Glad I Fled Marion County, Part 9

Pity Fred McCarthy, myself, and about 273 people or so who are actually concerned about the finances of Marion County. We were left shaking our heads, or trying to collect to skull fragments after heads exploded, when we learned that the City of Indianapolis is going to shovel a mountain of money at a hotel project.

Indianapolis is the city that has a murder every three days, and a carjacking every 30 hours or so. The crime is so bad that Mayor Peterson is talking about raising taxes, because there isn't enough money to put enough police on the streets, enough courtrooms, or jail space.

And yet, there is $48.5 million lying around to gift to a developer. Astonishing. I am so glad I fled Marion County. From the Indy Star report:

The city of Indianapolis is willing to spend as much as $48.5 million of taxpayer money to help build a mega-hotel of up to 1,000 rooms to service the expanding Indiana Convention Center.

It used to be that Republicans were guilty of giving away public money to developers. At least in other cities that's true, and Democrats cry foul, correctly, on the basis of corporate welfare. Do Indy Democrats give Mayor Peterson a pass because he's a Democrat, or because he's a developer? More from the Star:

Democratic council member, Jackie Nytes, said the city should gain from the hotel deal because it will create jobs and a larger tax base. "Whatever incentives we give them will be paid for by the increased taxes we get," Nytes said.

It just doesn't seem to matter who's in charge. Whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge, the taxpayers are robbed to benefit the politically connected.

Indeed, I was talking with Abdul Hakim-Shabazz the other day about whether or not things will change in Indy. My assertion is that they will not. Marion County's murder rate could increase to a daily occurance, and there would be no appreciable shift in policy. Will the voters of Marion County vote Peterson out? No way. The Democrats wouldn't dream of putting a primary challenger up, because it is more important to the Democratic Party to have 'D' in the Mayor's office than to have safe streets and otherwise sane policy. The voters who are glad that they have a 'D' in the Mayor's office are a majority of Marion County voters, and they too would rather have a 'D' in the office that safe streets, and all sooner than see an 'R' or an 'L' there. Not that the 'R' would make that great a difference either.

So, once again I sing the praises of my good decision to flee Marion County, for the temporarily safer streets of Hamilton County. As we reinvent Marion County north of 96th, I'm sure I will flee here some day too. Until then, I hum contentedly in my suburban home.

Review of Bills

I've been woefully behind in reviewing the bills legislators in my county have penned or backed. Coming soon!

In the meantime, check out Doug Masson's blog for reviews of many Indian House and Senate bills. I don't always agree with Doug's take, but then a) that's what makes the world an interesting place; b) he's been diligently tackling the stinking heap; and c) I haven't found a single human being I agree on everything with. (If you're on that trek, give it up. Utterly pointless.)

State of the State Review

Big thanks to Abdul Hakim-Shabazz for including me in the tri-partisan panel on WXNT 1430-am this evening. I was joined in studio in reviewing Governor Mitch Daniels' "State of the State Address" by the Executive Directors of the other parties- Mike Edmonson from the Dems and Jennifer Hollowell from the GOP. So, here are my thoughts:

This was The Kumbaya Speech. Governor Daniels repeatedly made clear overtures to the Democrats, urging bi-partisanship and cooperation. He could have sounded these themes before the Republicans lost their majority in the Indiana House this past November, but it wasn't necessary then as it is now if he wants his agenda advanced. Interestingly, Democrats had been calling for bi-partisanship, but here Daniels called for it and they played it cool, remaining seated while Republicans gave an ovation on the cooperation tone.

But that's not the substance. For me, it was impossible to miss the idea that Mitch Daniels, alleged arch-conservative, clearly believes in government as the best solution to so many of our problems.

While Dems snipe about 'selling' assets like the Toll Road, Daniels has really privatized very little and eliminated nothing. It's nice that state government is off the hook for a handful of employees on the Toll Road, and potentially at the Hoosier Lottery. It's a good start, but a very short list, and nowhere was he talking of eliminating departments or even cutting budgets.

Daniels could be at the fore of getting government out of the business of education, but instead works to expand the role of the state in calling for full day kindergarten. He could be at the fore of moving Hoosiers towards self-responsibility in the area of health care, but instead reinforces budding socialized medicine by working to impose another tax on cigarettes and earmarking the proceeds for providing care to those who choose to be uninsured. The speech was a complete abdication of the principle of self-responsibility, and typical of today's Republican.

Indeed, the worst thing is the predictable, badly misplaced invocation of Ronald Reagan. While the late President was more a smaller government man rhetorically than in reality, at least he had rhetoric. Daniels actually said that he is eager to"reinvest our bonanza". Both in word and deed, the man is about growing the size, scope, and expense of government. He may balance the budget, thereby claiming the phrase "fiscally responsible", but clearly Mitch Daniels is no "fiscal conservative".

"Investment," curiously enough, is the word Democrats currently use when they want to talk about spending, and Daniels is using their word. It apparently never crossed his mind to cut the budget and taxes, to return the money to the taxpayers.

It's time to retire Mitch's nickname, "The Blade", or at least modify it for some truth in advertising. Make we can call him "The Penkife", or "The Clippers". Many of us had hoped in 2004 that we would see "The Chainsaw" slashing through the budget behind a deep commitment to smaller government. Alas.

So, I expect the new era of cooperation and bi-partisanship to move full steam ahead. Democrats have long been in favor of more government. They have just the man to help them to that end.

Ron Paul Running Again

The former Libertarian candidate for President, and 9-term Republican Congressman from Texas is running for President again, this time as a Republican. From an AP Report:

Ron Paul, the iconoclastic nine-term congressman from southeast Texas, took the first step Thursday toward launching a second presidential bid in 2008, this time as a Republican.

Paul filed incorporation papers in Texas on Thursday to create a presidential exploratory committee that allows him and his supporters to collect money on behalf of his bid. This will be Paul's second try for the White House; he was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988.

I endlessly get the question, "Wouldn't libertarians be better off trying to change the Republican Party from within?" I am shown how a man like Paul barely got 1% in 1988 running for President with an (L) next to his name, but is elected and re-elected repeatedly with an (R) next to his name. Same man, same principles, same votes.

Well, do consider this other part of the AP article:

Paul, of Lake Jackson, acknowledges that the national GOP has never fully embraced him despite his nine terms in office under its banner. He gets little money from the GOP's large traditional donors, but benefits from individual conservative and Libertarian donors outside Texas.

In fact, the GOP undertook a re-districting for the purpose of gerrymandering, not to eliminate a Democrat, but to eliminate Ron Paul! Funny enough, Paul won the next election anyway. From Paul's Wikipedia entry:

After his presidential bid, Paul returned to Congress in 1996. He was again elected as a Republican, but against the wishes of the party leadership, which had backed Paul's primary opponent, the incumbent Democratic representative who had switched party affiliation.

Given the tax-and-spend nature of Republicans, and the "Never Mind The Principles, Just Win" attitude of Republican supporters, I can't see Paul getting very far.

But, because I get the question so endlessly, let's make Paul's campaign the litmus test for the future. I ask those small-l libertarians who vote R to get behind Ron Paul for President. If he wins the Republican nomination, you will have made your point, that the GOP can be reformed from within. After all, this is a 9-term Libertarian/Republican fusion candidate. He's electable, obviously.

As for myself, I have overwhelming doubts that the culture of the Republican Party is any different than before the Congressional beating it just took in November. I look no further than my state government, and a Governor with a nickname like "The Blade" still putting forth budgets that are larger than before, with no actual cuts, with Republicans rah-rahing the thing as great progress. I still believe the best way to pressure Republicans into change is from the outside, putting the votes of fiscal conservatives at stake. The GOP has buried too many libertarians, from Andy Horning here in Indiana, to Ron Paul in Texas.

But, I'll be watching with interest!

State of the State Reviewer

I will represent the Libertarian response to Governor Mitch Daniels' State of the State Address, Tuesday evening on WXNT 1430-am, heard on-air throught Central Indiana, or online at www.wxnt.com.

As I understand it, WXNT's Abdul Hakim Shabazz will host a special evening edition of his show with representatives of the three parties issuing a preview of what we expect to hear, and then a re-cap with our takes on the speech.

These are fun events, as the Republican can be expected to rah-rah or at least spin everything Mitch says, the Democrat will assail or spin everything, and I'm free to simply analyze- does it make government smaller, less expensive, or less intrusive- on those merits.

Look for more broadcast details shortly.

Hat Tip to Congressional Democrats

This comes begrudgingly, because I happen to like foundering members of Congress... which defined the Republican majorities. Those clowns wrote damaging law, but without any particular sense of purpose or urgency.

This is unlike the Democrats. They do have a sense of purpose and urgency. I respect that. I like it a lot better when it happens in the private sector, because my liberty (personal and economic) isn't threatened one iota there. But give the Dems credit- they knew what they wanted to accomplish, and they are accomplishing it.

US House Passes Minimum Wage

No surprise, really. This was high on the Democrats' agenda, and they have the majority. Ever House Democrat voted for a hike in the minimum wage.

Because no Libertarian would have voted in favor of a minimum wage to begin with, let alone a hike, and because too many believe that Libertarians are just a different shade of Republican, I thought it would be useful to trot out the stats. From the AP report:

All 233 Democrats voted for the minimum wage measure, along with 82 Republicans. All 116 votes in opposition came from Republicans.

Get that? 82 US House Republicans voted with the Democrats in support of the minimum wage hike.

Message Recieved and Understood- At Last

At long last, due to severe embarrassment, Bart Peterson now gets it. It's the crime, stupid!

From Matt Tully's Indy Star column:

Mayor Bart Peterson went on TV last night to grab the attention of state lawmakers. He wanted to let them know the state's stumbling capital city has a serious problem with public safety.

Consider the message received. Received like a hard slap to the face. But not because of the mayor's much-touted "prime-time" speech -- the one that got "Inside Edition" bumped from Channel 8's Tuesday night lineup.

Nope. Lawmakers got the message the old-fashioned way -- with a simple street mugging. It happened when freshman state Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, walked outside a Butler-Tarkington CVS and bumped into a pair of thugs. There was a gun and a punch to the eye and, in the end, a missing purse, a few stitches and another ugly headline for the city.

Too bad the great number of homicides wasn't the catalyst to revelation. It took the mugging of a State Senator to bring reality home like a sledgehammer. This has been in plain view for some time. The little people in body bags didn't register, but a State Senator with a shiner and stiches? Whoa, Nelly! We've got a problem!

Once again, I'm glad I left Marion County. It took me two years to figure out that it was not the place I wanted to raise a family. I've lived in areas on the bubble before, and our first Central Indiana residence was another such place. 58th & Keystone- just south of Glendale Mall, and east of Broad Ripple. Would the area rise or fall? It really looked like it could go either way. When you have the ability to choose and are preparing to spend good money on a home, you want certainty. That's why I chose to get out of Marion County and the Warfleigh neighborhood. It held no promise that it would rise, that the energy of Broad Ripple would extend further east, that Glendale Mall would survive and attract top notch retailers, that the negative influence of 38th Street wouldn't continue to drift northerly. We fled. I feel justified in that flight every time I read headlines with endless homicides and punched-out lawmakers.

That's the message Peterson needs to get.

So, Peterson was speechifying on Tuesday, explaining, rationalizing, and preparing the people for a tax hike. From Tully:

Even though the message was received, Peterson spent most of Tuesday explaining the city's plight. The mayor who would be governor boiled it down this way: We're broke, we're crime-ridden and we need a whole lot more cash.

Peterson has been Mayor for how many years now? If the city is broke, the Peterson Adminstration has failed. If the city is crime ridden, the Peterson Administration has failed. If the city needs a whole lot more cash, the Peterson Administration has failed.

Anyway, the mayor went on to announce an $85 million-a-year spending package. It would tackle the city's unfunded police and fire pension debt, a rash of recent anti-crime measures, and future policing and crime-prevention programs.

"The bottom line," Peterson said, "is there are going to be hard decisions. There is not going to be a painless way."

No- This should be an easy decision. It should have been an easy decision all along, but it was too tempting for Peterson to look at sexier things, like trying to get a stadium project under the city's aegis. No, public safety always comes first! Libertarians get this. A Democrat like Peterson only gets it when campaigning or embarrassed. If there's to be any 'pain', it's that tertiary priority items hit the cutting room floor. Big deal. Snip! See? That was easy!

Peterson could have made crime a priority. I understand he ran on it, way back when. It's easy to overlook priorities when they seem not to be problems, but if you don't, they suddenly become huge.

Or, in the case of the murder rate, not so suddenly. Anyhow, this is why JFK said that the time to fix the roof is before the rain. Well, Mayor Peterson, you have a full-blown storm. Better jack your butt up the ladder and fix the stuff before everything inside is flushed away.

Such as more people like me- people who take seriously the task of raising their families in safety.

Time To Examine Priorities In Indy Yet?

It's a shame it comes to this, but if a State Senator get mugged in a city, my bet is that city finally starts taking a good, hard look at its' crime problem.

Welcome to Indianapolis, Senator. From the Indy Star:

Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, was thrown to the ground and lost her purse during the attack outside a CVS, 119 W. 56th St., about 9:30 p.m. Monday, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department police report.

One of the two robbers showed her a pistol and grabbed the purse, while Errington hung on.

The other bandit struck her in the eye.

When State Senators are being mugged in places perceived as not the hard parts of town, there's a widespread problem. Butler-Tarkington is really a fair place to be, as Indy goes. And yet, people commit these kinds of crimes there.

Is this the wake-up call Indianapolis has needed? It seems the shocking murder total for 2006 wasn't enough to make police and safety top priority, over the new hotel largesse, or socialized football stadium, or a library debacle. Does it take the mugging of a State Senator to provide the impetus to think, "my gosh, our city might not be seen in the most positive light".

Let's hope the light bulbs are appearing over 29 heads in the City-County Council, and one searchlight over the head of the Mayor. Nothing should be prioritized over public safety. Period.

Time To Hide Your Wallet

The Indiana Legislature is in session beginning tomorrow and in the words of Mark Twain, "No man's life nor liberty are safe when the Legislature is in session." I couldn't agree more.

I've posted a listing of the Indiana House & Senate members for Hamilton County, over in the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County blog. Link. Later, I'll review all of the bills these scoundrels, er, elected officials have proposed for this year's full session.

I urge my fellow Libertarian bloggers to list and review the proposed legislation that has been proposed by their elected officials. This is where the rubber meets the road.

2006 Winners & Losers

A short political re-cap as seen through these eyes. First, the winners...

1. Indiana Democrats, on the surface. They won a majority of US House seats this year, ousting three Republican incumbents. That is a big deal, so it was played up on the major media. But there is much more to Indiana politics than the US House. Indeed, we rarely see our US House Reps back home once they win. Dems also won a narrow majority in the Indiana House, which is also quite a reversal in a state that is vastly more conservative than liberal.

2. Fiscal conservatives. No, the Republican Party did not rediscover Barry Goldwater. The Democratic gains in the Congress and the Indiana House brings us gridlock, the partisan battle that will freeze spending far more effectively than a Republican majority any day. I love it!

3. Property Rights. The Kelo v. New London decision opened the door for massive discontent and a wave of new laws limiting the use of eminent domain in Indiana and many, many other states. Very refreshing!

4. District 6 Libertarians. The Bells and crew have made large gains. Today in Hagerstown, an elected Libertarian Judge (Susan Bell) will swear in two elected Libertarian Township officials- Conley Tillson and Steve Coffman. Rex Bell had the strongest showing ever in a 3-way Indiana House race in District 54. Other areas have elected Libertarians, but rather than it being a one-time occurrence, the Wayne and Henry County Libertarians continue to grow and elected more and more to office. Never mind New Hampshire, this is the Free State Project.

5. Jim Irsay. I gotta hand it to the guy. He got all $121 million in naming rights for a stadium he won't own. He gets the lion's share of the operating revenue for the stadium he won't own. He paid almost nothing into the construction of that stadium. After all- he won't own it! The brilliance of Jim Irsay is that he wasn't agressive about promoting this fleecing. He allowed panicky, fearful politicians rush to give him the sun, moon, and stars. He stood quietly and accepted their gifts. All hail Jim Irsay!

Losers

1. The Republican Party. How do you set up the Republicans positioning as a close second? Give them overwhelming majorities across the land and then wait a short while. They had the greatest majorities seen in 100 years of Federal government, and yet failed to advance any meaningful agenda. If I told you ten years ago that the Federal government would advance a sweeping Medicare prescription drug plan, you might have guessed that Teddy Kennedy was President with a Democratic Congress.

2. Indiana Dems. Yes they won that US House majority. Yes, they won the majority in the Indiana House. However, if you can't run a candidate for US Senate, if you lose all three statewide offices, and the overwhelming majority of the state's township offices are won by Republicans, and you barely have a third of the state Senate, you really are the equivalent of a third party. Dems have the gerrymandering of districts to thank for their Indiana House majority, and the ineptitude of Republicans to thank almost entirely for their other gains. Republicans dominate more than 70 of the 92 counties, as was evidenced by the Township returns. Dems were mostly smart enough to ride the wave in. It's hardly a foundation for a lasting shift. The swing voters will certainly swing again.

3. Property Rights. The other wave of laws sweeping Indiana and the country are the smoking bans. Although not intended as such, they are limits on property rights whereby the interests of the patrons trump those of the business property owner. With the War on Food as the next nanny state frontier, the hospitality industry is essentially being dictated to, with owners and patrons losing choices. This is an enormously disturbing trend.

4. Fiscal Conservatives. Even with precious gridlock, the premise of spending as much as possible will be unquestioned by Republicans and Democrats. Only partisan war will prevent spending from being as outrageous as it was under GOP majorities. Sadly, despite all the efforts of libertarians, whether the Libertarian Party, the Reason Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the myriad others sounding the alarm against an all-consuming government, we still move in that direction.

5. Melina Kennedy. Her run for Marion County Prosecutor must certainly be the worst run Democratic campaign in Indiana this year. Republican ineptitude allowed Dems to make gains in many high profile seats, except this one. Curious, because Marion County is now a Democratic bellweather. If Kennedy's campaign was positive, she could have simply ridden the wave into office. I was pleased to see another negative campaign go down in flames.

Toss Up

1. Foreign Policy. Democrats have been questioning US foreign policy in Iraq. Is this the beginning of a deeper introspection on the US role as World's Cop, seeking an end to so much US intervention into world affairs, or is it merely a shallow political attack on George W Bush?

2. Democratic Congressional Agenda. After campaigning on themes of bi-partisan spirit, can the Dems resist the thrill of power and avoid repeating history with their own attempt at impeaching a lame duck president? Will it be too much fun for Dems to say, "but we're right"? Also, can they really live up to the laughable perception that Democrats are fiscally responsible? Sure, the GOP is a bad yardstick to measure up to. Still.

3. Bold Daniels. I don't think Daniels will stop looking for cute, inventive ways to score quick revenue. Will the Democrats' slim majority in the Indiana House be enough to slow him down?

4. Libertarian Mayor? Will this be the year? Indiana Libertarians continued to make incremental gains wherever they ran local candidates. With past wins at the township and even city council level, mayor is the next rung up the ladder. It's a possibility in smaller locales where advertising money is less a factor, and personal reputations count for much more.

5. Where will it end? With the smoking bans in private businesses continuing to advance, and bans on trans-fats next, what will be the new frontier? Will smoking be banned in private homes? Will Americans have to keep and submit a log of foods consumed? Many scoff at this line of inquiry, but 20 years ago, we never would have believed the restrictions that passed in 2006. Is choice dead, or just dying? Will there be a backlash, or will Americans simply roll over and obey? My money is on the advance of the nanny state and the decline of personal choice and responsibility. I hope I'm wrong, but I have smart money.

Busy Week

Posts have been few and far between, but I'll be catching up shortly.

Now that Alex lives with me, he takes his breaks with his Mom and/or her family. We saw him off for a flight from Cincinnati on Thursday, so much of the week was spent being with him before he left.

Alex had me playing Time Splitters for many hours. I enjoy shoot-em-up video games, but rarely get to indulge in them. With it being the single-least productive week of the year (was anybody but me working?) we had plenty of time to play. Since both of us are very competitive, we play against each other. Naturally, he's way better at the games, so I was on a huge learning curve. No doubt he enjoyed beating on his Old Man.

Election Notes #5, Precinct Results

This is just a very thin scan of the precinct results that make me feel good, in response to a comment on my Election Notes #4. I'll only post a few in detail because it takes up a lot of space. Besides, this sort of analysis is what the County Chairs are supposed to do. Anyhow, LPIN State Chair Mark Rutherford has a blog entry with links to the LaPorte, Wayne, and Henry County results.

My best numbers were in areas where we have strong local Libertarian candidates and/or strong local Libertarian Party affiliates. So, I did especially well in Wayne County, where Rex Bell ran an outstanding campaign for Indiana House, and where Susan Bell is the elected Hagerstown Judge, and where Conley Tillson was just elected to Township office. Check out this precinct result, in Wayne County, Hagerson, Jefferson 1:

SECRETARY OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TODD ROKITA (REP). . . . . . . . . 152 42.94
JOE PEARSON (DEM). . . . . . . . . 122 34.46
MIKE KOLE (LIB) . . . . . . . . . 80 22.60
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Total . . . . . . . . . . 354

AUDITOR OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TIM BERRY (REP) . . . . . . . . . 168 49.85
JUDY ANDERSON (DEM) . . . . . . . . 169 50.15
Total . . . . . . . . . . 337

TREASURER OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
RICHARD E. MOURDOCK (REP) . . . . . . 176 52.85
MICHAEL W. GRIFFIN (DEM) . . . . . . 157 47.15
Total . . . . . . . . . . 333

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 54 VOTE FOR ONLY 1
THOMAS E. (TOM) SAUNDERS (REP) . . . . 111 31.09
DAVID G. SADLER (DEM) . . . . . . . 82 22.97
REX BELL (LIB). . . . . . . . . . 164 45.94
Total . . . . . . . . . . 357

Thanks for the Coattails there, Rex! Interestingly, when compared to the other statewide offices, it appears I took more votes away from the Democrat than the Republican, even though I clearly drew down both of them. That certainly flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Rex took a lot away from both of his opponents, to be sure.

Here's another from Wayne County, Hagerstown, Jefferson 2:

SECRETARY OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TODD ROKITA (REP). . . . . . . . . 165 47.28
JOE PEARSON (DEM). . . . . . . . . 105 30.09
MIKE KOLE (LIB) . . . . . . . . . 79 22.64
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Total . . . . . . . . . . 349

AUDITOR OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TIM BERRY (REP) . . . . . . . . . 201 57.76
JUDY ANDERSON (DEM) . . . . . . . . 147 42.24
Total . . . . . . . . . . 348

TREASURER OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
RICHARD E. MOURDOCK (REP) . . . . . . 194 55.91
MICHAEL W. GRIFFIN (DEM) . . . . . . 153 44.09
Total . . . . . . . . . . 347

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 54 VOTE FOR ONLY 1
THOMAS E. (TOM) SAUNDERS (REP) . . . . 122 34.27
DAVID G. SADLER (DEM) . . . . . . . 79 22.19
REX BELL (LIB). . . . . . . . . . 155 43.54
Total . . . . . . . . . . 356

Same situation. Well, I made more than 10 campaign appearances in Wayne County, with I think six of them in Hagerstown. This is the hometown of Rex & Susan Bell. Put it all together, and you get these numbers. Here's one from Wayne County, Perry, Economy:

SECRETARY OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TODD ROKITA (REP). . . . . . . . . 86 44.79
JOE PEARSON (DEM). . . . . . . . . 76 39.58
MIKE KOLE (LIB) . . . . . . . . . 30 15.63
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Total . . . . . . . . . . 192

AUDITOR OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
TIM BERRY (REP) . . . . . . . . . 102 53.13
JUDY ANDERSON (DEM) . . . . . . . . 90 46.88
Total . . . . . . . . . . 192

TREASURER OF STATE VOTE FOR ONLY 1
RICHARD E. MOURDOCK (REP) . . . . . . 107 56.91
MICHAEL W. GRIFFIN (DEM) . . . . . . 81 43.09
Total . . . . . . . . . . 188

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 54 VOTE FOR ONLY 1
THOMAS E. (TOM) SAUNDERS (REP) . . . . 65 32.66
DAVID G. SADLER (DEM) . . . . . . . 42 21.11
REX BELL (LIB). . . . . . . . . . 92 46.23
Total . . . . . . . . . . 199

In this area Rex still whupped 'em, but my numbers dipped a bit, and I was drawing more from Repulicans. Still, these are great numbers!

No Spin, Indeed

I was listening to Bill O'Reily today, because I wanted to self-flagellate for some private guilt. It was horrible! He was talking about this wrestling match or boxing match between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell. My sins were absolved, and I got to hear O'Reilly get to the essence of what he believes.

He said, and I'm working from memory here, 'the day we are for the individual instead of the common good, we are done'.

So, for those of you who thought O'Reilly anything other than the collectivist populist that he is, there it is. He was very plain. Individualism is bad. Collectivism is good. The power of the state is good so long as it serves you!

The Star Has It Wrong

The Indy Star published an opinion on annexation this morning. It's the usual Star brand of milquetoast, taking no solid position, aiming for some amorphous, gray, middle of the road.Along the way, they said some stupid things:

But lawmakers should use caution in hobbling annexation efforts. Had Indianapolis been foreclosed from annexation, it could be a Byzantine collection of tiny communities. Resistance to annexation led to the passage of Uni-Gov, effectively a wholesale annexation that many credit with helping Indianapolis become the Cinderella of the Rust Belt.

Wow, that's chock full of stupid.

For instance, what's wrong with a Byzantine collection of tiny communities? Tiny communities tend to be tighter-knit, with more common ground from one side of town to the other, and better still, with a government small enough to be responsive.

When the whole region is one municipality, many decent areas suffer being dragged down by the worst areas in town. Consider: Why do people from Lawrence, Washington, and Pike townships flee for Hamilton County? To escape the higher Uni-Gov taxes, to escape higher sales tax rates, to escape the horrible IPS schools, to escape the higher auto insurance rates, to escape the higher home insurance rates, to escape the domination of Center Township politics... just for starters.

You might consider how Crows Nest, Beech Grove, and Speedway are pleasant oases within Marion County. Yes, it's those Byzantine tiny communities, with their sense of identity and pride- and of not being Indianapolis.

Cleveland is a good counterpoint to Indy. Yes, Cleveland is one dismal city, but people there tend more to flee the city, not all of Cuyahoga County. Sure, the lousy suburban communities suffer flight, but that's as it should be. For the most part, people still happily reside in most of Cuyahoga County's inner and outer ring suburbs, embracing their schools and their communities. If Strongsville or Bratenahl suddenly became incorporated into Cleveland, you would see for sale signs spring up and wholesale flight throughout the formerly independent towns, because the well-to-do would want to get their kids out and to protect their assets. Annex Beech Grove into Indy and you would see the same thing. On the other hand, offer the Broad Ripple area the opportunity to break away and become its own municipality and you would see an amazing flowering happen there, beyond the interesting things that are already there.

In fact, Marion County would be greatly served by dismantling Uni-Gov, and creating a Byzantine collection of tiny communities. You might start to see better schools, less government waste, and less flight as people have more reasons to choose to identify with their communities. I'm proof. I fled Indy after just two years. I removed my son forevermore from IPS schools after just one semester. There was absolutely no way I would permit my family to live within the city limits of Indianapolis so long as I had children.

Indianapolis, the Cinderella of the Rust Belt? Bwaahahaha! Just check out the murder rate for a reality check on that puffery. Then, the schools.

Then, let the people decide whether or not they want to be a part of a city. They chose to live where they are on the basis of what the place is. In Geist, Home Place, and Southwest Clay, it's township living. It should be almost impossibly hard for a city or town to annex. The burden of petitioning should be on the entity that wants to gobble its neighbor, not on the defenders.

Being annexed into Carmel or Fishers is obviously not as detrimental to one's bottom line or safety as is being annexed into Indianapolis. Still, the right to self-determination should be paramount. And no matter how good a government is, the smaller it is, the more responsive it is. Thus, the urge to annex should be curbed.

(This opinion was first posted to the Hamilton County Libertarian Blog. I post there along with three other Hamilton County Libertarians. Check it out!)

Technorati Tags:Libertarian, Forced Annexation, Indianapolis, Geist, Indiana

Election Notes, Part 4

Immediately after the election, I was pretty down on my results. I'm not used to losing, and while I accepted going in that the overwhelming odds were against me and that I needed to take stock in the secondary objectives, I found that easier to say than to do.

Mainly, my numbers were less than our candidate for the same office the last time around. Indiana Libertarians improved in every category but one- mine. So, I found myself questioning my strategies.

Logistics

I am convinced that in terms of this years results, making 200 campaign appearances made no difference. I could have done 1000, and my numbers would have been the same. I was actually advised not to run a real campaign, but to sit back and raise money exclusively. I rejected that advice, so I can't complain too stridently. In short term thinking, I was plainly wrong.

Long term, though, I believe the results will be better for future candidates because of the full-scale campaign. I was at so many events where my R & D counterparts failed to turn up that it was literally becoming front page news. We improved relationships with the media and the hosts of events, especially by turning up in Clark County, Knox County, LaPorte County, and others on the remote corners of the state.

Also, the bar has been raised up high. It will be tough for any future statewide candidate to run the way we used to, as paper candidates, and not have some scrutiny come their way. This is good, because if we are going to compete, running a real campaign is one key component. Raising a million remains the other significant one.

Message

I also came to question my focused message. Having heard the complaints from media and voters while observing other campaigns about irrelevant candidacies (running on drug war opposition while seeking the office of surveyor!), I was determined to be germaine. I was running for Secretary of State, so I endeavored to learn about the office and to formulate policy positions aimed at improving that office to the extent I could. This means, I couldn't eliminate the office, but I could make it less wasteful, less a tool for self-promotion, more adherent to the core functions prescribed by the Constitution and by law. I could further lobby to change the law.

This bored our base and the undecided voters alike, but especially our base. While very few had enough interest in improving my campaign, or even the courage of their convictions to question my message directly to me, there was plenty of sniping going on about the boring nature of the campaign. Well, Secretary of State is a boring office. I don't think you get anywhere by turning the campaign into a circus. Some Libertarian candidates get short-term media hits by flashing part of their anatomy, but many of those hits happen on News of the Weird. Oscar Wilde was wrong. Sometimes it is better to be ignored than covered, if you're being an idiot. No, the goal was to further the growing opinion that Libertarian candidates are serious candidates and not charlatans.

You have to know that I really questioned this after seeing the results. It would have been a lot more fun for me to talk about the issues that really rile me up. Many times I said to myself, "I should have cut loose! I should have just gone off! The results would have at least been the same, but maybe a bit higher." But really, while that would have been self-satisfying, I was running for something bigger than my own short-term satisfaction. I was running to assure continued Libertarian Party ballot access as a minimum, and to build the esteem of the Libertarian Party of Indiana. This was achieved. That will give me long-term satisfaction.

Bridge Building

I began seeing this with greater clarity once Bob Barr signed on to be a representative on the Libertarian National Committee. Bob Barr is a former Republican Congressman. As it happens, the LP was instrumental in defeating Barr in his re-election attempt, as we targeted him on his drug message, running a candidate in that race and turning the district over to the Democrat. Barr hasn't entirely walked away from his position on drugs, and this has upset many Libertarians. This recalled for me the fact that there isn't a single person alive that I agree with 100%. Believe me, I've looked.

So, Barr is with us enough to become a life member with a contribution of $1,000 and to take a large leadership role. Why isn't that good enough? So, he doesn't agree with the whole platform? He is willing to advance the Party, thus, the platform and the principles that the candidates will espouse.

There was a great comment on Reason Hit & Run from a Gerry Tripwell:

Welcome Mr. Barr to the party and give him some time and slack. I became a Libertarian 15 years, mostly in response to Bush I's war in the middle-east. I accepted the party's positions one-by-one and the last one that I accepted was the oppposition to the war on drugs.

Liberty applies to the whole scope of human affairs. Is it better to embrace a man who has a 95% appreciation of liberty, or to alienate him for the 5% he can't see?

I say it's better to embrace one who even only gets liberty on one issue. Show appreciation and affection, and soon enough that person will begin to see it on more and more issues. Indeed, some of the more ardent Libertarians I know came from other parties and with reservations. Today, they are the staunchest, most stalwart Libertarians you could ever hope to meet.

I was a Democrat as a teen. I got liberty on exactly three issues. For the rest, the coercive power of the state was excellent, as far as I was concerned, especially where money was involved. In time, I came to see the injustice of state interference in every area of life. It took time- until I was 25. If a Libertarian had gotten in my face about an issue, it would have hindered my acceptance of liberty, not accelerated it.

So, I did what I thought was the respectful thing, and tried to find the area where a person had affinity with liberty, and talked it up. It seemed so entirely pointless to learn the area where we had disagreement and to zero in on that and let the person know he was wrong and stupid, and that I had the right answer. No, I worked to build a bridge on our agreement and encouraged them to seek out our positions in other areas of life.

After seeing the comments on Barr I finally got over my disappointment with the numbers. I found some peace with my campaign. I have no regrets. I believe I did it correctly, long term.

Update: Bob Barr's position on the War on Drugs is already moving towards a more pure libertarian philosophy, per Reason Hit & Run.

Glad I Fled Marion County, Part 8

The City-County Council Democrats showed where they have their priorities. From this morning's Star:

The City-County Council tabled a 3 percent pay raise for county elected officials and introduced a 2008 pay raise of 75 percent for themselves Monday night.

Me, me, me, me, me, me, me. There's the spirit of public service for all to see. But, here's the finest Allow-Me-To-Insult-Your-Intelligence line of 2006:

"I think it's long overdue," said Monroe Gray, the council president. "It's not for us; it's for the next council."

Bwaahahahaha! What a load. If you believe that nonsense, please contact me right away for the real estate bargain of the century. Meanwhile, the City-County Republican comments reflected their usual stellar best- 35% correct.

Philip Borst, the Republican leader, said the timing is not right to raise council salaries. The city already faces more than $100 million in shortages for public safety and other needs, he said.

"He's doing it the right way, but it sends the wrong message," Borst said.

Read with clarity, he means that the timing is poor because the municipal elections are coming up in 2007, and this thing could hurt them all. Doesn't Rozelle Boyd, who introduced this measure, understand that the time to do anything obviously controversial is immediately after elections? That way time passes and the people forget.

Indianapolis has a murder rate this year that makes people think well of Washington DC and Detroit, and these clowns are thinking about giving themselves raises. Harumpf!

Yessir, I'm glad I fled Marion County!

Check Your Premises

Thanks to Jeff Pruitt for offering the thought provoking response to my previous post! I disagree with him at the most fundamental level, but his comments made me think about privatization beyond it being a mere function.

I think the fundamental difference is that government is responsible to the people (directly) and private entities are responsible to the shareholders. What is good for the shareholders is not always inline with the common good.

I think that it's safe to say that along these lines, one of the common leftward criticisms of capitalism is that it creates winners and losers.

It's time for some intellectual honesty here, with regard to the "common good", and "winners and losers". But first, I will give my intellectual honesty.

Capitalism does create winners and losers. Those who offer little to employers tend to get little in the way of rewards, and are losers. Those who offer much to employers thend to be greatly rewarded. I believe that to be just. I like it. I work hard myself to be one of capitalism's winners.
I always bristle at the notion of the common good. I find it rather a falicy. For instance, stalwart Republicans would tell you that a ban on gay marriage is for the common good. The majority of Americans support a ban on gay marriage, so it must be so. At the same time, stalwart Democrats would tell you that government intervention into health care is for the common good. A majority of Americans support government intervention into health care, so it must be so.

The proponents of doing things for the common good must recognize that they create winners and losers, if they have any intellectual honesty. Certainly, gay people are the losers in the first example. Certainly, people in good health who end up paying for the health care of others are the losers in the second. Both left and right need to own up to this.

The difference is, with capitalism, you can opt out.

• Don't like Wal Mart? No problem. You don't have to shop there.
• Don't like American social policy? Tough. You're in the minority. Suck it up.

See the differences? What's done in the name of the common good invariably oppresses the minority.

How you like them apples, those of you on the left?

Sure, government is "accountable to the people". That's the abstract of it. Don't like public policy? Just vote 'em out! But, something for nothing is very popular. The reality is that it is virtually impossible to remove an incumbent.

• In capitalism, a 2% market share is enormous. You become wealthy on that. You're a winner!
• In goverment, a 49% vote share is a bitter loss. You find something else to do afterwards. Your a loser!

Besides all this, I think it's important to question those who are high and mighty enough to let you know that they represent the common good. What kind of conceited, self-righteous powermonger does it take to issue proclamations that not only is their side "the common good", but that it's so "good" that even those who don't like it have go along with it? The worst kind, as far as I can tell.

To me, the hallmark of freedom is the ability to withhold your participation. I guess that's why I like capitalism. I can choose whether or not I'll eat at McDonalds, shop at Wal Mart, use Tide or Ecover in the wash. I don't suffer the insult of choosing to go to Kroger's and then endure having to buy brussels sprouts, beef liver, and Wonder Bread- all of which I detest.

But, that's how government works. I cannot choose government a la carte. I can't say that I will withhold my taxes if I oppose certain policy. No, I have to fund it against my better judgment and without my approval! I cannot say, well, I support having public police, fire, safety & rescue, and courts and am glad to pay for those, but will withhold that percentage of my taxes that goes to fund the war in Iraq, the war on drugs, and socialized football. These have all been adjudged by our elected officials to be, you got it, the common good. It's an all or nothing proposition. The taxes come out of our pockets, go into the meatgrinder that is the Treasury, and goes out according to all these things that are, we are told, the common good. Things that you may well regard as bad or worse so often get fully funded, and you get to contribute to it. Justice? My eye!

So, if doing things for the common good is part of your fundamental M.O., please do me a favor and acknowledge that you create more winners and losers than capitalism does, but only if you would like me to hold you in the esteem of one intellectually honest.

Privatization Fears?

Indiana's left blogosphere is suffering a heavy case of Chicken Little-ism right now over the growing number of privatization initiatives being taken by governor Mitch Daniels.

While concern over cronyism is certainly valid, and contracts should be awarded by bids only, I am pleased by the move.

The recently deceased Nobel-winning economist Milton Friedman summed up in his series and book "Free To Choose" why private enterprises are more likely to better deliver on the services than government. Check out Friedman explaining " The Four Ways To Spend Money", on this grainy clip:

The 4 Ways to Spend Money by Milton Friedman


Private employers spend their own money on their employees in the pursuit of making more money. Government employers spend someone else's money on their employees, not in the pursuit of making money. So often you hear people say, "I don't expect this government enterprise to make money". So, yeah, I figure privatization will be a blessing in cost savings- so long as there isn't cronyism, or no-bid contracts being awarded.

I question the motives of those fearing privatization. Mainly, privatizing a service performed by government doesn't eliminate that service. It merely allows for the likelihood of more efficient delivery of that service. Especially for those on the left, don't you want to see social services better delivered to the recipients? Or, is the real motivation protecting cushy government jobs?

Just asking.

Statewide Anti-Annexation PAC Formed

I was delighted to learn that the statewide anti-forced annexation political action committee (PAC) is at last being formed.

While forced annexation has been a hot topic here in Hamilton County as Carmel tries to forcibly annex Southwest Clay and Home Place, and Fishers does likewise with Geist, it is not isolated to this part of the state. It is in fact a statewide issue, with actions and remonstrances also happening in the Muncie, Fort Wayne, Jeffersonville areas, just to name a few.

Geist resident Rachel Quade has been a driving force in opposing Fishers' largely unwanted advances, and in forming the PAC. From the Indy Star report:

Working with like-minded residents across Indiana, Quade plans to form a political action committee to push for annexation reform. Though Quade has no way of knowing how many will join the PAC, she figures it will represent the interests of more than 5,000 property owners."

I started calling these people saying, 'Would you guys want to work together in getting the law changed?' " Quade said.

Vanessa Smith, who heads an anti-annexation group from Southern Indiana, agreed. Her group is trying to avoid annexation into Jeffersonville.

"We are working on our own legal strategies and we hope that we can delay the Jeffersonville annexation long enough to get the laws changed," Smith said.

Geist resident and PAC member Pete Peterson was quoted in the Noblesville Ledger story, hitting just the right philosophical notes, so foreign to our local Republicans:

Peterson said it is unfair for a municipality to annex an unincorporated area populated by residents who do not have the power to vote for that city's or town's government. He likened the scenario to early American colonists' cries of "No taxation without representation."

"Put this to the citizens. Let them have a say in this," Peterson said. "It really doesn't go along with the way this country was founded to not give people a say."

Libertarians have been strong in their opposition to forced annexations from the beginning. We believe a forced action, one that denies the right to self-determination, is not merely wrong, it is anti-American.

A voluntary annexation is perfectly acceptable. I believe that the laws regarding annexation should be changed thusly:

• Municipalities should no longer be permitted to initiate an annexation.
• Only citizen petitions voluntarily brought forth should be permitted to initiate an annexation.
• The citizens of the receiving municipality, not merely their city or town council, should then have a vote on whether or not to accept the petition.

I am inspired by Rachel Quade and Pete Peterson, and their genuinely grassroots effort. I am further delighted that legislators are starting to hear the pleas of those being forcibly annexed.

Democratic Rep. David Orentlicher is offering legislation that would change the laws, as is Republican Senator Beverly Gard. Both are to be commended for their willingness to be responsive.

This stands in contrast to the tax & spend Hamilton County Republicans, who have been initiating these forced annexations as mayors or town councils, and ducking from taking a conservative position against them. The Hamilton County GOP had a laughable non-position posted on its website earlier this year.

I look forward to this PAC taking part in the process of endorsing and financially supporting anti-annexation candidates in the 2007 municipal election cycle.

The Decline of the American Comedy Club

Accordingly, this is written in the most politically correct fashion I can muster.

I think everybody reading will be familiar with the Michael "Kramer" Richards story, where Richards responded to a heckler by repeatedly using a racial slur. The follow-up is that the comedy club where this occurred forbade all future acts from using the word in their club.

Daman Wayans promptly violated the ban. He was fined and banned from the Club. Story. I imagine Dave Chappelle won't be welcome there anymore. In fact, so many black stand-up comedians use the word and stand to be banned, that it might begin to look like a conspiracy to keep the black comic down. But I digress.

Hey- the club belongs to the owners. They are free to set their own policy... except with regard to smoking, and perhaps soon, trans-fats.

This turn of events is sad, though. Comedy clubs used to be the bastians of uncomfortable free speech and the home of the uncomfortable word. Lenny Bruce was arrested for using words in some cities. George Carlin expanded upon the boundaries Bruce opened with his "Seven Words You Can't Say On Television" routine. Now clubs ban the use of an uncomfortable word, even if uttered by a man who is of the group the slur targets.

Well, good for Wayans! He ought to use the word and give a little history lesson for good measure. The owners of that LA club sure could use it. I'll grant that the pop culture use of this particular epithet is disturbingly overused, and in my opinion, disturbingly embraced by some in the group the slur targets. However, if someone tells me that a word that might describe me has been banned, I'll take a moment from my busy schedule to endulge in a gratituitous overuse for a few minutes, just to show my opposition to any attempts to evade the real issues that bely the word by wishing it to be gone from existence.

Here's a link to an interesting discourse between aspiring comics and comedy fans, taking on the issue of free speech vs. censorship. Beware salty language!

US Foreign Policy, Iraq, and Intervention

First things first: I was against the war in Iraq from the beginning. Agreed that Saddam Hussein was a horrible dictator and a violent threat to the numerous minorities he oppressed, but not agreed that he was any real threat to the USA. I take counsel from the Founding Fathers who warned against foreign entanglements and adventurism.

So, the Democrats have been working for a few years slowly, and now rapidly, towards a withdrawal from Iraq. It appears that President Bush is likely to go along with it. And yet, it really gives me little comfort.

I do not for a minute believe that the withdrawal is coming pursuant to a non-interventionist perspective. I would be delighted if I thought that was their course. But the Democrats I know have often ridiculed me as an isolationist over the years, and I’ve not really heard a one enunciate homage to the Founders. It’s hard to see it as anything but purely political, as a means to attacking a weak President.

Indeed, when Democrats were last in control of US foreign policy, we found ourselves in Bosnia and Somalia, where there was no real threat to the USA- just like Iraq.

It’s hard to know what to make of US foreign policy right now, and its direction. With a Republican dominated government, I knew what to expect, and to expect not to like it. Now I have no idea what to expect, but I still expect not to like it.

I used to have a handle on Democratic foreign policy. Democrats presided over the prosecution of World War 2, and the subsequent rebuilding/occupation of Japan and Germany. So stay-the-course was that effort that we still have troops in those countries. Again, I didn't agree with the invasion of Iraq, but once it happened, we eliminated the Iraqi leader and government. We destabilized the country and the region. So, we should leave? Once we made our mess, I came to believe it became our responsibility to fix our mess.

Those committed to an international, interventionist role had always cited "nation building" as their goal. What happened to that here with Iraq? Is the opportunity to attack a weak President so irresistable that nation building in conditions that warrant it due to our invasion efforts just go out the window?

These are interesting times, in the Confucion sense. If this whole episode doesn't reveal the value of a Libertarian foreign policy, I don't know what does.

Post-Election Notes, Part 3

If you want to lose 30 pounds, run for statewide office like you mean it. This is not for everyone, and I certainly don't recommend it strictly as a weight-loss program. But hey- it works! If you have an interest in smaller government, wider freedoms, and a smaller waistline, the CFA-1 form awaits you!

On January 1, 2006, I tipped the scales at 198 pounds. I was concerned that all the chicken and bean dinners, the nights of beers with supporters, and too much eating on the fly would push me over the 200-pound mark.

Ha!

If you really work every room you're in like you should, you won't get to eat. I don't know how many times I worked the room and then found the spread packed away, with maybe a bun or a dinner roll left out. I rarely ate at functions that were dinners for me. I made it a point to start eating at these functions when none of my suits fit anymore, in October when I got down to 166.
I marvel at how some candidates gain weight on the trail. These are people who are not working the room.

For me though, throw in a year of ill health on top of not eating too much, and you've got a 30-pound weight loss guarantee. I hid the fact of my generally poor health as best I could during 2006.

I have Lyme Disease. It comes and goes, but generally, when it strikes me, it's because I have been dehydrated, sleep deprived, or a little of both. Running a statewide campaign like you mean it assures being sleep deprived. Drinking as much Diet Coke as I did assures dehydration. So, I had a fever of about 101 for the entire month of February, and for half of April and half of May. There were several events where it was a function of willpower just to get up and do my speaches. I lost 10 pounds during each month-long bout. I had a couple of minor flare-ups, but with naps and a lot of water, I kept it at bay.

Then there was the kidney stone. I was lucky in the sense that I decided to tough it out after a trip to Lake County and drive home late at night rather than crash at a supporter's home or at a motel. Lucky because after getting into bed at about 1am, I started feeling a mounting pressure in my abdomen that became a curious pain. My greatest fear in the world is being opened up surgically, so I began worrying about a burst appendix. Knowing that can kill you, I figured I'd better get it out in the open. I described my pain to Ame (an RN, in addition to CNM) and she gave me the "good news" that I wouldn't have to worry about being opened up, just having to pass the stone.

The emergency room story is hilarious like a Monty Python skit. After a night of writhing on the floor, we went to the ER. The staff had a million questions about my pain tolerance, because apparently junkies try to use the ER as means to score narcotics. The doctor asked about any broken bones in my past. I have a lot of those. I listed fingers, toes, and thumbs. He shook his head. I remembered broken ribs. A little more impressed. Ah! I broke my sternum. Twice. Now he was impressed. "Was it hard to breath?" Almost impossible. "Great!" Really? That's great? "How did you rate that pain on a scale of 1-10 at the time?" An easy 10. "Compare that with this." The broken breast bone was a 4, and this was a 10. "OK! You get morphine!" But I had to fill out all sorts of forms. I felt like the patient who was stabbed by the nurse in the Python skit, who upon filling out the form halfway was lectured by the Doc, "Surely you knew when the Magna Carta was signed. Even I knew that"!

I was concerned about having to take morphine. I mean, it was a great pain eraser. It really took the pain away, and I felt no high or even nausea. But, as Libertarian candidates always take scrutiny over anti-criminalization issues, I lost my ability to produce a clean sample. I always had it in my pocket that if anyone challenged me on the issue of drugs, this drug-free candidate would challenge them to a pee test. This episode was good for another 10 pounds.

Now that we are about a month out of the campaign, I've gone back from an Election Night low of 166 back to 183. I've been eating absolutely everything and loving it, but it's time to put on the brakes. 180 is perfect for me until I hit the weights once I get clearance on my hand.

Kole's soon-to-be-patented weight loss plan is all yours. Step right up and sign the CFA-1 and you too can fit into clothes you haven't worn for five years or more!

Osborn's Recount

This has been heavy on my mind for some time. Here are the basics:

Steve Osborn, recently defeated Libertarian candidate for US Senate, asked for a recount of 10 precincts. Steve did not issue a statement.

The lack of a statement has allowed people to interpret the request any way they choose. That's unfortunate, because there are plenty of media people like Jim Shella who like to beat on Libertarians whenever they can. Observe Shella's blog post on the recount. (Shella needs permalinks!)

Steve Osborn's request for a recount in the Senate race he lost by a million votes is not just silly, it goes against Libertarian philosophy. The Libertarians always preach less government. Now we are spending taxpayer dollars to recount a race where there is no chance, none at all, that the outcome will change.

If the Libertarians were in charge, would we even have a recount commission?

The comment about spending taxpayer dollars is, by the way, the same reaction many Libertarians had upon first hearing of the recount request. I myself was irate at it because without a statement I could only take it on its' face. Moreover, as the Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State who ran on VVPAT and election issues, I rather felt like Joe Pearson, when he was stepped on by Pat Bauer during the campaign. Steve could have had me on board, along with the rest of the Libertarian Party. Alas. Here is Steve Osborn's non-statement about why he filed it:

Though I am declining comment into specifics at this time about all the reasons for the recount request, I have fully complied with the requirements of Indiana law, and expect the Indiana Recount Commission to grant my petition (which they did; see below), and to perform the requested recounts (tentatively scheduled for December 11th).

This is senseless. It gives dolts like Shella the opportunity to malign us with their interpretations. Steve, you took whatever good message you had and threw it in the toilet.

There are many good reasons to ask for a small recount such as this, such as quality control. Any manufacturer pulls a small percentage of the product off the assembly line to inspect it. The elections are important enough to warrant the same behavior. Inspect a small number to verify the results. With the new electronic machines, and in the absence of voter verified paper audit trails (VVPAT), this is absolutely essential.

But Steve wouldn't say so. Thank goodness the Libertarian Party of LaPorte County has issued a statement:

The Libertarian Party of LaPorte County (LPLP) issued a statement that it fully supports Senate Candidate Steve Osborn's recount audit requested for 10 precincts in Northern Indiana. LPLP Chair Doug Barnes said, "Electronic voting is in its infancy, and we need to ensure the integrity of this new type of voting. Voting machines need to have a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), coupled with random post-election audits in a limited number of precincts. Senator Lugar is going to retain his position. An audit is not going to change that. We are not suggesting any impropriety, and we would be shocked if there were any, but it has been increasingly documented in the past two years that the potential for technical problems with electronic voting machines, and even abuse, exists more than it did previously."

If that's why it was done, I'd help lead the cheers. However, Steve Osborn is the petitioner and he refuses to say that these are his reasons. So, while I back the LPLP's explanation, I can't back Osborn's action. The LPLP statement is as much an interpretation as Shella's blog entry. I want it from the man himself.

To answer Shella's question- Yes, absolutely Libertarians would have a recount commission! Libertarians may not believe in funding a lot of government, but voting is one proper and necessary area for it. Nothing is more essential to a government formed by votes than the integrity of the process leading to faith in the legitimacy of that process.

Few Posts

My apologies for the lack of posts. I'm still tyiping with 1.5 hands. The pins have been removed from my right hand and the progress of healing is good, but with a half cast on the hand, I still am very slow on the typing. Look for increased activity soon, as there has been no shortage of things to discuss!

Thanksgiving Reunion in Cle

It was fun to get back to Cleveland for the extended weekend to visit family and to see many friends I haven't seen in a long time.

I skipped the 20th high school reunion and instead went to The Spitfire for a sort of WCSB reunion. I missed the actual event surrounding the college radio station's 35th anniversary during the campaign, so it was great to see friends who have made the kind of innovative and unique radio Indy simply lacks.

The Spitfire is a punk rock themed bar owned by my former 'Rock n Roll Radio' co-host Shelly and her husband Stosh. It has the best punk juke box I've ever encountered, and loaded with Cleveland underground rock legends like the Electric Eels, the Dead Boys, the Pagans, and the Pink Holes.

Steve studies the jukebox while Sade enjoys a beer.

From left: Tim Schmitz, Keith Newman, Ame, me, Steve Wainstead. This was our reprise of another photo with us each posed more or less as we are here, at Shelly & Stosh's wedding, where Ame & I met.

Tim did a great late-night show called 'Bad Art' which revolved around the music of Frank Zappa. He used a flat, wry deadpan delivery that I loved. Keith currently does a late night talk show called 'Crap', which underpromises and overdelivers a dialogue that bounces to wherever the callers want to take it. My favorite Keith Newman show was 'Lo-Fi'. Absolutely the best garage/rockabilly/punk rock show I'd ever heard. He also did really hilarious radio theatre with Michael Jordan. Wainstead & I got together with Keith for a one-night take on Monty Python's 'Election Night Special', which did air live on an election night. Sade did really wild rock shows that travelled over a variety of undrground rock styles. She also did a fascinating weekly half-hour called "Spirit of the Earth", which covered pagan news and views.

Steve did a number of shows, and each seemed to be better than the last, which was no small feat. His show "Punkin' Around" featured an hour of Cleveland bands that greatly aided a strong music scene in the late 80's. "Cyclotron" caught on to the noise rock and grunge scene before anyone heard of Nirvana or Helmet. "31337" featured the electronic underground- hacking, black box devices, and this new thing called The Internet. I remember him carting an old TV up to the stations to show that you could hear cell phone conversations. I joined him for a night of "trashing"- picking up trash bags and rumaging through on the air to show how easy identity theft was.

Of course Steve's big show was "Wainstead All Night". It started with 3 hours and then grew to 5 hours, borne out of frustration as a 3rd shift worker bored to death of repetitive late night radio. Steve reached bored security guards, factory workers, postal workers, bakers, gas station clerks, drunks, and other night howls looking for something different. Steve gave it to them: crazy novelty songs ("Beer is Better Than Girls" stands out), thrift store records like junior high school marching bands and lounge act covers of "Light My Fire", bogus traffic reports, police blotters from the Sun News (Lakewood's were awesome), Brainwash (the 40-second song that repeated 20 or so times with 6 seconds of silence between, filled with callers issuing juvenile insults on each other or bizarre film sound bites), and an hour of Frank Zappa. The show was beloved, and had three different runs on air. Steve says he plans to convert the old tapes to mp3s and make them available as podcasts. I can't wait!

Ame and Shelly met at Earlham College near Richmond, IN. They roomed together in a house heated by a wood-burning stove!

I was hunting around the FM dial today for anything 10% as interesting as WCSB's old fare, and failed. The playlists are only 30 songs deep. Hell- we had 30 song playlists for single artists! We played anything off the entire album... or the entire album.

Great times. Great friends. A strange parallel universe for me.

One Out, One To Go

About two weeks before the election, I had an accident had home. I tripped over the dog at the top of the stairs. As I began to fall downward head-first, I instinctively placed my right hand out to break my fall.

It worked! Problem is, I got two fingers caught in the baby gate. I knew immediately that I broke at least one metacarpel in the right hand. This was confirmed by a specialist. He set the bone in the office, but it fell of place during the following, leading to surgery.

Having the hand in a cast meant I couldn't wear the normal candidate attire. I couldn't wear a suit coat, and I couldn't tie a necktie until I finally got enough use of my right hand a day before the election.

Everyone noticed. I decided to have fun with it. With media, I would say, "I've just shaken so many hands, mine fell apart. I wore it out!" That got laughs. With supporters or those who seemed amused and asked, "what happened to you?", I replied, "You should see the other guy." More laughs... except when I used it at the doctor's office. They thought I was serious!

Anyhow, one of the two pins was removed. This gave me quite a lot more movement in my pinky. I have a whole new list of exercises to do, which is great. I had no idea that the pins actually run inside the bones! The other one comes out next week. Chances are good that I will even be able to play hockey come January 1. The gloves will stay on, to be sure!

Charlie Rangel Attacks Your Civil Liberties

When I first heard about it about a year and a half ago, I thought this miserable idea of Charlie Rangel's was a ploy based on his party being in the opposition, and Rangel's personal opposition to the war in Iraq- reinstate the draft.

I thought he meant to do this at that time because the draft is so unpopular and wrong as a spiterful means to ramp up opposition to wound Republicans.

No, it turns out Rangel thinks having a draft will deter politicians from waging wars. From the AP report:

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," Rangel said.

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, has said the all-volunteer military disproportionately puts the burden of war on minorities and lower-income families.

Oh, just like how the draft succesfully kept the poor and minorities out of Viet Nam, right?

Volunteerism is the only just method of forming a military. If the people judge a conflict to be unjust, they withhold their participation. Rangel's plan would take those who have no interest or inclination for military action and thrust them unwillingly into it. What kind of social justice is that?

When running for Secretary of State, I talked about how voting Democrat on the basis of having your civil liberties defended was a waste of your vote. Here's the proof.

It's so ironic for me, because I was a Democrat as a young man because then the Dems were strident in their opposition to the draft. On the trail, I also spoke about how the Republicans had moved away from their smaller government principles. Same is true of the Dems on this issue. Amazing that they can't even wait until they actually take the leadership before the alienate those who gave them a chance again. I'm sure this is only the first of many affronts.

Protect your civil liberties. Vote Libertarian!

Update: I changed the title of this post from Democrats Fail To Protect Your Civil Liberties after an exchange with Jeff Pruitt. Jeff showed me that Rangel's on an island on this one... which is a good place for him... and that's it's not fair to lump all Dems in with Rangel. He's right, so I changed it.

The Passing of a Giant

Sadly, today we learn that Milton Friedman has died. From the AP report in the Indy Star:

His theories won him a Nobel Prize in economics in 1976.

A believer in the principles of 18th century economist Adam Smith, he consistently argued that individual freedom should rule economic policy. Outspoken and controversial, Friedman saw his theories attacked by many traditional economists such as Harvard's John Kenneth Galbraith.

In an essay titled “Is Capitalism Humane?” he said that “a set of social institutions that stresses individual responsibility, that treats the individual ... as responsible for and to himself, will lead to a higher and more desirable moral climate.”

Friedman acknowledged that “pure capitalism” did not exist, but said that nations that cherished freedom must strive to keep the economy as close to the ideal as possible.

This is the passing of a giant. I always had an innate sense of the benefits and justice of capitalism, but Milton Friedman gave me an academic means for expressing it and backing it up beyond mere feelings.

Friedman was extolling capitalism's virtues at a time when academia had turned from capitalism and embraced Marx- incorrectly. He stood against this fad and led the reversal, and for that I am grateful. He is one of those most responsible for inspiring me to work to reverse course back towards capitalism, and to become a Libertarian activist.

I am deeply saddened at his passing.

There is a statement on the webpage of the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation concerning his passing.

Reason Magazine has a tribute and links to many articles.

http://cato-at-liberty.org/ has at least three blog entries memorializing Friedman.

Post-Election Notes, Part 2

A couple things have kept me from writing more reflections- the surgically repaired right hand that is useless for typing, and the sting I feel when I look at the numbers and reflect on the realities.

Call that last bit pride. I knew that the odds were greatly against me for a victory, but I did have plenty of secondary objectives.

2%. That was the bottom line. I got this, so the Libertarian Party maintains automatic ballot access for the next four years statewide in Indiana. That's no small victory, especially when we recall the failure of the Greens to achieve it this year.

10%. That would have put us into the primaries. Opinion within the LPIN was divided on this. Many did not want to be part of a taxpayer-funded process that only really is political party business. My belief was that the Ds & Rs would remain true to form and would try to change the rules if I reached this figure. Doing so would have made us a player in a very worthy discourse about the nature of funding these events, which I really was hoping for. Alas.

2nd Place in any County. That would have made us eligible for positions on appointed boards and commissions, such as the Elections Boards. We deserve a place on them anyway, and no better way to make the case but to displace the Rs or Ds- after all, the law only provides for two parties to participate. It would have been a delight to give them a taste of their own medicine. Alas, my best showing was in Wayne County, with more than 8%, yet still in 3rd.

Increased Statewide Percentage. If you can't win, my objective was to at least improve upon past performance. I thought this was a slam-dunk. The public was more upset with both parties this year than in 2002. I made close to 200 appearances in 35 counties- all new bests for LPIN candidates. I was getting new support on issues like opposition to forced annexations and smoking bans, which I thought should translate into votes, election day staffing, and contributions. Boy, was I wrong there, but more on that later. The numbers:

2002: 60,937 votes received, 4.12%
2006: 53,459 votes received, 3.33%

The 2006 numbers are not official yet, as incredibly, not all precincts are counted even still. My vote totals may go up, but the percentage is unlikely to change much.

I am at once embarrassed by my showing and perplexed at the realities. I just can't get my arms around doing so much more resulting in fewer votes. Ame tells me that the 2002 returns might have been better because we had a female candidate, and some women will vote for any woman regardless of party. Others tell me that having Steve Osborn on the ballot for US Senate at the top of ticket may have sucked up any sympathy/protest votes we would take. I really think that I could have had one public appearance or a thousand and it would not have made a bit of difference. Unless I had at least a minor statewide saturation of TV ads to begin getting real name recognition, the average Hoosier voter wasn't going to violate their traditional old party choice.

Strong Showing at Home. I had hoped to finish 2nd here in Hamilton County when I began the campaign. As time passed and I was travelling across the state, I slowly revised my hopes downward, but I never thought I would do worse than we had in 2002. Alas, again.

2002: 1,630 votes received, 3.70%
2006: 1,773 votes received, 3.02%

This is really disappointing. Between the 3 years working at the County Surveyor's Office, the public defense of the Geist, Homeplace, and Southwest Clay property owners against forced annexations by Fishers and Carmel, and the myriad appearances in the local papers with countless letters and quotes from statements at town or county council meetings, the result was nil. While I never really expected huge numbers to change parties and vote straight ticket Libertarian, I thought that by standing up for people, they would at least throw support behind me at the ballot box. This didn't happen at all.

This is the toughest thing to swallow. A candidacy is unfortunately something of a test on those around you. I didn't set out for it to be, but as a candidate, you find yourself looking around for those you can count on. There were so many times that I was turned away by those I thought I could count on, either directly or by evasion. I'm not the kind of guy who tries to avoid finding out these things, but the knowledge doesn't bring any particular comfort.

So, I'm glad I got the baseline 2% for continued ballot access. That's about all I'm pleased with right now, and that's not much of a feeling when reflecting back upon two years of my life.

I'm really glad to wrap up this process. I'm really enjoying helping Alex with his homework and making Isabel's dinner five nights a week. I'm enjoying getting back into the work and making money and looking forward to playing poker, and once the hand heals, hockey.

Weekend Wind-Down

After two years of campaigning and general hyper-activity, the Koles and friends took off for the hills of Kentucky for a weekender of family hiking and cabin lounging.

We were at the Red River Gorge and the Natural Bridge parks areas. Not much I care to report on, but some fun pictures to share:

Isabel casts a glance back on the approach to the Natural Bridge.

Jay & Ella take in the expansive view from atop the Natural Bridge.

This was fun enough, but I'm really looking forward to a nice little vacation with Ame!

Spoilers, eh?

I hope! If Libertarian "took votes from" Republicans, let it be a lesson to the GOP that it isn't enough to give lip service to smaller government, but that especially when they have majorities, they must deliver on it.

In actuality, though, everything I am hearing and seeing points to Libertarians "taking votes from" Democrats. While Dems were soft on anti-war rhetoric, Libertarians such as Eric Schansberg was plain about it. As the Democratic base had many voters who shared this perspective with Schansberg, and stood contrary to Dem Baron Hill and Republican Mike Sodrel, the L's actually reduced Hill's win from blowout to narrow victory.

From the LaPorte Herald Argus, the view of cartoonist Herman Torzino.

Here's the lesson for both major parties: Libertarians aren't afraid to take strong positions. Don't blame us if your gray dive to the middle alienates some part of your bases. You simply don't get to take them for granted anymore.

Give us your cold, tired, disaffected masses... We aren't going away.

Credited As Spoiler

Check out this email message that landed in my in-box today:

Hi Mike:

Just a quick note to thank you for throwing the control of election day Inspectors over to the Democrats. Due to your candidacy the Marion County election process will become an even bigger disaster. I hope you are happy.

I had to think about this for a moment, but then it dawned on me that this year, Todd Rokita failed to finish first in Marion County. From the Marion County webpage:

SECRETARY OF STATE
VOTE FOR ONLY 1
(WITH 894 OF 914 PRECINCTS COUNTED 97.81%)

02A TODD ROKITA (REP) . . . . . . 93,331 47.89
02B JOE PEARSON (DEM) . . . . . . 95,022 48.76
02C MIKE KOLE (LIB). . . . . . . . . 6,196 3.18
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 326 .17

While I'd like to take credit for the spoiler role, a look at the 2002 returns for comparison's sake is worthwhile. From the SOS webpage:

Fernandez, John (Democratic) 95412
Sink-Burris, Rebecca (Libertarian) 7218
Rokita, Todd (Republican) 96373

Looks like the Dems' numbers are about the same, but Todd Rokita lost about 3,000 votes in Marion County. Maybe Todd just didn't campaign enough in Marion County. Go complain to him.

But, look on the bright side. The Marion County Dems, and Ed Treacy in particular, were brutal to outgoing Republican Clerk Doris Ann Sadler. Well! The shoe's on the other foot now. A pity for Clerk-elect Beth White, but likely big fun for Republican howlers.

I'd be happier if I came in first, because Libertarians would be in charge of the elections, which were a mess this year under a Republican. Sadler had five candidates on the ballot who weren't certified, and some polling places didn't open on time. That's nothing to brag on.

On WXNT Friday Morning

I'll be on WXNT 1430-am in Indy Friday for the 8-9am hour, along with new LPIN Executive Director Kyle McDonald, to analyze the election from a Libertarian perspective.

Indiana Licensed Beverage Association Exec (and former LPIN E.D.) Brad Klopfenstein is filling in for regular host Abdul Hakim-Shabazz.

Be sure to tune in! Those outside central Indiana can listen online at www.wxnt.com.

First Post-Election Notes

While I can't report a victory today, I am pleased to report that we have met our baseline objective of continued automatic ballot access for the Libertarian Party of Indiana through 2010. If a Hoosier wants to run as a Libertarian candidate, they need only fill out the forms and hit the trail, no petitions necessary.

Here are some other observations:

It was odd to watch the returns come in, where my numbers were at 5% and about 56,000 votes with around 60% of precincts reporting, and then my returns shifted down to 3% on 46,000 with 80% of precincts reporting, and it appears I'm ending up with around 52,000 votes. Can someone explain this? I still topped the 2% minimum for ballot access, but the next metric was to gain over the 4.1% we earned in 2002. The idea that we might be backsliding would be very disappointing to me personally. I would take responsibility for that.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported that I took 5%, so I'm not alone in this observation:

In the race for secretary of state, Rokita had garnered 416,229 votes, or 52 percent of the vote.

Democrat Joe Pearson had 346,996 votes, or 43 percent. Libertarian Mike Kole had 39,620 votes or 5 percent of the vote.

WISH-TV 8 in Indy showed Kole at 5% half-way through. I wish we took more screen shots.

I'd like to hear an explanation on this. How do you account for getting 41,000 votes with the first half of precincts, and then 12,000 with the other half? It's possible but extremely unlikely.

There are so many people to thank, but I'll keep it brief for now: My family, but especially Ame for enduring the two-year disruption. I'm looking forward to enjoying a more normal family life with her, Alex, and Isabel.

Thanks also to Jim Hurst. Beyond the material support, I really appreciate his willingness to step forward publicly to get behind me. That takes great courage in this time of extremely meddlesome government.

Some libertarians were disappointed that my campaign did not feature more red meat for them. As it turned out, I was quite vindicated by the course of yesterday's elections. I called for election machines we could trust, and then we had machines not work in Delaware County and Hoosiers across the state reporting irregularities, such as machines refusing to count Democratic straight-ticket votes. I called for voter verified paper audit trails, and Hoosiers leaving the polls were doing the same.

I called for competence, and then we had major incompetence from the Elections Division and the Marion County Clerk. The Election Division refused to certify 11 Libertarian candidates because of a new filing requirement created by the Legislature and targeting LPIN candidates. And yet, five of those eleven still appeared on Marion County ballots. Maybe the Clerk can be forgiven if the filings looked correct, because they were.

More observations will come once the votes are all counted, which means we might have a week's worth of notes trickling in.

Voted Early!

It was with great pleasure that I cast my votes at 6:03 this morning. I voted for a really solid candidate for Secretary of State, wink, wink.

Quite a change from 2004, when the lines were out the door. No line today. The rain isn't helping people sprint to the polls.

Schedule

6am Vote in Fishers
6:30-7:30 Work Geist polling place
8:45am Anderson polling place
10am Muncie polling place
Noon Richmond, Hagerstown polling places to distribute lunches to Rex Bell supporters
2pm District 54 polling places
7pm Bearno's, Downtown Indy for Election Night Party

Last Pre-Election Trail Report

Tomorrow's the big day, but we've had some big days this weekend running strong to end. This is a photojournal report.
Friday began with a quick visit to South Bend and the offices of the Tribune yielded a nice interview with James Wensits. Article link.

We rallied with the faithful in LaPorte. Huge thanks to Karen Wolf for this excellent cake! It was a tremendous surprise when she brought it out!

Another rally, this time in Lowell at The Pizza House. We got the faithful excited and then talked small business with the owner.

Saturday was spent in the southern part of the state. Rob Place & I ate lunch in Franklin at the D&D Club in support of their battle against a smoking ban.

With LPIN District 9 rep Greg Hertszch and District 9 US House candidate Eric Schansberg with two of his sons, in Clarksville. We campaigned at the annual Lewis & Clark festival near Greg's home.

The Final Poll

Tuesday is the day when the speculation ends and we learn how the people of our state have chosen.

Will Hoosiers choose the various models of big government offered by Republicans and Democrats, or you they choose the smaller government offered only by Libertarians?

Will Hoosiers reward Republicans for failing to deliver on lower taxes and smaller budgets?
Will Hoosiers reward Democrats for failing to deliver on protections of civil liberties?

Do Hoosiers value having multiple choices on the ballot?

Do Hoosiers want election machines equipped with voter verifiable paper audit trails? Do they want to see an end to the practice of gerrymandering?

Do you like the idea of seeing Libertarians appointed to boards and commissions?

Vote for me, Mike Kole, your Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State to send a powerful message in favor of limited goverment, in favor of ballot choices.

Let the state know that you support VVPAT and and end to gerrymandering.

Let Rs & Ds know you are dissatisfied with their performance, and that they have lost your support.

Mike's first- or second-place finish in any municipality or county, irrespective of statewide outcome, means Libertarians are appointed to boards and commissions, instead of Rs or Ds.

The only wasted votes are the ones cast by supporters of limited goverment in favor of Rs or Ds, because the old parties have commitment to this principle.

Vote for me, Mike Kole, your Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State.