Congrats to Fort Wayne native Tony Mitson who has been hired as Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s new chief political aide.  Tony, you will never work for a better guy.

It is hard to believe that a year ago today was the Indiana State Republican Convention where Zoeller was successful in becoming the Republican nominee for the position on the 2008 ballot despite the long odds against him.  Zoeller is an extraordinary leader at the right time for our state.  Tony, you will gain much in your new endeavor working for a great guy and I know you will do a great job.  Congrats! 

Another great post on this subject with photo at Fort Wayne News here.

I’m a day late on this post but the American Spectator Blog is paying attention to Governor Daniels’ efforts to cap property taxes in Indiana.  Read the entire post here.  Excerpt below.

Interestingly, Indiana’s Democrats, who apparently did not get the memo from President Obama regarding change, are fighting such an amendment which they want to put off (at least) until next year. This delay is awkwardly timed considering Indiana’s home values and sales have sharply declined, and construction has slowed to a crawl. Now would seem to be the time for permanent tax relief.

It seems that Governor Daniels is receiving national news on a daily basis for his efforts to limit property taxes and reform government in Indiana. 

Press Release -

ALLEN COUNTY GOP CONTINUES TO GAIN

FINANCIAL STRENGTH AND STABILITY

 

2008 Year-End Report Shows Rebuilding Efforts Working

 

            In a campaign finance report to be filed with the Allen County Election Board on Monday, March 2, 2009, the 2008 year-end statement shows that the Allen County Republican Party reduced its debt by nearly 95% and gained significant momentum in its fundraising efforts during the final half of the year.

 

            Allen County Republican Chairman Steve Shine stated that the near complete elimination of debt (excluding loans, which were also significantly reduced) coupled with robust fundraising efforts, helped the local GOP make great gains in returning to financial strength and stability.  “Our first campaign finance report for 2008, (filed with the Election Board on April 17, 2008) which included the period from January 2, 2008, through April 11, 2008, showed debt owed by the Party in the sum of $17,939.47 and outstanding loans in the amount of $20,000.00.  The final campaign finance report for 2008, (to be filed with the Election Board on March 2, 2009) which included the totals for year-end 2008, shows that the Party’s debt has been reduced to $1,723.95, nearly a 95% reduction in debt, and a reduction in loans to $14,000.00, which equates to a near 30% reduction in loan balances.  Further, our cash on hand, which had a negative balance on April 11, 2008, had a positive reserve of $2,225.26 on December 31, 2008, over a 200% turnaround in cash on hand after our debts were paid.”

 

Press Release –

 

The Indiana State Capitol Blood Donor Challenge will take place Thursday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the North Atrium.  Each presenting blood donor will have the opportunity to vote for the House of Representatives, Senate or Governor/Lt. Governor when they register to donate.  The winning team will receive a plaque and powerful bragging rights for the year.

 

This friendly competition is all about saving lives.  A single blood donation, which takes just about an hour of time, can help save up to three lives.  For nearly five million people who receive blood transfusions every year, your donation can make the difference between life and death.

 

The American Red Cross is the largest blood collection and distribution organization in the United States and is a vital supplier of blood products for the state of Indiana. We have been collecting blood throughout Indiana for 60 years and supply blood to nearly 100 hospitals in the state, including18 in the Indianapolis area.

 

In addition to blood services, the Red Cross offers health and safety training, serves as the vital emergency communication link between military personnel and their families at home, teaches disaster prepardness, and responds to disasters of all types and sizes.

 

Appointments are recommended for this blood drive, however walk-ins are welcome.  To schedule your blood donation appointment, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-2543) or visit givelife.org and enter sponsor code “ISH.”

 

 

 

Editorial from State Representative Randy Borror (R-Fort Wayne).

Session Sinks to Low Point on Final Day

Bills pass from House to Senate

 

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed House Bill 1729 on Wednesday, aptly titled, “Gaming Tax Relief.”  With utter disregard for the critical issues facing the average Hoosier, including how Hoosiers will pay their mortgages, whether the state will act to address a historic deficit in its unemployment insurance trust fund, areas in our state suffering from the highest unemployment rates in the post World War II era, and small and large businesses across our state struggling to keep their doors open, House Democrat Leadership bestowed an $80 million tax cut on one very select group of companies — horse tracks and casinos.

 

The proponents of a corporate bailout for Indiana’s horse tracks claim that the $500 million willingly paid by a company for the right to place 2,000 slot machines and virtual blackjack, poker, and roulette tables at Hoosier Park in Anderson was, in hindsight, too much money to pay. 

 

For five years, Indiana’s horse tracks begged the legislature for the right to expand their gaming activities for the noble purposes of saving the chronically unprofitable Indiana horse racing industry.  In 2007, they were granted that right, and their license fee was utilized to provide tax relief to every Indiana resident. 

 

In order to secure the capital necessary, they borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars, which they are repaying today at a blended rate of more than 15 percent.  The owners of these companies made a bad business deal, and so today they need a tax break.

 

House Bill 1729 provided them with that tax break to the tune of $80 million over the next four years, which amounts to a forgiveness of approximately 16 percent of their licensing fee.  Forgiving 16 percent of a company’s debt would certainly help many struggling small businesses, but that relief is earmarked only for millionaire casino owners.

 

I join hundreds of thousands of outraged and disgusted Hoosiers who understand clearly that when faced with the monumental challenges of the day, the House majority’s idea of tax relief for Hoosiers was limited to massive relief for arguably one of the most profitable industries in the United States. 

 

 

Today is a new low for the Indiana General Assembly, a sad day for Hoosier small businesses who are left to fend for themselves in these difficult times, and a bad day for Hoosiers struggling to make ends meet.  Hoosiers deserve better, and I hope they join me in demanding it.   

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Rep. Randy Borror

 

Last Saturday morning I had the privilege of moderating the annual Allen County Right to Life Legislative Forum at Concordia Theological Seminary.  Unlike years in the past where we focused only on state and federal legislative issues, this year we focused more than half of our time on local issues, proving once again that the Right to Life cause extends into local government as well. 

Below are three great links to news coverage of another successful event for Allen County Right to Life.

Wane TV

Indiana News Center

Fort Wayne News-Sentinel

As he pledged to do on the campaign trail last year, Indiana’s new Attorney General Greg Zoeller is working to pass a bill in the General Assembly to put discipline back in our public schools.

Attorney General Greg Zoeller will testify today in favor of a bill designed to provide some legal protection to school employees who discipline disruptive students. Zoeller will appear before the Indiana Senate Committee on Education and Career Development. He joined Governor Mitch Daniels and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett as a proponent of the proposal during his election campaign.

This Frank Gray column caught my eye this morning in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette about a Decatur businessman who has flown his flag upside down since Tuesday’s election victory for President-Elect Obama.

None of this attracted much attention until, shortly after Tuesday’s election, Townsend hoisted the flag, which has long flown in front of his shop, in the upside-down position, a distress signal protesting the election of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.

It didn’t take long for the reaction to come. A 17-year employee told Townsend he was quitting. The phone calls started, about 300 in the past few days.

Almost all have been in support, Townsend said, but some clearly weren’t. Shortly after noon Friday, a woman called to raise hell with the employee who answered. There was no mistaking what the call was about.

No, the female employee said, it has nothing to do with the fact that Obama is black. It’s about abortion. Obama is a supporter of abortion, and the business owner is absolutely opposed to it, period.

The call dragged on for several minutes, and it wasn’t friendly.

Then Townsend, who had been tied up on another call, hung up and explained himself.

Some have protested that flying the flag upside down is a desecration, but it’s not, he says, and firmly so, pointing to a printout of flag regulations.

An upside-down flag is a distress signal, indicating that people’s lives or property are in danger. With the election of Obama and Biden, lives are in danger: all the unborn babies that will die as the result of abortion.

And property is at stake. The recent bailout wasn’t a bailout of the American people, he said. It was the bailout of a bankrupt and foreign-owned Federal Reserve system.

The Indy Star now reports that the businessman has decided to take down his flag.

Side note … while googling to find a photo of an upside flag, I found this interesting article about Democrats using the “flag in distress” signal at the DNC Convention earlier this summer on their credential badges.

What do you think?  Over the top or not?

From the Journal Gazette Yesterday -

Zoeller knows best how to be Attorney General

The recent political advertisements on behalf of Democratic attorney general candidate Linda Pence leave voters with an inaccurate impression of the job duties of the attorney general.

If voters are to make an informed decision with regard to the candidates they choose, it is vitally important to understand what the job duties consist of for the positions that they are voting for.

It is easy to claim that you want to protect children and pursue predators, but the office of attorney general is not an office of a prosecuting attorney. With the exception of environmental crimes, the attorney general has no ability to go into individual counties to prosecute criminal cases, whether those criminal cases include children victimized by violence or any other criminal offense. The office of attorney general is not a “super prosecutor.”

The attorney general has no statutory authority to initiate these criminal cases. The office of attorney general instead represents the state of Indiana in the following way: When a local prosecutor achieves a conviction in a criminal case, that conviction may be appealed by the defendant. It is then up to the attorney general’s office to represent the state and the local prosecution at the appellate level to preserve the conviction.

I wholeheartedly endorse Greg Zoeller for the office of attorney general because of his experience with the attorney general’s office. Steve Carter has been an exemplary attorney general. His chief deputy has been Greg Zoeller, who is well aware of how the office functions and how to best serve Hoosiers.

The fact that Pence continues to run an ad that allows Hoosier voters to reach an inaccurate conclusion as to the job duties that she seeks to fill, especially her inaccurate focus on protection of children from predators when she has no statutory authority to file or try these types of criminal cases, makes the choice for attorney general and the vote for Zoeller even more important.

Zoeller’s statement that local prosecutors put defendants in jail, and it’s his office’s duty to keep them there is an accurate description of what the office of attorney general is supposed to do, and his clear understanding of his mission merits our support.

KAREN E. RICHARDS Prosecuting Attorney 38th Judicial Circuit State of Indiana

The South Bend Tribune has announced their endorsement of Greg Zoeller for Attorney General today.  They join a long list of newspapers around the state that have endorsed Zoeller including -

Indy Star

Fort Wayne News Sentinel

Northwest Indiana Times

The Franklin Online

Evansville Courier-Press

On the other hand, Linda Pence has received the endorsement of one newspaper – the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Additionally, the Fraternal Order of Police chose to endorse Greg Zoeller for Attorney General.