Gov. Mitch Daniels and FSSA chief Mitch Roob have a vision of what Indiana's social services should look like, and it ideally consists of one guy overseeing a bunch of privatization contracts. They've been pretty open about this much, but what they have yet to admit is the fact that not everyone is thrilled with their rush to rid themselves of the direct responsibility for providing care to some of our state's most vulnerable.
Namely, the people receiving the services.
For an example or two-hundred, be sure to check out today's article in the Muncie Star Press that takes a look at yesterday's town hall meeting on the roll-out of the new IBM call center.
A Tuesday town hall meeting for area residents to vent frustration over the state's new welfare-delivery system drew a crowd of about 500.
What the crowd suggested about the new system's effectiveness became a subject of debate among those who support it and those who don't.
[...]
People reported repeatedly that they can't get through to the call center because lines are busy or that FSSA has lost their application documents. Days were better, they said, when they had individual caseworkers.
Shannon Linthicum said the state bounced her off welfare after telling her their records showed her husband had three jobs.
"We told them he didn't have three jobs," Linthicum said.
Linthicum has a 10-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son with attention disorders and relies on the state for their health care and the family's food.
A little tooting of the proverbial horn is in order, because I received word yesterday that this little ol' blog was selected as part of the Democratic National Convention's "State Blogger Corps" program. I'll be heading out to Denver in August, and with credential and laptop, I'll be bringing you the best blogger coverage from what promises to be a great event.
But don't take my word for it, the Good Doctor explains:
"Similar to the record-breaking voter turnout our Party has seen during the primary season, the demand for these coveted blogger positions is yet another indicator of the tremendous interest in this historic Convention," said Governor Dean. "The Internet has played a critical role in connecting Americans to elected officials and candidates seeking office. The DemConvention State Blogger Corps will continue to foster this dialogue - in all 50 of our states and our territories too - as we head towards this year's historic election and elect a Democrat to the White House."
You want them. I want them. I can only imagine that Democratic candidate Jill Long Thompson would approve. But will Governor Mitch Daniels agree to a series of debates with his opponent as we head toward November? The Indianapolis Star certainly hopes so:
Are so many debates really necessary? All sides agree that the challenges facing Indiana -- from the economy to education to the environment -- are substantial. The candidates can't delve into sufficient detail on such complex matters in one or two 90-minute encounters.
Better instead to devote an entire session to the candidates' thoughts on how to continue transforming Indiana's manufacturing-dependent economy. Another debate could focus on how to improve student achievement, increase high school graduation rates and bolster the work force's educational attainment level. A third debate could hone in on essential state services, such as child protection, road construction and environmental management. Other debates could then be more general in nature.
The conventional political wisdom is that it would be foolish for a well-funded incumbent such as Daniels to agree to multiple debates with a lesser-known challenger. But Daniels need only to look at the defeat of then Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson in November to understand that money and incumbency aren't perfect shields when faced with a volatile electorate.
In other gubernatorial news, Jill Long Thompson is expected to hold a press conference today at 2pm in Indianapolis that will feature numerous members of the Democratic leadership as she launches her statewide general election campaign.
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky is endorsing Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president.
The Merrillville Democrat becomes the seventh Indiana superdelegate to endorse Obama.
In a statement Wednesday, Visclosky says Obama "promises to bring Americans together."
Visclosky represents much of northwestern Indiana, just over the border from Chicago, where Obama lives.
This isn't surprising, except for the fact that it took this damn long. Visclosky is cautious to the extreme, but with over one million in the bank and no credible challenger on the horizon, this decision was only a matter of time.
This just leaves Rep. Brad Ellsworth as the lone undecided, but smart money has him playing coy until the landscape simplifies. He's in a tough district that went heavily for Clinton, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he stays on the sidelines for another few weeks.
Mitch Daniels says he has gone "from bankruptcy to balanced budgets," without raising taxes. I says that's a lie. Friend-of-the-site Abdul says that I'm the liar.
Oh, the drama.
Abdul's argument is two-fold, the first part being that forcing local taxes to increase does not constitute, um, causing taxes to increase.
The Governor did not raise state taxes. His administration held the line on spending. Daniels' opponents argue that he did that by balancing the state's budget on the back of local governments by holding back property tax replacement revenue which led to the massive increase in last summer's tax bills. Actually that was only part of it, fundamentally what led to the increase in tax bills was the assessments and local government spending, which is where 99 percent of your property taxes go anyway.
Now, I understand the argument that my good friend Abdul is trying to make. At face value, the Governor didn't increase the state taxes. Point taken.
But what Mitch did do is shift that state tax burden on to local governments. He "balanced the budget" by essentially telling municipalities and other local entities that they needed to pay up, causing them to be the inevitable bad guys when it came time to bump up intake in order to pay the bills.
Doug correctly points us to this story that took a look at the reasons for this year's property tax increase. Despite the constant vilification of local governments by the My Man Mitch crew, the truth of the matter is a little more complicated.
Increase in levies by local taxing units. This is the "increased spending" component of the equation. But, according to Mr. DeBoer, the property tax increase is a relatively small part of the equation. Only about 25% of the 24% average increase (6% then, I suppose) has to do with local tax levies. The remaining 18% of the average increase has to do with a shift in the tax burden (from State to Local and from Business to Residential).
the governor's office began mocking local governments because their spending went up. that's like me pushing you down into the snow and then laughing at your lack of balance.
We can argue semantics all day long, but at the end of that long, mind-numbing day, the fact will still remain that Gov. Daniels knew exactly what would happen when he shifted the tax burden around back in 2005.
Abdul's second point is just silly, if you ask me. He says the following:
And that sales tax increase was to help pay for property tax relief and the state's assumption of a number of levies such as child welfare and police pensions.
If I'm reading that correctly, Abdul is making the argument that although Gov. Daniels says he didn't raise taxes, and he actually did, that's fine because the tax increase paid for stuff.
I'm not sure how that magically makes the tax increase not applicable when it comes to saying things like, "I didn't raise taxes," but I'm sure Abdul will let me know at some point in the next day or so.
U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign today (Brian A. Howey, Howey Politics Indiana). "At a time when too many Americans have lost faith in their government, Senator Obama can move us beyond the politics of stalemate and gridlock that has kept us from meeting the monumental challenges of our time: our dependence on foreign oil, a health care gap that leaves tens of millions uninsured, the steady deterioration of our manufacturing base, and an economy that is not working for working people," Donnelly announced in a statement.
"I am looking for a president who can bring this nation together, build bipartisan majorities in Congress, and energize the American people to tackle the tough issues. Senator Clinton is a tenacious fighter for the American people, and particularly for working families, but I believe Barack Obama is the president that we need at this moment in history. He has helped engage over 3 million new voters, tapped into the American people's powerful desire for change, and pointed the way toward a more hopeful future for our country."
This leaves us with only two undecideds. Rep. Pete Visclosky should have the easier decision of the two -- much of his Democratic base turned out in full force for Sen. Obama. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rep. Brad Ellsworth stay on the sidelines until the presidential picture becomes a little more clear.
Speaking of things that I can't believe, howsabout that new Mitch Daniels television advertisement? You know, the one that makes you think he's going to swing in from stage left in some epic fashion with guns blazing -- that is, if the My Man Mitch message machine actually allowed the Governor to be shown in the ad itself.
My favorite part of the ad -- and this isn't a new claim -- is that the guy has saved the world WITHOUT RAISING TAXES!
Unless, of course, you count his 2005 budget that helped property taxes skyrocket.
...or his increase of the cigarette tax.
...or his advocacy of local income tax increases, (and, of course, the creation of a property tax plan that would require such increases in cities across the state.)
...or his raising of the sales tax by 17%
Yeah, except for those, he has totally not raised taxes.
The reader who wrote me to point this out nails it on the head.
I can't f**king believe this. Jim Bopp, the bane of abortion rights and gay rights advocates, and a Republican attorney who is to the right of Atilla the Hun, is boasting in a press release that he is representing the Indiana Democratic Party before the Indiana Supreme Court in the robocall case.
The Indiana Democratic Party ♥ James Bopp? WTF? Why are they giving that slimeball one thin dime?
He has fought against Democrats with every other breath in his body, but suddenly he's willing to play nice. Of course he is - there's money involved.
While Bopp loves Jeebus and crusades in his name, we've seen the other super-Christian lawyers like Eric Miller. They worship the Almighty Dollar.
I think I speak for every political junkie when I say that we all would have liked to see more debates as part of the primary contest for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. With the general election match-up now set, moves are already being made to ensure that Hoosiers will have ample opportunity to see and hear the Mitch v. Jill show.
The Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville is among 10 sites being considered for a proposed series of fall debates between Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Democrat challenger Jill Long Thompson.
The Indiana Debate Commission, a coalition of a dozen journalism and good government groups formed last fall, is inspecting the sites.Venues have until May 31 to apply for consideration.
"Not only do the candidates for governor have a variety of quality venues for public debates, these locations are spread around the state and provide locations that are easily accessed by Indiana voters," said Dennis Ryerson, vice president of the commission and editor of The Indianapolis Star.
The commission wants to host at least three regional debates. The commission principals banded together to avoid media infighting over who will host the gubernatorial hopefuls.
The full list of sites can be found at the end of Pat Guinane's story that I quote above.
With Governor Mitch Daniels taking to the airwaves with wacky (yet memorable) ads, and his campaign vowing to be on the air all the way through November, the path to victory for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson will be an uphill one, to be sure. Mike Smith dedicates his Monday column to the hurdles facing our nominee as she looks across the abyss of the summer doldrums toward November.
Long Thompson says she doesn't believe people are buying those commercial messages. But she acknowledges it will take a lot of money to get her message out.
She said she was a strong fundraiser in Congress and will raise what it takes to win in the fall, and she wasted no time getting started after the primary. She said on the drive from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis the day after the primary, "I probably made 50 phone calls. There were fundraising calls in the mix."
State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker noted that there were 1.1 million ballots cast in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, a number he said "sent a clear signal to Governor Mitch Daniels that the people of Indiana are ready for a new direction."
But even with a huge warchest, Mitch faces a bigger enemy than Long Thompson in this election: Mitch Daniels of 2004.
Daniels made a lot of promises when he was hitting the campaign trail four years ago, and like the awkward ballcap that so often strategically hides the glaring lack of substance on the top of his head, there seems to be a belief that brute force advertising can somehow muddle the fact that under his administration, wages have been stagnant, job growth has been lackluster, and short-term, short-sighted policies has been the norm despite the "brave" and "bold" rhetoric that Hoosiers have been bombarded with.
No one is denying that this race will be a struggle, but remember that there is a very good reason that Mitch Daniels started spending his millions in April in an effort to redefine his image: He needs it.
Almost as soon as the winner had been called in Indiana's presidential primary race, the chattering began: Was Rush Limbaugh to blame (or credit) for Hillary Clinton's victory?
The Obama camp thought so. They held a conference call on Wednesday that featured Sen. John Kerry and some pointed criticism of the GOP pill-popper's "Operation Chaos."
The Indianapolis Star's political team takes a look at the debate.
"Frankly, if it hadn't been for Republicans taking Democratic ballots, (Obama) likely would have won in Indiana, too," Sen. John Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, said in a post-election conference call with reporters. "Really, there's no masquerade now. Rush Limbaugh was tampering with the primary, and the GOP has clearly declared that they want Hillary Clinton as a candidate."
Clinton's No. 1 supporter in Indiana, Sen. Evan Bayh, doesn't buy it.
He said he talked to a number of Republicans who voted in the Democratic primary and said they did so because they preferred Obama or Clinton as president, not McCain.
Republicans scoff at the very mention. Wide-eyed optimists mention it at every turn. (Ahem.)
But is it possible?
Could Indiana really become a blue state in November?
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker agrees, saying that for 40 years, the national party had pretty much ignored Indiana.
"If you don't ask somebody for their vote, they're not going to give it to you," he said.
And he points to the nearly 1.28 million votes cast in Tuesday's Democratic primary as reason for optimism.
That's more than 300,000 votes beyond what Democrat John Kerry received in the general election in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000. It's even more votes than President Bush received from Indiana in 2000, and more than Republican nominee Bob Dole received in Indiana in 1996, when he won the state but lost the White House.
Exit polls showed that about 22 percent of Democratic primary ballots were cast by independents, whom Democrats would need to carry this state, and 11 percent by Republicans.
While the national media circus was in town, I spent time in almost every interview or conversation making my pitch that Indiana is already a very purple state. We hold a majority of the congressional delegation after our three pickups in 2006. We hold the Indiana House, albeit by a razor-thin margin. And aside from the last three years, Democratic governors have been the norm across the Hoosier heartland.
But could November put an end to the 40-year streak that the GOP has put together in Indiana?
If it's going to happen, you will need to see two things occur. First, Sen. Obama as the candidate will need to consolidate the Democratic and independent voters behind him in a way that the pundits don't seem to think possible. Second, you will need to see gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson run a campaign that is much stronger than the efforts put forth by her and her opponent during the primary. If McCain and Daniels are able to turn their friendship into a coordinated political machine within the state, this may very well be a tough nut to crack.
This week was long. Long and full of things. Things that took time, and effort, and more than a little of my precious sleep.
As such, I'm taking a day off from what was already some pretty light posting to drink some tea, watch some television, and perhaps clean the dirty dishes that I left in the sink three weeks ago when I walked out of my Bloomington apartment, not returning until after midnight this morning.
One of the better moments of the last few weeks was the Indiana Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner, so to kick off an open thread such as this, there's probably no better icebreaker than the guy that many are now just referring to as "the nominee."
Gitte Laasby of the Gary Post-Tribune continues to tirelessly turn over rocks in the search for answers about the handling of BP's air permit hearing by Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Specifically, why Indiana state law was ignored by the state agency in scheduling the permit hearing, giving the public less than the required notice of 30 days.
The result has been a lot of finger-pointing, and very little in the way of substantive answers to many of these lingering questions.
As the Post-Tribune revealed in April, IDEM's chief of the permits branch of the Office of Air Quality, Matt Stuckey, e-mailed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in January to ask how long was the required notice. He was told state law applies.
State law specifies it's 30 days, but IDEM scheduled a hearing with 18 to 20 days notice.
Now IDEM won't say who at the agency made the call to ignore state law.
The Post-Tribune asked IDEM three times whether Stuckey or anybody else from IDEM looked up state requirements.
Another question was whether Stuckey informed his superiors of the response he received from the EPA and, if so, who made the decision to schedule the hearing with too little notice anyway.
Each time, IDEM sent back a similar answer.
"We looked into it and, considering the public was requesting the hearing to be moved back, we did so," spokeswoman Amy Hartsock wrote.
Oh, I see. The public asked to ignore the law, so they did. Seems fair enough to me.
(English as the national language is one my favorite forms of thinly-veiled racism, so I'm always glad to see one of our GOP representatives holding down the fort. Bumped from the user diaries. - promoted by Thomas)
U.S. Rep. Mark Souder was presented today with an "A in English" award for his leadership in Congress to preserve the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Souder was recognized at the ceremony by U.S. English, a citizens' action group working to make English the official language of the United States.
"The English language is a great unifying force in our nation, and I have long argued that the government should promote it so as to bring us together," Souder said. "Efforts to make English the official language of the United States are aimed at inclusion and community. As we communicate with one another in English, we strengthen the bond that exists between all Americans."
"I am pleased to present this award to Congressman Souder for his efforts to unite our diverse nation under the common language of English," said Mauro Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English. "Mark Souder has been a strong supporter of official English policies during his time in Congress. At a time when there is renewed interest in preserving what unites us as a nation, we are grateful to Congressman Souder for his dedicated and enthusiastic support of this issue."
Souder is a cosponsor of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, which would require all citizens to be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States. H.R. 997 has been referred to the Education and Labor Committee, where it awaits further consideration.
So if this legislation passes and is signed by President Bush...I'll allow the readers time to laugh out loud here...
(Bumped from the user diaries. - promoted by Thomas)
Here in Monroe County, we've had a few bold plans lately, but this one is a perfect example of what progressive thinking can do for local government.
On Tuesday, former County Council president Mark Stoops won his bid to run for County Commissioner. Mark has run on a number of progressive issues, but his boldest proposal is a single-payer health system for Monroe County.
Here's an excerpt from his press release on the subject:
All local government units and larger not-for-profits have their own insurance plans and groups - Monroe County government, City of Bloomington, IU, Monroe County Schools, Richland-Bean Blossom Schools, Ivy Tech, Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington Hospital. United Way has a nice pool of organizations covering 700-800 people. The list goes on and on. Dozens of separate groups representing thousands of local people.
There is no reason, except for a lack of political will, that local government units and not-for-profits cannot pool their employees and create an efficient, low-cost, administrative agency. The savings on administration alone would be greater than 10%. That is 10% savings on millions and millions of dollars.
Once an initial larger pool is created, the lower cost would encourage still more participation by local, large employers. At that point, the economies of scale and dilution of risk would allow us to offer the plan to small businesses and individuals in the community.
The plan is designed to go in phases - after a study commission can run the numbers, it would first include all the governmental units. As it was pointed out, there are numerous benefits to making the administrative agency a separate, nonprofit entity, as it would allow state organizations (like IU) to join without any major legislative changes needed from the General Assembly.
Even as the national spotlight shifts toward the Mountaineers of West Virginia, the three undecided superdelegates here in the Hoosier state continue to receive attention as it becomes increasingly clear that an extended primary battle would place them in a key position to control if not the nomination itself, at least the media narrative as we head toward August.
The three declined interview requests Wednesday but said in statements or through spokesmen that they aren't ready to announce a decision.
"I do not know on what date I will endorse," Donnelly said in a statement. "But when I do, I will back the candidate I think would make the best president."
[...]
Visclosky will consider the results in the district and state, as well as the candidates' positions on issues such as trade, the economy and the Iraq war as he works toward an endorsement, according to his spokesman.
Ellsworth said in a statement that "if it comes down to the convention, I will cast my vote for the candidate 8th District voters chose unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise."
Yesterday afternoon brought a concession, and with it the official beginning of the Jill vs. Mitch match-up. Long Thompson was in Indianapolis yesterday to kick off her general election campaign, and Bill Ruthhart of the Stardiscusses the challenges awaiting the Democratic nominee as she launches her bid.
It took close to 24 hours after Indiana's polls closed for Jill Long Thompson to sew up her win as the Democratic nominee for governor, but she wasted no time Wednesday homing in on her next target: Mitch Daniels.
Driving south after a campaign rally in Fort Wayne, the former congresswoman made about 50 phone calls, including a number in which she sought campaign contributions.
She's going to need the help.
Daniels has raised more than $8.8 million, according to current finance reports. He's run 11 different television ads in the past two months, during which he was uncontested in the primary.
In the same period, Long Thompson ran four TV ads. She raised $1.4 million and spent most of it in her narrow win over Indianapolis architect Jim Schellinger.
(Bumped from the user diaries. 17% of Republicans in the 2nd District are cool with Nazis and the return of segregation. Surprising, or not? - promoted by Thomas)
According to the Indianapolis Star's Election Tracker page, Congressional candidate Tony Zirkle (R-Hitler) managed to find almost 6,000 Indiana Republicans who think that he not only belongs in their party, but that he belongs in the US House of Representatives.
In fact, in Howard County, Zirkle received more votes than Luke Puckett.
Whether your candidates won or lost yesterday, it was great to see Democratic turnout numbers that will likely stand in the record books for decades to come. All across the state -- in traditional Democratic strongholds and conservative areas, alike -- there was an historic level of support for our candidates.
Allen County turnout was 34 percent, according to unofficial results. In the 2006 primary election, turnout was less than 17 percent. At Fort Wayne's Forest Park United Methodist Church, more than 530 voters had cast their ballots by 4 p.m., more than double the number usually seen in a primary - and multitudes more than usually seen in a Democratic primary.
"I've never seen so many Democrats in my life," said precinct inspector Donna Sefton, who has worked that polling place for 15 years. "This area is mostly Republicans."
She said most primary elections bring out 200 to 250 voters, almost all of whom pull Republican ballots.
This time, it looked more like a general election - in November, which featured mayoral and City Council races. There were 600 voters by 5 p.m.
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Speaking of things that I can't believe, howsabout that new Mitch Daniels television advertisement? You know, the one that makes you think he's going to swing in from stage left in some epic fashion with guns blazing -- that is, if the My Man Mitch message machine actually allowed the Governor to be shown in the ad itself.
