Geist Annexation Featured in Sunday Star

The Indianapolis Star ran a feature article in today's edition, with a thumbnail sketch.

One notable comment was issued by Fishers Town Council President Scott Faultless. From Bruce C. Smith's report:

For Fishers, the added territory could mean $2 million more a year to pay for police and fire services, parks and roads. The homeowners say it could raise taxes 20 percent for services they already get.

"This is a fight over money," said Town Council President Scott Faultless, who is spearheading the annexation effort.

"It is the motivation for both sides. Everything else is a distraction."

That's the first time Mr. Faultless has been quoted where he got right to the point. He's 100% correct here- it's about money.

The Town wants to take money from the Geist property owners, who want to preserve it.

It only took him two months to cut to the chase. In that time, he was saying the annexation was about unifying the community, the merits of a Fishers address, and other smoke. Now, at last, the truth.

Readers of this blog will recall my Saturday, November 19, 2005 letter in the Fishers Weekly, that ran with the headline, "Annexation is all about taxes". The letter began thusly:

The all-Republican Fishers Town Council has just reinforced what we learned from the all-Republican Carmel City Council: it's all about grabbing tax dollars.

Thanks, Mr. Faultless, for confirming the obvious as seen in mid-November. Better late than never. The letter continued:

The burden is on the Town Council to show that there is something more awaiting them than a higher tax bill.

On this count, Faultless and his fellow Councilors have failed utterly. They keep reverting to the idea that the Geist property owners are getting something for nothing. From the Star report:

"And then there is the fairness issue,'' Faultless added. "The folks living in the (unannexed) holes are benefiting from the town's services, whether they want
to admit it or not."

If the Geist residents are benefitting from Town services, it must be that the Town Council gave away the store at some point, whether Council President Faultless wants to admit it or not. The Council approves the developments that proceed in the annexed areas that surround Geist.

Or, maybe Mr. Faultless is really just a socialist who believes that if you even drive once over a road in the Town, and you live somewhere in the region, you should be taxed for the privilege of having passed on the road.

This is why the Geist residents picketed the GOP fundraiser. They thought Republicans stood for less taxation and smaller government. Stood. Past tense. Only the Libertarians stand for less taxation and smaller government any more.

While in Europe, I had an amusing thought along the lines of the Faultless reasoning. There I was, in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, and briefly, France. I ran the water in each country. Should I now be a taxpayer to all four nations? I enjoyed their services, after all.

It's a weak attempt at high-minded principle. Here's the real deal-

Forced annexation is wrong, period. People have the right to self-determination, and that should go without saying in the United States of America, the home of the free. The only annexations that occur should be voluntary.

This is the Libertarian position. End of story.


Update: In response to the comments that have ensured, I have a number of links going back to posts that had to do with the various food & beverage taxes that passed throughout Hamilton County, and the Fishers proposal that failed without a vote. It includes my letter of praise for Fishers, which was printed in all of the Hamilton County newspapers. This voluminous activity, and the myriad press citations the Libertarian Party earned, all point to why we took some credit for the defeat of the tax in Fishers.

A similar scenario is playing out with forced annexation- the GOP proposes to tax, the Libertarians stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the affected parties.

June 7, 2005, Mitch Daniels pitches tax increases
June 8, 2005, Press Coverage of my face-to-face with Governor Daniels
June 23, 2005, pre-Pub Crawl work
June 24, 2005, Pub Crawl in Fishers & Noblesville in support of restaruant & bar owners
June 24, 2005, Pub Crawl Press Coverage
June 26, 2005, Hamilton County & Noblesville
June 27, 2005, filled in on WXNT, had restaurant owners on as guests
June 27, 2005, Central Indiana
June 29, 2005, Carmel
June 29, 2005, Noblesville
July 1, 2005, Noblesville
July 10, 2005, Westfield
July 11, 2005, Westfield
July 14, 2005, Westfield
August 11, 2005, Fishers
August 11, 2005, Letter of Praise for Fishers
August 22, 2005, Fishers
August 29, 2005, Fishers Tax Killed- No Vote Taken

Point Made, Point Missed

Several Geist area property owners appeared yesterday at the Bella Vita Ristorante, where the Republican Party was holding a fundraiser. They held 'No Annexation' signs with the idea being to get the Party's attention, that there is a connection between financial support for statewide Republicans and the actions of local Republicans.

Indy Star coverage link. WISH-TV coverage link. Fishers Blog coverage link. All have excellent photos, but the Fishers Blog has some nice comments about the Libertarians and the Kole Campaign, which is greatly appreciated!

The Fishers Town Council is an all-Republican body. Charlie White is a member of the Council, and the GOP County Chair. He managed Mitch Daniels' election efforts in Hamilton County. The Party gets the connection on the receiving end of fundraising, that's for sure, so Daniels was the main attraction in this $400/plate event.

So it was fascinating to read a quote in this morning's Indy Star, by the county GOP's fundraising chief:

Participants at the Hamilton County GOP fundraiser paid $400 each to be there, said Peter Emigh, county party finance chairman.

He wasn't upset about the protest.

"I think these people are nice people, good people," he said. "At the same time, this has nothing to do with the Fishers Town Council."

Obtuse? Or, genuine disconnect from reality? Nothing to do with the Council? Does Mr. Emigh think the Council is comprised of Democrats? He could be forgiven, as the Council certainly looks as though it is.

But, to quote a famous Democrat, "All politics is local". Indeed, politics never gets closer to home than the home itself. This seems utterly lost on local Republicans.

Actually, there is an enormous disconnect within the Republican Party. Mainly, it doesn't stand for much of anything. That which it claims to stand for, it fails to deliver on.

When campaigning, Republicans say they are for lower taxes. This forced annexation attempt by the Republican government certainly doesn't reflect that belief, as the property taxes of the Geist residents would soar immediately upon the completion of the annexation.

When campaigning, Republicans say they are for smaller government. The forced annexation literally expands the area to be governed. It appears that the only thing Republicans are consistent on is bringing in money to spend. They are constantly fundraising as an organization, and constantly taxing as government officials.

This is typical throughout Hamilton County. The governing bodies, whether at the municipal or county levels, are endlessly scheming for ways to bring in more tax revenues, and they are all Republican.

In the last calendar year, we have seen an increase in food & beverage taxes by the County Council, and by Carmel, Noblesville, and Westfield. A wheel tax was considered by the County. Carmel has floated an enormous amount in bonds. The County is backing a billion-dollar light rail boondoggle, and is studying a bus system like IndyGo. A forced annexations were completed near Home Place, another was defeated in Home Place, and others in Southwest Clay and in Geist are still on the table. Tax, tax, tax.

Charlie White is the County Chair/Town Councilor. County Chairs that have any effectiveness drive political policy. So, either White is a tax-and-spend liberal Republican, or he is ineffective at directing his Party. White hasn't been seen pulling back the annexation attempt, that's for sure. Here's White's statement, from the main page of the Hamilton County GOP website:

The Hamilton County Republican Party does not take a position for or against the proposed annexation of the unincorporated residents of the Geist area. One can be a good and active Republican and be on either side of this very important topic. Although Republicans may differ on the annexation issue, we all continue to support our national and statewide Republican leaders. Friends, neighbors and relatives may not always agree, but in the end we are Republicans, Hoosiers and Americans. Residents of this county, whether they are for or against this issue, are always welcome in the Republican Party.

The Republican Party doesn't take a position! Like I said, the Republican Party doesn't stand for anything.

Libertarians are plain on this issue: Forced annexation is always wrong, period.

For Geist residents, Here is the next opportunity to try to make your point:

Support my campaign for Secretary of State. The Libertarian Party is the only Party that consistently backs the rights of property owners. The Secretary of State's race determines which political parties get automatic ballot access in Indiana. If we fail to get our numbers, Indiana loses its only defender of property rights, and the only political opponent to forced annexation.

The Kole Campaign will host an organizational meeting on Saturday, February 11. Details on time and location will be forthcoming, so keep an eye on this blog, and on the campaign website: www.mikekole.com

The Republican Party won't listen to reason, and made like your protest was not a big deal. They may understand losing dollars and votes. In the end, though, you shouldn't have to beg. Libertarians support the Geist property owners without reservation.

To that end, here is a quote from the Fishers Blog:

We originally found about the Geist protest from the website of Libertarian candidate for Indiana Secretary of State, Mike Kole. Mike has a blog feature on his website which he updates frequently. The Libertarian Party of Indiana has jumped aboard the Fishers / Geist Annexation issue without a second thought. It is an appropriate issue for them to support as it relates to their core principles of individual freedom and small government. The Libertarian Party just may reap some benefits next election from Geist residents who are upset with Fishers Town Council Republicans trying to annex their neighborhoods.

Calling All Hands!

The Republican Party has calculated that the star power of Governor Mitch Daniels is greater than any unhappiness caused the people of the Geist are by the all-Republican Fishers Town Council. Thus, Daniels will appear at the Bella Vita Restaurant in Geist, for a fundraiser. The event takes place Thursday, at 5:00pm.

The Geist United Opposition is staging a freedom rally outside the Bella Vita. From a press release circulated by the Opposition:

As many of you know, the Fishers Town Council, the group behind the forced annexation of Geist, is made up entirely of Republicans. The Hamilton County Republican Party (HCRP) gives money to the members of the Town Council to help keep them in office. Due to this fact, many Geist residents are reconsidering giving to the HCRP this year. Also, the chairman of the HCRP is on the Fishers Town Council.

The HCRP is hosting a fundraiser at Bella Vita at 5:00 pm this Thursday, January 26th. Geist residents opposed to annexation are being asked to gather along the sidewalk with signs (which will be provided) to display Geist residents' discontent with the Fishers Town Council. The hope is that if enough powerful, elected Hamilton County Republicans see a large gathering, they might be able to influence the few people on the Town Council to rethink this forced annexation attempt. Right or wrong, money speaks, and Hamilton County Republicans are well aware that there are some generous contributors in this area. Our elected officials need to know that they shouldn't take this area's support for granted.

I urge all Libertarians to go to Bella Vita to show our support to the people of Geist. The Republican Party has shown the people of Geist only contempt. Libertarians have, and will, only show support for their right to self-determination and for their property rights. Libertarians should have something that clearly identifies them as Libertarians (a lapel pin or sign), so that the Geist property owners can see our support.

(Unfortunately, I will probably not be able to attend, as my return flight is scheduled to touch down at 5:25pm. I will pray for a temporary reversal of the jet stream!)

The fundraiser is really audacious. It´s an enormous insult to the Geist property owners for the Republicans to at once try to force them into Fishers to steal tax dollars from them, and then to try to make them overlook it with the presence of the Governor. Price tag? $400 per plate. That´s a double expensive slap in the face.

I think it will backfire badly on them. They would have been smarter to offer something the Geist property owners actually want, like a reduction in taxes or abandoning the forced annexation. Instead, the Republican Party shows up with their hands out for donations. That they expect to be rewarded for putting the screws to the people of Geist speaks to how incredibly out of touch County Chair Charlie White and the Republican Party is.

Because the Republican Party is making the lives of the people of Geist harder, so it is important that they let the GOP know that they will withhold their support from them unless and until they return to policies that are in line with the fiscal conservatism now only espoused by Libertarians. That needs to happen after the rally, so the GOP can see it is a serious threat. Ideology like fiscal conservatism and property rights obviously means nothing to Republicans any more, but I have no doubt they will understand it when their financial support dries up. It´s probably the only thing that will change them.

Hopefully, the people of Geist are beginning to see that Charlie White and the GOP merely see the people of Geist as an ATM that he can run to and cash in, without ever returning anything of value to them. I think they are beginning to see that the Libertarian Party is the only option left to them.

Now It´s Personal!

The Noblesville Daily Times reported on the odd case of the Scott Faultless voluntary annexation into Fishers. Faultless is the Fishers Town Council President. His Geist property was annexed into Fishers. None of his neighbors on either side of him have been annexed. Yep- odd. Faultless is now complaining that the discussion has turned personal. From William Fouts´article in the Daily Times:

Faultless said the group is trying to divert attention from the Geist annexation by attacking his credibility. He said the allegations are false and omit key facts.

“I'm glad they're talking about the merits of the (Geist) annexation and not making it personal,” Faultless said with sarcasm in his voice. “That's purely what they're doing. They're having a difficult time talking about the merits. Now they just attack.”

That´s a very telling statement. When 2,200 homeowners faced having their properties forcibly grabbed by the Town under the leadership of Faultless, it apparently wasn´t personal in his view. Pointing out the obviously questionable ethics in the case of his own parcels, however, somehow is personal. This is what we call being incredibly self-centered, and incredibly out of touch. It only matters if it affects him.

This is not the big picture issue on the annexation. The annexation itself is the big issue. Forced annexation is wrong, period. However, Faultless is wrong on one major count. He claims that to focus on the annexation of his lot is to sidestep the real issues of merit on annexation. I disagree completely. Indeed, the key selling point Fishers offered the residents of Geist was the superiority of it´s government. What is revealed here is a loose grip on ethics by the Town Council as a whole. They knew whose lots the Faultless annexations involved, and yet, they voted in favor of them. So much for a superior government.

So, personal or not, Mr. Faultless should resign immediately. The other members of the Council who voted for the Faultless annexations should also resign.

This issue was also reported by WISH-TV. Link.

The Fishers Blog has also covered this issue, and has included a lengthy quote from my previous entry, which I appreciate very much. Link.

This Is Why They Say It´s Like Making Sausage

Jeers to Rep. Jeff Thompson, who took perfectly decent legislation that would help curb eminent domain abuse, and added a stupid, devisive amendment that would strip anti-discrimination legislation from cities like Indianapolis, which recently passed a law banning discrimination against gays. From the Indy Star report:

Action in the Indiana House was called off abruptly Tuesday after a Republican lawmaker tried to pass an amendment that would strike down gay-rights ordinances in Indianapolis and other cities.

In a highly unusual move, House Speaker Brian C. Bosma, R-Indianapolis, adjourned the House for the day in the middle of the debate over the amendment offered by Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton.

Thompson´s amendment would have made certain that some lawmakers who supported the eminent domain restrictions would have changed their votes so as not to look like bigots. I´m sure Thompson´s thinking was to appease his socially conservative voters. But at the risk of hurting good property rights law? Horrible!

Leave well enough be. Put no amendments on the eminent domain bill!

Gosh, That Map Looks Funny!

Anyone who has ever cast their gaze upon the Town of Fishers´Council District map has drawn one of several conclusions:

1. Rand McNally had nothing to do with the design.
2. The designer of the districts was drunk at the time of the drawing.
3. The designer of the districts was a child trying out his first set of Crayolas.
4. The districts were drawn for the purpose of political gerrymandering; specifically, to permit sitting Council members to retain seats despite the growth of the Town which would cause two or more Councilors to wind up in the same district had a sensible map been drawn.
5. The districts reveal a fishy annexation, which allowed a Council member to live technically within the Town limits, while in reality being in an area that is overwhelmingly not in the Town.

At least two of the above statements are true. It is left as an exercise for the student to determine which two.

As study aids for the student, I will direct you to the district map of the Town of Fishers via the County website (you will have to download a map reader program in order to view), and to an article by Tom Britt, from the AtGeist website, which has a snapshot capture of the curious annexation that includes Fishers Town Council president Scott Faultless´parcel.

In the meantime, I call upon Council President Scott Faultless to immediately resign his seat on the Council. Whether the annexation was illegal or merely unethical, the result is the same. It is disgraceful to my home Town beyond the insult that is the fact that my Town tries to forcibly annex properties against the wishes of those property owners.

It would be interesting to see the minutes of the Council meeting that approved the annexation. Did Mr. Faultless even recuse himself from the vote, or did he participate in the vote that directly affected his property. Either way, it´s slimy. If he recused himself, he acknowledged the reality of the unethical action as directly affecting him. If he voted, he disregarded the impropriety inherent in a government official voting on their own property, where they are obviously an interested party.

Those Council members who voted in support of the annexation of the Faultless property should also resign their seats immediately.

Republican Party County Chair Charlie White is a member of the Fishers Town Council.

Full disclosure: I am a resident of the Town of Fishers. I am a Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State.

Legislative Updates

Since I am in Spain and not able to really crunch the proposed legislation, I will direct you to the Libertarian Party of Indiana´s legislative page, where Dan Drexler has begun to assess the potential damage. Check out the page at http://lpin.blogspot.com/

Great Travel Adventures

After the various misadventures with airlines, it was a tremendous relief to finally arrive in el Puerto de Santa Maria Friday afternoon, and to greet my son, Alex.

We had a nice, quiet evening and then set out for road trips Saturday morning.

Saturday´s destination was Gibraltar, which has been Alex´s favorite on the Iberian Peninsula. This time we had good fortune smile upon us as the cable cars that go all the way to the top of the Rock were working, so we rode up. (With the previous two trips, the cars were closed for maintenance.)

Of course, the view is outstanding from the top, but the adventuring was fantastic! There are abandoned bunkers at the top, and you can scale them and peer inside. You could reallly get a feel for using the site as a strategic point.

Sunday´s destination was Portugal. Alex needed a little pursuasion, as he was more intimidated with the Portuguese language than with Espanol, which he is beginning to have a better command of. He was glad I made the executive decision.

Once about 80km inside the Portuguese border, we made a turn for the coast. Again, it was a fortunate call, as the ocean had awesome short cliffs, about 20-25 feet high. These cliffs had become severely eroded with the ocean wave action, resulting in hollows, crevices, and caves. We scaled the cliffs and explored the holes. It was great fun!

We also enjoyed fresh seafood, caught right off the coast. Alex had calamari, while I enjoyed giant shrimp. Yes, Alex does know what calamari is!

We won´t be able to take any more extensive road trips, as Alex has school during the usual hours. We will have leisurely evenings together, taking walks through el Puerto, and playing card games.

Great times!

Misadventures In Travel

What a hoot. I´m in Spain right now, on my annual visit to my son for his birthday.

So far, every flight has been a mishap. It started with the initial flight from Indianapolis to Newark, which was delayed due to weather. This delay set off a chain reaction whereby I missed my flight from Newark to Madrid, and from Madrid to Jerez de la Frontera. Continental Airlines tried to get me to Madrid via Paris, but that flight was delayed, and in Paris, they failed to put my luggage on the plane.

Fortunately, we caught that before I boarded, so I took the next Paris-Madrid flight, but that delay caused me to miss the last flight out of Madrid for Jerez.

On the upside, I picked up a souvineer for Val Swift- an Air France barf bag. He´ll put the hidden meaning together, I´m sure.

I had no choice but to stay overnight in Madrid. I called everybody, from Alex to the rental car company to let them all know about the changes. I´m definitely not happy about losing a day with my son, but you have to make the best of things and try to keep a sense of humor.

All of this is ironic, for as I type this, there is a young American couple playing the ugly American tourists, swearing at the hotel desk clerk because their reservation got crossed up. The desk clerk was very helpful to me, willing to speak English when I fumbled on the Espanol. It´s amazing how much further you get with a sense of humor and a smile.

Anyway, I´ll pick up the first flight from Madrid to Jerez in the morning, and go from there. alex and I will have a great week together. Look for pictures!

Short Session, Many Bills

It's an election year, so our lawmakers feel the need to look busy, writing bunches of laws.

So far, I have only found two worth supporting- one on curtailing eminent domain abuse, and another on ending the practice of gerrymandering. I'll discuss those in more depth in an upcoming post.

Here and there, I will post the Lousy Bill of the Day entry. My only concern is that I can't address every lousy bill before they become law. There are just too many of them!

Competition Watch

Current Secretary of State, Republican Todd Rokita, will be the guest host on Monday's "Abdul in the Morning" on 1430-am WXNT. The program airs from 5-9am.

It will be interesting to discover the topics he'll tackle in the four-hour stint. I hear he has some heavy-hitters from the federal political scene lined up for a phone visit.

I'd love to hear Mr. Rokita's take on the gerrymandering of districts, forced annexation, the attempt at stealing the NK Hurst property via eminent domain, and the elimination of township government.

Full disclosure: I am a Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State. I hope to win my party's nomination at our state convention in April. If I do, I would be Mr. Rokita's opponent in November's general election, along with a Democratic candidate, and possibly another from the Green Party. Mike Kole for Secretary of State website link.

Go Colts! Hurray NK Hurst!

If you're going downtown for the game, the tailgating, or to cheer the Colts on in a bar, here's a detour for supporters of property rights: Make sure to drive past the NK Hurst Company, hit the horn, and flash the thumbs-up.

Libertarians have made the case all along that the you can be a Colts fan and be a defender of property rights. Fortunately, the legislative Committee passed the eminent domain reform bill out of their hands, and retroactively so as to protect the Hursts, and to help make it so.

Look for these trailers, then hit the horn!

Federal Borrowing Note

As you know, I don't really cover federal issues, as I am a candidate for statewide office. Fortunately, there are plenty of Hoosier Libertarians who do keep an eye on our national issues.

Kenn Gividen's fascinating letter was printed yesterday in the Noblesville Daily Times. I knew that the deficit was being driven up by the irresponsible failure to cut the federal budget despite falling receipts, but I had no idea on the scope of the borrowing. From the letter to the Daily Times:

Little media attention has been given to the fact that President George W. Bush has borrowed more money from foreign governments that his 42 predecessors combined. The Democrats won't tell you, because they think it's great. The Republicans won't tell you because they are the culprits.

and

The silence from the conservative wing of the Republican Party is frustrating. I'm concerned that GOP's rank-and-file continue to buy into the Limbaughnic myth that their party is the guardian of everything conservative. It is not.

The dangling carrot that keeps the Republican faithful in line is the promise of a conservative Supreme Court. While Republicans may be lauded for their efforts to purge the court of liberal activists, it will be for naught if the Bush administration does to the economy what al-Qaeda did to the Twin Towers. Tough talk? Maybe. But the Keynesian economic agenda embraced by Republicans in Washington may well bankrupt the country, a dilemma far out of reach of a conservative Supreme Court.

An interesting perspective. After all, soon Judge Alito will be confirmed, and the dangling carrot will be gone. Hopefully, at that point, those fiscal conservatives who have supported the Republican Party will do either of two things: 1. Move the GOP back to the right on all things economic; 2. Realize that the GOP leadership has no commitment to fiscal conservatism, and support the Libertarian Party, which is deeply committed to fiscal conservatism.

My Take On Consolidation

At first blush, consolidation of government looks like a great thing to a Libertarian, because it stands to eliminate better than 1,000 elected offices. As always, the devil is in the details, and that's a problem, because the elimination of say, the township assessors, is not an issue that calls for a one-size-fits-all solution.

For instance, if I were a Marion County resident, in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Pike or Washington Townships, I positively would not want the Assessor's duties consolidated at the county level.

The reason? Political power in Marion County is concentrated in Center Township, which is the poorest township. It is easily foreseeable that a County Assessor from Center Township could be inclined to assess the outer townships differently (read: more highly) than Center, to suit political whims, and to redistribute wealth.

Want to try to vote out the County Assessor if this should occur? Good luck! Marion County is now firmly in Democratic control, even though Washington and Pike Townships largely vote Republican. At least with a Township Assessor, there is the greater chance (not certitude) of accountabilty.

In sum, the more centralized the government, the less responsive. Centralized government dilutes the local vote.

I truly believe that this is really another kind of gerrymandering. Just as at-large seats tend to be spoils for the dominant party in any jurisdiction made up of many districts, county elections tend to reflect the dominant party.

Democrats take note: The Republicans dominate the vast majority of Indiana's counties. While consolidation could be a great political victory for you in Marion County, it essentially shuts Dems out of local government in all but a few locales. The GOP will gladly cut Marion and Lake Counties loose in exchange for an iron grip on, well, most of the rest. Even Madison & Monroe Counties would swing Republican, despite their well-known Democratic tendencies in Anderson and Bloomington.

Republican officials at the township level are going to be screaming and probably fighting soon on this. Once Democrats check the intracacies, they should be too.

Libertarians should view consolidations with a wary eye. Of course, we look for less government, but it must not come at the expense of more powerful and distant, and less responsive government.

Kittle Resigns, No Surprise

I received several emails today asking me if I was surprised to learn that Indiana GOP State Chair Jim Kittle intends to resign. From the Indy Star report:

State Rep. Luke Messer, the Shelbyville Republican who recently announced his own decision to give up his post as the party's executive director, confirmed that Kittle has decided to give up his political post. A news conference will be held Friday afternoon at the GOP's downtown Indianapolis headquarters to formally announce Kittle's resignation and announce his replacement.

I am not surprised that he is resigning. I am only surprised by the timing.

I would have expected Kittle to wait a week or two at least after Governor Daniels' State of the State address for this action. That way, it could seem a little less like Kittle is running from the firestorm started by the Governor in suggesting that so many township and county offices by eliminated.

After all, the majority of Indiana counties and townships are Republican dominated. The Republican Party would sacrifice many hundreds of elected officials. If the internal war hasn't started already, it will soon. The Star also reported on the Governor's follow-up press conference, from this morning:

The plan also would change the way property is assessed for taxation, taking it out of the hands of 1,008 township officials and giving the responsibility instead to the state's 92 county assessors.

Asked whether this was a first step toward elimination of township government, Daniels said: "Let's just say it's a first step toward the extreme makeover that I spoke of last night of local government."

So, Kittle walks. He gets out while the getting's good. He can take credit for turning his party into a fundraising machine, earning legislative majorities in both houses, and electing a governor under his watch. Someone else who will be handpicked by, and puppet to the Governor, will get to spend their time as chair trying to put out fires inside the GOP's house.

I'll have comment on the elimination of township posts shortly.

Quick Reaction to State of the State

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels just finished his second State of the State address. Here is an instant Libertarian response:

Governor Daniels repeatedly touted the bold initiatives undertaken in his first year, but in reality, these moves were splashy and not substantial. Moreover, the most stunning of his moves were carefully omitted from his speech.

Daniels spoke of the many ways Indiana government was made more efficient. He cited a litany of savings, all of which are excellent and very well appreciated.

But that the efficiencies were the best to be bragged on of the first year points to the troubling realization that beneath it all, the Governor is every bit as committed to big government as his Democratic predecessors were.

No departments were cut. In fact, departments were added. The budget wasn't reduced. In fact, it grew. Indeed, the Governor never called for an actual budget cut. All Daniels called for was greater efficiencies. Great that he delivered, but too bad he under-promised.

The boldest, most substantial thing a man knicknamed "The Blade" could have done to help restore fiscal sanity to Indiana would have been to urge at least a 1% reduction in the budget. Instead, he urged a 1% hike in income taxes on the wealthiest Hoosiers. In the first year under Daniels' watch, spending continued to climb, but at a slower rate than before. It's progress, I guess, but not nearly as strident as the Governor's tone would have led one to believe, and certainly not indicative of a deep commitment to smaller government and lower taxes.

Daniels urged the legislature to allow Indiana municipalities greater ability to manage their finances. With so few leaders willing to be so bold as to recommend cutting budgets at any level, the Governor has, in effect, asked for the legislature to give the green light to cities who would raise taxes rather than cut spending. With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?

Daniels chose not to mention Daylight Savings Time. I can't blame him. Why gash a festering wound, right? Nor was the BMV closings a cause for patting himself on the back this evening. The Colts Stadium project, which Daniels dramatically wrested away from Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson was also conspicuously absent, and not surprisingly given the public outcry against the planned theft of the NK Hurst land by the state.

The biggest surprise of the evening was the Governor's call for a 25-cent per pack hike in the taxes on cigarettes. For all the Republican rhetoric in opposition to using taxes as a means to change behavior, there was Daniels, sounding very much like a liberal Democrat.

On a purely political note, Daniels may have set a fire in his party's house by urging the elimination of some township offices. While this will handicap Indianapolis Republicans, who are fighting consolidation in Marion County, it will create enemies of the numerous elected Republican township assessors, trustees, and board members. If Daniels has his way, many of these people will face having their political careers ended, along with the growth of their pensions. How entertaining it will be to watch the GOP devour itself!

Just wait until tomorrow's press conference, when he discusses eliminating other elected county offices, such as surveyor, auditor, recorder, and commissioner. The loudest calls for a one-term Daniels Administration may well come from the very people who worked hardest to elect him.

Great Result on Eminent Domain

I was positively delighted to learn that House Bill 1010, which provides restrictions to the commercial use of eminent domain in our state, emerged from Committee, passing on a 10-0 vote. Moreover, in support of the NK Hurst Company, the bill was made retroactive to November, which means the Stadium Authority's attempt to steal the Hurst land via eminent domain proceedings would be foiled.

There are many worthwhile articles to read on the subject. I recommend these few:

Inside Indiana Business news report with audio from Jim Hurst.
Indianapolis Star article with the pertinent details.
Shall Not Perish's commentary, from Rob Beck.
Mike Sylvester's first person account of his testimony given to the Committee at the Statehouse.

To those ready to celebrate, I urge caution. Now that the bill has left the Committee, it enters that phase of the game which earned the comparisons to making sausage, which specifies that you don't want to see the process. In fact, now is the time that the opponents of eminent domain abuse, and the supporters of the NK Hurst Company, need to be most vigilant. Citizens need to continue to contact their State Senators and Representatives with letters, emails, and phone calls, to let them know that they need to stand firm on curtailing eminent domain abuse. If legislators only hear from lobbyists on the other side, the other side will be effective.

Lobbyists will now besiege the members of the General Assembly, hoping to get amendments added that would water down, or even gut this very solid bill that the Committee just passed. Expect several mayors and town or city councilors to so lobby, and especially the increasingly villainous Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.

In a local note, I sadly observed that Hamilton County Attorney Mike Howard testified on the side of allowing municipal governments to steal land from property owners. From the Louisville Courier-Journal report:

Hamilton County Attorney Mike Howard said using eminent domain for economic development virtually would be ended if the legislation passes because the definition of blighted is too difficult to meet.

"I suggest to you that you may be taking the pendulum a little too far," he said. "Please think seriously about leaving this tool in the tool box of local government."

There is no "too far" when it comes to protect the rights of private property owner. The problem with leaving the blighted tool in the tool box is that the definition of blight is so regularly stretched by local governments in order to suit the desires of some elected officials and the developers they befriend. This is exactly the problem in the Kelo v. New London case.

Alas, Howard is just another Hamilton County Republican who wavers on private property, along with Luke Kenley and Meredith Carter. Shame!

Joke Making The Rounds

Here's one that was passed to me by a half-dozen friends. My only protest is that it should be broadened to include our state and local governments as well. They function in largely the same way, but the scale is only slightly smaller. Enjoy a chuckle!

Official Announcement

The federal government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an eagle to a condom because it more accurately reflects the general mindset in government today.

A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually being screwed.

Special Program Alert

WXNT will do a special broadcast Wednesday night to provide coverage of Governor Daniels' "State of the State" address. The Libertarian response can be heard immediately afterwards.

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, host of "Abdul In The Mornings," will have Libertarian Party of Indiana Executive Director Dan Drexler on as his studio guest. The show will pre-empt the Michael Savage show- always a good thing- starting at 6:00 pm with a preview of the speech. Following the live broadcast of the address, Abdul and Drexler will review the speech and take calls.

Tune in to WXNT on 1430 AM, or listen online to the streamed signal at www.wxnt.com.

Why Libertarian?

Because Libertarians are consistent with their application of principles.

This truth sometimes earns condescending sneers along the lines that Libertarians are incapable of, or unwilling to, compromise.

That condescension is a safe jesture when it comes from a distance, but consider when the application of principles directly affects you. Consider again the case of the NK Hurst Company.

Ask the Hursts, or any other property owner, if the idea of the right to their property is something that should be the object of a compromise of principle. That compromise results in the theft of their property, and an unfair, laughable compensation.

Two Republican lawmakers, Senator Jeff Drozda of Westfield, and Dave Wolkins of Winona Lake, had their letter published by the Indianapolis Star this morning. Together, they cite the impending theft of the Hurst property as the case-in-point for why eminent domain must be curbed in our state.

I agree with Drozda and Wolkins 100%. However, their stand illustrates the inconsistency in the application of principles within other political parties, and in this case, the Republicans. After all, the Stadium Authority that is poised to steal the Hursts' land is comprised mainly of Republicans, including Hamilton County office holders Meredith Carter (Hamilton County Councilor) and State Senator Luke Kenley.

Drozda and Wolkins are working hard to complete legislation that will curtail the use of eminent domain for commercial purposes, with a hearing at the Statehouse tomorrow morning. That does the Hursts little good, as the Stadium Authority would be exempt from any changes in the law because the motion was filed in 2005. It would have been better for the Hursts if Drozda and Wolkins were on the Stadium Authority instead of Carter and Kenley. Alas.

And that's the problem with Republicans. The talk is in the right place, but the action can be lethal. From one Republican to another, you really have no idea whether a principle such as the right to property will be defended or abandoned- until the moment of truth.

So: Why Libertarian? Because you can count on Libertarians not to compromise on principle. If Libertarians comprised the majority on the Stadium Authority, the eminent domain filing would never have happened. The issue would still be at the appropriate place for compromise- in the negotiations.

Libertarians on the Stadium Authority would have been looking for a way to redesign the project in such a way that a loyal Indianapolis company could have stayed put. Is it necessary to have so much area-devouring surface parking? Couldn't a less area-consuming multi-level garage, like the one at Canseco Fieldhouse, have been designed instead? That's the place for compromise.

Recent Linkage

Thanks to the NK Hurst company for linking three of my commentaries on their company website. I appreciate that very much. www.nkhurst.com

The links can be found via their 'stadium fight' link on the main page, and then via the 'media clippings' link. It's a comprehensive list of links that includes the major media in addition to blogs like this one and Rob Beck's.

Support NK Hurst's right to their property!

Ad For Blogs

I am very pleased to announce that former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kenn Gividen placed a long-running ad on the online version of the Noblesville Daily Times. The ad appears on the right side of the page, with the header "Top Blogs".

The ad is primarily a tool to drive Daily Times readers to LPIN State Chair Mark Rutherford's blog, but it also links to this blog, along with blogs from Rob Beck of Carmel, Mike Sylvester of Fort Wayne, Rex Bell of Hagerstown, Debbie Harbeson, Al Barger, and also Kenn's blog.

So, I welcome those of you who are visiting from the Daily Times site. I invite you to read throughout my blog to find out where Libertarians stand on important issues that really affect us in our homes and our businesses, such as eminent domain abuse, forced annexation, property rights, and taxes. I think you will find yourself agreeing with our positions more than you might have expected.

Indy Star Mailbag

I sent a Letter to the Editor in defense of the Hursts, which the Star did not print today. There is hope that it may be printed tomorrow. Here are links to four letters the Star did print today, also in defense of the Hursts.

Look For Other Solutions To Stadium Parking
Take Private Land Only For Real Needs of The State
A Request Irsay Should Make: Drop The Lawsuit
Put Hurst Proposal In Writing, Keep It Downtown

The last one is by Rep. Phil Hinkle. Here's my letter, which was not printed:

The Star's editorial position on the Stadium Authority's eminent domain procedings against the NK Hurst Company was shocking and disappointing.

The Hurst Company is a model corporate citizen who made a commitment to Indianapolis. The Hursts perservered in the inner city while other businesses fled for the suburbs or even other states and countries. On that count alone, the Hursts should be given honors. Instead, they are faced with the wrecking ball and the theft of their property.

The Stadium Authority's eviction notice should be seen as a troubling signal for other inner city companies. How many other family businesses will have their property stolen for the next political project, such as a 4-star hotel?

While the Stadium Authority does have a mission, and is a steward of the State's interests, that mission addresses only a very small subset of the State's greater responsibilities. One of those fundamental responsibilities is to assure the security of Hoosiers in their properties.

On this crucial count, our state government and the Star, have let Indiana down.

Sincerely Yours,
Mike Kole
Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State
Former State Secretary, Libertarian Party of Indiana

Recommended Reading Extended

Yesterday, I recommended checking out Rex Bell's very fine blog, The Bell Curve. Today, I have several interesting reads that are worth your while if you have an interest in the state of liberty in our fair state.

Rob Beck's blog, "Shall Not Perish," is always excellent and worth reading. Today's entry is something that occasionally comes to my mind, but that I haven't recently researched.

How much of the Marxist dream has been realized in Indiana and the United States? You may scoff or laugh, but Rob compares Marxist doctrine to current public policy. The next time a Democrat laments some sort of shift to the right, laugh in his face. Republicans may be sweeping elections, but policy is moving ever leftward.

As a third party candidate, I take stock in the fact that 'unsuccessful' third parties such as the Socialists, Progressives, and Communists have in fact been successful in advancing policy. Consider: 40-hour work week, minimum wage laws, child labor laws, and environmental laws, on the short list. All of these originated with these third parties. So, even though Libertarians aren't winning huge percentages of elections -yet- we still can move policy our way. There is a history. So, don't let Rob's fine analysis get you down.

Please, Forgive My Exuberance

If you heard me chime in on WXNT's "Abdul In The Morning" today, you may have been taken aback by my direct appeal to voting Libertarian while offering support to the Hurst family.

The Hursts are under siege by the Stadium Authority, and it angers me significantly. Back in Ohio, I worked in a family business with my Dad and my brother. Our name was on the door, just as the Hursts have had their name on the door since FDR's second term. I empathize completely, and emotionally.

Callers were similarly expressing their dissatisfaction with their government on this issue. One asked what they can do. Yes, writing letters to the players in the Stadium Authority and the Governor can make a difference. But, remembering that these players are mainly Republicans, another thing that can be done, and which I think will be more effective, is to let these Republicans know that they have lost the support of people who believe in property rights, and that support has gone elsewhere.

Because the Libertarian Party has been unyielding in its support for all private property owners, and unequivical in opposing eminent domain abuse - rather unlike the wavering Republicans - it is fitting that the support should shift from the Republicans to the Libertarians.

Letting these Republican officials know this, and then following up with a shift in financial and electoral support, is exactly the message they need to receive in order to get it in any meaningful way. If you tell them that, darn it, you're really hopping mad at them, and then you still give them your money and votes, they learn that your anger is fleeting, and that they need not listen to it.

Make them pay!

Great Writer In Our Midst

I direct you now to Rex Bell's new blog, The Bell Curve, for what I consider the finest column writing amongst Hoosier Libertarians.

That's no small compliment. I had to stumble over my own sizeable ego to get to it.

Rex's writing reminds me of the Mike Royko columns I grew up with. Where Royko had his Slats Grobnik, Rex has his Stinky Wilmot. Rex writes with a voice that is unmatched among us more urbane writers- he's rural, homespun, and loaded with good humor.

Start with Rex's most recent entry, "You Say You Want a Resolution," and you may find yourself plowing through the entire blog, which is kind of short at this point. Encourage Rex so that he loads it with regular entries.

Update: The Noblesville Daily Times agrees. They printed the "Resolution" column in their Tuesday edition. Link.

Exactly Backwards

That's how the Indianapolis Star got it in this morning's editorial. Link.

Let's not make it, as critics have tried to do, into something more than that. It's not a romanticized clash between a small family business and a callous state government.

The Stadium Authority is the callous government running roughshod over a good family business. The NK Hurst Company is a victim of a political decision made with making of Governor look good placed above every other concern. NK Hurst's land belongs to NK Hurst. Period. Trying to defend their right to their property is unfortunately something to belittle in the eyes of the Star's editorial writers.

The building authority has offered the Hurst family $3.7 million and a chance to keep the factory at its current site in exchange for about four acres of land near the stadium. It appears to be a reasonable offer, but the Hurst family has every right to continue pressing for more money or other concessions.

That's called a negotiation.

The Stadium Authority isn't negotiating by running to eminent domain. By filing for eminent domain proceedings, it has ended the negotiation. The state isn't merely stepping away from the table. It has taken the table away, dismantled it, and burned it.

It's not even about the abuse of eminent domain. The courts have consistently agreed that taking land for a public stadium, which in this case will be the site of scores of events each year, is a legitimate use of eminent domain powers.

Would the Star have justified slavery? Certainly that was legal, and the courts upheld it for years. There is a parallel. Slavery is the theft of one's freedom and productive output. The right to own property is one of the key American freedoms, and this property represents the NK Hurst Company's ability to produce.

There are legitimate causes for eminent domain takings- genuinely public uses, such as the building of roads, bridges, or sewers. But, for the creation of a VIP parking lot?

Socialized football is wrong. Governments do not belong in the business of owning sports arenas and playing landlord. Stealing property from the Hurst family for a parking lot on a property that is really representative of a huge transfer of wealth to the Irsay family is positively disgusting.

It should be an embarrassment to a Republican governor who dares site libertarian influences.
It should be an embarrassment to a Republican senator who advises the Stadium Authority and considers himself a fiscal conservative.

Really, I wish I had an extra $20 million lying around. I'd form a company, line up investors, and file an intent with the City to build a 4-star hotel on the Indy Star's site, a la the Lost Liberty Hotel. Inside, I would rent space to a franchisee of the Just Deserts Cafe- but only if the land could be acquired by eminent domain. I would then be interested to see whether or not the Star's editorials came to the defense of the property owner... Or would that be the mere romanticization of a routine business transaction into a David v. Goliath story?

Policy Reality Hitting Home

Smoking bans are feel-good public policy. There is no debating that the bans are very good for eliminating hazardous and unpleasant second-hand smoke. However, the bans have real-life consequences for business owners, and they often hurt. From today's Indy Star report:

And area restaurants, most of which will become smoke-free under the ban, are wrestling with whether to limit dining choices for families in order to be exempted from the policy.

"That's the decision everybody is trying to make. That's the tough part of it," said Chad Ashley, general manager of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Downtown Indianapolis. "Most likely, we will be smoke-free."

Bars and restaurants that don't admit patrons younger than 18, private clubs and cigar bars are exempt from the ban.

Restauranteurs have to figure out where their money really comes from. Does it come from smokers or non-smokers? Then, they will exclude that group that represents the least of their incomes. Or, as one industry insider puts it,

"They have to decide whether to give up prom business or family business," said John Livengood, president of the Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana. "It's a tough economic decision."

Public policy should never include zero-sum games like this. Public policy should always empower business owners to improve their bottom lines, not reduce them. Most importantly, public policy should always respect property rights.

Republicans and Democrats have all lost sight of these things in the rush to sign feel-good legislation into effect. Make it your New Year's Resolution to vote Libertarian in November!

More NK Hurst Eminent Domain Outrage

Check out the post on Indy Tax Dollars for a well-deserved skewering of the Stadium Authority and the Governor. It makes my entry look tame, and has a very interesting comment filed on it. You will note that I have a permanent link to Indy Tax Dollars, for Fred McCarthy's excellent commentaries, and especially for his ability to recall past statements of warning on bad policy.

The Star has since reported more of the Hurst side of the procedings to date. Link to Star report. It would be an interesting full-length feature article- nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Make sure to drive by the Hurst property today if going to the Colts game. If you have the time, post one of these signs on the property for me. It's okay if you scratch out 'home' and replace it with 'business', or 'factory', or 'family'.

More Eminent Domain Abuse

I ask Colts fans going to Sunday's final regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals to take a minor side trip as they drive in. File past the NK Hurst Company's facilities just south and west of the RCA Dome and understand what is happening there.

NK Hurst is a family business. Hurst weathered tough times as the inner city underwent decline in the 1970s. They put their faith in Indianapolis and resisted the temptation to flee to the suburbs, or to other Indiana cities. They remained to this day, and would continue if allowed to.

What is Hurst's reward for their perserverance? A slap in the face. Their land is being stolen by the Stadium Authority, who is using eminent domain procedings to do quickly and on its terms what fair negotiations take a while to achieve and on more just terms. From the Indy Star report:

Company vice president Jim Hurst, who learned of the lawsuit this morning, said he was surprised and offended by the court action because he thought negotiations were progressing.

“Our business is again under direct threat,” he said.

Hurst said that the family needs more land for employee parking and its storage trailers than what the stadium is offering. They've offered alternative ideas to the stadium authority, which have been rejected.The stadium authority acknowledges that they filed this action on the last business day of 2005 to pre-empt any changes the Indiana General Assembly may make in the 2006 session.

Look on it well, especially if you take the position that Hurst is just one small property, and is being served up for the greater good.

Eminent Domain represents a threat to the security of every property owner in our state. No matter if you own a simple residence or a productive business, government can steal your property from you and deliver it to those who would dream up something bigger- usually for the purpose of swelling the tax rolls. Or, in this case, as a political feather in a Governor's cap.

The legislature may put an end to this awful practice in the 2006 session, as a joint committee has been studying the issue in the wake of the Kelo v. New London decision. While the legislature should ban all commercial use of eminent domain, such a ban is of no use to the NK Hurst Company. The Stadium Authority filed its motion on December 30, 2005, which means the action is not subject to any subsequent change in the law. From the Star:

And that has legislators furious. Sen. Jeff Drozda, R-Westfield, who will likely help sponsor eminent domain legislation next year, said the stadium's actions were "highly suspicious and disingenuous."

The only just recourse would be for the Authority to withdraw its filing. Hopefully Senator Drozda and others who support curtailing eminent domain abuse, such as Rep. Dave Wolkins, will exert pressure to that end.

That is very unlikely to have a significant effect anyway, as the Governor worked so hard twisting arms behind the scenes to make Republican county councilors go on record voting for 1% food & beverage taxes they would rather not have on their records.

So, make sure to file by the Hurst property. Unless and until the legislature of this state acts to end commercial eminent domain takings, your home or business property could just as well suffer the same fate as the Hurst's- theft, and the wrecking ball.

Good Show, Dan

It was very good to hear Dan Drexler alongside his Democratic and Republican counterparts this morning on WXNT's "Abdul In The Morning" show. This was his first public forum with the other Executive Directors, and he sounded right in place.

I was especially pleased at how Dan distinguished the Libertarian Party from Luke Messer and the Republicans. Reponding to Democrat Mike Edmonston's charge that since Daniels took office, the state has slipped in job creation ranking, Mr. Messer was talking about how the new Daniels Administration has created in other ways. Dan picked up the cue and noted that the Administration has created new levels of bureaucracy.

Messers response was the tired hyperbole that a Libertarian government would result in lawless anarchy, when in fact, Libertarians would bring fiscal sanity- the kind the GOP used to talk about (but never achieved) when Ronald Reagan was President. It appears the Republicans are done with even talking about it.

Good show, Dan!

Radio Alert

Be sure to tune in Thursday to "Abdul in the Morning" on WXNT 1430-am, as Abdul conducts a year in review program with top officials of each of Indiana's ballot access political parties.

Libertarian Party of Indiana Executive Director Dan Drexler will be there, presumably with his Democrat and Republican counterparts at 8am. The show airs each weekday from the ungodly hour of 5:00 am through 9:00.

Latest Writer's Bureau Column

I am on a rotation with four other writers in the Libertarian Writer's Bureau. The Bureau's work goes out to every newspaper in the state of Indiana. It was picked up locally by the Noblesville Daily Times in their Monday, December 28 edition. Too late for Santa Claus perhaps, but none to early for the citizens of our state. Link.

A shopping list for the Legislature

Commentary
By Mike Kole

I have a wish list for the Indiana Legislature.

I'm not looking for goodies or expensive toys. I am seeking items that would bring good will, security and prosperity to all Hoosiers.

As our state legislators return to the Statehouse for the Committee Days that will help to formulate the next legislative session, it would be a good and positive sign if three things went straight to the top of the list.

Eminent domain belongs at the very top. The Kelo v. New London case shook most property owners to their foundations. Why? The sort of eminent domain taking practiced increasingly by municipalities threatens every property owner in our state.

Kelo showed that private property is not merely open for taking for genuinely public purposes, such as for bridges or drainage projects. Cities and towns can now take private land and give it away for redevelopment projects that will result in a higher tax base.

It doesn't matter how big a property owner you are. If you own a simple residence in a neighborhood, your land can be stolen and given to the developer of a luxury home subdivision. The luxury homeowner is no more secure, as his land can be swapped in favor of a shopping center. Even Wal-Mart can be replaced by a 12-story office complex, which in turn can be replaced by a 20-story building.

No matter what property you own, a developer can conjure something that will deliver more tax dollars by the structures in place. Kelo creates a climate of insecurity.An absence of trust in the state of private property will chase people away from our state to take refuge where they can feel secure that their right to property will be protected by the state, not threatened by it. Alabama and other states have passed tough restrictions on the use of eminent domain for commercial use. Indiana must follow suit. It would be embarrassing to have people flee Indiana for Alabama.

The state budget is next. Now that we've had the tax amnesty program and the controversial cuts at the BMV, it's time to get serious about restoring fiscal sanity. This means a minimum 1 percent across-the-board budget cut. Make no mistake: the budget increases that are smaller than the increases in previous years are not cuts.

Cutting across the board means department heads can't point envious fingers at other departments that might have been spared a cut. Having a Republican majority in both the Indiana House and Senate means there is no reason for the Legislature to hide from cuts. They have the numbers.

Moreover, they have a governor who earned his nickname, “The Blade,” for his willingness to cut budgets at the federal level. Here in Indiana, it's time to put away the penknife and tweezers and get some real cutting tools into action.

Cutting 1 percent is nobody's idea of a radical proposal. If Republicans lack the will to cut a measly 1 percent with this kind of majority, they simply lack the will. Libertarians in the same seats wouldn't flinch from the job.

Finally, it's time for another look at municipalities engaged in annexations. While the rules were clarified for cities and towns regarding what they can and cannot annex, not enough thought was given to the forced nature of so many of these takeovers.

It is perfectly admirable for a city or town to annex a neighborhood that voluntarily seeks to be added. On the other hand, forced annexation is the equivalent of a hostile takeover. It is an ugly and greedy process and should be banned statewide.

The right to self-determination is the very principle that founded our nation, and forced annexation negates this right for residents and business owners in areas targeted for forced annexation. On that principle alone, the practice should be banned, but there are more reasons.

Too often the real reason a town council craves the addition of a neighborhood in an unincorporated area is to add it to the tax rolls. With the added assessed value, the city or town can float more bonds. Meanwhile, residents who were getting along just fine without the town are presented with higher property taxes if they give in or an expensive legal bill if they fight.

Cities make flimsy promises because it's all they have to offer. The township resident doesn't need city police protection because they have the county sheriff. Likewise for fire protection, highway maintenance and other services. Councils, and especially the citizens, would be better served with councils looking for ways to spend less money rather than hunting creative ways to grab dollars, while offering no value in exchange. Forced annexation is wrong and needs to stop.

Should the Legislature address these three items correctly, they will go a long way toward making Indiana a more secure, productive and harmonious state — one that would serve as a wealth and job magnet instead of the kind that results in the brain drain that we have sadly become accustomed to.

Mike Kole of Fishers is the former chair of the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County. He wrote this article for the Libertarian Party of Indiana.

Back From Cle

My trip from Cleveland was enjoyable, as always. It felt like being on tour, whisking from one set of relatives to the next. It's great to bring back the love and support of those who care for me.

It's not great, however, to bring a head cold back. If it seems like I am underproducing here at the blog, chalk it up to that.

However, as the pipeline sometime crawls a bit slowly, I can report that the Noblesville Daily Times recently printed my current article for the Libertarian Writer's Bureau. Here's the link. Because the link will expire in a week, I'll post the text above.

Family Time

I am in Cleveland for Christmas, visiting relatives- the Koles and the Langmacks. Of course, everyone is very interesting in seeing our little Isabel.














Our Isabel, with her older cousin Isabelle!

I hope all who visit here are enjoying time with family and friends this Holiday season, inside of however you celebrate the season.

Regular postings will resume shortly.

Why Libertarian?

Because Libertarians believe that the ability to raise and spend public money does not make doing so a necessity. Because we believe that spending public money should cause an obvious and significant public gain.

What would you say about roadway projects that took an existing two-lane highway, widened the public right-of-way to accommodate a green strip in the center of the old roadway, and left a new two-lane divided highway? Would that be a worthwhile investment of thousands of dollars?
How about millions?

The City of Carmel, under the leadership of a Republican mayor and an all-Republican city council, have authorized several such projects. Go to Springmill Road, Ditch Road, Oak Ridge Road, and a host of others, and you will find scenarios that match what I described above, and what is shown in my pictures.














Springmill Rd, on a section of original two-lane highway.

Springmill Rd, on a section of improved two-lane highway. Millions of dollars. Poof!

These projects cost millions of dollars. The resulting roadways yield no additional vehicular capacity.

The drainage was re-worked, which generally means that expensive new storm sewers were installed. Expensive right-of-way was often acquired from private property owners. Utilities had to move over to accomodate, without compensation... except that the buck is passed to the customers. And yet, the best thing that can be said about the results is that the new roads look nice.

If a Libertarian were mayor, or dominating the Carmel City Council, the first order of business for roadways would be function. Crumbling roadways would be replaced, to be sure. Perfectly functional roadways would not be replaced merely for the sake of asthetics, as has happened here.

Carmel is clever, though. Raise a fuss about these projects, and you can expect the mayor and council to remind you that Carmel has the lowest tax rate of any city. That is true- today.

These projects were financed with municipal bonds, and will be repaid over a span of 30 years. These projects started popping up not long after Carmel began aggressively annexing existing communities into the corporate limits. As the annexations increased, the City's tax base- and bonding capacity- grew exponentially. The ability to spend gobs of money appeared, and the City took quick advantage of the opportunity.

Carmel has nearly completed the annexations it could hope to. Southwest Clay is the last great bonanza, as it is the wealthiest address in the state. After that, the City's ability to effortlessly pad its' population numbers, tax base, and bonding capacity through annexation will decline significantly. In a few years, the piper will have to be paid.

It looks great today, but its a mortgage on the future. Carmel has based its financing on a Ponzi Scheme. Soon enough, the population growth will fail to provide economic cover for the spending, and taxes will have to go up.

We'll see how keen today's Carmelites will be on paying tomorrow's tax bill. I predict a flight from Carmel in 20-25 years, as the tax rate hikes upward. In the meantime, the mayor and councilors will likely have moved on to other political pastures- having campaigned on the premise that they created the shining city on the hill.

This is what looms for Fishers, with its first attemp to forcibly annex the Geist neighborhoods. This is why the annexations should not merely be fought by the people of Geist, but by the people of Fishers. I want to live in Fishers for many, many years to come. My thinking is long term.

This short term grabbing is the hallmark of Hamilton County Republicans. If your thinking is long term, if you want your property to hold its' value, you need to vote Libertarian. Hamilton County is a magnet today, but on course to be the slum of tomorrow.

The Joy of Independence

I drove my car through some heavy traffic on I-69 this evening, in the Castleton and Fishers area. I had my radio on and I smiled.

I smiled because even though there was congestion, there was motion. When I had my fill of I-69, I exited the highway for some side streets.

I smiled because I was hearing reports of the mass transit strike in New York City. I was not taking delight in the misery of Manhattan workers struggling to return to the Bronx or to Queens. I was taking delight in the fact that while automobile traffic can be difficult at times, it is not subject to a crippling at the hands of a labor union. Link to AP report on NYC transit labor strife.

In previous posts, I stated opposition to the proposed regional light rail system for Central Indiana, on economic grounds. Now I'll state additional opposition on the grounds of independence.

New Yorkers are thoroughly dependent upon mass transit. Most New Yorkers don't even own cars. Without the trains, they are virtually immobile. Not here in Indiana. Even if I-69 were swallowed into the earth tomorrow, I would have several other ways to get where I need to be.

Let's not move towards dependence upon a commuter system. Even if everything works mechanically, the unions can still grind the system to a halt. You would think Republicans would understand that. Let's remain independent- free to move, and free from the crushing tax burden that would be a Central Indiana light rail system that Republicans support.

Why Libertarian?

Because while Libertarians are very growth oriented, they don't give away the store.

Hamilton County features some of the hottest real estate property in Indiana. Farm ground that went for about $5,000/acre 10 years ago now goes for upwards of $75,000/acre from SR 32 and south. Some farmers receive two or three offer calls per week from developers who make pitches involving this kind of money.

These developers take on all the risks. Because it is their judgment that they can re-sell the improved property at a substantial profit, they will lay out millions of dollars to build the basic infrastructure before they sell a single sublot. Developers build roads, sewers, utility mains, walking paths, detention ponds at their own cost, and then turn this infrastructure over to the municipalities as a gift, all for the privilege of being able to sell the developed results.

So, why do we have this to look at on Greenfield Avenue (fka SR 238) in Noblesville?














This is the Noblesville Corporate Campus. Today, it has zero tenants operating, and yet, there are roads to nowhere, sanitary sewers serving corn fields, and snappy-looking entrance signs. For two years, it's all been sitting unused.

Which developer built this infrastructure? No private developer. This was built with public money, spent by the all-Republican Noblesville Common Council. Of course, no private developer would have begun building without a sense of urgency for filling the available parcels.

The stated purpose for building these roads and sewers was to lure high-wage life sciences companies to fill the Corporate Campus. One biotech company, Helmer, had announced its intentions to relocate there. In the last year, news about Helmer- or any other biotech company- has been completely absent from news about the Corporate Campus. Now it's all about the retail giant Simon, and the new shopping palace they will construct here.

Don't get me wrong, Simon's shopping area will create jobs in the area. They just pale next to what the life sciences had to offer. Moreover, retail jobs weren't the stated purpose for this gamble. This is fall-back success.

There is simply no way that a Libertarian official would have voted to approve this kind of development, where the city provides the infrastructure as a gift to anyone who will finally come along, the reverse of how it should be done. Yet, this is what the Republicans did in Noblesville.

They gave away the store. They now are reduced to hoping that sufficient development comes in and quickly, so it can generate the tax revenue needed to repay the bonds floated to build the roads and sewers a developer would have given to the city for free.

Election Night Photos

Dan Drexler was kind enough to email some photos from the Libertarian Party's "Election Night 2005" party at Bearno's, in downtown Indianapolis. While we didn't have a statewide election, we still got together to watch national returns and to talk local politics. I had a delightful conversation with a couple that came in from Pulaski County for the event.
















Here I am giving my stump speech. I used a dining room chair in lieu of an actual tree stump.
















My ubiquitous envelope box is in hand. It contains donation and volunteer sign-up cards. I joke that the box clears the room faster than a stump speech.

Dan Drexler is the Executive Diretor of the Libertarian Party of Indiana.

Why Libertarian?

Libertarians believe in the best possible use for public resources. Libertarians believe that transportation is a private matter, to be paid for in full by the person using the transportation. Libertarians are unwilling to fund expensive pie-in-the-sky marginal solutions to large problems.

This stands in contrast with Hamilton County Republicans, who take the opposite position of Libertarians on light rail and mass transit. Of course, they would never say that they are for the worst use of resources, or for pie-in-the sky, but actions matter. Republicans are acting to make the least of the Nickel Plate route, and launch a painfully expensive boondoggle.

The Nickel Plate line is being eyed as a starter route for a light rail mass transit network. The cost would be conservatively $850, and more likely better than a billion dollars. This network has been touted to take a maximum of 4% of cars off of I-69. Four percent!!!

Republican Hamilton County Commissioner Christine Altman has repeatedly spoken on record in favor of spending around a billion dollars for this starter system. The latest quotes can be found in a December 16 article in the Noblesville Ledger, under the headline, "Official wants mass transit sooner than later":

The three proposed routes for mass transit's initial route in the region are along the old Nickel Plate Road rail line in Fishers and near Allisonville Road and Interstate 69. The possible forms of mass transit are high-tech express buses, trolley-style light rail or an elevated electric train.

Estimates have placed design and construction costs at $850 million.

"We are strongly exploring ways to bring this out more rapidly," Altman said, noting that one way would be to use all local funding instead of asking the federal government for help. She wants to talk with the Indiana General Assembly about the importance of regional transportation, in the hopes they will approve a regional tax.

Carmel's Republican Mayor Jim Brainard recently addressed Hamilton County Democrats to show affinity between the two parties on this issue. It is worth noting that neither I-69 nor the Nickel Plate line run through Carmel. It is also worth noting that the Monon Trail, a former Monon Railroad line that does run through Carmel, has not been offered for a conversion to light rail. Likewise, Altman represents Clay Township, which is to say, Carmel.

Best Management of Resources. The Monon, like the Nickel Plate, was a former freight railroad. The passenger traffic dried up by the late 1950s on the Monon, and by World War 2 on the Nickel Plate. That should tell you a lot about the viability of rail on these routes. As the freight traffic withered in the 1960s, the lines became run down, and adjacent property values suffered. In Carmel and Indianapolis, the Monon was converted to a trail and greenway. Property values skyrocketed, as the adjacent areas went from undesirable to hot property.

You won't find anyone near the Monon willing to reconvert it back to rail. It would crush their property values. So, why not convert the Nickel Plate into a greenway and trail, and let it do for Fishers and Indianapolis in the areas parallel to Binford Blvd. what Monon did for Carmel? Does this make too much sense?

Unfortunately, Republican officials are trying to solve one problem, congestion on I-69, by squandering a precious resource. The best use for the Nickel Plate corridor is obviously a greenway and trail, but their judgment is clouded by the desire to use it to solve a problem.

Only the Libertarian Party has made the policy proposal to convert the Nickel Plate into a trail and greenway. I hope to help cause this issue to gain traction shortly.

Transportation is a Private Matter. You would expect Republican officials to agree with this statement, and yet, they seem bent on backing the expansion of public transportation. Some argue that the person riding the train pays a fare, and therefore pays his way. If IndyGo is any model for comparison, and I think it is, then riders get a virtual free ride. From page 9 of IndyGo financial statements for 2002, here's where the revenue came from:

16% Passenger Fares
30% Property & Excise Taxes
26% Federal Assistance
26% Municipalities
1% Charters and Special Services
1% Other Revenue

In other words, 82% of IndyGo's 2002 operating revenues came from taxes. It's virtually a free ride for the passengers. There's more.

In 2000, IndyGo lost $5.2 million.
In 2001, IndyGo lost $3.4 million.
In 2002, IndyGo lost $4.0 million.
In 2003, IndyGo showed a profit of $2.8 million.

So, people really started riding the bus, right? No. According the 2003 IndyGo financial statement, fares only increased by $400,000. So how was there a swing of $6.8 million? In a word, taxes.

In 2003, Federal assistance increased by $1.8 million, and local assistance increased by $2.2 million. You will recall that property tax re-assessments were made, with assessed values rising dramatically. As these values soared, the taxes received by IndyGo did likewise.

It's startling to consider how significant the tax support is for IndyGo when you consider just this one line item, found on page 26 of the 2003 statement:

Prior to the collection of taxes, IndyGo had an operating loss of $37.4 million. Fares only provided $6.3 million in income.

That's a lot of tax money to cover. And yet, it happened. This is what Hamilton County Republicans are fixing to bring to us- the reinvention of Marion County. Why on earth would we want this? Answer: we don't.

To date, I have not heard a single Republican official speak out against a mass transit boondoggle such as the proposed Nickel Plate light rail starter system. I have heard Commissioner Altman, Mayor Brainard, Noblesville Mayor Ditslear, and State Senator Luke Kenley -all Republicans- speak in favor of it.

Big Difference. This issue is one of many that illustrates the difference between Republicans and Libertarians. Republicans give lip services to smaller government and lower taxes, but act in an opposite fashion. Elect Libertarians, and you will see officials who will call this what it is- bad public policy. Elect Libertarians, and we would make sure it would not come to pass.

Here are links to some of my previous posts on this issue: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Why Libertarian?

With my recent heavy focus on the Geist annexation, I have increasingly been getting questions inquiring on the difference between Republicans and Libertarians.

It was pointed out that as regards local government, because most matters are fiscal matters and not social, Libertarians and Republicans sound very similar.

It's true. On fiscal issues, we do sound very similar. We share talking points on smaller government and lower taxes, on a belief in free markets rather than government, in private property over public control.

As we know, talk is cheap. Action is what matters. Because virtually all of Hamilton County's elected officials are Republicans, you have a good means for testing how the actions of these officials stacks up against the rhetoric.

You already see how it fails in the case of the Geist annexations. The all-Republican Fishers Town Council is eager to grow government by adding to its corporate limits. It is eager to raise taxes on a targeted group of citizens. It is willing to run roughshod over the right to self-determination. Libertarians oppose these actions.

In the next few days, I will show other places Republicans' actions run contrary to their rhetoric, at the local level. For fiscal conservatives who are increasingly disillusioned with local Republicans, the Libertarian Party is a viable option, unlike the Democratic Party, because unlike the Dems, Libertarians believe in smaller government and lower taxes. The difference is, we mean it.

Astroturf Alert

In the biz, the term "astroturf" refers to letters blasted out chain-like to many media sources on a given topic. It's easy enough to do. Write your spiel, and then cut & paste into the newspaper's web form, and hit 'submit'.

I try to avoid pure astroturf, even though I do send many very similar letters to the regions newspapers. I go out of my way to write each letter from scratch so that they offer something different in each paper. The editors appreciate that, because they don't want to run a letter on Thursday that is identical to one that was printed by a competitor on Wednesday.

Enter one Jason Smith, of Carmel. He has had two letters printed on the topic of the Geist annexations. They are identical. Astroturf. The first question that comes to my mind is, "Why does a guy from Carmel have opinions strong enough on an annexation from the other side of the County that he is compelled the send astroturf to the local papers"?

Thursday's letter by Jason Smith, in the Noblesville Daily Times:

Kudos to Fishers for its snow-removal efforts in the wake of last Thursday's storm. Driving through the southern Hamilton County town Friday morning, you hardly would have known that seven-plus inches of snow had fallen.

Which leads me to believe that all the folks in Geist should quit complaining about becoming part of the Town of Fishers and start looking forward to the kind of services they'll be getting when they do.

Jason Smith, Carmel

Wednesday's letter by Jason Smith, in the Indianapolis Star:

Kudos to Fishers for its snow removal efforts in the wake of the Dec. 5 storm. Driving through the southern Hamilton County town Friday morning, you hardly would have known that seven-plus inches of snow had fallen.

Which leads me to believe that all the folks in Geist should quit complaining about becoming part of the Town of Fishers and start looking forward to the kind of services they'll get when they do.

Jason Smith
Carmel

Anyone care to hazard a guess on Mr. Smith? Is he a party loyalist, coming to the defense of Fishers Town Councilor/GOP County Chair Charlie White? Hmmm... I'm doubting that Mr. Smith was living in an area forcibly annexed by his home city of Carmel, a fiscal conservative opposed to growing government, or one who defends the right to self-determination.

Libertarian Party Meeting Thursday

The Hamilton County monthly meeting has been shifted from its usual day in order to accommodate those traveling and generally busy surrounding the holidays. So, the December meeting will be held Thursday, December 15, at 7pm, at Barley Island, in downtown Noblesville.
My personal invitation goes out to the residents and business owners in the Geist area. Chairman Rob Place has asked me to brief the Libertarian leaders on the status of the forced annexations and the remonstrance efforts. We will discuss the political pressure that can be brought to bear on those who initiated the forced annexation, and on those elected officials who should have stood in defense of the Fall Creek residents of Geist, but who have remained conspicuously silent.

I would be remiss if I did not tout the beverages at Barley Island. Their brews are very good, but this time, I will focus on their root beer. I've noticed that Michael Jarrell always orders a root beer at Barley Island. I had initially assumed that he just wasn't drinking alcohol. Alas- he is quite the connoisseur of all things root beer. Check out Michael's blog. I will be sampling Barley Island's own root beer Thursday evening.

Recommended Reading

Fred McCarthy sends regular updates to me and a very interesting list of recipients- Mitch Daniels, Bart Peterson, and City-County Council members.

Let's hope they read his blog, Indy Tax Dollars. Fred has focused on the Colts stadium project, but lately has been discussing the size of the state budget.

Good stuff. Check it out.

Letter In Sunday Star

My third published letter on the topic of Fishers' attempt to forcibly annex the Geist area north of 96th Street was featured in today's Indy Star. Link to letter.

I recommend that Geist area property owners should send in their own letters in order to turn up the heat on the Fishers Town Council. Don't worry about writing elegant prose- it's going to be edited anyway. Make your point in 100 words or so, and your letter will be printed. Use the tried and true formula of who, what, when, where, and why, and you'll do great.

Go Colts!!!

Watching the game on the tube is fun, especially when your team is making a run at history. It's even more fun when you can gather with a fun group of people .

Join me this afternoon at the 106th Street Grill for the big game between the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I will speak briefly at halftime about my campaign and the Libertarian Party.

Game time is 1pm. The 106th Street Grill is located in the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th & Michigan Ave. (US 421), and is near to Indianapolis, Carmel, and Zionsville.

Update: Colts win to become only the 4th NFL team to go 13-0! Nice turnout with an interesting group of people, including a man who was once stationed in Rota, Spain- near where my sone Alex lives. Fun to talk with him about the places Alex & I have been, in the Sherry Triangle, and Gibraltar. Thanks to Renee and Dan for setting up a fun afternoon!