I cannot tolerate a Libertarian Party leader who recommends voting for a candidate who is not a Libertarian Party candidate.

I'm no fan of witch hunts. Root was once a Republican. I was once a Democrat. A great many people come to the Libertarian Party from either of the two old parties, and that itself is not a problem. It's a great thing! What is a problem is when a party leader doesn't understand his fiduciary duty to his organization. In the last year especially, Root's commentaries have struck me as being increasingly too pro-GOP. I can get being anti-Obama, since Obama is in the White House and sets policy tone. But the response for a Libertarian Party leader should always, always, ALWAYS be to offer libertarian policy solutions, and Libertarian candidates, as the alternative.

Mitt Romney? I mean- please. It could be forgiven if it were Ron Paul he was touting.

I'm very concerned for the Chair vote in the Las Vegas convention. I strongly support Mark Rutherford, but things I'm hearing from Libertarians across the US suggest that the association with Root is going to kill his chances to be Chair. This would be most unfortunate. Under Mark's guidance, the Indiana LP has developed marvelously, and I think the same could happen nationally if we were elected Chair. See my recent comments in support of Rutherford for Chair.

I am a delegate to the national convention. I will be voting against Root for any LNC leadership.

In the meantime, I call for Wayne Root to resign from the LNC immediately. He just doesn't understand his position on the LNC.

Voting With Your Feet

I've used this phrase to describe my relocations over the years. For instance, I moved from Cleveland to suburban Parma Ohio in 1999. There were a lot of reasons I chose Parma, including the city income tax schemes in effect in Cuyahoga County. Mainly, both cities charged me 2%. My job was in Parma, and if I moved there, I would save 2% per year. Doesn't sound like much, but if you work 5 days a week and 50 weeks in a year, you preserve 5 days labor. A whole week! It becomes a no-brainer. Besides- the commute was shortened from 20 minutes each way to 5, with walking or biking a possibility.

So, I fairly snickered at the Indy Star's somewhat shocked and breathless report about people moving to the suburbs, and wealth drain from the core city.

Indianapolis residents didn't give the city a vote of confidence in the past decade.

A new study shows Marion County lost a net 86,000 residents to its suburbs from 2000-2009, a larger out-migration than in four comparable-sized Midwestern cities (Cincinnati and Columbus in Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; and Nashville, Tenn.)

Those lost residents accounted for about $180 million in total income now residing in the seven surrounding counties.

The core-to-suburbs migration data were the focus of debate at a recent annual housing summit held by Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors.

"I was really surprised to see the enormous income-level drain" that accompanied the moves, said Aaron Renn, an Indianapolis consultant and researcher in urban trends who compiled the data.

Where's the surprise? The move I made has been happening in Cleveland since the 1950s. People blame the drop in population on many things, but absurdly, never consider tax policy in their evaluations. I sure did! And, the greater your income, the more of your earnings you preserve. This is why all of the suburban counties in Cleveland gained population, and why regionally the population gained.

We moved to Indy in 2002, at 58th & Keystone. The neighborhood was okay, but clearly was one that could as easily rise as fall in short order. I've had enough experience in those neighborhoods to know that if you don't have tremendous wherewithal to improve the area real fast, you get out. My son went to IPS for half a year, and that was all we needed to know that we were either going to spend $10,000+ per year on private school, or we were going to move.

So, we moved to Fishers, in Hamilton County, in 2004. We're here for the long haul, even with certain political dissatisfaction. After all, it's still a very nice place to live, the taxes are low, the schools are great in enormous part because the parents are vastly more interested in the academic success of their children than, say, the parents were at IPS School 70. As the article shows, we aren't alone.

The move-outs "could be because our suburbs are more attractive or it could be because our core (Marion County) has more challenges," said Todd Sears, a researcher at apartment developer Herman & Kittles Properties, who has also studied the trend.

Tax rates, crime, school choices and housing prices also undoubtedly figured into people's decisions to leave Marion for the surrounding counties, said Renn and other experts.

Could be? Did you talk to anyone who made the move at all? You couldn't get me to move back into Indianapolis, or Cleveland, until my kids are out of school, or 2028.

This is a discussion I often have about public schools with my libertarian friends. Go ahead- tell people that you want to abolish public schools overnight. What rational decision will the parents make, with three kids, earning $50,000/year as a household, when they understand that your policy will cost them $30,000 a year? They damn well have to vote against you.

Similarly, while there may not be a tremendous tax difference between Indy & Fishers, Marion County & Hamilton County, there is the idea that, leaving inflation out of the picture, two kids in the Fishers schools = the cost of property taxes; two kids living in Indy going to private schools = $20,000 x 12 years = $240,000.

That's the kind of math you cannot ignore. So, yeah. For a quarter million, maybe, just maybe people find it worth it their while to get out of an inferior school district, where the crime rates are higher, where the taxes are higher, where the insurance is higher, etc.

So, we voted with our feet. Until the folks who set policy in urban cities understand this, they will continue to see population loss to the suburbs.

The suburbs need not get too smug, though. Parma is not a place I would go back to, either. It didn't learn a thing from the history that unfolded before its eyes. It repeated all the mistakes Cleveland made. It too has high taxes, declining schools, rising crime rates, and all the other factors that chase people of means and awareness out. There's nothing particularly special about the suburbs apart from being created by people of means who are success-oriented. They don't always stay. Today's shiny new suburb can indeed become tomorrow's slum. Policy sets the tone.

Stunned By Decision

Kole v. Faultless, the lawsuit I am participating in against the Town of Fishers has been decided. The headline says it all.

More than anything here's the part that just flat out stuns me. We had this as our legal question, from Justice Shepard's decision:

In particular, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has asked us the following question, certified under Indiana Appellate Rule 64(B):

Whether a political unit may reorganize into a city under Ind. Code art. 36-1.5 (the “Reorganization Act”) in a manner that eliminates voting rights recognized under Ind. Code § 36-4-5-2 and Ind. Code § 36-4-6-3(i), including reorganization as a city with (1) a council elected entirely at large; and (2) a mayor appointed by that council.

We have accepted this question and now hold that Article 1.5 of Title 36 does allow a political subdivision to do so.1

Are you kidding me? The question is, 'Can Fishers eliminate voting rights'? The answer is 'Yes!'?

I think the big learning curve for me here is that the consideration is strictly a legal question. Our question was framed in Indiana court, with it imposed against a particular law, the "Reorganization Act". They took an incredibly narrow view of the law. The law doesn't preclude a municipality from forming this kind of government, or any other. Shepherd points to a 'liberalization' over time in Indiana in reducing barriers and restrictions to the municipalities, and evokes a move away from Dillon's Rule, and towards Home Rule.

I'm not sure I buy that. My interest is in the people's self-government. Our petition was sandbagged by the Town Council so they could advance a plan crafted in its' own interest. I don't see that as Home Rule at all. A vote of the elected officials is nowhere near the same thing as a vote of people. Maybe I just badly misunderstand the term. Anything is possible. I thought this case was a slam-dunk.

The language of the decision suggests that a door is open for laws to be written that do specify the forms of municipal government entities can form. It offers no guidelines. So, wanna create a kingdom! Hey hey, go for it! Home Rule, baby!

What move comes next has not been determined. I do expect the Fishers Town Councilors to call a press conference, do a happy dance, and generally drag our names through the mud. Can't wait for that.