Indiana

SOME WILL WIN, SOME WILL LOSE, SOME ARE BORN TO SING THE BLUES

Posted on March 16, 2008
Okay, okay, enough with the Journey references already! But I couldn’t help myself. Let’s face it, it’s not everyday you get your hands around the biggest property tax reform package in darn near 50 years. So while my last post was who gets the credit, with this post we do another [...

TIME TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Posted on March 15, 2008
Okay guys, you knew this one was coming, it’s time to pick the person or persons most responsible for the first real meaningful tax reform in Indiana in 50 years. You can pick Governor Mitch Daniels, Sen. Luke Kenley, State Representative Bill Crawford, etc...

INDIANA, MEET REAL PROPERTY TAX REFORM

Posted on March 14, 2008
With strong majorities in both chambers Indiana lawmakers gave Hoosiers what they have been asking for months, property tax reform. The House voted 82-17 and the Senate 41-6 to cap assessments, cut taxes and assume levies, among other things. The two chambers by similar margins voted to put the tax caps in [...

WHO?S LAUGHING NOW?

Posted on March 14, 2008
I’m composing a list of winners and losers as a result of this session’s property tax reform for this weekend.  In addition to the obvious ones (i.e. the property taxpayers and even more so the protesters), but also Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard...

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SOME MORE DETAILS

Posted on March 14, 2008
Although the bigger points of the Statehouse property tax reform have been spelled out there are quite a few details embedded in the 600-page document.  Here area few of them that may not not have made the headlines.  PTRC & Homestead Credits - There’s an additional $620 million in homestead credits to help reduce property taxes [...

OBAMAMANIA HITS INDIANA

Posted on March 13, 2008
Make a note, my sources tell me Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama will be here Saturday doing a town hall meeting at Plainfield High School in Hendricks County. It makes perfect sense if you think about. If I was a black guy running for President, I’d make sure a lot of my supporters [...

DEALS AND DETAILS

Posted on March 13, 2008
It looks like there definitely is a deal reached amongst Indiana lawmakers. In an interview this morning with State Rep. Jeff Espich (R-Uniondale), the House Republican point man on tax relief, he told me that there are caps in the agreement; one percent for homeowners, two percent for rentals and three percent for commercial [...

STATEHOUSE UPDATE IV

Posted on March 13, 2008
If you were hoping for illegal immigration reform (that would have been found unconstitutional by the courts) forget about it. Unless some mad scientist decides to resurrect this puppy it’s dead. It didn’t die on the floor, but due to a lack of conferee signatures...

STATEHOUSE UPDATE III

Posted on March 13, 2008
There’s talk that a vote could come tonight on property tax reform. It’s still being printed. Another nugget in the 600-page bill is tax relief for Marion County residents’ 2007 tax bill. The legislation allows for $51 million in rebate checks among property taxpayers, even if they didn’t owe property taxes...

STATEHOUSE UPDATE II

Posted on March 13, 2008
I’m headed downstairs for the illegal immigration hearing, but here is some food for thought. HB 1001 (the property tax reform bill) is being printed off right now. It is 600 pages long and has to go to at least 150 members of the legislature...

STATEHOUSE UPDATE

Posted on March 13, 2008
I’m in the House chamber this afternoon.  Lawmakers are concurring on some small bills, while HB 1001 (property tax reform) is at the printer.  There are a few more details this afternoon such as counties with more than 20 percent of their budget going to debt service are free from the tax caps (Lake and [...

NOT TONIGHT, I?VE GOT A HEADACHE

Posted on March 13, 2008
Hoosiers will have to wait until tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. to get meaningful property tax relief. Senate Democrats are not signing off on a conference committee report. State Senator Vi Simpson says they just got the full report tonight and need time to look it over...

DEMOCRAT WINS DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT

Posted on March 12, 2008
By now you know Andre Carson, the grandson of the late Julia Carson, is on his way to Washington. Carson won 54-43 percent over Republican State Representative Jon Elrod. Libertarian Sean Shepard got slightly less than three percent of the vote. Turn out was about 18 percent or a total of 84,750 voters [...

48 HOURS

Posted on March 12, 2008
That’s about as long as Indiana lawmakers have to close up shop with a deal on property tax reform before they have to start all over.  From what I’ve been able to gather late this afternoon, it looks like a deal has been reached on caps but they won’t be included (for now) in the [...

THE WORLD?S OLDEST QUESTION

Posted on March 12, 2008
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is in big trouble for letting his little head do the thinking for his big head.  But I have to ask this question.  Why is prostitution a crime?  Why is it illegal to sell something you either give away for free or get for dinner, a movie and some effort?

THREE DAYS AND COUNTING

Posted on March 12, 2008
If Indiana lawmakers are close to a deal on property taxes,  they might want to speed up a bit.  There are three days left before lawmakers are forced to adjourn.  My sources tell me a lot of lawmakers are concerned about the possibilty of raising the sales tax without caps...

TIME TO READ THE TEA LEAVES

Posted on March 11, 2008
As the results come in I freely engage in some educated tea leaf reading.  From what I’ve been hearing so far with just a handful of places Jon Elrod appears to be doing relatively well.  Here are some from the East side of town (note these are all hand counts, you can get the Clerk’s votes [...

THIS IS PRICELESS

Posted on March 11, 2008
I just got this update.  In Center Township Ward 2, Precinct 1 the Republicans have dispatched an attorney alledging election violations.  Election judges were wearing Andre Carson buttons and there was no seal on the ballot box for 10 of 12 hours the polls were open...

7TH DISTRICT AFTERNOON STRETCH

Posted on March 11, 2008
I spent a good chunk of the day making calls and talking to politicos across town about today’s race and here is what I’m able to conclude; barring some total last minute blowout whomever wins it will probably be pretty close. The Elrod camp tells me they’re doing well in places where they need to, while [...

7TH DISTRICT STRETCH

Posted on March 11, 2008
A couple hours into voting and we’ve already had some bumps in the road.  About a half dozen precincts didn’t open on time this morning.   Clerk Beth White says some of the inspectors either overslept, had car problems or could not get into the building...

WE?RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT

Posted on March 11, 2008
After a two weeks of taking it on the chin, Indiana’s township assessors are fighting back.  The assessors have been accused of making a $4 billion mistake in assessing the commercial and industrial property in Marion County.  However the assessors says the reassessment is wrong and will result in more commercial appeals and higher taxes [...

FOUR DAYS AND COUNTING

Posted on March 11, 2008
Indiana lawmakers will continue their negotiations today at the Statehouse over property taxes.  There’s no official word on any break throughs however the meetings are described as productive.  I’ll try to have more later today.

SHUT UP & VOTE

Posted on March 11, 2008
Today is the special election to replace the late Julia Carson in the 7th Congressional District.  If you live in the 7th and are registered to vote, take your ID, go to your polling place and vote.  If you don’t know where your polling place is call (317)327-VOTE...

SO THIS IS WHAT ?CHANGE? LOOKS LIKE

Posted on March 11, 2008
Unless something changes soon, Andre Carson will be next Congressman from the 7th Congressional District. With about 80-percent of the votes counted, Carson leads Elrod 53-44 percent. Although Elrod led early in the evening, over the course of the evening vote count changed and Carson’s lead was cemented when eight Center Township precincts came in at about [...

FIVE DAYS AND COUNTING

Posted on March 10, 2008
This is the last week of the Indiana General Assembly and the only thing all sides in the property tax debate are saying is that they are still talking. I’m hearing rumblings that a breakthrough is being reached, but so far that is just rumblings...

I?LL TAKE ?A HELL OF A LOT OF NERVE? FOR $1000

Posted on March 09, 2008
The older I get the less use I have for the current K-12 public education system as it currently exists. I’m not talking about choice, vouchers and merit-based pay, which I am all for and would go a long way to fixing our education system, but my use for “educrats” gets smaller and smaller [...

THE BEST FORM OF FLATTERY

Posted on March 09, 2008
I got a mailer yesterday from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at my downtown place that had a rather interesting message on it; “Had Enough (of George W. Bush), Vote Carson.”  I seem to recall having seen the “Had Enough” message somewhere before...

WHO WANTS TO BE SUPER, DELEGATES?

Posted on March 07, 2008
With Indiana becoming more relevant in the race for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency and the fact that super delegates will likely determine who wins the nomination, here’s the list of the Indiana’s super delegates and where they stand… Hilary Clinton (5) - Senator Evan Bayh, State Chairman Dan Parker, Joe Andrew (Former National Chairman), [...

THE FINAL 7TH DISTRICT STRECH

Posted on March 07, 2008
As the candidates for the 7th Congressional District go into the final weekend of campaigning before the election, Republican Jon Elrod has unveiled his television ad. Democrat Andre Carson is planning to do a tour of all the townships in the 7th District...

8 DAYS AND COUNTING

Posted on March 07, 2008
Indiana House Democrats are offering up a one-percent constitutional cap on property tax assessments for homeowners. The proposal was unveiled today in a conference committee on HB 1001 which would cap property taxes. The measure is in line with comments by Speaker Bauer earlier this week who said lawmakers may be trying to tackle too [...

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