Tippecanoe County Democrats —

At last night's Lafayette City Council Meeting I was reminded once again how lucky we are to have such great leadership in our Mayor and our City Council. Mayor Roswarski knows that it is vital to grab the bull by the horns when it comes to economic development. By granting Tate and Lyle a 10 year tax abatement on a $100 million dollar expansion project, the Mayor is securing the plant's place in Lafayette. At a time when many plants are moving overseas, the Mayor knows it is a must to do what we can to keep jobs here. This agreement is groundbreaking in that it features a memorandum of understanding signed by Tate and Lyle that if the company moves its equipment from Lafayette, the city can recapture its taxes. The Council passed this with Jack Rhoda being the only no vote.

The following article is about what happened at the US House of Representatives this past Friday. Chalk it up as another win for the GOP and big oil! After the GOP delayed the bill for 40 minutes, they managed to get the two votes they needed-all this done while Democrats were vocally protesting. While this was a sad event, my heart swelled with pride as Democrats shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" when the passage of the bill was read. It is great to see those that represent the people doing just that-it is a shame that some forget what they are there for!! Keep an eye out to see how this does in the Senate.

The Governor's tax amnesty program is three weeks into an eight-week run. So far tax evaders have coughed up $24 million out of $1.3 billion owed, according to a story in Saturday's (10/8) Indianapolis Star. A company hired by the state, General Revenue Corp., is dunning about 2,000 taxpayers (well, actually non-taxpayers). But we need to look at that $24 million as gross, and the real question is "What is the net?" The Indiana political blog Taking Down Words notes that the state has already spent $1.4 million on a statewide advertising campaign (that didn't reach out-of-state companies that owe us money), and there's another million set aside for administering the program. But the biggest bite out of the gross is the 18 percent that General Revenue gets for its efforts. (Of course, if government employees were doing this work, there would not be such a cut.)

Last week the Tippecanoe County Commissioners voted 2-1 to rezone 75 acres near Harrison High School from agricultural to residential, thereby allowing a new subdivision by Beazer Homes of Atlanta to be built there. This action was despite the recommendation of the Area Plan Commission that the request be denied. According to the story in the Journal and Courier of Oct.4, the 50 or so attendees at the hearing were largely from area construction firms who had a vested interest in seeing the project go forward.

The political chickens are coming home to roost over the Governor's time zone fiasco as reflected in two editorials by Indiana newspapers. The South Bend Tribune editorial suggests that the Governor needs to step up to the plate to bring some logic to the situation:

Indiana ought to primarily have one time zone, with flexibility for those counties that identify with nearby out-of-state urban areas. Since that apparently isn't to be, there ought to at least be a logical, reasonably straight demarcation line to separate Central and Eastern zones. Otherwise, the confusion that was associated with year-round Eastern Standard Time in Indiana will be replaced with confusion of another sort. Daniels chose not to make an Indiana time zone recommendation to DOT at the beginning of the selection process. While that may have seemed like a good idea initially, if the current choices are approved there will be such confusion that any economic advantage to being on daylight-saving time will be undermined. It is time for Daniels to stop and bring some statewide logic to this issue.

The Indianapolis Star reports that the President has appointed former Indiana Senator Dan Coats escort Harriet Miers through what might prove to be a rather ungentlemanly confirmation process. Jim Shella notes the contrast to the Roberts nomination in which former Senator Fred Thompson, famous for his ability to get along with Democrats, was the sherpa. Coats' appeal (such as it is) is entirely to the religious Right Wing.

David Frum, former Bush speech writer who now writes for the National Review, reports that Harriet Miers once confided to him (rapturously, one guesses) that President Bush "was the most brilliant man she had ever met." What else do you need to know about Harriet Miers? She either has terrible judgement or she really needs to get out more. And being cooped up with the Supremes certainly won't help allieviate that problem.

Frum notes that among the hero-worshippers in the White House circle, she was the most enthusiastic. That, and her long-time service to George W. Bush seem to be her primary qualifications for a spot on the Supreme Court of the United States. This is cronyism run amuck. Can anyone cite another example of a Supreme Court appointment based simply on service to the President? Her highest elected position was to the Dallas city council; her highest appointment was as Director of the Texas Lottery. She evidently got Governor and President Bush out of many a jam, served as his associate chief of staff (determining who had access to the President), and coordinated the process by which John Roberts (and now herself?) was nominated. This is all good, honest work for a capable attorney, but what is there that shouts "Supreme Court justice"? How has she participated in the great legal issues of our time? Harriet Miers may be perfectly capable of becoming an effective justice, but the Supreme Court isn't a place for on-the-job training (e.g., Clarence Thomas).

About 30 Purdue College Democrats tore themselves away from homework and ventured across the Wabash to Democrat Headquarters to meet local Democratic elected officials and to eat pizza. They heard brief remarks from Mayor Roswarski, Judge Bush, State Representatives Sheila Klinker and Joe Micon, and Lafayette Councilman Steve Meyer. Lafayette Councilmen Kevin Klinker and Lon Heide were also present.

We won't try to recap everything that was said to encourage these young Democrats to engage with the political process here at the grassroots. Mayor Roswarski emphasized the importance of people over money in the process, explaining how his campaign "did with people what our opponents did with money," and that his administration is committed to giving people a voice in government. To illustrate the political power that students can have, Joe Micon recalled how his campaign director told him in the waning hours of the 2004 campaign, as students waited in long lines to vote, that his fate "rested in the hands of eighteen-year-olds from Noblesville." Joe and Sheila Klinker singled out student Sean Kennedy who had served as their intern at the last legislative session; Sheila called him the best intern she'd ever had. Steve Meyer enumerated some reasons why students should vote and participate in local elections: