Hoosier Life & Politics

Good to see that Republicans at the federal level are really interested in finding candidates who understand and represent average working Americans:"Faced with lingering debt and a losing fundraising battle, House Republicans are recruiting a slew of self-funding candidates to run in many of their top races this election cycle. "At least seven candidates with the ability to self-fund millions have stepped forward in key districts for the GOP so far, and more could be on the way. "Most of the wealthy candidates were recruited by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), but some have stepped forward on their own and gotten the attention of a committee that could use the aid of their pocketbooks in its attempt to recoup its 2006 losses. Five are running against members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) Frontline program for vulnerable members, while one is running against perennial target Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.). Another is running for retiring Rep. Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) seat in a race that could become a battleground. "The NRCC had nearly $4 million in debt and $1.6 million in cash at the end of September, and it has raised about three-fourths of the DCCC's haul this cycle."

“Nobody knows what happens later on with this bill, but tonight and tomorrow morning there are millions of Americans – young and old – who are going to say, ‘You know what? My country doesn’t hate me. Maybe I’m not such a bad person.’ That shouldn’t be necessary, but as long as it is, I’m grateful we were able to say it.” -- Congressman Barney Frank at a press conference after ENDA passed

Gov. Mitch Daniels received welcoming news from House Speaker Pat Bauer, who announced yesterday the Governor's property tax relief plan will be co-authored by Rep. William Crawford (D) and Rep. Jeff Espich (R), and the House will begin holding hearings on the legislation before the legislature begins its work in earnest in January. Gov. Daniels had already received similar assurances from Senate President David Long (R), who supports Daniels' property tax relief package.Bauer's announcement yesterday indicates to me he understands that politically it is just as important to the House Democrats as it is to Gov. Daniels that the legislature produce meaningful property tax relief before next year's primary election in May. This year's elections saw the defeat of more mayors seeking re-election than just about any year and the property tax issue loomed large in many of the races. According to Brian Howey, 38% of the contested mayor's races this year ended in the defeat of the incumbent mayor. The losses hit Republican and Democratic mayors. Let's hope the two parties can keep their partisan differences to a minimum and get the job done before the adjournment of this next legislative session.indiana politics gay GLBT law

I hadn't seen the New Jersey pro-marriage ad that Alex posted yesterday. Thanks to Sara's Suburban Lesbian Housewife blog, I found three other ads that spoof the Mac vs PC commercials. I'm sure we'll post the others eventually, but if you want to see the others now visit Sara's site.

I like Andrew Sullivan; I really do. He's one of my favorite panelists to find on Real Time with Bill Maher. I love that he talks about his family . . . his husband . . . and has come around to the sensible perspective that George W. Bush isn't the president that Andrew thought he would be. I also love to read his blog when he takes some of our LGBT community organizations to task as they stick their well-funded heads up their asses on occassion. But in his recent blog entry about Bill & Hillary Clinton, Sullivan asks some questions he should already know the answers to . . . and a little bit of research would have provided the insight he was trying to find. So, let's take a stab at answering his queries, and let's ask ourselves just how clear Sullivan's crystal ball really is . . . Continue reading "A Gay Pundit in Desperate Search of Answers"...

Waukegan High School in Wisconsin voted a lesbian couple "Cutest Couple" for their yearbook this year. And they're definitely cute! So who could have a problem with this? Bill "Everybody's got to relax on all this gay stuff" O'Reilly, that's who. He said this past Wednesday on his show: I believe, based upon our investigation of this Weekaugan High School deal -- and the picture, and put up the picture again of these students -- that the kids voted this couple the cutest couple to tweak the adults, Doctor, to cause trouble, to make an issue of the yearbook.[...] This is inappropriate. You do not define yourself in a high school yearbook in a sexual way.[...] [T]hat's the old argument. Let's legalize drugs because it happens anyway. There's got to be boundaries. And those are just my top three picks for Craziest Quotation from that segment. The whole crazy transcript and video are at Media Matters. But does Bill have to hate on high school students? Picking on a couple of 17-year-olds is reprehensible (even though, unlike Don Imus picking on college students, the mainstream media isn't even going to notice this). But if Bill O'Reilly can see such ugliness in the Cutest Couple, you've got to wonder how homophobes see the unCutest among us.

A historic vote took place yesterday. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was finally passed, having first been introduced in 1974. Thirty three long, hard fought years and the measure “was approved 235 to 184, perhaps reflecting polls showing that a plurality of Americans believe homosexuality should be accepted." All did not celebrate the bill, though. Through what was deemed necessary, strategic moves, the gender identity piece of the law was removed in order to assure, the community was told, passage. In an attempt to reintroduce the removed language, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) presented an amendment, she said, “because I strongly believe that we must prohibit job discrimination against people because of their gender identity.” It was not a long fight on her part but a symbolic one. Some were ready to throw Baldwin under the bus for ultimately voting for the bill. As this entire debate has been, because President Bush as promised a veto. I appreciate and support Congresswoman Baldwin- she was true to her beliefs. She also voted Yes to ENDA without her amendment, because, “The importance of non-discrimination laws cannot be overstated. Substantively, they provide legal remedies and a chance to seek justice.” If I were on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday? I would have voted Yes, too. It would have made me sick. But I would have done it. Continue reading "ENDA Rift: Throw Tammy Baldwin Under the Bus?"...

The Mormon Church has released a new pamphlet on homosexuality: Not long after, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued "God Loveth His Children," a treatise that said same-sex attractions themselves are not sinful, even though homosexual activity is. Leavitt, who is no longer married or a member of the Mormon Church, says the pamphlet seems to signal a softening of the church's stance on homosexuality, even if its strict prohibition on homosexual conduct remains intact. "It's don't ask, don't tell," he said. "If anybody (who is gay) wants to stay in the church, that paved the way for them to do it. You can come out 80 percent of the way. Anybody would be hard-pressed to initiate (excommunication)" based on same-sex attractions, he said. I know several people who left the LDS Church over its inability even to acknowledge that sexual orientation doesn't just change because someone wants it to along with its inflexibility on any such issue. It's not like certain Protestant sects that allow individual churches to set their own policy on who can show up, creating "conservative" and "progressive" incarnations of similar theology, or like the Catholic Church, which generally looks the other way for people who want to attend mass; the LDS Church can be pretty strict about what a person can say or do regarding her sexuality. Continue reading "LDS church changes position on same-sex lovin'"...

The Bay Area Register asked the big question of where HRC got its list o' 500 queers and HRC doesn't feel like sharing: Earlier Tuesday, HRC trumpeted a poll it commissioned that showed 70 percent of the 500 self-identified LGBT folks surveyed were okay with the non-trans ENDA. We immediately asked who these people were – HRC members or subscribers of the Advocate? (The magazine was first out of the box to post the story about the survey, leaving some to wonder if the two were joined at the hip on this one.) Minutes later, we received a call from spokesman Brad Luna, who assured us that the 500 folks were "randomly" selected "from across the country" and were "not HRC members and not Advocate readers." He declined to name the polling company that conducted the survey, which he said was done by telephone. Mary, please. If I put together a survey like this, my list of 500 "LGBT community members" would probably have been boys I'd played with... Mario! I meant played Mario with! But that doesn't mean that it's worth anything, since I only tend to play Mario with a specific, nonrepresentative segment of the LGBT community.

Hat tip to the kind reader who forwarded this story, which contains a somewhat entertaining mental image:"Chamber members and local politicians offered the governor both praise and questions about details of his tax-relief package, and they asked whether it can pass in the state Legislature during the 2008 session. "Daniels responded, 'You say we might run out of time. We will make more time. (Legislators) can bring their sleeping bags as far as I'm concerned, but I don't think that will be necessary.'"Oh, but if it is? "You, you and you are in charge of getting graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows. We're going to build a big bonfire on the freshly planted Statehouse grass and read ghost stories until we figure this thing out. Because what could be more fun than an old-fashioned legislative sleepover with the Guv!"

Congratulations to Indianapolis City-County Council member Angela Mansfield, who actually won her re-election bid on Tuesday but didn't find out the final results until today:"Republican Bruce Schumacher actually lost to Democrat Angela Mansfield in Tuesday's Indianapolis City-County election, according to the latest tally of votes released today. "Manfield got 3,900 votes in the District 2 race, while her rival received 3,591 votes, according to the Marion County Clerk's Office. "The reversal of fortune for Schumacher would leave the GOP with 16 seats and give the Democrats 13. "The results were based on votes that had gone uncounted Election Day after voting machine memory cards were inadvertently left untabulated."

A couple of the Guv's top folks are moving around:Governor announces two agency leadership changes INDIANAPOLIS (November 8, 2007) - Governor Mitch Daniels said today that two state agency leaders are leaving their posts, one for a position outside of state government and the other for another state agency. Debra Minott, one of the governor's first cabinet appointments, is resigning from her position as director of the Indiana State Department of Personnel, effective at the end of this year. She was general counsel and corporate secretary for Guidant Corporation before joining the administration in November 2004, and is returning to the private sector. Minott has accepted a position with CarDon & Associates, Inc., a company based in Bloomington that provides senior housing and lifestyle support services. The governor will name a replacement soon. Michael W. Cunegin III, executive director of the Criminal Justice Institute, is joining the Department of Correction (DOC) as deputy commissioner of administration, effective November 26. "Deb's tenure should be remembered as a time of important reforms. We were lucky to have her. She led the transition to a streamlined, smaller, but better state workforce and where for the first time people are rewarded for exceptional performance," said Daniels. "Mike's promotion will give him a great opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business in Commissioner Donahue." In 2006, the state implemented a pay-for-performance plan that rewards outstanding work with greater pay increases. The state now also has in place two bonus programs: the Governor's Public Service Achievement Award, which provides awards of $1,000 to employees who advance the governor's objectives to improve efficiency, provide better service and stretch tax dollars, and a spot bonus program that gives agency heads the flexibility to make monetary awards to employees who exhibit outstanding performance through a measurable outcome. Cunegin, from Fort Wayne, has been the Criminal Justice Institute's (CJI) leader since June 2006. He will replace Julie Von Arx, who left the DOC in September. Jason Hutchens, CJI chief deputy director, will be assigned to the duties of executive director until the governor selects a replacement based on a recommendation from the CJI Board of Directors. Cunegin will oversee the department's human resources services, staff development and training, inspection services, prison industry and farm operations (P.E.N. Products) and technology services.

But there is still time to vote for The Bilerico Project as best LGBT blog. Even better, now you don't even have to click off the site to do so! It's right here!

As if you needed another reason not to have confidence in our county clerk's office, we learn two days after the election that Angela Mansfield actually defeated Bruce Schumacher in the District 2 race, which means Republican control of the council by a smaller 16-13 margin. Here's how it is explained in the Star:The results were based on votes that had gone uncounted Election Day after voting machine memory cards were inadvertantly left untabulated.Angela Mansfield said today she wasn't that surprised at the turnaround. She had guessed she might get about 52 percent of the vote and kept looking for a spike from precinct Pike 13, a heavily Democratic area she called "the gold mine.""I got a call today, and apparently it (the vote memory card) had been left in the machine," she said. "I was kind of getting used to the idea I would have more time."Mansfield, the mother of a Marine, said she would be happy to work with Mayor-Elect Greg Ballard, a retired Marine. But she said it will be tough being in the minority on the council."I don't feel that strongly one way or another about the turnaround," she said. "Now that we won't have the majority, I won't have that strong an influence on public policy. I was hoping to strengthen the smoking ban, and now I don't think that will happen."If this sounds familiar, think back to the close race between Jon Elrod and Ed Mahern in a state representative race. Elrod wins on election night, memory cards are reported missing, they are recovered and Elrod's lead dwindles but not enough to tip the balance in favor of Mahern. This time, the "lost memory card" switched an outcome in a race that seemed certain on election night. Congratulations to Angela on her belated win, but I hope she understands if this writer is less than confident this race was decided fairly. And Angela can blame Beth White's office for creating that uncertainty. As with a criminal case, I have a real problem with the chain of custody of these lost and found memory cards.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Here's an ominous-sounding teaser for a WISH-TV special report on the future of the property tax situation:"In Marion County, this year's final property tax payments are due Saturday. And, next year's bills are expected to be worse. "Angry voters made a statement in Tuesday's election and voted Indianapolis's Mayor and several City-County Council members out of office. "For taxpayers, it's like playing a game of monopoly, you roll the dice and take your chances. "Whether you have a bungalow in Broad Ripple or a mansion on Meridian. "Chances are your taxes will go up, school taxes, poor taxes, street repair taxes. "I-Team 8 asked, 'Why would your efforts, after 30 years of Governors trying to fix the problem, why would yours be different?' "Governor Mitch Daniels said, 'They'd better be different.' "Tune in to 24-Hour News 8 at 11:00 p.m. The I-Team 8 investigation, Property taxes: Prepare to pay."One thing that will be different is that the Guv will finally be paying attention to the issue after three years of pretty much ignoring it -- and making it worse through his own actions. But it remains to be seen whether the Guv will be able to answer to the business community, lawmakers and homeowners or whether he'll stamp his feet and refuse to compromise on anything.

In a recent poll, 100% of my contacts and close friends said that leaders should be stewards and listeners. Participants were asked to respond to the following statement: "When a community is faced with difficult decisions, that community's leaders should honor their positions of power by working to appease majorities within that community while educating strongly about and advocating for its minority members." On a related note, 100% concurred that this applies especially to situations in which the majority group has made clear promises to protect and advocate for the minority. A follow-up question was asked: "If you were a member or otherwise affiliated with a group that brokered its success on the backs of others, would you maintain your allegiance?" Preliminary results point to No.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I stepped away from the blog for a few weeks since I was a campaign manager for an Indianapolis City-County Council race. Election Day was Tuesday and I’m sad to report we lost the race. Republican Scott Keller, one of the best friends Indiana’s LGBT community has ever known, lost his race. Anti-incumbency fever swept through Indiana this week after taxes shot up dramatically throughout the state. Voters were angry and they responded accordingly. Indianapolis was one of the hardest areas hit by the tax increases and just as property tax bills were hitting mailboxes, the City-County Council raised the county income tax to pay for public safety. (Crime has skyrocketed as high as the taxes.) And Scott got caught in the crossfire. A Republican in a heavily Democratic district, Scott only won by 3 votes in the last election. (Interestingly enough, he gained the seat from former Bilerico contributor Karen Celestino-Horseman.) While we knew Scott had an uphill fight, the opponent pulled out several dirty tricks to ensure he won the election. Scott, however, kept to his word to run a clean campaign. It was my first time running a campaign. I learned a lot from it about human nature and the political process. Follow after the jump to find out what lessons hit home. Continue reading "Lessons learned from the campaign trail"...

As an Irish resident who is both queer-identified and FtM, I am protected from outright discrimination in employment or the delivery of goods and services—such as housing or say, medical care—on both the basis of gender-identity and sexual orientation. Now, that doesn’t mean that an employer can’t decide to make life in the workplace so miserable and intolerable that I’ll eventually quit. But even on that score, the Equality Authority—which adjudicates discrimination cases—has established a record of strongly defending the rights of LGB and, yes, T folks. And this comprehensive legal protection exists in a nation that remains strongly Catholic, although many Irish people have grown disenchanted with the Church and attendance at mass has sharply declined in recent years. As a measure of comparison with the US, however, homosexuality was only decriminalized in Ireland in 1993—that’s only 14 short years ago! Continue reading "That's right, Barney, make light of your cowardice"...

Local rumblings from Jim Shella's blog:"Democrats are making noises about a possible repeal of the October hike in the local income tax before they lose the majority on the City County Council in January. "Would that be viewed as vindictive politics, or the right thing to do in response to Tuesday's vote? How could Republicans vote against it? Would the Mayor sign it? How about the next Mayor? Will Republicans do their own repeal in January, if the Democrats don't? "If there's a repeal can Republicans cut enough spending to make up the gap, or will we see a return to overcrowded jails? "This is going to be interesting."

Tell us again how hot your economic hot streak has been, Guv."A study by the Indiana Business Research Center indicates the flow of jobs from Indiana to overseas locations has shifted and is now moving to other states, particularly Michigan. "From early 2004 to the middle of this year, the state lost 44,808 jobs to mass layoffs, said the center, which operates through the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. A third of those jobs were moved elsewhere. "The change comes in where the surviving jobs, the one-third of total jobs lost in mass layoffs, are moving. From 2004 through 2006, 74 percent of the jobs went to foreign locations. "However, this year, nearly 60 percent are shifting to such states as Michigan, Arizona, Iowa and South Carolina-in that order. "The center said it's too early to know if the 'near-shoring' is a trend or a temporary quirk."