Taking Down Words

TDW is hitting the books. More accurately, she's watching hours upon hours of home-study DVD bar review lectures. You haven't truly hated life until you've plugged into three hours of "Negotiable Instruments." Talk about whatever's on your mind.

That was a really disappointing winter storm effort, Central Indiana. You go sit in the corner and think about what you've done to the local media, all of whom were banking on a day, if not the entire weekend, filled with snow stories. Everyone else, buddy up and find something to talk about.

In case you were worried about having a nutterball or two to kick around this election season, give a big ol' round of applause to Tony Zirkle, the Playboy-shredding Second District wingnut who advocated the return of the guillotine during the 2006 cycle. (He ultimately lost to Count Chocula in the primary, but not before getting a surprising 30 percent of the vote.) The South Bend Tribune reports: South Bend attorney Tony Zirkle will run for Congress this year -- his second attempt at the job. Zirkle, a Republican, ran for the Republican nomination in the 2006 primary but lost to then-U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, the incumbent. Chocola was defeated in the general election later that year by Democrat Joe Donnelly, who now represents Indiana's 2nd District. Eliminating pornography and prostitution was a centerpiece of Zirkle's 2006 campaign, and he gained attention by shredding a copy of Playboy magazine featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover. But perhaps his most memorable suggestion was bringing back the guillotine to punish child sex offenders. "There was a lot of misunderstanding about what I said about the guillotine," Zirkle said Wednesday by phone. "If you look at my original press release, I said I was attempting to stimulate debate." That's not to say he's pulling back those comments. Zirkle said Wednesday that although he's not in favor of capital punishment except in the most extreme cases, the guillotine is a fast way of executing someone. "It's not very pretty," he said, "but if you want to execute someone as painlessly as possible, that may be the most efficient way to do it." Zirkle said he would focus on eliminating pornography and prostitution in the upcoming campaign, which he plans to start in earnest in a couple of weeks. At the moment, he's tied down with some litigation, he said. Zirkle said, in essence, that pornography is prostitution, as the actors and models get paid, in essence, for sex. "If I go to the corner and I pay $20 for a prostitute down on South Michigan Street, that gets you thrown in prison," he said. "How does a video camera make the same act, when you're charging more money, automatically legal?" Zirkle's campaign message in a nutshell: "I'm not necessarily for bringing back the guillotine, but if we're going to have capital punishment, I'm all for whacking people's heads off, which is not to say that I in any way support whacking off in general if it involves porn, which I believe is the equivalent of a $20 blowjob down on South Michigan Street." Perhaps he should just combine all his issues and lobby for the institution of the death penalty for anyone who buys the latest issue of "Barely Legal."

Memo to B-Boz: Quit screwing around with property tax reform -- and keep your people in line. House Republicans, in their defense, point out that last week Democrats attached several amendments to the main property tax reform package, House Bill 1001. The chief difference is one of relevance. This editorial page argued against a Democratic amendment that weakens a proposal to require referendums on major school construction projects. But the issue is pertinent to the overall intent of HB 1001. No one can make a serious argument that a same-sex marriage ban has anything do with property taxes. The push to amend the tax caps into the constitution remains alive because the Senate passed identical legislation. House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, however, isn't ruling out another attempt to cobble his caucus' amendments into the Senate version. That would be serious mistake -- both on the legislative and political levels. The proposed amendment deserves serious scrutiny. Adding the caps to the constitution would make it difficult for state leaders in the future to complete adjustments should the need arise. But the issue needs to rise or fall on its own merits, not because it was scuttled by irrelevant addendums. Final warning: House Republicans, knock off the politics-as-usual nonsense you reverted to this week, or prepare to endure voters' wrath on Election Day.

This is how a guy who's never had to worry about financing his next meal views shaky economic times: "We've had a lot of positive announcements here, including Pfizer, that was all on the upside just two years ago, and it's a big disappointment, but you dust yourself off and go find the next one," said Daniels.Not: "I really feel for what people are going through, and I understand that times are tough, but we're doing the best we can to turn things around." Not: "It breaks my heart to look around and see folks out of work, scraping to make ends meet, but I want those people to know I get up every day and go to my office looking for ways that we can help." But: "Yeah, Pfizer really let us down, but don't worry, we'll hold some big press event soon to announce 50 jobs that will arrive three years from now. For the time being, figure something out." It's all in the delivery, Guv. You have to sound like you actually care about average working Hoosiers, not just about your campaign talking points.

John McCain: tragically unhip or just kinda old and out of touch? It may be "Our Country," but it's John Mellencamp's song. When the liberal rocker found out his songs were being played at events for Republican John McCain's presidential campaign, Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter that questioned the campaign's playlist. "Are you sure you want to use his music to promote Sen. McCain's efforts?" according to the letter sent to McCain's campaign on Monday. "Logic says that the facts might prove to be an embarrassment, were they to be circulated widely." McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers in Washington, D.C., said Thursday that the songs would no longer be played. He declined to elaborate. The letter explained the Indiana rocker was a liberal who had supported Democrat John Edwards, who recently dropped out of the race. Publicist Bob Merlis said Mellencamp told him that the situation made him uncomfortable and he couldn't imagine McCain would want to be associated with him. "You know, here's a guy running around saying, 'I'm a true conservative.'" Merlis told The Associated Press. "Well, if you're such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?"

And finally, before TDW turns her attention to things like making dinner and catching up on work from the office, the Howey Political Report has been reborn on the Internets as Howey Politics Indiana. The site is much easier to navigate, and there's a lot more free content to be had. (One complaint: The URL is a tad difficult to remember.) Check it out.

You should read Indianapolis Business Journal reporter Norm Heikens' blog. He takes up interesting issues and asks interesting questions. Like this one: Gov. Mitch Daniels dished out $6.3 million in incentives as part of Defender Direct’s expansion announcement yesterday. But was the carrot a good deal for us taxpayers? Defender Direct, which sells home security and satellite dish systems, plans to add 1,100 people, many of them at its Indianapolis headquarters and the rest elsewhere in the state. The company promises the new jobs will pay an average of at least $18 an hour, not including benefits. Some of the jobs are for call centers, while others are higher-level positions. A consultant in Cleveland who wrote Ohio’s economic development plan thinks the incentives, which amount to about $5,700 per job, are worth the price. “Those are very high wages, those are very good jobs,” says the consultant, Don Iannone. Iannone reminds that in Ohio a low-income job is defined as paying $9.71 an hour or less. That makes up the bottom quarter of all jobs in Ohio. So $18 doesn’t sound bad to him. What do you think? Was this incentive package priced right? Should the state have offered incentives at all?

For those of you who asked for proof that Baby TDW is doing well, here 'tis. It's hard to believe she'll be eight weeks old on Monday.

Another high-ranking official in the Guv's administration is calling it quits. From the press release: Governor Daniels has accepted the resignation of Cristy Wheeler as the executive director of the Indiana State Teachers' Retirement Fund (TRF).  Wheeler, who led the agency since 2005, is returning to the private sector.  Her final day is February 1.  "Under Cristy's leadership, TRF provided our hard-working teachers, past and present, with high-quality customer service and retirement security," Daniels said.  Daniels has appointed Steven Russo as TRF's new executive director.  For the past 19 years, Russo has worked for the technology company Thomson in Indiana and South America.  He was most recently the organization's general manager of north and south American operations - managing 2,000 employees and a half-billion dollar budget.  Prior to Thomson, Russo worked for seven years, in various engineering and finance positions, at the Naval Avionics Center in Indianapolis. A Purdue University graduate, Russo lives in central Indiana with his wife, Polly, who is a first grade teacher at Mary Castle Elementary School.  He will begin his new duties at TRF on February 4.

The Guv's Office has renewed a $22,000 per month contract with Washington lobbyist Deborah Hohlt. Here's the 2008 contract: hohltcontract.pdf If you'd like to know what Hohlt does to earn that cash, the appendix that's referenced but not included in the 2008 contract is attached to the 2007 version: hohltcontract2007.pdf Anyone find it strange that for purposes of reporting her federal campaign contributions, which are many, Hohlt apparently identifies herself as a "homemaker"? This contract alone may make her the most well compensated homemaker in America.

While the Guv continues to blame local governments for everything related to the property tax crisis, some folks are picking up on his strategy: Long before last year's tax bills hit Marion County mailboxes and Indiana's property tax situation was elevated to the status of "crisis," local government officials across the state were calling on the General Assembly for more local control over tax revenues. Legislators balked, suggesting that city and county officials would use the expanded powers to raise taxes and increase spending. Now, tax bills have increased even where spending has decreased. Lawmakers are finally offering some of the additional revenue sources that local officials wanted, but the sweeping tax proposals also include measures that threaten the ability of local government to staff police departments, to maintain roads and bridges and meet other day-to-day obligations of schools, cities, towns and counties. Representatives of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns and the Association of Indiana Counties are trying to draw attention to what they see as unintended consequences of House Bill 1001, Gov. Mitch Daniels' ambitious tax restructuring package. There's much to like in the legislation, according to Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis, but also much to be worried about. "To a person, we agree the system of property taxes is in need of change," Ellis said. "But to blame everything on local government and to assemble a patchwork of fixes is not the right approach."Plenty of stories have been written about how much the Guv's plan is going to cost local government, but because it's easier to conceptualize tax cuts than a series of actions that will lead to tax increases or drastic cuts in local services, we're heading toward yet another temporary fix. Of course, the Guv's probably thinking, "I'm so smart. I came up with this plan that will make me look like a hero in an election year." Unfortunately, local governments will go through their annual budgeting process in the months right before the election, which means they'll have plenty of opportunity, assuming the Guv's plan passes, to place blame for local cuts squarely where it belongs.

UPDATE: Ricketts' latest racket may require Council approval: A $15,000 pay increase approved for Lawrence Mayor Paul Ricketts by the city's Utility Service Board last week might need approval by the City Council before the mayor can bank the extra money. Legal authorities are checking to see whether the OK from the utility board is enough to seal the deal. "I think it's not cut and dried," said James Gutting, the city's corporation counsel and the lawyer representing the board. "Certainly, I think the mayor is interested in making sure all provisions are met that are necessary." Gutting plans to review the question with the City Council's attorney today. If needed, Ricketts said, he would be willing to make his case with the council. This should come as no surprise to anyone: Mayor Paul Ricketts will be making $80,000 this year — the $65,000 annual salary he receives to lead the city of Lawrence, plus another $15,000 for additional work with the city’s water and sewer utilities. The additional money was unanimously approved last week by the city's five-member Utility Service Board, which oversees the utilities’ operations. The boost in Ricketts' pay is part of a resolution that also adds $12,500 to Controller Kimberly M. Diller's salary and pays the board's secretary $3,600. In addition, it provides $65,000 annually for a graphic information system coordinator. Ricketts said the money compensates him, and the other city employees, for additional work they are doing to aid the water and sewer utilities’ operations. “These were not duties that were part of the mayor’s job when I ran for it,” said Ricketts, who added that an $80,000 yearly salary puts his pay in line with that of mayors of cities of similar size.

It's not often that TDW has occasion to cross-post from one blog to another, but can anyone explain why brand-new Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who barely knows where the Statehouse is, would choose to raise money -- during the legislative session, no less -- for a wingnut from Greenwood? While the Indiana State Legislature continues to grapple with Indiana's property tax crisis, State Senator Brent Waltz (R-Greenwood) will instead be focusing on his upcoming re-election bid when he takes time out February 20 to hold a fundraiser. His $500 a plate soiree, which is hosted by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, is scheduled to take place at the exclusive Columbia Club.  Sponsorships to the tune of $1000 each are being offered to special interest groups that wouldn't mind lining Waltz’s pockets before he makes votes on crucial issues this session. Senate leadership has always frowned upon holding fundraisers during session, and for good reason.  This year especially, with the property tax crisis forcing Indiana residents to lose their homes, the legislature needs to focus on helping the hardworking men and women of our State, not taking money from PACs, special interests, and businesses. "Waltz is now no stranger to taking money from PACs, lobbyists and other people whose interests conflict with those of District 36," said Terry Rice, a Perry Township educator who is running against Waltz. "I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm certainly disappointed that he has prioritized fundraising over legislating when there is still so much work left to be done before the end of session.  In the 2004 election Waltz was always quoted that he "was beholden to no one."  This error in judgment not only demonstrates the inappropriateness of this type of fundraising but also illustrates how worried he is about my campaign against him this year." Waltz also owes quite a debt to himself – he has loaned his campaign over $100,000 since his first run for Senate in 2004. With this crippling debt to himself it is no wonder that he wants someone else to pick up the tab for his campaign, but I call on Mayor Greg Ballard and Brent Waltz to postpone this selfish and inappropriate event until the Legislative Session has concluded for the year. "It's unfortunate that Waltz seems to be looking out for number one instead of looking out for the people of District 36," said Rice. "While I am out campaigning this year to protect teachers, children, and the hard working men and women of district 36, I hope that the voters will take a long, hard look at whose interests are really being served with Brent Waltz in office."

In case you fell asleep before vote tallies from the big states rolled in last night, the presidential race is heading toward over on the Republican side (someone pass the memo to Mitt Romney), but it's far from finished on the Democratic side. Which means that maybe, just maybe, if the 18 primaries and caucuses scheduled between now and May 6 continue to break evenly for the two candidates, Indiana might matter. How much fun would that be?

Seventh District Democratic Congressional special election candidate André Carson is pulling in monetary support from some big names on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, national Republicans continue to politely acknowledge that Jon Elrod is, in fact, running for Congress. Andre Carson is getting some top-tier Democratic fundraising help for the March 11 special election to finish the term of his late grandmother, Rep. Julia Carson. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, the Michigan Democrat who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, is heading a Thursday fundraiser for Carson at the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the rest of the top four Democratic House leaders and the head of the campaign arm of House Democrats, are also listed as hosts on the invitation. Sen. Evan Bayh, Indiana's top elected Democrat, is scheduled to attend, and Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, also is listed as a host. Political action committees are encouraged to give $5,000, lawmakers $2,000 from their own campaign funds, and individuals $500. State Rep. Jon Elrod, the Republican nominee, said Democrats must view him as a pretty good threat. "The folks on that side of the aisle think he needs the help, so I must be doing all right," he said. Elrod traveled to Washington last week to pitch his candidacy to political action committees and to the campaign arm of House Republicans. "We have met with Jon Elrod," said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "He is a proven vote-getter and good candidate. We are watching the race closely." Elrod knows the GOP is going into an election year with much less cash than Democrats but is still hopeful. "Obviously, they don't have the money that the other side of the aisle has these days," he said. "I'm optimistic that they'll be hopping into this one sooner or later."Wish in one hand, spit in other, Jon. See which one fills up first.

Behold, a sudden about-face by Family & Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob on the issue of privatizing state mental hospitals: The Family and Social Services Administration has dropped a plan to privatize three state hospitals, throwing new uncertainty into its future care for chronically mentally ill patients. Less than five months after FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob told a state panel that a federal audit showed Indiana needed a new way of delivering care to chronically mentally ill patients, he has ended negotiations with a group vying to take over Richmond State Hospital. Roob for the past 2 1/2 years maintained that the best way for the hospitals to remain open decades from now was for local nonprofits to take over their operations. However, in a Jan. 24 letter to the leader of the Richmond group, he said the state needed to revamp its system of care for mental patients. "It must transform to a recovery model for the patients rather than an indefinite institutional placement," Roob wrote in the letter to Jan Passmore, president of Behavioral Health Services Inc. of Richmond. The change in strategy was driven by a variety of reasons including cost concerns. Roob, in a telephone interview, said he decided to end the Richmond talks because Gov. Mitch Daniels asked state agencies in December to cut spending after a lower tax revenue forecast. Turning over the 300-patient Richmond State Hospital to a local group would cost the state $3 million to $5 million. "We were not comfortable spending that money when times might get tough," Roob said.Translation, please.

If you are a political creature have a pulse and cable television, you're well aware that today is Super Tuesday, the 24-state, end-all-be-all primary election day that's supposed to deliver unto us our Republican and Democratic presidential nominees. Well, maybe. With so much at stake and so many contests up for grabs, this may be the most exciting day of the year for junkies, pundits and hacks. At least until November. Accordingly, this will be the featured thread for you to play with throughout the day and into the night as returns start pouring in. Ready, set, pick 'em!

Sheila Suess Kennedy strikes back at the pander bears in the Indiana Senate who think the constitutional marriage amendment should be at the top of the legislative priority list this session: SJR 7 is opposed by Indiana's largest employers, by many clergymen and religious organizations, by university professors, by dozens of professional organizations and, in recent polls, by a majority of Indiana citizens. So what compelling justifications are offered for cluttering the Indiana Constitution with this confusing and discriminatory language? Basically, proponents say gays shouldn't be allowed to marry because some religions teach that homosexuality is immoral. (Of course, all religions teach that rape and murder are immoral, but Indiana allows rapists and murderers to marry. Go figure.) They say marriage and sex are for procreation (although we allow sterile folks to marry). Most of all, they insist that recognizing gay unions will undermine families and the institution of marriage. (Similar claims were made about interracial marriage, and about allowing women to own property and vote.) Let's at least be honest. This isn't an effort to protect families; it is an effort to privilege some families at the expense of others. SJR 7 is not about religion or morality; it is about whose religion, whose morality. This also is not about our senators responding to some groundswell of public opinion. This is an issue rapidly losing its salience with most voters, who are understandably more concerned about taxes, crime, access to health care and other bread-and-butter and quality-of-life issues. To the extent the Senate is responding to public pressure, it is pressure coming from a small but highly vocal constituency. We can only hope that when SJR7 arrives in the Indiana House, our representatives give it the priority it deserves -- and bury this bad bill whose time has thankfully passed.

You've got to give the Guv credit for one thing: He sure knows how to motivate people. One of the leading opponents of the Major Moves toll-road lease that funded Interstate 69 construction is planning to announce his candidacy for governor today. Steve Bonney is scheduled to announce in Indianapolis that he is running for governor in 2008 as an independent and is starting the process of collecting petitions to get onto the ballot. Bonney, an Army veteran and self-employed organic farmer, was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against the state in 2006. It challenged the constitutionality of the Major Moves lease of the northern Indiana toll road, a funding program that Gov. Mitch Daniels advocated. Some of the $3.85 billion funding generated from leasing the 157-mile toll road to a foreign consortium is being tapped to construct the Evansville-to-Crane portion of Interstate 69 through Southwest Indiana and for 10 years' worth of road and highway projects elsewhere. Bonney's lawsuit suffered a significant defeat in May 2006 when a St. Joseph County judge ruled the plaintiffs would have to post a $1.9 billion bond for the suit to go forward. They appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court but lost, effectively ending the litigation. According to his campaign biography, Bonney has worked as a college teacher, farmer and president and executive director of Sustainable Earth, a not-for profit organization that promotes small, family farm agriculture in Indiana. Bonney's Web site says that he is attempting to gather 32,742 valid signatures of registered voters by June 30 in order to get onto the ballot as an independent candidate for governor.