SouthBendTribune.com: Hearing slated on daylight time bill Rep. Randy Borror, chairman the House commerce committee, said the panel would consider the bill in a meeting in the House Chambers on Monday after the full House finishes its business for the day.
Rep. Saunders son possibly involved in hit & run death
The Palladium-Item reports investigators in a hit-and-run death over the weekend are looking at Indiana State Rep. Tom Saunders’ son as the possible driver. Rep. Saunders’ vehicle was involved in the accident, his son was in possession of the vehicle earlier in the day, and the son says that, beyond a certain point in the evening, he has no recollection of events. Just awful for everyone involved. Obviously the victim is dead and the driver is looking at a whole world of trouble. But, oddly, my thoughts go out to Rep. Saunders and his wife. What an awful situation to be in. All you want to do is to protect your kids. But, at the same time, you want to do what’s right. And, it looks like the right thing and the protective thing are just completely at odds.
Update: The Palladium-Item has further coverage of the story. Among other things, the article reports, “Saunders said that, on the night of Feb. 5 when he and his family realized they should contact the authorities regarding the accident, the Henry County sheriff and the prosecuting attorney were out of town.” Apparently he has Rep. Bob Hoffman looking out for bills affecting Wayne County.
2 lawmakers renounce pledge — again
2 lawmakers renounce tax pledge — again This story is a little weird:
Rep. David Wolkins called on Americans for Tax Reform on Thursday to stop holding him “hostage” to a no-new-taxes pledge he no longer believes in.
Wolkins, a Winona Lake Republican, was joined during a Statehouse news conference by Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne, who also wants off the national anti-tax lobbying group’s list of state lawmakers who oppose all new taxes.
“This is an organization that’s out of control,” said Moses, who has written five letters asking to be removed since signing up in 1998.
Wolkins said he has previously renounced his pledge and campaigned on that, but Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group founded by Republican political operative Grover Norquist, won’t remove his name from a list posted on its Web site.
David Ansell, the group’s chief of staff, accused Wolkins on Thursday of staging “a publicity stunt.”
“I don’t like being called dishonest by a dishonest politician,” he said. “He knows very well how to get out of the pledge, and he hasn’t done it.”
The group says Wolkins failed to have a representative present at the news conference when he declared the pledge void. No one from the group showed up Thursday.
Wolkins says that he can’t get the group to set him a date to have a person present. First of all, I agree with Wolkins and Moses. Taxes shouldn’t be a first option, but they should be a possibility. Government is necessary for some things. Those things cost money. If you need those things, then you need money, and that comes through taxes. The debate should be around whether this or that thing is necessary. Grover Norquist, et al. have it backward. They simply conclude that government isn’t going to pay for anything and foreclose the possibility of funding any other necessities. (The anti-tax crusaders have never been particularly helpful in identifying government programs that ought to be cut. They tend to leave that part of their equation vague.)
Second, the story has something of a “Movie of the Week” quality to it. Poor legislator haunted by his past. He tries to make good but a shadowy organization won’t let him out. For those who may not know, Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform is the Republican power broker who famously said, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” and “Bipartisanship is another name for date rape.”
Reggie announces this is his final season
Reggie retiring – It’s not a shock, and I guess it’s probably time, but it’ll be sad to see Reggie retire. What a career though. 13 seasons with one franchise, the league’s all time 3-point leader, and his immortal performance in Madison Square Garden. But for the mutton-headed antics of Ron Artest earlier in the year, the Pacers could at least be in contention to send him off with a title.
Bill activity for 2/10/05
Indy Star on HB 1223 – Anti Meth
The Indy Star has an article on HB 1223 entitled Anti-meth measure advances in House. The bill:
Requires the real estate disclosure form to disclose whether a property was used to manufacture methamphetamine or if the offense of dumping controlled substance waste was committed on the property. Adds certain chemical reagents to the list of chemical reagents and precursors used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Makes ephedrine and pseudoephedrine schedule V controlled substances.
My understanding is that, as a schedule V controlled substance, products with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine would have to be sold from behind the counter of a pharmacy. This includes a lot of cold medicines. Like I’ve said before, I don’t know if this is the answer, but meth is a huge problem. In the course of my work as a county attorney defending the Sheriff’s Department against various prisoner claims and as a collections attorney trying to get money out of the less affluent members of the community, I get to peek into the county’s drug problems a bit. And, it seems like meth is just a problem of a much greater scope and destructiveness than the other drugs.
More on RNC v. Moveon.org & Indiana Media
I have posted a couple of times (see here and here) on the issue of the RNC attempting to pressure Indiana media outlets into not carrying ads from MoveOn.org opposing Bush on Social Security because of alleged inaccuracies. Aside from the First Amendment implications, there is the matter of a double standard. These stations are carrying assertions from George Bush that are inaccurate with no threat of losing their license. In fact, a media blackout of the President would probably be something that would get their license reviewed very closely by the FCC. I just came across more innaccuracies by Bush.
The money — payroll taxes going into the Social Security are spent. They’re spent on benefits and they’re spent on government programs. There is no trust.
Now compare the Greenspan Commission’s view on the matter:
The National Commission believes that the investment procedures followed by the trust funds in the past generally have been proper and appropriate. The monies available have generally been invested appropriately in Government obligations at interest rates which are equitable to both the trust funds and the General Fund of the Treasury and have not — as is sometimes alleged — been spent for other purposes outside of the Social Security program.
The trick here is that, for Bush’s statement to be accurate, it would have to mean that the Treasury is going to default on the Treasury Bills into which Social Security funds have been invested. And, if the Treasury is going to start defaulting on its obligations, we have much bigger problems than Social Security. Now, my guess is that the RNC does not want media outlets to start vetting Bush’s statements for accuracy before agreeing to transmit them. If they’re not going to vet Bush’s statements then they should not have to vet contrary political viewpoints for accuracy either. If need be, maybe George Bush can hold a press conference to explain why MoveOn.org’s figures are innaccurate. Debate and democracy. Isn’t America great?
USA Today on RNC/Moveon.Org kerfluffle
Just following up on a previous entry. There is now an article in USA Today entitled USATODAY.com – RNC challenges ads criticizing Bush’s Social Security plan. Not a lot of new information. The article gives the RNC a lot of space up top to bloviate about how it isn’t “giving an inch” to folks challenging Bush’s Social Security plan (amorphous as it is.) Then it allows some response time. No word on how to address President Bush using incorrect, misleading, or inherently contradictory numbers that are broadcast under the same FCC licenses that the RNC is threatening. It’s a double standard.
SB 433 – State Poet Laureate
Senate Bill 0433 Creates the position of State Poet Laureate and a selection process. The position pays $2,500 per year and per diem for each day the poet makes an appearance.
Aww, come on. We’ve got a budget crisis going on here. Passed 46-2. Thanks for fighting the good fight Senators Kruse and Zakas.
FLAGS! (SB 332 – Flags & pledge)
Senate Bill 0332 – This one is a big victory for the flag manufacturers, I guess. Requires a United States flag to be displayed in each classroom of a school corporation. Requires a school corporation to provide a daily opportunity for students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Provides an exemption for students who choose (or whose parents choose for them) not to participate in the Pledge. Requires a school corporation to establish a daily moment of silence in each classroom or on school grounds. Repeals a law allowing an optional brief period of silent prayer or meditation. Requires the attorney general to defend a school corporation in a civil suit based on an act authorized under these provisions.
I think we should require Indiana flags in each classroom and a pledge to the State of Indiana. And, nothing against the pledge or moments of silence or other rituals, but couldn’t our kids be learning math or something? Anyway, this one passed Second Reading and will come up for a vote at some point. And, who is going to vote against the Flag? (The same folks who voted against Abraham Lincoln and Veterans. That’s right – nobody!)
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