Brian Slodysko, writing for the Associated Press, has an article entitled “Lawmakers Bail out Pence with $5.5 million for Bicentennial Projects” (h/t Indy Democrat Blog). According to the Slodysko article:
Indiana lawmakers are bailing out the state’s former governor, Vice President Mike Pence, after the Republican’s efforts to pay for two completed projects celebrating the state’s bicentennial foundered.
A provision tucked into the state’s next two-year budget, which was approved late last month by the GOP-dominated Legislature, sets aside $5.5 million to pay for an elaborate plaza constructed outside the Statehouse in Indianapolis and upgrades to the state library.
“They did the work, so somebody had to pay for it,” said Republican Sen. Luke Kenley, of Noblesville, who is one of the state’s lead budget writers.
Indiana’s Centennial featured, among other things, the development of a State Park system that has improved the lives of Hoosiers for the last century. At the time, Indiana was very proud (with some justification) of the state it had become and wanted to use its centennial to show off.
Our approach to the bicentennial suggests something of a sophomore slump. Ideological opposition to funding government operations or, really, to having a positive vision of what government can achieve was probably always going to result in an indifferent approach to bicentennial projects. In 2015, Sen. Kenley apparently questioned “if we could afford a bicentennial.” Pence suggested that we’d pay for projects by “leasing out 340 state-owned cellphone towers through a public-private partnership.” (Not quite that strength which in old days taunted rivals to “look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”)
So, we begrudgingly pay for a plaza and some upgrades to the library. It appears unlikely that other anticipated projects such as a new state archives building or an inn at northern Indiana’s Potato Creek State Park will get built any time soon. In our first century, we carved an impressive state out of the wilderness. Now, we act like we have to dig for change under the couch cushions to prevent our highways from crumbling.
Man, what a great president he’ll make. Like a pigeon pooping on the property, leaving us to clean it up. Come think of it, that may be a tradition.
If you check this out the article point out why Pence inked a deal with Agile Networks over the state’s cellphone towers: https://unboughtandunbossedrepublican.blogspot.com/2017/05/legislators-force-hoosier-taxpayers-to.html?m=1
Well, we can just add it to the list of incompetencies displayed by our very own walking illustration of the Peter Principle. Or is it Murphy’s Law? No wait, it may be both.
This is what happens under strong Republican rule — especially, those idiots who signed Grover Norquist’s pledge to never raise taxes…..they sure like to spend the money, but can’t seem to find the way to raise the money to pay for all of their projects….Pence only compounded things by showing no leadership skills as well….he’ll make a fine president.
What makes me think that this little story will become grist for the Washington Post mill once Pence inherits the job from The Donald.