A Fine Time To Be a Libertarian
 
In Indiana, this is true. Thursday's Noblesville Daily Times featured a front-page, above-the-fold article on the LP's countywide candidates and county organization. (Link not available without subscription.) RTV-6 has a live poll on their website showing LP gubernatorial candidate Kenn Gividen at 14%!
 
I dare say that the LP of Hamilton County is getting the best coverage of any county affiliate in the country. In the past four months, we have been on the front page three times, above the fold twice. The entry of our candidates was covered as routine news, rather than as curiousity. We've been quoted in some articles to the exclusion of the Republicans, and others to the exclusion of the Democrats. The press is giving us coverage commensurate with the other parties, and the tone is very respectful.
 
Neighboring Hendricks County received excellent coverage in today's Indy Star. Kudos to Chair Dennis Derrick and to Todd Singer.
 
A request to libertarians who check out the polls: please don't stuff the poll, and please don't vote if you are not a Hoosier. I believe the numbers in the RTV-6 poll are real at the moment (Kernan 43%, Daniels 43%, Gividen 14%, with about 1630 votes in). I don't want it blown out of proportion by ballot stuffers, as one of the presidential polls is. Badnarik is polling 53% on that one, making it a farce, and leaving us dismissed as frauds. Just click on the 'results' tab to see where it is at if you've already voted, or are not a Hoosier.

Stuffing Straws For Badnarik

North Carolina libertarians convinced a local CBS TV station to udpate their website to include LP candidate Michael Badnarik with a photo and bio. This is outstanding activism. As a matter of journalistic integrity, Badnarik belongs on such websites.

It has become one of my media pet peeves of late that LP candidates who are on the ballot and running actual campaigns at the top of the ticket aren't being included in the coverage. I urge any letter writing libertarian to notice whether our candidate is included in at least a minimum way (e.g.: "Kenn Gividen is also on the ballot"), and to contact their media when it fails to be noted.

It did make me laugh out loud when I took the straw poll, though. I cast a ballot for Badnarik, and the result popped up. Badnarik has 60% of the votes! Do you think that maybe the webmaster might notice that people from outside of North Carolina are stuffing the ballot?

Star Coverage Notes

It began to occur to me that whenever I read the Indy Star's coverage of the gubernatorial race, IUPUI prof Bill Blomquist is quoted. In fact, it occurred to me that Blomquist is getting more ink than LP candidate Kenn Gividen, so I checked it out.

Sure enough, in the past seven days, Gividen's name appears five time, as does Blomquist's. But the prof is quoted in every article, while the candidate was not quoted at all.

Today's article by John Strauss is about the key role of the southern part of the state. Two curiousities:

1. No mention of Gividen in the article, despite his being the only candidate who resides in the southern part of the state.

2. The Star polled likely voters and found that 34% support the GOP's Daniels, and 33% support the incumbent Kernan. Hmm... What about the other 33%? Are those Gividen supporters or undecideds? No word, but either way, that's the story. 33% is huge.

Oh, and of course, Blomquist was quoted.

White Water Rafting

Ame set up a fantastic trip for the three of us- white water rafting in West Virginia's New River. Gorge Map The three-day trip was well paced, with swimming and water trampolenes the first day, 13 miles of light rafting for us beginners on the second day, and 13 more miles of rafting intense rapids on the third day. We camped on site each night.

The rapids have great intimidating names, like "Pinball", "Thread The Needle", and "Meat Grinder", so I was a little concerned about Alex's ability to handle the intense stuff. He fell out of the raft on the first rapid, which added greatly to my concerns. Fortunately, he got the hang of it and stayed in the raft for the majority of the remaining rapids. The main thing was, everybody was safe and we all had a great time.

ACE outfitters does a nice job with the tour. They supplied a lot of excellent food throughout the trip, and their guides all have a sense of humor. Side hikes took us through old coal mining and coking areas, abandoned in a kind of ghost town. Active CSX rails were present on the river, which was an extra bonus for me. Definitely recommended. The trip got the highest praise possible: Alex thanked Ame and me repeatedly.

Surfin' The Star

I do a daily check for the word 'libertarian' when I visit any newspaper website. I visit the Indianapolis Star site every day. The Star's coverage (shall I say lack of coverage?) of Libertarian candidates has been positively frustrating.

I won't go into the details with links. I will simply advise my fellow Hoosier Libertarians to take a whole week to scan the front pages for political coverage. You will find daily articles on the gubernatorial race. You will find a mention of the Libertarian candidate in stories written by the Associated Press, but when Matthew Tully or Mary Beth Schneider writes one? Nah. Not even the journalistic exercise that reads, "Libertarian candidate Kenn Gividen is also on the November ballot." This latter should always be present.

Please write a nice letter to the Star requesting that they at least throw us the journalistic minimum bone. Thank you.

Correction

To the below Civics Lesson post, I must sadly offer that Elizabeth Fazioli is not eligible to run for office at this time. I look forward to her running in the future!

Woody Done Proud

For years, the Hamilton County Democrats have been AWOL. In fact, they haven't challenged most seats here for about 30 years. As Chair of the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County, I saw this as a huge opening for us. A growing community needs some sort of opposition voice, even if we sound very similar to the entrenched Republicans on taxes and property rights issues. My mantra with our members is the Woody Allen Rule: "90% of success is just showing up".

So, we made it a point to fill our ballot to the extent we could with qualified candidates. This is an objective no matter what, since we are a political party. If a political party fails to put candidates on the ballot, it is truly irrelevant. The Democrats have been irrelevant in Hamilton County for about 30 years. We have not made our approach a secret, and we have not hidden the fact that we aim to become the county's #2 party. The Dems were allowing this to happen.

Until yesterday. This changed when they filed a full slate of candidates, challenging every race in the county. Noblesville Ledger story.

We have candidates in place to challenge several offices. The paperwork will be filed this morning. I was holding it until near the deadline because I was hoping that the Democrats would continue their generation-long trend of not running locally. Alas.

I have no doubt that the activity of local Libertarians led to this hasty mass filing. It certainly was not a reaction to the dominance of the Republican Party here. If that were the case, the last 30 years are extremely mysterious.

It's a function of strategy. 2004 is the big election year in Indiana, where the Presidency and the Governor's Office are decided, so voter turnout will be high. Democrats will turn out November 2, even here in Hamilton County. When they do, they will vote for John Kerry and Joe Kernan, and then, had the Dems not filed, their voters would have had three choices in the local races: vote for the Republican, the Libertarian, or nobody. Noting the extreme negativity of the campaigning of national Democrats, I believed that there was going to be a significant portion of Democratic voters willing to vote for Libertarians purely because they aren't Republicans, the party of George W. Bush. We might not have won many or any of the races, but we'd sure pull percentages in the 30s and 40s.

New Democratic Chair Jan Ellis must have recognized this, so they loaded up. Congrats to her on following Woody's sage advice, just as we are. Kudos also for getting the press and leave us with the, 'but us too!' coverage. Well done.

Above, I called the filing hasty. This is because I have noted that the Dems filed a candidate for Surveyor. We did not file a candidate in this race because we have only one person who has any qualifications to run for it- me- and I don't meet residency requirements for this ballot. The Surveyor's Office is enormously technical, and probably shouldn't be an elected office. Frankly, it would be a nightmare if a non-technical person won this race, even if it were a Libertarian. It's not an office that interests me a whole lot because the headaches are unreal. Hats off to long-standing Surveyor Kent Ward for his ability and his fortitude. At any rate, I know that the Democratic candidate is not a professional Land Surveyor, and a little research will tell whether or not he is a Professional Engineer. Short of those qualifications, the best manager could still screw this job up royally.

Nader Confirmed Off Ballot in Indiana
aka Civics Lesson 2

No surprise here. Last week, the Nader team figured to be about 21,000 signatures short of the needed 30,000. Dallas Stoner (no, really) confirmed this to the Indy Star.

Interestingly, Stoner claimed the police to be a large factor in their failure, accusing officers of hassling them as they tried to collect signatures on public sidewalks. Stoner was on the Broad Ripple sidewalk as Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik was in the Rock Lobster, while some of Badnarik's underage supporters were out on the same sidewalk as they were barred from entry (see item below).

It was reported to me today that Stoner and other Naderites found themselves amongst the Libertarian crowd and began to talk politics. The conversation ended up with Stoner putting his name on the LPIN's email list.

The Naderites often cite their fear of corporate power as a compelling interest while happily neglecting the threat of governmental power. No corporate power is keeping Nader off the ballot. Government power is doing that. Remember that the government that is big enough to smash the corporate goliath is also able to erect barriers designed to keep a gadfly off the ballot. One Naderite learned that lesson completely last night.

Civics Lesson

With my 12-year-old son living in Spain for most of the year, I like to give him as great a taste of America as I can when he is here with me.

As hands-on civics lessons go, it's hard to top going to meet a candidate for President of the United States. LP candidate Michael Badnarik was touring Indiana in support of his own campaign, and in support of his mother's. Elaine Badnarik is running for Indiana Lt. Governor, and had her candidacy announced earlier in the day. The LP's reception was held at the Rock Lobster, a restaurant and bar on Broad Ripple Avenue.

When Alex and I entered, we were stopped at the door and told that minors were not permitted inside. I had the feeling that state law would not prohibit us from entering, so I pressed the issue. The doorman checked with someone inside and confirmed that they wished us not to enter.

Fortunately, State Chair Mark Rutherford witnessed this and went inside to bring Mr. Badnarik out to us. He came out and shook our hands and then chatted with us about the increasing party unity and the successes of the Indiana party. He encouraged Alex to talk about things that matter to him with those around him. Michael's father brought "Badnarik for President" pins for everyone outside to wear.

The crowd outside grew, with US Senate candidate Al Barger, Marion County Treasurer Charlie Kennedy, intern Josh Hanson, and several others hanging around. The Libertarians stood out like a sore thumb: Dreadlocks, long hair, shaved heads, those with pierced everything... these were the people walking by. The Libertarians were wearing suits and ties. It was surreal.

Josh Hanson was outside because he is under 21. We were soon joined by Elizabeth Fazioli, who is running for County Commissioner in Hamilton County. Despite the possibility that she could be one of the highest ranking officials in the region come November, she too could not enter because she is also only 20.

This was fascinating, because Alex can enter bars in Spain at any time. He was aware of the cultural difference immediately. Eating in a Spanish restaurant more or less means eating in a bar. Rock Lobster is a restaurant and a bar. A friend explained that the bars were under pressure from local authorities over underage drinking. I pointed out that the owner of the bar has the right to have his own rules of order, and if they wanted us out, we'd comply without a fuss.

So there we were, standing outside a bar with a candidate for President of the United States. There's one for the 'what did you do over the summer' spiel at school!

The Loss of Good Radio

I lived in the Cleveland area for most of my life before coming to central Indiana, and was blessed with really interesting radio. There has always been more local programming in Cleveland than in most markets, and having five college stations in the region helped. Local programming makes a station kick. I will concede that syndicated shows get guaranteed ratings and demographics, are cheap and easy, and that live local shows are a risk, are expensive, and a hell of a lot of work. However, local programming is vital. Hot button issues get drilled by local hosts, leading to better informed voters and more responsive elected officials.

When I arrived in Indy, I found that the radio offerings were extremely bland. The vast majority was beamed in by satellite, offering no real local relevance. I tried listening to WIBC-AM because they were the closest thing to local talk, but I tired of the station quickly because the format was too tight. No call would last more than two minutes. No caller would get to hang in to debate for too long, especially if they were getting one over on the host. I would tune in to WXNT-AM because they had Neal Boortz. Sure, it was another syndicated show, but Boortz is a libertarian. I had always wanted to catch his show, since it did not air in Cleveland.

So, it was a delight to tune in early on morning and find WXNT-AM's Morning Line with "Trapper" John Morris and Jim Burrows. Trapper ran the show and would get the last word. This set up a fascinating dynamic because WXNT's syndicated fare- Boortz, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham- was largely right-of-center, conservative, Republican, etc. Trapper wouldn't describe himself as a liberal, but he was generally very much to the left of the station's syndicated hosts, Burrows, and the callers. The discussion was very lively, with often pointed banter coming from either direction, but always with Trapper getting the last word. Where the hosts could agree was in the area of popular culture, with a fun homage to all things 1980s, to movies, and to stand-up comedy.

With this balance, the show was able to attract a wide range of phone interview guests and no shortage of listeners who called in. Regulars began to congregate at promotional events, such as their Town Hall Tuesday series of live broadcasts and breakfasts at Dodd's Town House restaurant on Meridian St.

One irksome thing about WXNT's lineup was that in the months where most of the country goes to daylight savings time, the station found itself with a schedule shift. All syndicated shows would start an hour earlier than in winter months. Sean Hannity's show was carried live, and would move from 3-6pm to 2-5pm in DST months. What to do with the 5-6pm hour? The station would repeat the first hour of Hannity.

It drove me nuts. When I left Cleveland, I was hosting a weekly one-hour libertarian news and comment program on WCSB-FM. All I could think of was filling that slot myself. Even if the listeners and callers disagreed completely, a local topics show would be far superior to a re-run from just three hours before.

Fortunately, the station put Greg Browning into this time. He had been doing a show on Sunday nights, and fairly agitating his listeners by making Mayor Bart Peterson his personal whipping boy. The show was well suited for the early evening. The tempo could often drag, but that was okay in that time slot. Uptempo is perfect for monring shows, and the Morning Line was the station's uptempo act.

As Browning hit his stride, the station hit its' peak, in my opinion. The Morning Line was in top form, with great interplay between the hosts and callers, the news staff, the weather and traffic reporters, and the guests. The syndicated lineup was entertaining enough- Hannity takes more opposition callers than any other conservative, and Ingraham's show is great fun because of her use of sound bites. The only bump would come when a show was pre-empted by Butler basketball or Indianapolis Indians baseball.

Then came the dreaded change in management. This almost always results in a major shake-up, regardless of what is working at a station. The WXNT situation, unfortunately, was no different. The Morning Line was abruptly cancelled, with Greg Browning moving to the AM drive. No surprise, Browning was replaced by the syndicated Michael Savage.

This was a horrible turn. The Morning Line was a perfect morning show. Browning, bless his feisty heart, is terribly out of place in the AM drive. Savage is easily the most repulsive conservative talker in the country. While I often disagree with Limbaugh, Hannity, and Ingraham, I usually have the sense that although they are entertainers, the policies they promote are done so in the best interests of the country. There is no such sense with Savage, but rather, a sense of pure nasty spite and hatred. His attack on a gay caller to the cable TV talk show he was fired from is case in point.

I try to listen to Browning in the morning, but give up after a few minutes because it's just too painful to hear him struggle with the format. I never tune in to Savage. Central Indiana lost a great forum with the cancellation of the Morning Line. I suspect that Browning will sink before given the chance to learn to swim in the morning waters, taking away the station's other top forum. I am extremely hopeful that Trapper and Jim will land a spot together on a station in a morning gig, but I'll be glad to hear either one of them on their own show.

Ballot Access Blues

The Indiana folks supporting Ralph Nader learned something about gaining ballot access that Libertarians have known all along- it's tedious, time-consuming, unsexy work that has to be a complete success in order to feel like it was worthwhile to undertake in the first place. The AP reports on Nader's likely failure to gain access to the November ballot.

Greens and others on the far left often think of Libertarians as nut cases, but they have to respect our ability to retain ballot access here. The LP has been on the ballot statewide in Indiana since 1994 because all of the requirements were met: the proper number of signatures were collected, and then the proper percentage of votes were earned in each subsequent Secretary of State race. Naderites wouldn't be facing the petition at all if they had run a candidate for Secretary of State in 2002 and gotten their numbers.

There's the rub. The Libertarian Party is a real political party, with county affiliates across the state. The Green Party is not a real political party, but a candidate vehicle much like the Reform Party. The hard fact is that election laws are essentially hurdles that Republicans and Democrats erect to make it difficult for fledgling parties to enter the game. A serious party, as the LP has demonstrated, can enter the field through hard work and a focus on topping those hurdles set up in election law.

It was gratifying to see LPIN Executive Director Brad Klopfenstein quoted in the AP article. He knows better than anyone what it takes to maintain ballot access.

Boortz Blasts National LP

Neal Boortz has suffered his annual attack of the kind of bleary-eyed frustration that so many of the leadership of the Indiana LP suffer on a daily basis. In a new Townhall article, he blasted that National LP's convention planners for showing a pro-cannabis piece during the down time between the nominations for president and the vote tabulations.

Libertarians! You blew it. You had the chance to make an impression on the media and the American people, and you blew it.

I’ve been promoting the libertarian philosophy for many years on talk radio, and I’ve won a lot of converts. I believe to this day that if individualism, freedom, economic liberty and constitutional government are to be restored and preserved in the United States it will be the libertarianism, if not the Libertarian Party, that gets the save. The way the party is playing right now, that save looks in doubt.

...

It is all-too common for people, when they discover that I’m a card-carrying member of the Libertarian Party , to respond with “Oh, you’re the people who want to legalize drugs.” Now if you give me 10 minutes of quality time with any person reasonably capable of rational thought, I will convince them that the most sensible way to combat drug usage in the United States would be to end the war on drugs and move to a treatment-centered drug policy. I need those ten minutes though, and those ten minutes usually aren’t there.

I’ve found that when I’m trying to sell someone on the libertarian philosophy I usually have around 10 seconds to make that first impression. If I say the wrong thing in those 10 seconds, I’ve lost them. If someone asks me “what do you people believe in?” and I respond, “Legalizing marijuana!” I’m written off as a kook. One convert lost.

This has been our experience in Indiana, too. Run on legalization issues, and you condemn yourself to a 4% finish where, had you avoided that topic, you might have gotten into the 30% or even 40% range.

I hope Neal doesn't give up on the National party altogether. The other thing we saw from the convention is that the leadership of the LNC is made up of more politically savvy individuals, rather than ideologues. This could well lead to a greater emphasis on small business, property rights and economic issues, and a de-emphasis on legalization. Of course, if he does, he can still come to an Indiana convention and feel right at home.

Low Blog Activity

There haven't been a lot of posts in the last week, and probably won't be too many over the next week, either.

In local libertarian news, Job One is getting candidates on the ballot. That search has consumed the time I allocate for politics. In personal news, my son is arriving from Spain, and my wedding anniversary is five days away, so the rest of my non-work time is so devoted, with a happy, significant reduction in my political time.

Keep watching for mass transit items... which is to say you probably will have to look at media in other cities. There is little opposition to the light rail boondoggle right now. We'll change that, though. There is excellent blogging on the subject in Seattle to check out. The Cato Institute and the Goldwater Institute also have excellent studies on the sort of losers these proposals tend to be. Hat tip on Goldwater: LP candidate for US Congress Barry Campbell. Check out Barry Campbell's website.

Marriage Degraded Again

As a married man, I am appalled at the latest body blow dealt the institution by a high profile celebrity. I'm not talking about J-Lo, though she and Britney Spears make it tough to explain to kids the value of a marriage. This time it's Rush Limbaugh, who is divorcing his wife of ten years.

Divorce is a bitter pill for a conservative moralist to swallow. Problem is, this is not Rush's first divorce, either. Nor is it his second.

On the heels of his highly publicized drug abuse problem, I'd say his credibility has taken an even greater punch to the brain than the institution has. No doubt, though. When a moralist the stature of Limbaugh can't keep himself hitched 'til death do us part', why should anybody listen to anything he says? Do us all a favor, Rush, and keep your trap shut henceforth on the issues of drugs and marriage. Do yourself a favor and clean out your closets. At this rate, by 2006 you aren't going to have any issues left to speak on with any real authority.

The Folly of Light Rail

I was very pleased when I was quoted in a recent Indy Star article in opposition to the proposed light rail nightmare. I am on record describing one's transportation as his responsibility and taking the position that it is wrong to ask others to pay for it. This was excellent, but it did not detail who would benefit and who would pay.

My letter in today's Star does this. The beneficiaries would be citizens and workers in Hamilton County- Indiana's wealthiest county. Among those paying would be some of the poorest people in Marion County.

In fact, all of the people in the Central Indiana region will be expected to pay for this, but only a tiny fraction of the people will benefit directly. I ask my liberal friends: is this fair? Is this what you want? The usual answer is 'yes', I know. This time, you're robbing the poor to pay the rich. Is this fair? Is this what you want?

If you ever wanted to understand the distinction between Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians, here it is. Libertarians say it is unfair to rob anyone to pay anyone else, all the time. Robin Hood was a villain all of the time. The ends never justify the means. The problem is not how to redistribute wealth. The problem is redistribution of wealth.

A Goofy Position To Take.

If a Libertarian candidate for office declared, "if I win the election, I will resign so that the Governor can replace me with an appointment- even if that appointee is from a different party than mine," there would be a chorus of hoots and hollers, and the candidate labeled a 'kook'. Commentators would point out that the position is elected, and if you weren't prepared to accept the office if elected, you shouldn't even run.

So, what happens when a Democrat does this? From the Indy Star:

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Joe Hogsett and former City-County Councilwoman Susan Williams are joining Gov. Joe Kernan and Lt. Gov Kathy Davis on the Democratic ticket this fall.

Hogsett will run for attorney general, and Williams, a former teacher, is running for superintendent of public instruction.

Both choices came as somewhat of a surprise, but the biggest surprise was Williams' announcement that if she wins, she will resign to let the new governor -- whether it's Kernan or his Republican challenger Mitch Daniels who is elected -- appoint his own education leader.

Ed Gluck of Vigo County wants to run for Judge, but is unable because he is not a lawyer. Indiana law specifies that to run for Judge, the candidate must be a lawyer. He begged the LP to let him do this, but the State Chair and then the Central Committe voted against him doing so. Much of the objection was over being viewed as a crackpot bunch of kooks. The further belief was that if you don't like the procedures, rules, regulations, and laws surrounding running for a particular office, the most proper, respectful thing to do is to work to get it all changed. We'd rather not have our candidates thumb their noses at the process.

Alas, the Democrats will be thumbing their noses at the process, and high up on the ticket.

Kernan said the position should be a cabinet-like post, especially since education is ultimately the governor's responsibility.

Politics, Kernan told cheering Democrats at the 2 p.m. announcement, should play no role in education.

Both Kernan and Daniels have favored making the superintendent of public instruction an appointed position. So, too, has the Republican incumbent, Suellen Reed.

But no one had suggested such a dramatic changeover as Williams and Kernan proposed today.

What a crackpot bunch of kooks!

Al Barger for US Senate

One of the more satisfying outcomes of a recent meeting of the Libertarian Party of Indiana's Central Committee was to nominate Al Barger for US Senate. Webpage

Incumbent Senator Evan Bayh is as about as untouchable as they come. He is generally more conservative than the average Republican, both fiscally and socially. There were Reagan Democrats throughout the US, but in Indiana, there are Bayh Repubicans. So, why not run a colorful candidate such as Al? He's endlessly quotable, and to make a dent in Bayh, you have to be noteworthy. The GOP's challenger may as well be an empty Coke can. Dr. Marvin Scott has an excellent resume`, but that and $4 will get you a latte at Starbucks. I'd give a week's pay to have Bayh and Barger on the same stage for an hour, along with the Coke can. Sweat would definitely form under Bayh's perfectly coiffed hair, and that rarely happens.

As an internal matter, it was very satisfying that Al could be nominated and accepted despite having a favorable take on the war against Al Qaeda and in Iraq. He is as libertarian as John Hospers or Murray Rothbard ever were, despite straying from orthodoxy on this issue. It is satisfying that there are no purity police on the Central Committee. Other states would have refused to give the assent. Our group recognized that Al is the best man available for an impossible battle. I know I'd rather have someone like Al who is his own man with his own thoughts and reasons than a stiff dogmatic who can only spout platform bromides. That's no different than the Coke can, and probably less effective anyhow.

Plus, Al is my blogfather. His encouragement has led to more than a year of posts on a variety of topics. He is an inspiration as a Mencken of the day. When I read Al's posts about sticking Al Sharpton up in the Democrats and breaking him off inside, I can picture old Henry Louis smacking his knee with hearty guffaws inbetween hacks at the keys.

That's my kind of candidate for this kind of race. I was pleased to sign his campaign papers as Secretary of the LPIN. Have at 'em, Al!

Opting Out

Home schooling used to be viewed as a curious, freaky solution to the problem of a combination of lousy public schools and a desire to avoid paying for private schooling while providing a child with the best education possible. No more. 97 home schooled students participated in graduation ceremonies Saturday at the Convention Center. Indy Star story.

97 may not seem like a huge number, but what is significant is that the numbers are sharply on the rise. While just over 7,000 kids were learning at home in 1984, more than 21,000 are today. These "graduating classes" will only increase in size in years to come.

We used to hear from teachers that these kids would be under-educated if not taught by professionals. The string of spelling bees won by home schoolers helped dash this. Then again, we were hearing this from the teachers union, who would rather not lose customers to rank amateurs, such as parents. While K-12 teachers won't endorse them, college professors do.

At colleges like IUPUI, home-educated students have a proven track record.

"Home schoolers that have come here have done extremely well," said Michael Donahue, director of admissions at IUPUI. "The best way to describe our experience with home schoolers is they are self-motivated, self-directed and the faculty likes them as students."

Studies at IUPUI, where more than 100 home-schooled students enroll each year, show that they perform at almost a full letter grade above the general student body, according to the university.

We used to hear that these kids were destined to become social retards as a result of not being socialized with other kids. In fact, the opposite is true. Because homeschoolers aren't socialized with the kids who are being werehoused and don't give a crap about being educated, or caught up in pointless fashion fads, or the cliques that are so destructive to self-esteem and instead are actually focused on learning, they are better socialized. For instance, they can effectively express themselves and hold a conversation with an adult!

Joel was "the class clown," in elementary school and wasn't being challenged enough to keep him motivated, she said. Andrew was in a less than ideal setting and was afraid of going to the bathroom because kids smoked marijuana there.

Sounds like my experiences with school, and I went to private schools!

This is just another example of an area of life where people are voting with their feet, giving the greatest anti-endorsement possible.

Mass Transit Boondoggles

Central Indiana governments have been meeting with one another to consider the formation of a Regional Transit Authority, with the focus being the possibility of developing a light rail system.

The proposal includes a minimum $500 million dollar start-up cost to taxpayers, and won't begin service until 2011.

I was very pleased that the Star printed some of my objections in a feature story. There are so many objections to raise with this that I can't begin to name them all, so I'll name a few.

1. The best rail route from Indy to Carmel is the old Monon. Problem is, the Monon was abandoned and converted into a trail. The Monon Trail is beloved by the citizens of Central Indiana. It's development has spurred the revitalization of nearby neighborhoods and the development of new housing and restaurants. Carmel's mayor Jim Brainard is not suggesting going the trails-to-rails route, as he knows it is political suicide. So, in order to get a route from Indy to Carmel without using the best route, which was graded and straight, a brand new course must be taken, building from the ground up. This is the path of maximum expense.

2. Speaking of the Monon Trail, the route from Indy to Fishers, and the Noblesville, is the most viable for trains because it at least still has track on it. No right-of-way to acquire. No land surveys to conduct. The track is shot, but it's a whole lot cheaper to repair that to start from scratch. Problem is, everyone in Central Indiana knows how good the Monon Trail has been for the areas near it. Question is, why wouldn't the people who live near the old Nickel Plate rather see that route similarly go the way of rails-to-trails? Their property values would go way up, as would their quality of life. Nice, fun greenway or noisy unsafe transit corridor? Hmm... This could also become political suicide if these issues are observed, and especially if the parks people get involved.

Let's help bring this proposal to an end. More to come.

No Air Castle

Today's Indy Star featured an article on the looming formation of a Regional Transit Authority and a light rail boondoggle for Central Indiana.

Republican suburban Mayor Jim Brainard wants the region to subsidize a rail line from downtown Indy to Carmel, on Indy's north side. Cost? $500 MILLION. Time table? Ready to roll by 2011. So much for fiscal responsibility. The Democrats love public transportation and are unlikely to oppose this massive waste. Who to turn to? The Libertarian Party.

Critics of mass transit question building such a heavily subsidized service, especially because most systems do not have enough capacity to make a significant dent in automobile traffic. And studies show that more is spent per mass transit user than for highway and street improvements.

"Transportation is a private concern, whether it's moving people or moving freight," said Mike Kole, the Hamilton County chairman for the Libertarian Party of Indiana.

Kole says some mass transportation systems, such as New York's subway, are effective. But he questions whether Indianapolis, a smaller city where residents live in less dense neighborhoods, could really benefit from a rail system.

"How many in the region could you honestly serve?" he said. "And yet you would expect them all to pay for it."

But Brainard still backs building mass transit in the Indianapolis area and the north suburbs.

"All transportation is expensive," he said. "So the question is really, what type of transportation is better for the region? To be competitive, I think trains would be ideal."

Has anyone ever moved to a city because of the trains? People move for jobs, for neighborhoods, for lower taxes or crime, for better schools or other quality of life, but for trains? Carmel is the wealthiest city in the state, so how is the region somehow not competitive? Wow.

This is an issue which will allow us to illustrate the folly of robbing Peter to pay Paul to those who normally have no time for us. Here we have the wealthiest city and county in the state seeking half a billion dollars in subisidies to provide transportation for their citizens at the expense of everyone else. The people in Shelby County will understand how they are getting rooked. So will the people of Marion, Johnson, and Madison Counties. Likewise, the inner city residents of Haughville.

Now, let them hear us!