On December 16, Governor Daniels handed out 13 pardons.

They were issued to:

Steven Biro – convicted of a 1977 “violation of the Offense Against Property Act” and a 1979 offense of confinement in Marion County.

Ronald Blake Jr. – convicted of “two offenses of armed robbery” in Marion and Monroe Counties in 1991.

Travis Buchanan – convicted of “several counts of robbery, theft, and forgery and one count of auto theft” during the period from 1993 to 1996 in Vanderburgh and Posey Counties.

Corey T. Cook – convicted of stealing a motorcycle in Vigo County in 1993.

Richard Michael Etter – convicted twice in 1985 for operating while intoxicated and once in 1993 for theft in Noble County

George Hasenjaeger – convicted of burglary in the 2nd degree in Lake County in 1973.

Graig A. Perkins – convicted of unlawful sale of marijuana in Fayette County in 1975.

Clarence Sizemore – convicted of receiving stolen property in Brown County in 1987.

Larry W. Thompson, Jr. – convicted of criminal trespass and possession of marijuana in Union County in 1997.

Walter Edward Ashworth – convicted of posession of marijuana in Bartholomew County in 1968.

Anthwon S. Cooper – convicted of burglary in Hamilton County in 1993.

Ioan Nicorescu – convicted of disorderly conduct in Lake County in 2002.

Christine Anderson – convicted of theft in Hamilton County in 1999.

I provided this run down over at Soapblox/Chicago and thought I’d go ahead an cross-post it here. Take this post with a huge grain of salt. I’m opining without a great deal of knowledge on these Congressional races.

IN-01: The incumbent is Democrat Pete Visclosky. I do not know of any Republican challengers for that seat. Conclusion: Strong Democratic hold.

IN-02: The incumbent is Republican Chris Chocola. The challenger is Democrat Joe Donnelly. Recent polling suggests Donnelly is behind by about 4% but Chocola’s approval is below 50%. I hear that conventional wisdom is that undecideds tend to break for the challenger. Also, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is likely an albatross for any Republican in this area. Daniels is polling at 31% approval and 52% disapproval — likely in substantial part because of his mishandling of Indiana’s unique Daylight Saving Time/time zone issue. Chocola may also be vulnerable because he took money from convicted bribe recipient, Duke Cunningham. Conclusion: Weak Republican hold.

IN-03: Republican Mark Souder is being challenged by Democrat Tom Hayhurst. There are a few other Democrats running in the primary, but Hayhurst seems to have done a great job fund raising for a Democrat in that district. I have no idea how realistic his chances are, but Hayhurst provides the first credible threat in that district in quite some time. Conclusion: Likely Republican hold.

IN-04: Republican Steve Buyer is being challenged by Democrat Richard Cornstuble. This is my district, and I have heard and read absolutely nothing about the challenger. Writing this diary, I came across this article announcing Mr. Cornstuble’s candidacy.  But, given my interest level in state politics, if Mr. Cornstuble’s name recognition is low enough that I have to look him up, my guess is that Representative Buyer is pretty safe at this point.  Conclusion: Strong Republican hold.

IN-05: Republican Dan Burton looks to go unchallenged. Conclusion: Strong Republican hold.

IN-06: Republican Mike Pence is to be challenged by Democrat Barry Welsh. I don’t know anything about the poll numbers in this district, and my recollection is that Mr. Welsh had not done much as of the last reporting cycle in terms of fund raising, but he is extremely active online. To date, I have not seen anything that indicates Mr. Pence is in danger of losing his seat, but maybe Internet activism can propel Mr. Welsh. Conclusion: Strong Republican hold.

IN-07: Democratic incumbent Julia Carson is to be challenged by Republican Richard Scott Reynolds. The Republicans have put forth reasonably solid efforts to unseat Rep. Carson in the past, but have been unsuccessful in the past. I haven’t seen anything that makes her an inspiration to me personally, but her constituents seem to like her.  Her seat seems fairly safe at this point. Conclusion: Likely Democratic hold.

IN-08: Incumbent John Hostettler appears to be behind in the polls to challenger, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth. Hostettler’s primary gaffe seems to have been voting against Katrina relief, then failing to visit the part of his district around Evansville devastated by a tornado until too late. Sheriff Ellsworth, by virtue of his job was pretty much the face of disaster relief in the area. Add that to Hostettler’s socially conservative nuttiness (opposition to “divorce on demand” for example) and you have a competitive race. Conclusion: Weak Democratic upset.

IN-09: Incumbent Mike Sodrel will be in a re-rematch against Baron Hill. Hill beat Sodrel in 2002. Sodrel beat Hill in 2004. So, at this point, incumbency and name recognition shouldn’t be much of an advantage to Sodrel. Furthermore, Sodrel may be vulnerable to “culture of corruption” charges because he has apparently taken money from both Tom DeLay and Duke Cunningham.  Conclusion: Weak Republican hold.

I’d say there is a reasonable chance for the current 7-2 Republican advantage in Indiana to swing to a 5-4 advantage and an outside chance of moving to a 5-4 Democratic lead.

The Indy Star has an article entitled Gay rights issue splits Christians. The Indianapolis city-county councile has a gay rights ordinance proposed that would extend employment and housing protection to gays. I haven’t been following the issue all that closely, but bilerico, among others has been following the matter closely, and apparently the ordinance is up for a final vote tonight.

The Indy Star article does a Tale of Two Churches perspective on the ordinance. Christian Love Missionary Baptist Church and Jesus Metropolitan Community Church have messages that are diametrically opposed. The Baptist Church says that gays ought not have government protection. The Community Church reverend conveyed the message that Christians ought to be opposed to discrimination.

From what I’ve read in and of the Bible, Jesus wasn’t much concerned with peoples’ sex lives. Maybe Church Fathers like St. Paul and St. Augustine were very interested in the sex lives of others, but, from what I’ve read, it just doesn’t seem to come up in the teachings of Jesus. I subscribe to the heretical notion that Jesus had a pretty good message that was corrupted by the likes of Paul and Augustine. In any case, from a peace, love and understanding point of view, I think Jesus would come down on the side of homosexuals. Ditto with support of the downtrodden and oppressed. Jesus ministered to lepers and prostitutes. I just don’t see him shunning homosexuals.

Even according to what I know of Pauline and Augustinian thought, we’re all sinners.I’m not sure why the alleged sins of the gays are somehow so much worse than the sins of the rest of it. The way I’ve read it, we’re all such loathsome, sinning creatures; capable of being saved only through Grace, that I doubt the details of our personal corruption matters much to God.
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No, I just don’t buy the idea that an anti-homosexual bias is divinely inspired. Such inspiration comes from a source closer to home. Through the millenia, religion has been used to give individuals control over other individuals. Same with manipulation of fear of “the other.” Discrimination against homosexuals is not Christian. It is Christianesque, and it is has been used by the unscrupulous to gain control over well-intentioned people who merely want to be good Christians.

I have to confess. This Indy gay-rights ordinance does not mean much to me. I’m not from Indianapolis. Gay rights issues don’t affect me personally or (to the best of my knowledge) any of my close friends or family very much. But, then, I’m more or less a selfish person and not a good Christian. If I were striving to be a good Christian, I’d recognize Christ’s message of inclusion, peace, love, and support of the oppressed, and I would conclude that to be opposed to the ordinance would be to come down on the wrong side of the issue morally.

Niki Kelly writing for the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette has an article entitled State revenue to miss mark by $74 million.

According to the article (if I’m reading it correctly), even with the $165 million brought in with the state’s tax amnesty program, the state will be short $74 million from its projected revenues. So, given that the budget only estimated the tax amnesty program to bring in $65 million, the rest of the budget was about $174 million off. The article also says that the total budget is something like $24 billion. So, even the $174 million is only 0.6% of the total.

Governor Daniels has apparently told agencies not to spend 7% of their budgets. That sounds like a tall order to me, given that I suspect even the original budgets represented quite a bit of belt tightening.

The Muncie Star Press is reporting that Andrew Saunders, son of state Rep. Tom Saunders (R-Lewisville), is expected to plead guilty today. (Actually the article says the hearing was set for 10:30 this morning, so presumably it has already happened.)

Saunders is charged with three felonies: Failure to stop after accident resulting in death, causing death while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and reckless homicide.

Authorities allege he was driving home on Feb. 4, after an evening of drinking at the New Castle Elks Lodge, when he struck Thomas Michael Jackman, 56, who was walking in front of the Marsh Supermarket along South 14th Street. Jackman died the following day in an Indianapolis hospital.

Update Here is the follow up story in the Muncie Star Press. According to the article, Andy Saunders “pleaded guilty Wednesday in Rush County Circuit Court to leaving an accident that resulted in death, a Class C felony, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor. He could face up to nine years in prison for those charges.”

The charges of reckless homicide and causing a death when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated were dropped. Apparently the DUI was originally charged as a felony before it was reduced to a misdemeanor under the plea agreement.

Jackman’s mother has filed a civil suit against the Elks Lodge where Saunders had been drinking.

Earlier posts on the subject here, here, here, here, and here,

Looks like the race for Indiana’s second Congressional District is getting some national attention. Talking Points Memo has an entry discussing a recent item in the Cook Political Report:

What’s going on in Indiana? Two new Democratic polls show incumbent Reps. John Hostettler (IN-08) and Chris Chocola (IN-02) in tight races. IN-02

A newly released poll taken for Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly by Cooper and Secrest (November 28-29, 504 likely voters), has Democrats crowing about their chances to defeat two-term GOP Rep. Chris Chocola. The poll showed Republican Rep. Chris Chocola ahead of Donnelly by six-points – 46 percent to 40 percent – but taking less than 50 percent of the vote. This will be the second meeting for Chocola and Donnelly. Last year, Chocola beat the Democratic businessman by 9 points – 54 percent to 45 percent.

It’s clear that Chocola hasn’t gotten a solid hold on this Republican-leaning, but marginal district. In the 2002 contest to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Tim Roemer, Chocola won with just 50 percent of the vote. And in 2004, despite outspending Donnelly by a 2-1 margin ($1.4 million to $700,000), Chocola took just 54 percent of the vote. President Bush, meanwhile, won this district in 2004 with 56 percent of the vote. Democratic insiders argue that Chocola has benefited in his last two races from a political environment that was tilted in favor of Republicans. This year, they note, the wind is in Chocola’s face.

(John Hostettler’s competition in Indiana’s Eighth District is, of course, Brad Ellsworth. It also bears mentioning that the Ninth Congressional District can be expected to be competitive with Baron Hill going for the re-rematch against Mike Sodrel. I have no idea what the poll numbers are, but Tom Hayhurst has at least been a decent fund raiser in his race against Mark Souder in Indiana’s 3rd District. Barry Welsh is running against Mike Pence in Indiana’s 6th District — at last glance, fund raising wasn’t remarkable, but Mr. Welsh is certainly working the Internet for all it’s worth (Hi Barry!). Dan Burton is unopposed, and I know nothing at all about Steve Buyer and his apparent opponent, Richard Cornstuble — which is awful since I live in Buyer’s district.)

Josh Marshall’s Talking Points Memo had a great many posts on Rep. Chocola’s ever-changing views on whether he does or doesn’t support privatization of Social Security. Mr. Marshall’s blog did an excellent job covering the Bush administration’s efforts to privatize Social Security before the Republicans apparently gave up on it.

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener has a very good article on Gov. Daniels’ plans for education legislation in the 2006 session entitled Daniels will focus money on classroom. The two priorities appear to be:

School deregulation: A proposal that will eliminate some of the red tape that teachers and administrators face. It also could eliminate some of the schools’ reporting requirements.

Consolidation of purchases and services: A plan that would give districts broad authority to join forces to purchase insurance, supplies, buses and services.

The draft legislation has not yet been released, and the devil, as always, is in the details (not, as some would have you believe, in the evolution curriculum). Still, as general matters, those sound like good ideas. (Though, I had a chuckle at the idea of saving money through purchasing supplies — the school districts already have a plan for saving money on supplies: don’t provide them and rely on teachers to buy them out of their own pockets, saving the school district bundles of money.)

Gov. Daniels says he wants to spend more education dollars in the classroom and less on administration:

John Ellis, executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, presented information to a legislative conference last week that shows Indiana ranks 42nd in the nation in the percentage of staff who are principals and assistant principals. Also, his report said the state ranks 38th among states in the amount of central office staff at schools.

But Daniels has said repeatedly that Indiana is spending only about 61 cents of each dollar in the classroom instead of on administration. Raising that amount to 65 cents would shift $300 million annually more directly to student learning.

The Superintendents’ statement doesn’t really help because, even if the figures are accurate, it doesn’t tell us about the remainder of the administration infrastructure — how much do we spend on Superintendents and other administrators who are not directly involved with students?

The Courier Press has an article about the objection to changes in Vanderburgh County voting districts and polling places filed by Rep. Dennis Avery. Apparently the changes tended to leave fewer polling places in the city and more in the suburbs. The changes were made by the 3 Republican Vanderburgh County Commissioners. The objection was filed by Avery on behalf of local Democrats.

Avery said he wants both sides to negotiate an alternative that won’t draw an objection by Democrats. On long lines, he responded: “If that’s the case, the long lines were in the suburbs. I guess they’re saying they want to move machines out of the central city in order to shorten the lines out where their constituencies are … that creates longer lines in the city, where traditionally Democratic voters vote. I hope that’s not their intent, to create longer lines in the city.”

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has an editorial today entitled Urban advocates. The editorial addresses the “100k Coalition” covered in the Journal Gazette by Benjamin Lanka. The Coalition is purportedly a coalition of large counties which will lobby the General Assembly about issues peculiar to counties of their size.

In post on that story, I noted the conspicuous absence of Lake (pop. 490,000), Porter (154,000), and LaPorte (109,000) Counties. The editorial also notes the absence of these counties along with Vigo and Madison counties, and suggests the reason for their absence is that Democrats tend to dominate these counties, whereas the Republicans tend to control the other counties which were invited: Allen, Hendricks, Monroe, Delaware, St. Joseph, Vanderburgh, Johnson, Hamilton, Elkhart, Tippecanoe and Marion counties.

The editorial:

They have dubbed their fledgling group the “100K Coalition.” But it’s curious that they extended invitations only to selected prospective member counties, most of which have Republican-led governments – leaving out such large population centers as Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Madison and Vigo counties, where Democrats tend to dominate.

Commissioners insist that there was no partisan political purpose behind their exclusion, that they reached out to counties that most closely share Allen County’s needs and interests. And to be fair, Lake County’s Byzantine taxing structure probably doesn’t make for much common ground with Allen County.

County officials have said the coalition is open to other counties that meet their urban county criteria, and that Vigo county was accidentally overlooked. But it sure makes little sense to begin organizing a coalition by ignoring almost a third of potential members off the bat. A coalition that is seen as fostering more partisan squabbling is bound to fail.

Another tragic loss for the Indiana House of Representatives. The day before yesterday, Rep. Bottorff passed away at age 61. Today, the Indy Star is reporting Representative Tiny Adams has died from complications associated with a stroke. I didn’t know Rep. Adams as well as I knew Rep. Bottorff, but I do recall during my first session at LSA, probably early 1997, the legislators giving him a round of applause when his first bill passed into law.

Formerly with the Muncie Fire Department, Rep. Adams was noted for working to make sure poor children had toys at Christmas and people had coats during cold weather, Bauer said.

Before winning the House seat, Rep. Adams was a community service liaison for the AFL-CIO. He served on the boards of United Way, The Children’s Museum and the American Red Cross.
He was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and played a leading role in securing state support for Ball State University.

He also was noted for supporting laws that toughened the penalties against people who were cruel to animals and increased the penalties against people who tried to burn down churches and other houses of worship.

Survivors include his wife, Shawn, and four children: Mark, Derek, Michelle and Denae.