tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24378444803927144432024-02-08T07:52:22.152-08:00Whitley County DemocratsWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-1576114461752037422011-07-23T05:38:00.000-07:002011-07-23T05:39:09.611-07:00President Obama: Go 'big' on debt dealBy President Obama<br /><br />For years now, America has been spending more money than we take in. The result is that we have too much debt on our nation's credit card — debt that will ultimately weaken our economy, lead to higher interest rates for all Americans, and leave us unable to invest in things like education, or protect vital programs like Medicare.<br /><br />Neither party is blameless for the decisions that led to this debt, but both parties have a responsibility to come together and solve the problem. That's what the American people expect of us. Every day, families are figuring out how to stretch their paychecks a little further, sacrifice what they can't afford, and budget only for what's truly important. It's time for Washington to do the same.<br /><br />Why cuts are necessary<br /><br />In the short term, my No. 1 focus is getting our economy back to a place where businesses can grow and hire. That's why I want to take a number of steps right away, like extending tax relief for middle-class families and putting construction workers back on the job rebuilding our roads and highways.<br /><br />But over the last few months, I've also said that I'm willing to cut historic amounts of spending in order to reduce our long-term deficits. I'm willing to cut spending on domestic programs to the lowest level in half a century. I'm willing to cut defense spending by hundreds of billions of dollars. I'm willing to take on the rising costs of health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, so we can meet our obligations to an aging population.<br /><br />Some of these cuts would eliminate wasteful spending, weapons we don't need, or fraud and abuse in our health care system. Still, some of the cuts would target worthwhile programs that do a lot of good for our country. They're cuts that some people in my own party aren't too happy about, and frankly, I wouldn't make them if we didn't have so much debt.<br /><br />But the American people deserve the truth from their leaders. And the truth is, you can't get rid of the deficit by simply eliminating waste and fraud, or getting rid of pet projects and foreign aid, like some have suggested. Those things represent only a tiny fraction of what we spend our money on.<br /><br />At the same time, it's also true that if we tackle our deficit with spending cuts alone, it will likely end up costing seniors and middle-class families a great deal. Retired Americans will have to pay a lot more for their health care. Students will have to pay a lot more for college. A worker who gets laid off might not have any temporary help or job training to fall back on. At a time of high gas prices, we'll have to stop much of the clean energy research that will help free us from our dependence on oil.<br /><br />That's why people in both parties have suggested that the best way to take on our deficit is with a more balanced approach. Yes, we should make serious spending cuts. But we should also ask the wealthiest individuals and biggest corporations to pay their fair share through fundamental tax reform. Before we stop funding clean energy research, we should ask oil companies and corporate jet owners to give up the tax breaks that other companies don't get. Before we ask college students to pay more, we should ask hedge fund managers to stop paying taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries. Before we ask seniors to pay more for Medicare, we should ask people like me to give up tax breaks they don't need and never asked for.<br /><br />The middle class hasn't just borne the brunt of this recession; they've been dealing with higher costs and stagnant wages for more than a decade now. It's just not right to ask them to pay the whole tab — especially when they're not the ones who caused this mess in the first place.<br /><br />Raising revenues: a bipartisan position<br /><br />A balanced deficit deal that includes some new revenues isn't just a Democratic position. It's a position that has been taken by everyone from Warren Buffett to Bill O'Reilly. It's a position that was taken this week by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, who worked together on a promising plan of their own. And it's been the position of every Democratic and Republican leader who has worked to reduce the deficit in their time, from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton.<br /><br />There will be plenty of haggling over the details of all these plans in the days ahead. But right now, we have the opportunity to do something big and meaningful. This debate shouldn't just be about avoiding the catastrophe of not paying our bills and defaulting on our debt. That's the least we should do. This debate offers the chance to put our economy on stronger footing, restore a sense of fairness in our country, and secure a better future for our children. I want to seize that opportunity, and ask Americans of both parties and no party to join me in that effort.<br /><br />President Obama wrote this column exclusively for USA TODAY.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-14883880058952593412011-05-01T10:37:00.000-07:002011-05-01T10:38:44.799-07:00Charlie White, Statehouse Republicans... all behaving badlyThe Republicans at the Indiana Statehouse have been behaving badly when it comes to Charlie White.<br /><br />The Democratic Party contested the candidacy of Charlie White prior to the general election when the discrepancies of illegal voting practices and acceptance of tax dollars for a job that he was ineligible for came to light.<br /><br />Republican Charlie White was behaving badly.<br /><br />When then Secretary of State, Todd Rokita, certified the results of the General Election, his argument was that the law said that candidates had to be “registered voters”. The law did NOT say that candidates had to be “legally registered voters”. The Democratic Party then filed a legal case against Charlie White. In the interim, Charlie White has been sworn into office. He is Indiana’s Secretary of State. Todd Rokita is now a U.S. Congressman.<br /><br />Republican Todd Rokita was behaving badly.<br /><br />Republican Secretary of State, Charlie White, was indicted in March on seven felony counts including voter fraud, perjury, and theft. Keep in mind that a core part of the job of the Secretary of State is “Chief Elections Officer”. <br /><br />The court agrees that Republican Charlie White is behaving badly.<br /><br />On April 7, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Louis Rosenberg ordered the current Recount Commission to quickly resolve the Democratic challenge to White’s eligibility. But between Recount Commission Director Bradley Skolnik and Republican State Party Chair Eric Holcomb, no one has been appointed to replace Charlie White on the Recount Commission to start proceedings. On April 25, Judge Rosenberg gave Skolnik and Holcomb two days to appoint a replacement and to appear on Thursday in court to “show good cause, if any there be, why the Commission should not be held in contempt”.<br /><br />Republican State Party Chair Eric Holcomb and Recount Commission Director Bradley Skolnik have been behaving badly.<br /><br />Last week, the Indiana Senate on a strong Republican majority, voted to change the rules on what happens if the Secretary of State is removed from office. Under current law and the law that was in effect when the alleged crimes were committed, the second highest vote getter becomes Secretary of State. In this case, Democrat Vop Osili becomes Indiana’s Secretary of State. Because all of the Republican votes for Secretary of State get wiped out, the Indiana Republican Party also loses major party status. The loss of major party status means that all Republican candidates in Indiana would need to collect petition signatures to get on the ballot. The Democratic candidates would appear first on all ballots across the State of Indiana. The Libertarian Party would appear second on all ballots across the State of Indiana, and the Democrats would gain all precinct inspectors at polling locations. The Senate’s amendment to HB1242 allows Mitch Daniels to appoint Charlie White’s replacement, and everything else goes away. The Republicans voted the party line to approve the amendment, except our own Sue Glick.<br /><br />Indiana’s Republican Senators are behaving badly.<br /><br />HB1242 is now back over in the House. Could it be that the Recount Commission and the Republican State Party Chair are waiting for a House approval and a governor’s signature prior to ruling on Charlie White? I am calling on our Republican State Representatives to follow Sue Glick’s lead. Charlie White broke the law, and there are consequences. Do the right thing. Vote down the revised version of HB1242.<br /><br />Tell your Republican State Representatives not to behave badly too.<br /><br /><br />Carmen Darland<br />Third District Democratic Party Chair<br />Albion, IndianaWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-21749858785326498152011-04-28T18:06:00.000-07:002011-04-28T18:07:52.413-07:00Judge denies White's request to halt Dems' challengeA Marion County judge has denied Charlie White’s request to halt Democrats’ challenge to his eligibility to hold office.<br /><br />The Democrats claim White wasn't legally registered to vote at the time he declared his candidacy, so he wasn't eligible to run.<br /><br /><br />White had asked the judge to delay the challenge until criminal charges pending against him in Hamilton County are resolved. He is accused of deliberately voting in the wrong precinct in the May primary and lying about his address to cover up the fact that he had moved out of the district he represented on the Fishers Town Council. He faces seven felony charges.<br /><br /><br />His attorney argued during a hearing this afternoon that if White defends himself in the civil case, he might incriminate himself in the criminal case.<br /><br /><br />But Marion Circuit Court Judge Louis Rosenberg said that there’s no guarantee White’s criminal trial will be held Aug. 8 as scheduled, so the civil challenge could be drawn out indefinitely if it hinges on the resolution of the criminal case.<br /><br /><br />“The public interest is in resolving this matter,” Rosenberg said, noting that the “uncertainty” of White’s eligibility is “impairing” the operation of his office.<br /><br /><br />James Bopp, who’s representing White in the civil challenge, said he will appeal the judge’s ruling.<br /><br /><br />White already is appealing Rosenberg’s April 7 ruling that the Democrats’ challenge is valid and should be heard by the Indiana Recount Commission, which had previously dismissed it.<br /><br /><br />White had asked that if Rosenberg denied his motion to halt the case until the conclusion of the criminal case, that he at least delay it until the Indiana Court of Appeals hears his appeal of the April 7 ruling.<br /><br /><br />White’s request to stall the case came Tuesday, just a day after Democrats asked Rosenberg to take over the case or order the commission to move faster to proceed with the complaint.<br /><br /><br />Rosenberg declined to take over the case, but he did agree to set a schedule the commission must follow for resolving the complaint.<br /><br /><br />He’s expected to issue that schedule by the end of FridayWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-45748355520801074022011-03-28T13:57:00.001-07:002011-03-28T13:57:58.112-07:00Update from House Leader Pat BauerINDIANAPOLIS - Indiana House Democratic Leader B. Patrick Bauer of<br />South Bend issued the following statement today on a compromise reached at<br />the Indiana Statehouse and the return of House Democrats after a month-long<br />standoff:<br /><br /> "Today we can announce compromises that are great steps forward for<br />working Hoosiers. The principled stand by House Democrats forced concessions<br />by the House Republicans that reflected the concerns expressed by so many<br />people who came to the Statehouse in recent weeks.<br /><br />"The timeout forced by Democrats gave Hoosiers an opportunity to examine the<br />radical agenda being attempted in Indiana and to speak out. We've protected<br />working people from a march to the minimum wage. We've protected collective<br />bargaining rights for Hoosier workers and teachers. We've softened the blow<br />to public schools and prevented passage of a bill for the private takeover<br />of public schools. This timeout gave millions of Hoosiers a real voice in<br />their state government.<br /><br />"We are appreciative that the Speaker was willing to reach out to us and<br />make compromises that address the most serious concerns. We are hopeful that<br />we can continue to work and find common ground.<br /><br />"These compromises are not perfect. Democrats aren't bound to vote for them,<br />and we will make an effort to continue to amend the proposals before us.<br />But, this is something to work with and we are headed back to Indianapolis<br />to do just that."<br /><br />The provisions of the compromise include:<br /><br />right-to-work legislation is off the table, preserving collective bargaining<br />rights;<br /><br />the permanent ban on public employee bargaining is off the table in the<br />House;<br /><br />enabling legislation for private takeover of public schools is off the table<br />in the House;<br /><br />private school vouchers will be limited to 7,500 students in the first year<br />and 15,000 in the second year, rather than the largest voucher program in<br />the nation the Republicans originally wanted;<br /><br />rather than an outright ban of Project Labor Agreements as Republicans<br />wanted, PLAs still can be included with projects passed by public<br />referendum; and<br /><br />the threshold for applying the common construction wage to projects would be<br />$250,000 for 2012 and $350,000 for 2013, rather than the job-killing $1<br />million threshold the Republicans wanted.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-66512889529931165352011-02-08T15:33:00.001-08:002011-02-08T15:33:57.325-08:00Published: February 8, 2011 3:00 a.m. <br />Steel Dynamics hailed for exports<br />Wins certificate from Commerce<br />Paul Wyche | The Journal Gazette<br /> <br />Khanna <br />BusseFORT WAYNE – If others followed the lead of Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics Inc., President Obama’s goal of doubling the nation’s exports by 2014 would easily be met, a U.S. Department of Commerce official said.<br /><br />Ro Khanna, deputy assistant secretary, awarded the Export Achievement Certificate to Steel Dynamics CEO Keith Busse at the company’s headquarters Monday. Figures for 2010 aren’t complete, but through the first nine months of last year the business had $256 million in net export sales, while total annual sales were $6.3 billion.<br /><br />“We can bring jobs back to this country,” Busse said in front of several employees and government officials assembled for the award announcement. “We’re pleased with our efforts.”<br /><br />So is the Obama administration. During the president’s State of the Union address last month he stressed the need to help businesses sell more products abroad, “because the more we export, the more jobs we create here at home,” he said.<br /><br />Because Steel Dynamics’ plants primarily are located in the Midwest – where ocean ports are not easily accessible – the firm’s exports mostly have been to Canada and Mexico. Company spokesman Fred Warner said the 2007 acquisition of OmniSource has boosted exports as copper and aluminum extracts flow.<br /><br />Warner said there has been increasing interest by other foreign buyers in some of the high-value steel products, including special-bar-quality steel, specialty shapes and special grades of flat-rolled steel. Warner said Khanna plans to tour the company’s structural and rail mill today in Columbia City.<br /><br />Khanna said Steel Dynamics serves as a template for similar companies in United States. The business added about 100 jobs to its more than 6,000-person workforce in 2010.<br /><br />“It shows that we can compete with other countries,” he said. “Steel Dynamics is a great model of how we can make jobs here in the U.S.”Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-34344399786546754972011-02-04T17:51:00.000-08:002011-02-04T17:53:33.506-08:00Message from Rep. Pat Bauer==============================================<br />Statehouse eUpdate<br />from<br />State Rep. Pat Bauer<br />==============================================<br />Feb. 4, 2011<br />==============================================<br /><br />INDIANAPOLIS - Here is how unemployment insurance "reform" is currently<br />defined by those in control of the Indiana General Assembly:<br /><br /> If you have lost your job and are trying to support your family<br />while you're looking for work, your weekly unemployment benefits will be cut<br />by 25 percent.<br /><br /> If you own a small business, you will see the taxes you are<br />charged to help finance the state's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund go up<br />substantially.<br /><br /> If you run a large corporation, you'll get to wait before you<br />pay your share of the freight to pay for the fund, which owes more than $2<br />billion to the federal government. In some cases, you'll even see your taxes<br />go down.<br /><br /> These unemployment insurance "reforms" authored by the House<br />majority are contained in House Bill 1450, which passed out of the chamber<br />this week. They are expected to move quickly through the Indiana Senate, so<br />there is a good chance these changes will be law before too much longer.<br /><br /> I opposed House Bill 1450 because these "reforms" will be a<br />disaster for families with members who are out of work. The average weekly<br />benefit for workers will be cut from $283 to $212, a drop of about 25<br />percent.<br /><br /> That is the money these families rely upon to pay for food,<br />utilities, rent and other necessities while parents are trying to find jobs.<br /><br /> The cuts are described by advocates of "reform" as the sacrifice<br />that unemployed Hoosiers must make to solve the problems facing the benefit<br />system, but I believe the true impact will be forcing many of these folks to<br />turn to other government assistance programs for help at a time when the<br />funding for those programs also is being cut.<br /><br /> This "reform" also will hurt small businesses across Indiana,<br />which will see the taxes they pay for financing the benefit system go up in<br />the years to come. Compare their burden with that faced by the larger<br />businesses and corporations in our state, many of which actually will see<br />cuts in the unemployment taxes they pay.<br /><br /> But it is the people who are supposed to be helped by this<br />system that will be hurt the most. These folks are not freeloaders. They<br />lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and they are trying to find<br />work so they can take care of their families. Now they are told that they<br />will have to do more with less, while some employers won't have to make any<br />sacrifices at all. You tell me if that is right.<br /><br /> Let me make one final point. The best way to fix Indiana's<br />bankrupt unemployment system is to get Hoosiers back to work. We have been<br />in session for one month, and those in charge of the Legislature and the<br />governor's office have yet to make one new proposal to create jobs in<br />Indiana.<br /><br /> There has been action on other issues at the Statehouse. Here<br />are some measures the House has passed in recent days.<br /><br /> House Bill 1018 calls for a smoking ban in most public places<br />across Indiana. There are a number of exceptions to this ban: casinos,<br />racinos, riverboats, bars and taverns, and designated smoking areas in<br />nursing homes and private service clubs like the VFW, American Legion and<br />Elks.<br /><br /> House Bill 1129 prohibits a person from sending an email or text<br />message while driving a motor vehicle. The penalty for violation would be a<br />fine of up to $500.<br /><br /> House Bill 1102 would ban the possession and sale of synthetic<br />marijuana, which is more commonly known by names like spice or K2. Many<br />counties across the state have acted to prohibit this substance, which has<br />caused adverse reactions like heart and breathing problems and been blamed<br />for contributing to some deaths.<br /><br /> If you want to talk to me about any of the issues being debated<br />in this session--or if your child would be interested in serving as a page<br />in the House and you would like to get more information about the<br />program--here are a few ways to stay in touch.<br /><br /> You can call the toll-free Statehouse telephone number of<br />1-800-382-9842, write to me in care of the Indiana House of Representatives,<br />200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204, or send a message to my email<br />address: <h6@in.gov>. While visiting my website at <www.in.gov/h6>, you also<br />can sign up to receive regular email updates from the Legislature.<br /><br />==============================================<br />Thank you for your interest in state legislative matters. Please visit my<br />website at:<br />www.in.gov/h6<br />==============================================<br />If you have received this Statehouse eUpdate by error or wish to be removed<br />from the distribution list, simply reply to this email, typing "unsubscribe"<br />in the subject line. Thank you.<br />==============================================<br />Statehouse eUpdate<br />from<br />State Rep. Pat Bauer<br />==============================================Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-31757853771542555792011-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:002011-02-03T13:04:54.606-08:00Times have changedDear Friend,<br />The crossroads of America has officially become the crossroads of the GOP.<br />Yesterday, we watched as U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, long respected for his moderate views and votes, sided with right-wing Republicans in a party-line drive to overturn President Obama’s unprecedented health care package, which will deliver affordable coverage, cheaper prescription drugs and small business tax breaks to almost one million Hoosiers.<br /><br />This is the same senior Senator who recently stood with President Obama to support a nuclear weapons treaty with Russia and access to citizenship for young immigrants who pledge to their allegiance to this country through education or military service.<br /><br />Five years ago, I went on the record to say that “Richard Lugar is beloved not only by Republicans, but by Independents and Democrats.”<br /><br />Times have changed.<br /><br />Today, with Tea Party activists recruiting a candidate to challenge him, Lugar has been forced to the right – away from the values we cherish as a state of moderate, logical thinkers.<br /><br />Washington Post political analyst Chris Cillizza said this morning that Lugar is rapidly emerging as the top Tea Party target next year. Taking him down in a primary would give their patchwork movement both credibility and momentum.<br /><br />There’s only one message we can derive from this assault on a venerable public servant: There’s no room for independents or moderates in the new Republican Party.<br /><br />Hoosiers have long believed that a political system marked by compromise and rational thinking achieves the best results. That’s why the state has embraced Lugar’s brand – alongside Democrats like Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon – for decades.<br /><br />The growing Republican rift gives us an opportunity to showcase what Indiana Democrats have always believed: We are fiscally conservative, moderate on social issues and wholly committed to policies that improve education and create jobs.<br /><br />For the sake of our state, I hope Richard Lugar sticks to the principles that have won him so many elections – and a place in the hearts of those in the heartland.<br /><br />Indiana deserves leadership that reflects hard-working Hoosier values, not pandering to a group of fringe activists who are angry at America.<br /><br />Our party has always fought for those Hoosier values, and we will continue to do so – united in our efforts – as we work hard this year and next year to elect Democrats across Indiana.<br /><br />Thank you for your commitment to this state, our values and the Democratic Party.<br />Democratically yours,<br />Daniel J. Parker<br />ChairWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-58246428013013655232011-01-25T16:16:00.000-08:002011-01-25T16:17:57.230-08:00Is it time for Indiana to legalize marijuana?Deanna Martin | Associated Press<br /><br />INDIANAPOLIS – A state senator is asking a question she hopes will spur debate over sentencing laws and possibly save Indiana millions of dollars: Should the state legalize marijuana? <br /><br />Democratic Sen. Karen Tallian of Portage said she wants a criminal law and sentencing study committee to examine Indiana’s marijuana laws next summer and come up with recommendations.<br /><br />Other states have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana or created programs to allow medical marijuana, and Tallian said it’s time for Indiana to have the discussion. <br /><br />Tallian said Republicans who control the Senate have assured her they will give a legislative hearing to her proposal, which would direct the summer study committee to examine the issue.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-82508065939939310762011-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:002011-01-07T13:09:47.739-08:00SAVE THE DATE!The next Whitley County Democratic Party breakfast will be March 5th, 9am, at the CC Deli in downtown Columbia City. Cost is $7 per person. Breakfast sandwiches and biscuits and gravy will be served. Email your RSVP to whitleydems@gmail.com today!Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-34391964768105337172011-01-01T08:57:00.000-08:002011-01-01T08:58:57.363-08:00Health Care Reforms Hit Seniors after Ball DropsWASHINGTON - One of the biggest stories of 2010 was the battle over the new health care reform law. People worried about what it means for them will find out soon enough. <br /><br />Some key provisions take affect at midnight, CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports. <br /><br />Millions of seniors are about to get their first taste of health care reform, and a lot of them will probably like it. <br /><br />For the first time, the 45 million seniors on Medicare can get free annual physicals. No more co-payments. They'll get free screenings for diabetes and cancer. That includes mammograms and colonoscopies. <br /><br />"We think it will make the lives and wellness of seniors much better, and in the end it will help drag down costs as diseases are caught sooner before they become more costly to treat," said James Chiong, executive director of the Health Information Campaign. <br /><br />Another plus: shrinking the so-called doughnut hole. Medicare patients used to have to pay the entire cost of their prescriptions after they spent $2,830 until expenses reached $6,440. Now, they'll get a 50 percent discount on certain brand name drugs and pay 7 percent less on generics. <br /><br />There are also less popular provisions. Medicare patients earning more than $85,000 as individuals and $170,000 as couples will pay higher premiums for prescription drugs. Non-prescription drugs like cold and allergy medicines can't be reimbursed through tax-free flexible spending or health savings accounts. <br /><br />However, the biggest worry could be something else entirely. <br /><br />"I think there's a very real concern about having adequate numbers of Medicare doctors," said Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. <br /><br />That could mean long waits to see the doctor. <br /><br />"I think they will see delays in the timing of their appointments," said Pardes. "I think a number of doctors who have been frustrated because of the Medicare fee level will actually stop taking Medicare, so that's a real worry for all of us." <br /><br />Republicans have promised to do what they can to stop or roll back health care reform, but advocates say most of these first provisions taking effect are quite popular and will be hard for anyone to take away.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-72717387498143910042011-01-01T08:28:00.000-08:002011-01-01T08:29:30.616-08:00State lawmakers to face tough budget decisionsDEANNA MARTIN | Associated Press<br />INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana lawmakers will be staring at many tough budget decisions when they start their 2011 session on Wednesday.<br /><br />They've watched Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels slash millions of dollars in state spending over the last two fiscal years — and Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley says lawmakers will now have to do their share of budget cutting.<br /><br />They'll have to do it without the $1 billion in federal stimulus money that they had when writing the last budget two years ago.<br /><br />The revenue forecast released in December shows that Indiana is expected to take in $13.4 billion during fiscal year 2012 — about $500 million less than current spending. But Daniels says he believes the state can have a balanced budget without tax increases or more funding cuts to schools.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-24610706677029415552010-12-24T10:54:00.000-08:002010-12-24T10:56:25.566-08:00Merry Christmas!The Whitley County Democratic Party wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas!Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-28927369419236629342010-12-23T16:46:00.000-08:002010-12-23T16:48:37.006-08:00Message from President ObamaThis time of year, Americans around the country are taking the time to exchange heartfelt messages with friends and loved ones, reflecting on the past year. They write of achievements and setbacks, of births, graduations, promotions, and moves.<br /><br />These messages allow us to overcome the miles that separate us. And they allow us to continue one of the most basic American traditions that has held folks close for centuries -- the simple sharing of stories.<br /><br />And as families gather around holiday tables this season, we also have the opportunity to share the stories of the change this movement has achieved together.<br /><br />It is a narrative woven by individuals across America -- in big cities and small towns, hospitals and classrooms, in auto manufacturing plants and auto supply stores.<br /><br />These are stories of rebuilding, and of innovation. Stories of communities breathing new life into old roads and bridges, of local plants harnessing alternative fuel into new energy. Stories of small businesses getting up, dusting themselves off, and beginning to grow again. Stories of soldiers who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq now coming home -- and enjoying the holidays this year in the company of loved ones.<br /><br />These are stories of progress.<br /><br />They unite us, and they are ours to share.<br /><br />We've pulled many of them together in one place, PROGRESS. You can see what our reforms have meant to Americans in every state -- block by block, community by community.<br /><br />The reforms that we fought long and hard for are not talking points.<br /><br />And their effects don't change based on the whims of politicians in Washington. They are achievements that have a real and meaningful impact on the lives of Americans around the country. They are achievements that would not have been possible without you. PROGRESS localizes them -- and brings them to life.<br /><br />It tells of how a green technology business in Phoenix, Arizona, is using a grant through the Recovery Act's Transportation Electrification program to bring the first electric-drive vehicles and charging stations to cities around the country.<br /><br />It tells how, thanks to closing the "donut hole" in prescription drug coverage, a diabetic woman in Burlington, Vermont will no longer have to choose between purchasing her monthly groceries or the insulin she needs to survive.<br /><br />It tells about how 136,000 Pennsylvania residents' jobs were saved or created by the Recovery Act.<br /><br />And about how, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 22,900 small businesses in Utah's 2nd Congressional District are now eligible for health care tax credits -- and how 17,500 residents in Idaho's 1st with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage.<br /><br />There are thousands more stories like these.<br /><br />In the coming days, as we gather with our loved ones at dinner tables around the nation, let's pass them on. Let's celebrate the spirit of service and responsibility that brought them to fruition. And let's steady ourselves with the resolve to continue pressing forward.<br /><br />Because the coming year will hold new challenges -- battles that have yet to be fought, and stories of progress that have yet to be written.<br /><br />Take a look at the progress we've made in your area -- and share the stories you read with your friends and family:<br /><br />http://progress.democrats.org<br /><br />Happy holidays, and God bless,<br /><br />BarackWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-82745518583436146992010-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:002010-12-21T13:36:58.082-08:00Holiday Message from Indiana Democratic Party ChairmanFriends, <br /><br />I wanted to write a quick note to wish you a happy holidays and thank you for the work you have done in the last year. During that time, Democrats have had some monumental legislative accomplishments to be extremely proud of, including the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, tax cuts for middle class Americans, and enacting legislation that ensures unemployed Americans have the security they deserve.<br /><br />Here in Indiana, Democrats have been crucial in protecting our state’s education system from drastic budget cuts and holding Governor Daniels accountable for the lack of private sector job growth in our state. <br /><br />While the results of November’s election were not as positive as our legislative successes, we should use this holiday season to reflect on what we achieved and start preparing for the next election. As we turn our eyes toward the future, there are several signs that point to our Party being well placed to achieve gains in municipal elections across Indiana and build a strong foundation for our federal candidates in 2012.<br /><br />This is where your financial support makes our future success a possibility.<br /><br />There is no question we have more work to do – both for Indiana families and for our nation. But what's clear from the efforts of Democrats across the state in the last year is that we remain committed to growing and strengthening our party – and that your work is crucial to making a lasting difference.<br /><br />Your passion and resolve is what carried us through tough times in the past. It's this same sense of determination that will carry us through future fights and more historic improvements for Hoosiers and our communities – in the New Year and beyond. Please enjoy your time with family, friends and neighbors during this holiday season.<br /><br />Happy Holidays! <br /><br />Daniel J. Parker<br />ChairWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-73646935761044679062010-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:002010-12-20T14:23:37.743-08:00Draw districts that respect communities of interestWritten by<br />Dave Crooks and Bill Ruppel<br /><br /><br />When the Indiana General Assembly last drew maps for congressional and state legislative districts in 2001, the public had limited opportunities to impact the process. Legislative mapmakers held a few sparsely attended public hearings and a computer was available at the State Library in Indianapolis if people wanted to try their hand at map drawing with a more limited data set than lawmakers had access to.<br /><br />For the most part, redistricting was carried out behind closed doors under a curtain of fierce incumbent protection and intense partisanship.<br />The result has been a decade of elections where the majority of races are decided not by voters but by where the district lines fall. Half of the current state legislative districts favor one party by more than 30 percent. This has led to 40 percent of candidates for the General Assembly running without major party opposition. It is no wonder that voters are frustrated with such limited choices.<br /><br />As former state legislators, we have seen redistricting firsthand and can testify that partisan interests greatly outweigh any other principle.<br />Forget compact districts that respect communities of interest and encourage competition; it's all about making sure the majority party keeps its edge and current lawmakers keep the voters they want and get rid of those they cannot count on. It is the ultimate conflict of interest, and it is time for a change.<br />The good news is that several statewide citizens groups are not waiting on the General Assembly to reform redistricting. AARP Indiana, Common Cause/Indiana and the League of Women Voters of Indiana are forming the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission that will bird dog the legislative redistricting process, hold public hearings across the state to generate public discussion and sponsor a map-drawing competition. We are proud to serve as co-chairs of the commission.<br /><br /><br />The ICRC will be composed of Hoosiers who are representative of the voters in our state. They will come from communities across Indiana and include racial and ethnic minorities and a variety of political ideologies. The one thing they have in common is a desire for a map-drawing process that is less dominated by partisan interests and that results in fair districts that respect the Voting Rights Act and promote accountability and competitive elections.<br /><br />The ICRC will monitor the legislative redistricting process by analyzing the maps proposed by the Indiana House and Senate and draw attention to those districts we believe are gerrymandered. But, the ICRC won't just point the finger at the districts drawn to gain political advantage. We will sponsor a map drawing competition to provide a yardstick to see how the legislature's maps compare to those drawn by neutral parties.<br /><br />We will make available to any interested citizen District Builder, an open-source software redistricting application designed to give the public transparent, accessible and easy-to-use online mapping tools. Citizens will submit their proposals to the ICRC where they will be judged according to how well they meet criteria such as compactness, competitiveness and incorporation of communities of interest. We will pick the best set of maps and submit them to the General Assembly.<br /><br />While the Citizens Commission won't have any official role in the process, we believe it will provide a new level of transparency and public participation that can pressure the General Assembly to put the interests of citizens above their own. And it will demonstrate how an independent redistricting commission would work, making passage of legislation to create such a commission more likely.<br /><br />Hoosiers have the tools to make the next set of legislative maps more equitable and less partisan. Working together, we can draw the line on gerrymandering. For more information about the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission see www.commoncause.org/inWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-5465566349635452962010-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:002010-12-18T08:01:49.824-08:00Stutzman misses his first voteNiki Kelly and Benjamin Lanka | The Journal Gazette<br />Peaks and valleys aptly describes the week Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd, had.<br /><br />At the beginning of the week, it was a thrill to attend the White House gala in a tuxedo with his wife, Christy, who wore a gorgeous one-shoulder white gown with a red ribbon sash. <br /><br />POTUS and FLOTUS were “very gracious” hosts, Stutzman reported.<br /><br />But by the end of the week, Stutzman had made a boo-boo that nabs every member of Congress sooner or later: He missed a vote because he turned off his BlackBerry. He was meeting with friends from Indianapolis who were in Washington to attend a fundraiser for Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th. The event was hosted by political commentator Oliver North, who was at the center of the 1980s Iran-control political scandal.<br /><br />“My bad,” Stutzman said of being recorded as “not voting” on legislation that would provide a pathway to legal status for children who were brought to the U.S. by their parents who were in the country illegally. For the record, Stutzman would have voted against the bill, which the tea party lobbied heavily to kill.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-72337432393969898472010-12-15T15:34:00.000-08:002010-12-15T15:38:13.448-08:00City lands 2012 state conventionDemocratic event worth $400,000<br />Benjamin Lanka | The Journal Gazette<br />A concerted effort by local Democrats will bring the state party’s convention to the Summit City in the summer of 2012.<br /><br />Dan Parker, Indiana Democratic Party chairman, announced Tuesday the convention will be held June 15 to 17, 2012, at Grand Wayne Center downtown. <br /><br />He said the efforts of Mayor Tom Henry and Carmen Darland, 3rd District Democratic Party chairwoman, were instrumental in bringing the event to a site other than Indianapolis for the first time since early last century.<br /><br />“Fort Wayne’s effort on this was really remarkable,” Parker said after showing a handful of letters and e-mails he received from local Democrats and businesses supporting the effort.<br /><br />Darland said the idea to hold the convention in Fort Wayne was hatched at a lunch with the mayor and his wife, Cindy, in February. It was presented to the state party in May, and a majority of the delegates of this year’s convention supported the idea of looking outside Indianapolis. Parker said Fort Wayne and Indianapolis were the only two cities to meet the group’s criteria, and Fort Wayne was chosen overwhelmingly in a vote Saturday.<br /><br />Parker said the newly opened Courtyard by Marriott downtown was critical to the group’s requirement for hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center. He added the support by Henry, a Democrat, was overwhelming. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is a Republican.<br /><br />Henry said the event will bring state and local attention to Fort Wayne, as well as give thousands of people an opportunity to visit since the opening of much of Harrison Square. He said politics aside, the event will be a boon for the local economy.<br /><br />“I would encourage the state Republican Party to consider us as well,” he said.<br /><br />Dan O’Connell, director of Visit Fort Wayne, said the event will draw between 2,000 and 2,500 guests and pump up to $400,000 into the local economy. He said the community did not have to provide financial incentives to land the convention.<br /><br />O’Connell said he already has begun discussions with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Embassy Theatre and Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo to have special events for the guests.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-73476638915665645662010-12-10T14:27:00.000-08:002010-12-10T14:28:06.177-08:00WCCS ponders joining small-school resolution.Home<br />WCCS ponders joining small-school resolutionDecember 10, 2010 <br />ByPhil Smith <br />phil@thepostandmail.com <br />COLUMBIA CITY — At Monday’s work session of the Whitley Consolidated School Corporation, Superintendent Dr. Patricia O’Connor and corporation Business Manager Tony Zickgraf presented a document to the board that was drafted by the John Glenn School Corporation.<br />The document — a call out to the Indiana Legislature.<br />The Walkerton-based school corporation drafted a resolution to Indiana lawmakers and sent letters to WCCS and other districts around the state.<br />In the letter, the John Glenn board wrote “As you may already know, the John Glenn School Corporation Board of School Trustees has taken issue with the discrepancy among districts in per-student funding.<br />“We feel this, among other issues, needs to be addressed. We have constructed a draft resolution to take to the legislature before they convene next session.”<br />The school officials from Walkerton are seeking a coalition of 50 school districts to sign the resolution before sending it off to Indianapolis.<br />“We would appreciate your participation in preparing the ‘final product’ and invite you to sign the resolution,” said the letter to WCCS.<br />“I think the purpose of the resolution is to educate our legislature,” said O’Connor, saying school officials hope to convince the lawmakers that “one size doesn’t fit all. I think we’re just asking the legislature to consider the smaller districts when decisions are being made.”<br />In the budget for 2010, the state cut school funding across the board and O’Connor told the board that WCCS’s “per-student” cuts were heavier than some districts. The intent of the proposed pact among school corporations is to call on the legislature to remove that funding disparity.<br />John Glenn’s letter and resolution also referred to the state’s funding formula as “complicated and outdated.”<br />The board discussed the possibility of signing the resolution.<br />“The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” said board member Tim Bloom.<br />“Every school’s saying they’re not getting their fair share and I don’t envy the legislature,” said Zickgraf.<br />In late 2009, reports said Indiana schools lost $297 million in 2010.<br />The new legislature meets Jan. 5 and local residents Jim Banks (Senate) and Kathy Heuer (House of Representatives) will begin freshman terms in their respective branches. Coincidently, both members will serve on education committees.<br />After discussing the petition by John Glenn, WCCS Board President Don Armstrong said the board should consider the issue before the next meeting Dec. 20.<br />“I want to think about it,” said Armstrong. “But I also want to think about education in general. We can vote our hearts if we make it an action item.”<br />“I think it is a show of solidarity,” said O’Connor, “but not in an offensive way, but more in a ‘yoo-hoo, we’re small, but we’re out here’ way.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-53735257212896286882010-12-09T17:04:00.000-08:002010-12-09T17:13:48.069-08:00Not ready for that 'adult conversation' on debt?We have started an adult conversation that will dominate the debate until the elected leadership here in Washington does something real.” <br /><br />So claimed Erskine Bowles, co-chairman (along with former Sen. Alan Simpson) of President Barack Obama’s commission on federal deficits and debt, last week.<br /><br />The feeling that Americans and their representatives in Congress were ready for serious “adult” work on reducing deficits and debt lasted about three days, from last Friday’s final fiscal commission meeting to Monday’s announcement by Obama of a $900 billion accord with congressional Republicans to extend tax cuts and embark on a round of new spending.<br /><br />"I'm deeply disappointed that we have this short-term deal and it's not linked to long-term fiscal restraint," Bowles said Wednesday. <br /><br />On Thursday morning after he and Simpson met at the White House with Budget Director Jack Lew and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, they issued a statement calling on Obama to launch negotiations with congressional leaders from both parties "on the critical next step of establishing a serious fiscal responsibility plan" and to unveil his own deficit cutting proposals in his State of the Union address, building on the ones in last week's Bowles-Simpson report. <br /><br />Long-term debt problem <br />The long-term budget prospects remain as stark as they were before Obama announced his deal with the GOP leaders. <br /><br />Top politics news Key vote on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' repeal fails <br />A key procedural vote on the bill containing a repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy failed Thursday, likely dealing a final blow to advocates who hoped to overturn the 17-year old ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military during this session of Congress. <br /><br />According to the Congressional Budget Office, the ten-year budget forecast is for continued budget shortfalls, extraordinarily high national debt (compared to previous decades), and higher interest payments to service that debt — to the point that CBO predicts that by 2016 interest payments will be larger than military spending. <br /><br />When debt service exceeds military spending, says Harvard historian Niall Ferguson, it has historically been the tipping point where a great empire or nation ceases being great.<br /><br />Why did the feeling that America was ready for serious debt reduction evaporate so quickly?<br /><br />One reason may be that members of Congress don’t believe that the United States could suffer a sovereign debt crisis as Greece and Ireland are undergoing. <br /><br />“I think it’s true that a number of people just don’t buy it, because we still are different than Greece and Ireland,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. <br /><br />“They can’t believe that the debt problems could actually come here," she said. "I think a number of other people think, ‘maybe I do buy it but it isn’t worth the sacrifice of actually changing things.’ But I think most people don’t quite buy it — and the worrying thing is that people who buy it the most are the financial people, the people who are managing money.”<br /><br />Stopping momentum for debt reduction <br />MacGuineas said the tax and spending deal that Obama announced Monday night did seem “surreal” coming as it did on the heels of the Bowles-Simpson plan. “It stops the momentum that we should have started last week with the Bowles-Simpson plan.” <br /><br /><br />But she remains optimistic. She compared the accord with a smoker who is on the verge of quitting smoking. “You smoke an extra cigarette just before you have to give it up. I really do think this is the last major deficit-financed bonanza that we’re going to see.” <br /><br />She pointed to fact that a conservative member of the Bowles-Simpson panel, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and a liberal Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, both voted for the plan. (It got 11 votes, three shy of what was needed to officially forward its recommendations to Congress.)<br /><br />Coburn took a jab at his own party Wednesday when he denounced as "political cynicism" a statement by Dan Bartlett, a former staffer for President George W. Bush, who said the 2001 tax cut was designed as a "trap" so that it "becomes almost impossible to remove it." <br /><br />Coburn has hinted he might vote against the deal Obama negotiated with GOP leaders and urged his colleagues to debate a plan to cut the deficit. <br /><br />"We are going to have a major liquidity crisis, and we are also going to have a major interest rate crisis," he said Wednesday. "Nobody knows when it comes."<br /><br />Economic historians and members of the president’s fiscal commission do believe a sovereign debt crisis is feasible, or at least that the United States will suffer many years of anemic growth and high unemployment.<br /><br /><br />Federal government debt is approaching that level. Using a different measure — total debt for all levels of government — U.S. gross debt is at 93 percent of GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund. (Compare that with Greece at 130 percent of GDP and Ireland at 99 percent of GDP.)<br /><br />Wolf at our door? <br />Making the analogy between hostile bond markets and a wolf, Reinhart also warned that “We never know when the wolf will be down (at) our door. The wolf is very fickle and markets can turn very quickly. And a high debt level makes us very vulnerable to shifts in sentiments that we cannot predict.”<br /><br />In a debt crisis, in order to persuade bond buyers to keep buying Treasury bonds, Congress would be forced to cut spending and raise taxes.<br /><br />The commission member who put that scenario most clearly was a non-politician, Honeywell chief executive David Cote: “These difficult political decisions will get made one of two ways. The first is we can do it thoughtfully and proactively. The second is we can wait for the bond market to force it upon us, and that will be decidedly harder, more abrupt and unpleasant. We can ask Greece and Ireland what that's like, and soon Italy, Spain and Portugal.” <br /><br />He added that Americans ought to wonder, "What happens when the bank — in this case foreign countries like China — doesn't want to loan you any more money?"<br /><br />Of course, the alternative to raising revenues through borrowing is raising them through higher taxes. But one reason Obama is not likely to get Republicans to agree to that is their memories of Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush agreeing to tax increases in 1982 and 1990.<br />“If I believed that the increased revenue would actually be used for deficit reduction, you know, I might reluctantly come to the table, in a global agreement," said panel member Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas last week, before voting against the debt commission's recommendations.<br />Hensarling said when he recalls Reagan's agreement to raise taxes in 1982 and Bush’s reversal on taxes in 1990, “It just seems to me that somehow the spending restraint never quite materializes, and yet the increased revenues do, and it seems like the increased revenues simply chase the spending.” <br />It's Obama in the Oval Office now, not Bush or Reagan, but it is the familiar tug of war between Republicans and Democrats over cutting taxes versus cutting spending. <br />Obama’s statement at Tuesday's press conference implied that in some areas federal spending may not be big enough.<br />“What are we doing to revamp our schools to make sure our kids can compete?” he asked. “What are we doing in terms of research and development to make sure that innovation is still taking place here in the United States of America? What are we doing about our infrastructure so that we have the best airports and the best roads and the best bridges?”<br />He sounded confident he will win the debate with Republicans — forcing them to agree to tax increases because they'll find out once they start running the House of Representatives that spending cuts would be, as he said Tuesday, “very painful.” <br />Putting on his hat as campaign strategist, Obama said, “Either they rethink their position, or I don’t think they’re going to do very well in 2012.” <br />He said, “The fact of the matter is the American people already agree with me.”Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-11021007854956296952010-12-03T13:59:00.000-08:002010-12-03T14:01:54.842-08:00State, public differ on schoolsNiki Kelly | The Journal Gazette<br />INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosiers pointed to creating jobs and upgrading K-12 education as top priorities for the state legislature and Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2011, according to a new public opinion survey released Thursday from Ball State University.<br /><br />The polling contradicts the agenda of Daniels and House and Senate Republicans on several specific education policies.<br /><br />The poll was unveiled at the 2011 Legislative Conference in Indianapolis, where Daniels also delivered the keynote speech. <br /><br />In the Ball State survey, 45 percent of Hoosiers said schools in communities that face the greatest obstacles to learning should receive more money than schools in communities that are experiencing the greatest growth.<br /><br />About 14 percent of the Hoosiers surveyed believe that both types of schools should receive equal funding.<br /><br />Daniels and key Republicans are pushing for funding to be based solely on a district’s number of students, rather than extra money going to some urban and declining-enrollment schools facing high levels of poverty.<br /><br />The governor said Thursday that the system is currently set up to aid poorer schools, but he said that the disparity has become a concern.<br /><br />“That makes less sense to me, and we’ve been moving away from that,” he said. “It clearly penalizes schools with population growth.”<br /><br />The Ball State survey also noted that Hoosiers believe more parental involvement would make more of a difference in education than would other changes, such as paying teachers more.<br /><br />Daniels said he can’t pass a law requiring parental involvement and “it would be a complete non-sequitur to say because too many parents don’t do enough, we just forget these other changes.”<br /><br />He said studies show teacher quality is the major factor behind student performance, and when good teachers are identified, “I’m for paying them more.”<br /><br />Another difference is that Daniels wants to expand the number of charter schools. But those surveyed, by a 2-to-1 margin, prefer to support current schools rather than create more charter schools.<br /><br />Daniels also used his speech to tell the lobbyists, lawyers, school officials and media in attendance that state tax revenue was up slightly in November and that he expects to balance the next biennial budget without a tax increase.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-82562982914634555082010-12-02T16:03:00.000-08:002010-12-02T16:10:22.633-08:00Anti-earmark Tea Party Caucus takes $1 billion in earmarksBy Reid Wilson<br />National Journal<br /><br />Members of the Congressional Tea Party Caucus may tout their commitment to cutting government spending now, but they used the 111th Congress to request hundreds of earmarks that, taken cumulatively, added more than $1 billion to the federal budget.<br /><br />According to a Hotline review of records compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste, the 52 members of the caucus, which pledges to cut spending and reduce the size of government, requested a total of 764 earmarks valued at $1,049,783,150 during Fiscal Year 2010, the last year for which records are available.<br /><br />"It's disturbing to see the Tea Party Caucus requested that much in earmarks. This is their time to put up or shut up, to be blunt," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste. "There's going to be a huge backlash if they continue to request earmarks."<br /><br />In founding the caucus in July, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said she was giving voice to Americans who were sick of government overspending.<br /><br />[How do deficit-cutters sell the U.S. on pain?]<br /><br />"The American people are speaking out loud and clear. They have had enough of the spending, the bureaucracy, and the government-knows-best mentality running rampant today throughout the halls of Congress," Bachmann said in a July 15 statement. The group, she wrote in a letter to House Administration Committee chairman Bob Brady, "will serve as an informal group of Members dedicated to promote Americans' call for fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution, and limited government."<br /><br />Bachmann and 13 of her Tea Party Caucus colleagues did not request any earmarks in the last Fiscal Year, according to CAGW's annual Congressional Pig Book. But others have requested millions of dollars in special projects.<br /><br />Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), for one, attached his name to 69 earmarks in the last fiscal year, for a total of $78,263,000. The 41 earmarks Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) requested were worth $65,395,000. Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) wanted $63,400,000 for 39 special projects, and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) wanted $93,980,000 set aside for 47 projects.<br /><br />[With jobs at issue, what is Washington doing?]<br /><br />Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) takes the prize as the tea partier with his name on the most earmarks. Rehberg's office requested funding for 88 projects, either solely or by co-signing earmark requests with Sens. Max Baucus (D) and Jon Tester (D), at a cost of $100,514,200. On his own, Rehberg requested 20 earmarks valued at more than $9.6 million.<br /><br />More than one member can sign onto an earmark. Still, there are 29 caucus members who requested on their own or joined requests for more than $10 million in earmark funding, and seven who wanted more than $50 million in funding.<br /><br />Most offices did not respond right away to a request for comment. Those that did said they supported Republicans' new efforts to ban earmarks.<br /><br />[Will Obama's winning campaign plan be used against him in 2012?]<br /><br />Alexander, for one, "stands with his fellow Republicans in the House in supporting the current earmark ban. Since joining the Tea Party Caucus in July, he has not submitted any earmark requests and has withdrawn his outstanding requests that were included in the most recent Water Resources Development Act," said Jamie Hanks, his communications director.<br /><br />Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), who requested 25 earmarks in the last Fiscal Year at a total cost of just over $80 million, has agreed to abide by the Republican earmark ban, according to spokesman Adam Buckalew. "He supported the moratorium and the prohibition adopted recently by the Conference on House earmarks for the 112th Congress," Buckalew said of Harper.<br /><br />"It's easy to be a member of the TEA Party Caucus because, like them, I agree that we're Taxed Enough Already and we've got to balance the budget by cutting spending instead of raising taxes. Deficit spending is not new, but the unprecedented rate of spending in Congress is," Rehberg said in a statement emailed by his office. "Montanans have tightened their belts, and it's way past time for Congress to follow their lead. The TEA Party Caucus is about listening to concerned Americans who want to fundamentally change how Congress spends their tax dollars. On that, we're in total agreement."<br /><br />[For America's 10 wealthiest Congressional Districts, it will be more happy holidays] <br /><br />Bachmann's office did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. <br /><br />Still, some Republicans -- albeit none who belong to the Tea Party Caucus -- have said they will not abide by the voluntary earmark ban. And, said CAGW's Williams, the anti-spending organization isn't waiting with baited breath. <br /><br />"Seeing is believing. It's going to take a lot more than rhetoric to convince us," he said. <br /><br />A list of Tea Party Caucus members and their earmark requests in Fiscal Year 2010, courtesy of Citizens Against Government Waste's Pig Book: http://www.cagw.org/reports/pig-book/2010/Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-30636802894486558202010-12-01T14:38:00.001-08:002010-12-01T14:38:43.875-08:00Tracking fee to increase on city electric billsByRuth Stanley <br />ruth@thepostandmail.com <br />COLUMBIA CITY — Columbia City residents, and those who get their electricity from Columbia City utilities, will see their rates go up for the first quarter of the new year.<br />The monthly tracking fee will increase by 74 cents per 1,000 kilowatt hours. For the average residential customer, the rate will change by approximately 52 cents.<br />The tracking fee is a pass-through fee used by the city to cover the cost charged to the city by Indiana Municipal Power Agency.<br />As IMPA adjusts its rates for electricity sold to the city, the city adjusts the tracking fee to cover the increase or decrease, said Rosie Coyle, clerk treasurer.<br />According to Coyle, most residential customers use approximately 700 kilowatt hours resulting the 52 cent increase. Those who use more or less will see the tracking fee adjusted accordinglyWhitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-27849333932947397252010-11-30T15:16:00.000-08:002010-11-30T15:18:54.081-08:00Leftover oil spotted on Gulf floorJohn Roach writes: Not all of the estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico simply vanished when the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig exploded and sank earlier this year. Growing evidence suggests that a good portion of it reached the ocean bottom, where it remains.<br /><br />NPR science correspondent Richard Harris reported Monday about a ride he hitched to the ocean floor aboard the Alvin submersible craft with University of Georgia researcher Samantha Joye. The sea churned with seemingly healthy life as they descended. On the bottom, they struck oil.<br /><br />"If you look at the camera, you can see the brown coloration," Joye told Harris. The "brown stuff," Harris said, covers coral fans "like pine trees along a dusty road." The oil also hangs over formations of frozen natural gas -- deposits that usually harbor the worms that bottom-dwelling crabs eat.<br /><br />"The crabs don't look healthy," Joye said. "See all the dark spots and lesion-looking things? That's not normal."<br /><br /><br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Harris points out that it's impossible to say from a single dive how much damage the oil spill did to the Gulf's ecosystem. That's a story that researchers such as Joye will be piecing together over the coming months and years. But the finding serves as another reminder that the oil spill is having a lasting impact on the Gulf of Mexico.<br /><br />The discovery of oil on the seafloor also begins to account for the 23 percent of the oil that was not recovered directly, dispersed chemically or naturally, evaporated or dissolved, burned or skimmed, according to a report released Nov. 23 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A key finding of that report, which updates controversial findings from August, "is the increase in the estimate for dispersed oil, specifically from 8 percent to 16 percent," NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco told reporters.<br /><br />Some scientists and environmentalists criticized the use of chemical dispersants as potentially harmful to critters in the open ocean such as tuna and turtles.<br /><br />Lubchenco added that the revised accounting for where the oil went, and for the effectiveness of the dispersants, does not take away from the seriousness of the oil spill.<br /><br />"'Dilute' and 'dispersed' do not mean benign," she said. "We have been and remain concerned about the long-term impact on the Gulf and the people who rely on it for their livelihoods and enjoyment, and we remain committed to holding BP and the other responsible parties accountable for damages."<br /><br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-31235596899522420682010-11-30T15:05:00.000-08:002010-11-30T15:07:57.750-08:00Obama, Republicans Agree to Negotiate on Tax CutsPresident Obama and top congressional Republicans emerged from a White House meeting today with an agreement to begin negotiations on a compromise to "break through this logjam," as the president put it, on how to extend the Bush-era tax cuts that expire at the end of the year. <br /><br />"Today we had the beginning of a new dialogue that I hope and I'm sure most Americans hope will help break through the noise and produce real gains," the president said. <br /><br />The two-hour meeting at the White House was the first sit-down between the president and Republican lawmakers since the midterm "shellacking" that cost Democrats the House. In what the president described as a "productive" session that also involved top congressional Democrats, lawmakers discussed the tax cuts as well as expiring unemployment benefits, potential ratification of the new START arms treaty with Russia and the deficit commission report out this week. <br /><br />Republicans and Democrats have serious - and some say insurmountable - philosophical issues on all of these issues. Senate Republicans have been cool to ratification of START in the current Congress - the president insisted today "we need to get it done" - and have said they are unwilling to extend unemployment benefits, which expire today, unless the extension is paid for. The parties also have broad differences on how to address the budget deficit. <br /><br />"None of this is going to be easy," the president acknowledged after the meeting. "We have two parties for a reason. There are real philosophical differences. Deeply held principles to which each party holds."<br /><br />Republicans want to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans, while the president wants to extend them only on income below 200,000 for individuals or $250,000 for couples in order to reduce the cost of extending the cuts. The president said after the meeting he had appointed Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Jack Lew, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to oversee negotiations on finding common ground. He said he hopes for agreement "in the next couple of days."<br /><br /><br />Republicans struck an optimistic tone after the meeting, with soon-to-be House Speaker John Boehner saying the conversation was "very frank." He did not, however, signal that he is willing to compromise on the tax cut issue, stating that Republicans "made the point that stopping all the looming tax hikes" is what the economy needs. <br /><br />Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said that from his perspective the two most important issues to be dealt with in the lame duck session of Congress are funding the government -- it will run out of money on Friday without at least a stopgap spending bill - and dealing with the Bush-era tax cuts. (Watch Mr. Obama's comments at left.)<br /><br /><br />He said the other issues on Senate Democrats' agenda - among them setting the stage for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal and passage of the DREAM Act, as well as START ratification - "aren't in the same category" as those issues. McConnell said the time had come to "reshuffle our priorities on the Senate side."<br /><br />Mr. Obama he was "very encouraged" by what he perceived as a recognition among both Republicans and Democrats that their focus should be on helping Americans, not politics. <br /><br />"We are Americans first, and we share a responsibility for the stewardship of our nation," he said. "The American people did not vote for gridlock."<br /><br />The meeting had originally been scheduled for a week and a half ago, but Republicans objected to the date set by the White House. What was to have been a working dinner was downgraded to a morning meeting; what had been called a "summit" became the first in a series of meetings. It was a sign that neither side had high expectations for the gathering to yield positive results. <br /><br />Mr. Obama acknowledged perceptions that the meeting would have little impact in his remarks, stating that often following such meetings "both sides claim they want to work together, but try to paint the opponent as unyielding and unwilling to cooperate." <br /><br />"Both sides comes to the table. They read their talking points. Then they head out to the microphones trying to win the news cycle instead of solving problems and it becomes just another move in an old Washington game," he said. <br /><br />This meeting, he insisted, was different.<br /><br />"I think there was recognition today that that's a game that we can't afford," he said. "Not in these times." <br /><br />Rep. Eric Cantor, another member of the GOP leadership present at the meeting, said he was "encouraged" that the president acknowledged in the meeting "perhaps not having reached out to us enough in the last session" of Congress. Boehner said he told the president that "spending more time [with us] will help us find some common ground."<br /><br />McConnell said that divided government doesn't mean lawmakers can't get things done, pointing to what was passed under Democratic president Bill Clinton and a GOP Congress. <br /><br /><br />(At left, see a discussion of the meeting on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged.") <br /><br /><br />"I think we all agree there's no particular reason why we can't find there isn't agreement and do some important things for the American people over the next two years," he said. <br /><br />Also present at the meeting were Geithner, Lew, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, the GOP point-person on the START treaty. Kyl wants to wait to take up the issue until the new Congress, which will have more GOP senators; Democrats worry that meeting the 67-vote threshold for ratification could be impossible once the new Congress begins. The White House has been lobbying Kyl hard to give ground on the issue. <br /><br />On Monday, the president described the meeting as the "first step toward a new and productive working relationship" with Republicans. He also backed a spending freeze for federal employee pay, something members of the GOP have long been pushing.<br /><br />While Republicans are unified in calling for an extension of all the Bush-era tax cuts, Democrats are split, with a faction led by New York Sen. Charles Schumer calling for the threshold for extension to be raised to $1 million in household income. <br /><br />The White House has signaled that it is open to compromise on the issue, and a temporary (one to three-year) extension of all of the cuts appears likely, perhaps in exchange for an extension of unemployment benefits or a vote on START.Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2437844480392714443.post-85837329989775337512010-11-29T14:05:00.001-08:002010-11-29T14:05:55.202-08:00Pence favors flat tax, return to traditional valuesLast updated: November 29, 2010 2:23 p.m. <br />Sylvia A. Smith | Washington editor<br /><br />WASHINGTON – The graduated income tax should be abandoned in favor of a flat tax for individuals and businesses, Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th, said Monday.<br /><br />In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Pence also said he supports amending the Constitution to cap federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product except for wartime defense spending.<br /><br />The Detroit Economic Club is considered a must-do venue for politicians hoping to elevate their profiles. Pence is one of several Republicans whose names are mentioned as contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, but he deflected a question about whether he intends to run. Pence is also thought to be considering a bid for Indiana governor.<br /><br />Pence’s support for the flat tax echoes other conservative candidates for president in past years, and Pence has advocated it for many years.<br /><br />In Pence’s version, everyone would pay the same rate on wages and business income after first deducting personal and dependent exemptions. Businesses would be allowed to deduct all the costs of operating a business. Savings and investments would not be taxed.<br /><br />After doing the math, people and businesses would play a flat rate – generally suggested at 15 percent. There would be no exemptions for mortgages, charitable deductions or depreciation. <br /><br />“The more you money you make, the more you pay,” Pence said. “It’s fair, simple and effective.”<br /><br />In addition to the flat tax and constitutional amendment to cap federal spending, Pence said the country’s economic engine is best fueled by a reduced regulation, an “all-of-the-above” energy policy that includes nuclear power plants, more trade agreements and a more restricted mission for the Federal Reserve.<br /><br />But he said none of that can be accomplished unless America renews a commitment to values that include honesty, integrity, dual-gender marriage and religion.<br /><br />He said Americans are ready to return to “timeless ideals” and that “they await men and women who will lead us back to that future.”Whitley Demshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12171587272170629080noreply@blogger.com0