The Lafayette Journal & Courier, in an editorial, is beginning to see that Democratic complaints about Gov. Daniels penchant for power grabs are more than mere bellyaching from the minority party. The subject of this editorial is Daniels’ effort to fire all of Ivy Tech’s trustees so that Daniels can replace them with his own people. This hits close to home, I suspect, because folks on the editorial board have personal knowledge of one of the trustees, Joe Bumbleburg. Regardless of what his politics may or may not be, I suspect they know him to be a man of integrity and an effective and unfailing advocate for Ivy Tech. So, when Mitch Daniels goes out of his way to try to fire Joe without articulating a reason, it starts looking more and more like a power grab.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has an editorial on prison privatization entitled Pulling profits from a cell. This editorial seems to be pretty well in line with the opinions I offered in a previous entry. The Journal Gazette argues:

The state has a responsibility to operate a correction system in a manner that is safest for its citizens and meets constitutional requirements. To cede the job to a private contractor as a money-saving tactic is a wholesale abandonment of one the state’s most important functions.

The editorial points out that in Florida, 200 employees of state-run juvenile detention centers who were fired for abuse and incompetence were later hired by privately run juvenile centers. In Kentucky, a private prison contractor faced a state fine for having only 7 guards trained to respond to a riot instead of the 20 that were needed.

They say that it’s irresponsible to consider only the economics of the matter. I would suggest that once the lawsuits accusing the state of constitutional violations start falling fast and furious, even the economics of the matter won’t necessarily justify the change.

Matthew Tully and Barb Berggoetz for the Indy Star have an article entitled Some blacks are wary of effect of voter ID bill. The thought is that the bill is intended to and will have the effect of depressing voter turnout in the black community because of difficulty obtaining IDs, a reluctance to obtain IDs because of distrust of the government, and a disinclination to jump through yet another hoop to participate in a system of government that doesn’t work for them. Supporters of the bill say that it is necessary to fight voter fraud. However, detractors of the bill point out: 1. There is no evidence of voter fraud at the polls to start with; and 2. The bill does not address absentee ballots with which there actually have been problems (but which historically break in favor of Republicans.)

Update Taking Down Words has some commentary on what he dubs as the “Voter Intimidation Bill” here and here. In the Agora has some contrary commentary here.

I, of course, have commented previously on this matter here, here, here, and here.

The Indy Star has an article on DST entitled Running out of time. In it, I think we see what’s really at the heart of the desperate desire to change clocks twice per year on the parts of some of those who live in Indiana:

It’s long past time Indiana come in line with 47 other states that already observe DST.

There you have it. They want to be like everybody else. Presumably they’d want Indiana to jump off a bridge if everyone else was doing it. It’s part of the McDonaldization of America where one strip mall looks much like another. Of course, real Hoosiers don’t care much what other people think. For a Hoosier, if it works, keep it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Oh, and the opinion suggests that the DST language could be attached reasonably to any bill dealing with economic development or transportation issues. Gee, why not put it in any bill that has to do with the environment. Because DST has to do with our daily relationship to the sun. That’s kind of environmental, right? Or maybe they could put it in with a healthcare bill because our daily relationship with the sun impacts our health. Or maybe they could jam it in with the voter ID bill because it will affect the time of day voters get to the polls. Hell, put it with the Poet Laureate bill. Poets write about the sun don’t they? The possibilities are endless if one is willing to call that much of a stretch “reasonable.”

The Journal & Courier has more on the death of Aiyana Gauvin and they also have an opinion piece entitled Did system fail Aiyana? It surely didn’t save her.

The news story describes a court proceeding in which the juvenile court judge said that prior records involving Aiyana had to remain sealed. Those records involve the initial removal of the girl from her mother in a child in need of services proceedings. There is at least the allegation that the mother had a prescription drug dependency before Aiyana was moved to her father and step-mother. The juvenile court judge said that her personal preference would be for the records to be unsealed, but that the law didn’t allow her to act on her personal preference in this regard. The Journal & Courier is apparently going to try for the records under a different legal angle.

The opinion piece captures the simmering rage of the community over this incident. For my own part, I cannot fathom the depravity that leads to the deliberate torture of a 4 year old. Apparently pictures were taken of Aiyana tied to bathroom fixtures and baby gates. I believe there are also allegations that other children in the family were involved with Aiyana’s mistreatment.

I seem to have a fixation on the more emotional stories this week – Aiyana Gauvin and Terri Schiavo. Chalk it up to a slowish legislative lead up to the Easter Weekend I suppose.

The Muncie Star has an opinion entitled Editorial: Benefits for ex-legislators too costly for taxpayers referring to the legislation, passed in 2002, that offers taxpayer subsidized healthcare for ex-legislators. (See previous entry.) According to the Star Press:

While that doesn’t make a ripple in the $11.6 billion state budget, the benefit is offensive in principle, particularly at a time when legislators are cutting state programs because “there’s not enough money.” In addition, lifetime benefits have a way of adding up to real money over the years as more and more beneficiaries waddle up to the trough. This is all in addition to a pension program that legislators created in which the state matches $4 for every $1 they contribute.

The Muncie Star Press takes the House Republicans for using the benefit as a campaign issue against Democrats but then failing to take action once they gained control.

Engrossed Version, House Bill 1039 Interfering with drug or alcohol screening tests. Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an incarcerated person or a person under court supervision to interfere with, or to possess a device or substance intended to be used to interfere with, a drug or alcohol screening test. Passed by the Seante 46 -0.