18. July 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Once again the LaPorte County Commissioners have demonstrated that they are not qualified to govern a high school class much less a real county with 110,000 real lives in it.

It is a given fact that just about everybody thinks they are paying way too much for gas and electric.  It certainly doesn’t take much political skill to get people riled up when somebody starts kicking NIPSCO in the shins.  So in yet another brilliant political smokescreen designed to distract LaPorte County Taxpayers while generating more billable hours for the County Attorney, the Commissioners have given him the go ahead to blow smoke from NIPSCO’s upcoming rate increase. Even though the News-Dispatch reports that County Attorney Friedman said it is unknown what kind of increase the energy company is seeking until it files information in August.

 http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=15966 

Positively brilliant political pandering! Nothing like waiting to get all the facts before you announce that you are going to waste more of somebody’s money doing stuff you really shouldn’t be doing in the first place. But please keep in mind this is the same Commissioner Dream Team that has been yanking LaPorte County property taxpayers around for over a year and still can’t get it right even after being roughed up by the DLGF.

Let’s cut the bullshit.  As a small business owner who understands real economic development, I can assure the Commissioners and County Attorney Friedman that the disaster that they have created with their property tax mess is a FAR, FAR greater detriment to LaPorte County’s ability to attract new business than NIPSCO’s first rate increase case since 1987 will be. For the last twenty years, I have spent my life helping businesses to save energy in their buildings.  I know firsthand that smart businesses can save tremendous amounts of energy and improve their bottom line through sensible engineering choices.  But unfortunately, business has absolutely no such similar option for the screwed up property tax reassessment system inflicted on them by state legislators and incompetent electeds.  Ladies and gentlemen, if you truly want to understand why we have economic problems, please focus your attention on the three ring circus of local, state and federal government, not NIPSCO. 

But what is truly rich about the Commissioners quicksand stand against NIPSCO’s upcoming rate case is that at this very same meeting, they voted to sharply raise the fees for tests provided by the LaPorte County Health Department. Those sharp increases  included doubling the fee for blood profiles for county employees.  They also announced that the Health Department will start testing for chicken pox at $170 a pop.  Chicken pox!! Hello Forest, meet the Trees.

Personally, I think it is amazingly hypocritical for the Commissioners to hike the county  fees for basic health testing at the very same meeting they present the political illusion of fighting NIPSCO. But of course that is just my opinion.  Voters certainly will have an opportunity to give their own opinion in a few weeks.

Vote for more of the same, get more of the same.

Posted in Energy, Government, Politics | 1 Comment »

2. July 2008 by Greg Kelver.

If Einstein was correct that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, then more than a few folks have probably  noticed that Commissioners Hager and Huston apparently have both lost their minds.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=15321&TM=20847.01

Of course in a county that has perfected the art of Punch 10 (now Push 10 Paperless) voting, local taxpayers already know that senseless insanity is the new reality when it comes to local government.

Local attorney Mark Phillips nailed the root of the current property tax reassessment problem. The News-Dispatch reported- 

“This is just government at its worst,” he said. “The taxpayers of La Porte County had a contract shoved down their throats with no bid and no opportunity to be heard. What harm can that be for a government body to hear what taxpayers had to say?”

Less than two years ago, voters finally came to their senses long enough to boot an incumbent and take a shot with Mike Bohacek as the new commissioner.  In my opinion, Mr. Bohacek has pretty much established himself to be the lone voice for reason and common sense on the commission.  Abused Taxpayers can only hope that come November, enough clear thinking voters will head for the polls so the LaPorte County Commissioners may once again have a sensible majority who are looking out for the rights and best interests of the citizens they are supposed to serve instead of acting like the self-serving, two-bit political hacks we have come to expect.

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15. June 2008 by Greg Kelver.

LaPorte County has some truly dedicated public servants who always are giving it their best.  Last week, I heard LaPorte County Treasurer Ken Layton on WCOE discussing the property tax mess and doing his level best to try to help citizens better understand what is going on. A few months back, I also saw Mr. Layton along with County Auditor Teresa Shuter on ALCO TV doing a similar type of informative program to help inform and educate citizens.  On the few occasions that I have had to do business with an office that Mr. Layton headed, he has always been a model of how a public official should respond - open, upfront, professional, and courteous - something I have noticed that doesn’t always happen when Libertarians start asking questions. His public comments always seem to be the same way and I believe LaPorte County has been very well served by Mr. Layton for many years. On the other hand, some elected officials always seem to put politics ahead of performance.  In my opinion, LaPorte County Assessor Carol McDaniel’s latest attack on Bill Wendt and his team is yet another prime example of what is wrong with Punch 10 driven LaPorte County Government.  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=14641&TM=24850.9  Assessor McDaniels has become the Indiana State Poster Child for how NOT to do a property tax reassessment.  But instead of simply and properly doing the job she was elected to do, she continues to waste taxpayers’ money with yet another politically motivated smokescreen that uses the tired old class-warfare game that brings out the worst instead of the best. Perhaps a little more time spent on fixing the Property Tax Superfund Site and a little less time spent writing political press releases attacking concerned local citizens might be a good idea - and a lot better use of our hard-earned tax money.Indiana state legislators need to give citizens the right to recall abusive and incompetent elected officials. Mix in some well deserved recalls with a couple of referendums and a lot of political smokescreens just might get blown away real fast. 

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1. June 2008 by Greg Kelver.

If I tried to get people to like me a little better by sending them “rebate” checks using money that I did not have in my bank account but could only get by forcibly taking it from someone else (aka theft), it probably wouldn’t be very long till Sheriff Mollenhauer and Prosecutor Beckman sent out a few of their guys to bring me in for a little chat.

But somehow, when our esteemed politicians do exactly that same thing and give it a fancy name like “Economic Stimulus Payment” nobody seems to notice that Big Gov is spending money that it doesn’t have either.  And the only way that they can get it is by forcibly taking it either directly in the form of increased taxation or indirectly by printing more inflation stressed dollars that cause $4 gallon gas and struggling families to pay more and more for less and less.

In the spirit of economic good sportsmanship, President “W” and his Congressional Cohorts who gave birth to the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, should be thrilled to hear that I have just received and quickly spent my “Economic Stimulus Payment” - every last cent of it.  To get the biggest bang for my stimulated buck, I just invested it with some guy named Bob Barr 08 http://www.bobbarr2008.com/, and Libertarian Partiers in Washington D.C. www.lp.org , Indianapolis www.lpin.org, and LaPorte County www.lplp.org .

Let the good times roll!

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26. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Just last year, Lee Iaccoa released his book titled “Where Have All the Leaders Gone? ”  http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/iacocca.asp  Well I hope Mr. Iaccoa was tuned into C-Span yesterday because he just might have discovered where some of them are now - they are in the Libertarian Party.

People who tuned into C-Span yesterday had an opportunity to see what a genuinely real political convention actually looks like instead of the made-for-TV gimmicks that the Old Parties will be dishing up when they officially coronate their respective candidates in a couple of months. For those looking for a return to a Constitutional-based government and a sensible alternative to the Old Party offerings, the Libertarian Party just served up a heaping good plate-full.

Although folks didn’t get a chance to read much about it in the mainstream media, the Libertarian Party had several great candidates running for President this year including former Republican Congressman Bob Barr, former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel, Dr. Mary Ruwart,  and an incredibly well qualified guy named Wayne Allen Root http://www.rootforamerica.com/home/bio.php

After 6 very close ballots, delegates to the Libertarian Party National Convention slated Bob Barr for President and Wayne Root for Vice President.  It is a highly qualified, no bullshit ticket and as a 12 year card carrying member of the Libertarian Party, I have never been more proud of my party of choice than I was yesterday afternoon.

Going forward, I think that future historians just might mark 2008 as a key turning point in America’s history. Congressman Ron Paul has jarred the Republican Party to what is left of its very core by running on small “l”  libertarian principles.  His spirited and principled campaign has demonstrated that although many in America are hungry for the type of leadership that President Ron Paul would offer, they certainly will not get it from either of the Old Parties.  However, with the selection of  seriously qualified candidates to deliver  a deadly serious message, the Libertarian Party has truly come of age.  This weekend, as we honor those who have fought and died for the freedom we enjoy today, the Libertarian Party has clearly demonstrated its committment to fighting to preserve those freedoms and more for those who will come in the future. 

Lee Iacocca knows that Americans will not always continue to buy defective and overpriced cars simply because they have always bought “American”  When confronted with the stark reality of choosing between Big Government Democratic Liberal Obama or Big Government Republican Conservative(-in-name-only) McCain this fall, many Americans will be looking for a better place to invest their vote.  And like millions of smart car shoppers already have, they just might figure out that Bob Barr, Wayne Root and the Libertarian Party offer them a much better value than either of the Overpriced Old Parties ever will. 

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21. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Today is the last day that LaPorte County Taxpayers can submit comments for DLGF consideration about the LaPorte County reassessment disaster.  Those comments can be submitted to Laportereassessment@dlgf.in.gov and I would encourage LaPorte County Citizens to exercise their most fundamental right to petition their government for redress of grievances if they have not already done so.  Those who would like to be a bit better informed about the LaPorte County Reassessment problem as well as some inherent flaws in Indiana’s “fair market” property tax assessment may want to spend a little time watching the DLGF hearing that was held in LaPorte County last Thursday (May 15th) http://www.alco.org/alcotv.html

My two cents worth for the public record that have been sent to DLGF Commissioner Musgrave -

Dear Ms. Musgrave,

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to straighten out the reassessment mess in LaPorte County. Although I was not able to attend the most recent DLGF hearing in LaPorte County to personally comment, I have watched the meeting on the ALCO-TV website.  I have appreciated the way the DLGF has conducted the hearings in LaPorte County as well as the materials that have been made available to the public on the DLGF website. I also greatly appreciate your recent oversight review of the contract that was executed between Nexus and LaPorte County.  As a fed-up LaPorte County Taxpayer who feels “waterboarded” by the LaPorte County Assessor, the County Attorney, and consultants retained by the LaPorte County Commissioners, I would strongly encourage the DLGF to order the total reassessment of LaPorte County.

Personally, I am a homeowner and small business owner in Noble Township.  At the previous DLGF Hearing, I submitted a copy of the property tax appeal that my attorney has filed with the LaPorte County Assessor for my home at 2702 W. 950 S. in Union Mills. Mann-Whitney/statistical analysis stuff aside, as a reasonable man, I believe that there is a 100% probability that sales chasing has taken place with my property tax reassessment.   The next-door residential property at 2652 W 950 S. in Union Mills which was not sold until 7/7/06 had the 2006 AV adjusted to $67,700 from a 2005 AV of $56,400. That represents an increase of 20.0%.  However my similar residential property located at 2702 W.  950 S. which was purchased  on 10/20/05 had the 2006 AV adjusted to $149,200 from the 2005 AV of $78,600.  That is an increase of 89.8%.  While I am assessed at 93.8% of the sale price, the property next-door is assessed at only 42.3% of the sale price that occurred just 6 months later. That certainly does not meet any reasonable standard of uniform and equal.

According to the “Tab E” material available at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/2577.htm “Sales Chasing -Unless similar unsold parcels are reappraised at the same level as sold parcels, sales chasing causes inequitable treatment of taxpayers by shifting the burden to taxpayers who have recently purchased property”

In the cases of many LaPorte County Taxpayers who are victims of sales chasing, absolutely no relief from that inequitable treatment will be available from the PTBOA appeals process. Only a correct reassessment of ALL improperly valued other property can remedy that unequal tax burden.  With the obvious problems in the reassessment process in LaPorte County, I believe the only way for property taxpayers to have the uniform and equal assessment required by Indiana’s Constitution is for the DLGF to order the total reassessment of LaPorte County.  In order to restore some degree of public faith in the property tax assessment process for LaPorte County, I would respectfully urge you to order that action without any further delay.

Thank you for your consideration of my opinion.

Greg Kelver
2702 W. 950 S.
Union Mills, IN  46382
(219) 324-4229

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11. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

The DLGF has issued its long awaited Resolution 2008-01 DLGF Resolution 2008-01  on the LaPorte County reassessment fiasco and they will be back in town Thursday for another public meeting DLGF Public Hearing - May 15th.  Is the glass half full or is the glass half empty?  To overstressed taxpayers (aka Republicans) in Michigan Township the reassessment glass probably now appears half full.  To wasteful whiners in local government (aka Democrats), the reassessment glass probably looks about half empty.  But from my perspective (aka Libertarian), there is a third way of looking at it that might be considered by some - reality suggests that we damn sure need to get ourselves a new glass.

The “fair market” property tax assessment that has been created by state legislators is a flaming disaster that is anything but fair.  The assessment process is not fair, it never has been fair,  and it NEVER will be fair.  There are just too many games that so-called assessors, either qualified or unqualified,  can use to play with the value of property.  They did it with Indiana’s old assessment system, they are doing it with Indiana’s new assessment system, and they will continue to do it with the mildly tweaked “capped” system legislators voted to continue on with next year.  It is only because of the magnitude of the current reassessment change that just about everyone who is paying attention can see what a totally bogus system those legislators have created.  But as if the reassessment process itself wasn’t bad enough, those whiz-bang state legislators added a whole slew of deduction/credit games like the Homestead Credit to further confuse and compound the problem.  But in an extreme example of self-important ignorance to show voters just how much they were doing to help, they even added “rebate checks” to the plates of local people who haven’t yet figured out how to get an accurate  property tax bill out on time.  Legislators, PLEEEEEEASE  don’t “help” us like that anymore.

For far too long the DLGF has been a rubber stamp that gave local officials just about everything their hearts desired and did absolutely nothing to look out for local taxpayers (i.e. Taj Mahal type school buildings for some).  That unchecked local spending by schools and government is largely responsible for the current property tax disaster.  But perhaps for the first time ever, the DLGF appears to have discovered a backbone and actually is trying to do what it is supposed to be doing, albeit far slower than it should be.  Local officials who have been feeding at the public trough don’t like it very much and are pitching full scale hissy fits.  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=13251

Like County Attorney Friedman who gets reimbursed by LaPorte County Taxpayers  for creating, then “resolving” conflict, Rep. Scott Pelath is now pitching one of the really big fits - very ironic considering he is one of the 151 people who helped create this friggin mess in the first place.  But instead of venting his spleen on the DLGF, Rep. Pelath should take a good look in the mirror, ask what he has done to make this mess, and what he can do to fix it now. 

Way back in December 2001, the Libertarian Party of Indiana foresaw the property tax Titanic and came up with a tax plan that had some good conceptual ideas on what could be done to miss the iceberg. After ignoring those ideas and hitting the iceberg full throttle, last year state legislators finally took some of those ideas and started to run for the lifeboats with a couple of them.  But unfortunately they missed some really big ideas that still have a lot of potential to fix Indiana’s property tax mess once and for all.

Not that my two cents worth matters much, but to meet the constitutional requirement of “Uniform and EQUAL”,  I think Indiana should adopt a “flat tax” type of property tax assessment that values property based solely on the square footage of land and structures.  The entire costly and error prone reassessment process could be eliminated and assessors could no longer play games with property values. All would pay their fair share for police and fire protection, streets, and other government services deemed ”essential” by local taxpayers.  Renters would be treated the same as homeowners and they would not be unfairly subjected to a property tax that could be twice as high than a “homeowner” would pay for a similar property. People would not be penalized for fixing up their homes, apartments, or small businesses. Both you and your neighbors, homeowner or renter, would pay exactly the same rate for the government services utilized. No rebate checks, no Homestead credit/deduction political games, no unfair market reassessment/trending  bullshit.

Seems like a pretty simple and fair fix to me.  Git R Done.    

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7. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Although those who only glance at the final numbers from the polls will undoubtedly say Hillary won Indiana, I think that those who spend a little more time analyzing the results just might figure out that Barack  Obama was the real winner in Indiana on Tuesday.

The 50.9%-49.1% split in Indiana really was too close for Hillary to be able to claim much of a victory out of it, especially when you scratch just a bit below the surface.  Given the timing of the “Guns and Religion” flareup along with the Rev. Wright eruption, which had to have hurt Obama in conservative Small-Town Indiana, the race was far closer than many would have predicted a few days ago. However with CNN reporting 99% of the votes counted, Hillary had only won Indiana’s popular vote by 22,413 votes out of 1,254,136 cast. Because convention delegates are proportionally awarded instead of winner take all, Hillary only picked up a net of 4 additional delegates, 37 to the 33 won by Obama.  But on the day, North Carolina broke much heavier for Obama and he won the popular vote in North Carolina by  232,775 votes .  He also picked up 16 additional delegates, 58 to 42.  For those who only look at final numbers (or 99% final to be precise), at the end of the day Obama had picked up 210,362 more actual votes and 12 more convention delgates than Clinton.  Spin-it any way you want but if ”The Peoples’” primary vote actually counted instead of being subjected to a high stakes game of Democratic Superdelegate Convention Charades, this game would be over. 

But a key factor in the final tally was the crossover vote by Hoosier Republicans where there were few contested races to spark much interest in what little the GOP had to offer. Much of that conservative crossover vote probably was cast for Hillary, not Obama http://www.theage.com.au/news/us-election/crossover-voters-hijack-poll/2008/05/07/1209839709184.html   And I think Obama’s campaign apparently has nailed it once again with the analysis of what happened in Indiana http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/05/obama_team_talking_points_memo.html http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/05/obama_team_talking_points_memo.html  

Conservative political masterminds like Rush Limbaugh know that the GOP has some real problems staring them in the face for the November  election.  Especially if the Independent vote where Obama has demonstrated some strength or a Libertarian Bob Barr vote is factored into the general election equation.  But doing what is best for America is seconday, doing what is best for the GOP is the only thing that truly seems to matter to them. For obvious political power reasons, they would greatly benefit by having their guy face the weaker Democratic candidate - but also don’t forget how much on-air fun El Rushbo could have for the next four years with Bill & Hill back in the Whitehouse.  Heads he wins - Tails you lose.  

Operation Chaos shenanigans are a sharp contrast to the genuinely honest  comments of GOP misfit presidential contender Ron Paul who truly does put the interest of America first and foremost ahead of the GOP  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/02/paul-not-ready-to-endorse-mccain-likes-obamas-foreign-policy/

People who voted in the Democratic primary on Tuesday may have thought their “little guy” vote mattered - it didn’t.  The only votes that truly matter now are the handful of politically elite Superdelegate convention votes that are still on the table.  Somehow that just doesn’t seem very “Democratic” to me.

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3. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

As a “Capital L” Libertarian who believes that political parties should choose their own candidates and taxpayers should not have to pick up the tab for it, I won’t be voting for Senator Obama on Tuesday.  But I am pretty impressed that he took time to visit Union Mills, Indiana on Thursday  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12945

With the  “Guns and Religion” comment blown way out of proportion by Clintonistas and media http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama13apr13,1,6505389.story , Obama could not have chosen a better small town to stop at for a political backdrop than the farm community of Union Mills. Guns and religion are part of what helps to give small communities like Union Mills their special character and represents the ideals that the Founders had in mind a couple of hundred years ago.  Clinging to those ideals certainly isn’t a bad thing.  However, Obama is right on target that there is a lot of “bitterness” in small town America - and no apology should be necessary for speaking truthfully about that. But that bitterness has been principally fueled by the misguided policies of an overly intrusive Federal Government that has been trying to pick winners and losers in a high stakes game of economic roulette.  Like our inner cities, Small Town America has seen firsthand just how well that has worked out under the Republicratic administrations of Clinton and Bushes and certainly has plenty of good reasons to be bitter.  However Federal policies that continue to grow a bigger, more intrusive Socialist government will only worsen that bitterness, not eliminate it.

Like many of the divisive political warfare strategies that the Clintonistas have perfected over the years,  the Rush Limbaugh inspired “Operation Chaos”   http://blatherwatch.blogs.com/talk_radio/2008/03/rush-the-vote-i.html  is another prime example of what ails our political process today. Since the LaPorte County Republicans have almost no contested races on the primary ballot, many Zirkle Republicans probably will pull a Democratic ballot to cast a vote for Hillarity.  But a fear-driven Operation Chaos that helps choose America’s Biggest Loser definitely is not in the best interest of building a better America and fixing our problems.    

Obama deserves credit for trying to stay on a message that offers hope and seeks to unite America across racial boundaries instead of dividing America along racial boundaries for political gain.  Perhaps President Obama will somehow discover that Libertarianism of the future just might be a better way to do that than the failed Socialism of the past. Small Town America can only hope and pray that a few more of the already-elected Superdelegates might figure that out too. 

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23. April 2008 by Greg Kelver.

“If the 2008 fall election were to take place today, Republicans would have their lunch handed to them in an empty bag.  How do we Republicans ensure that the liberal secular regressives do not sweep the White House and Congress and use this unified power to install their activist, living constitutionalists?”- Republican Congressional Candidate Tony Zirkle, April 18th, 2008 http://www.tonyzirkle.com/CAMPAIGN/

Just when you think this already-too-long primary election fiasco can’t get anymore bizarre…….

With the presidential spotlight now shining on Indiana while the Clintonistas and the McPainites continue to shred Obama about his “guns and religion” comment, Republican Congressional Candidate Tony Zirkle raises the bar to an entirely new level with his campaign appearance at a National Socialist Workers Party event in Chicago

  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12532 

Apparently, Mr. Zirkle believes that his campaign outreach to a Chicago political group that he may not have been familiar enough with “to support or oppose” is exactly what the Republican Party needs to save it from itself and give them a full lunch bag in November.

God help the Republicans.

As the current primary fight highlights, to maintain power in our incumbency protected two-party system, both of the Old Parties have to breed fear and conflict in voters.  But the political fear mongering designed to get someone to vote against the greater of two evils does not bring out the best in America - nor does it suddenly stop festering after the election is over. Mr. Zirkle’s comments about “liberal secular regressives” are perfect examples of our fundamental political fear mongering problem.  Big Government Democratic Liberals attack Big Government Republican Conservatives. While each side can clearly see the danger posed by the other side having control of government , neither can see the danger of Big Government as long as it is controlled by “their guys.”  Mr. Zirkle’s comments about his days as a “prosecutor” in Indiana going after Eastern Eurpoean gangs trafficking prostitution and pornography are troubling and more details should be provided to voters. But it is pretty ironic that while Zirkle was in Chicago for birthday cake and tributes, that city was experiencing the type of unusually violent crime rampage that will spur many more calls for Hitler style gun control. 

For clear thinking Independents, the picture in the News-Dispatch of Republican Zirkle at the celebration of  Adolf Hitler’s Birthday should be a jarring historical wakeup call of what can happen when government becomes too powerful and We The People don’t even have guns to cling to.

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