Earlier this week, America’s entitlement problem came into full view as millions of Americans, the main stream media and a million talking heads on cable news lambasted Senator Jim Bunning for daring to refuse unanimous consent for a bill extending unemployment and COBRA benefits and Medicare reimbursements among other things.  Senator Bunning sought to highlight our debt problem and ensure that the Senate enforced their previously passed Pay-Go bill by blocking the vote.  While the mainstream media was busy lambasting Senator Bunning for filibustering (side note: He was not filibustering, he was refusing unanimous consent. If you are going to talk about it, get it right MSM) against millions of Americans who rely on those benefits because of the difficult economic situation, they ignored that this bill has a price tag of approximately $10 billion.  Senator Bunning’s sin was daring to ask “How are we going to pay for this?”  After being hammered by both sides of the aisle, the press, cable news, late night talk shows and the blogosphere, Senator Bunning finally relented last night and allowed the vote to proceed with it passing 78-19.

While it is certain that many people are relying on this money to help them get through this hard time, the American reaction to this is a microcosm of what would happen if more politicians would dare ask the question, “How are we going to pay for this?”  Anyone who has been paying attention to the meltdown that is currently in play in Greece knows that people don’t like their benefits being taken away, whether they can pay for them or not.  What needs to occur in this country before we can address our debt problem is to acknowledge that we have an entitlement problem. For decades unions, politicians, teachers, parents and the media have been telling us that we deserve everything that the government hands us and that it is our right to take as much as we can get.  All the while, our debt has been silently growing while we gorged ourselves on all the benefits we can’t pay for.  As evidenced by the riots that have spilled into the streets in Greece after their government “announced a fresh austerity package that includes an immediate freeze on pensions, further salary cuts for public sector workers and sharp increases in excise and value added taxes,” taking away people’s “rightful” benefits does not go over well.  The outpouring of hatred directed at Senator Bunning over the past couple of days for denying Americans the money they are “entitled” to begs the question, what would happen if the government really did start cutting programs, benefits and subsidies?

While I would love more politicians to begin to ask the “How are we going to pay for it?” question and begin massive cuts of government programs, it is not easy and that it is rarely attempted.  People don’t like being told no, especially after being told yes for so long.  I am warning you, unless Americans have a dramatic change in the way they look at what they are entitled to, the day cuts begin, bust out your rubber bullet guns and face shields and riot gear because it is going to be a bumpy riotous road to defeating the debt.

Come back to Hoosier Access tonight for a Live Blog of President Obama’s State of the Union address to Congress. See you all at 9:00pm!

State of the Union Address

Go HERE and click “vote” for Hoosier Access as your favorite Indiana Blog

The Post Tribune writes:

A new Web site that blasts town officials in the wake of employee furloughs and budget cuts is hoping to rouse public discussion and outcry from disgruntled residents, but town officials dismiss the anonymous site as sour grapes and lacking credibility

The site Merrillville Politics features links mainly regarding use of federal funding that supposedly was to be directed to hiring more police officers, and the site suggests these officers were not hired.

Recent news about Merrillville and it the town council’s desire to file for assistance from the State of Indiana’s Distressed Unit Appeals Board, and some input from consultants suggesting they don’t qualify and will have to cut budgets further. Can’t say I understand how this new site suggests that Merrillville cut their budget even further while putting more money into police?

The Post article goes on to suggest that the author of the site may be a disgruntled employee or even police officer. Was particularly interested in a statement by one town council member:

Shudick said he would be very disappointed if the Web site’s creator is a town employee, even more so if it is a town police officer.

“It would make one question their integrity,” he said.

This just needed to be posted for Old Skool Friday….I happened to hear it yesterday while switching radio stations and said yep….Old Skool Friday!

I’ve noticed in my time on Twitter that politicos in other states tend to have own unique hash tags (#something; used to make tracking topics or conducting searches easier).

Conservatives and Republicans in Indiana don’t have one as yet. In conversations with some of my fellow bloggers, it was suggested that we conduct a poll about what the best hash tag might be.

That poll is up over at Hoosierpundit on the right side of the page. It will be up for a week. Please vote.

Had a terrific brainstorming session yesterday with members of the Valparaiso University Law Republicans and a former State Party staff member.  We talked in wide ranging topics from fundraising and party structure to engagement and recruitment.

When we started Hoosier Access in August of 2007, we didn’t know what would happen or how important to the political conversation in Indiana we could or would become.  But I am pleased to announce that in Brian Howey’s thorough listing of HPI’s Top 50, we and only four other blogs in the entire state got mentioned as blogs HPI recommends.

Blogs We Recommend
Blue Indiana
Hoosier Access
Frugal Hoosiers
Fort Wayne Observed
Indiana Barrister

The first thing I notice is we are in some lofty company.  The second is, that conservative blogs dominate the list.  It’s good to see that conservatism is alive and well in the Indiana blogosphere.

On behalf of the other Directors and contributors to Hoosier Access, thanks for reading and we hope to continue the conversation far beyond 2009.

I’m sure many of our readers are familiar with the Indy based blog, Polis Politics.  Well, I’m pleased to announce, that “The Polis”, the author of Polis Politics, is moving their operation to Hoosier Access and becoming an official contributor as of today!

Hoosier Access is committed to bringing you the best insight on Indiana state and local politics as well as what’s going on nationally and we know that “The Polis” is committed to that same vision.

We’re starting the process of rolling out some new features here on HA that we think may interest some of our readers.

First, we’re offering space for your business or group to advertise here on HA. (Open in any other browser than firefox…for some reason the site does not like it…just a heads up)

Second, we’re rolling out a new community calendar (just off to the right).  Use the contact form to submit upcoming events in your area, such as Young Republican meetings, GOP Club meetings, fundraisers (political and non-profit related, including churches), pretty much anything you want to get out there we can post it*.

Third, we’ve launched the Hoosier Access job board.  There you can post job listings for $15 for a 30 day listing or you can browse jobs currently listed.

I also want to remind our readers to stay involved with us.  Please check out and join our Facebook group as well as subsribe to our RSS feed or get HA in your inbox.

I hope you enjoy our new features.  There will be more to come in the future!

*all submissions will be reviewed by Hoosier Access prior to posting

Normally we don’t shill for other blogs here, but I believe a new one that recently started called Inside Government is one worth mentioning (and yes I do happen to write for it.  Is that why I’m shilling for it?  Not exactly.).  Inside Government is a collaborative effort of bloggers from around the country, in a non-partisan fashion, who are concerned about those who may not exactly know everything about government and how it operates.  A couple of examples are:

• Did you know that Joe Biden can choose whether he wants to stay a Senator or be VP since he was up for re-election?
• What are Executive Orders and how have they been used in the past?
• Or, what exactly is a filibuster?

Now if you check this site, you  may know that stuff.  Then again you may not or may have a flawed perspective on certain aspects of government.  As one of the founders of IG wrote on his site:

“Inside Government was formed, in an effort to become the primary source for anyone wishing to become more involved in government and /or politics but who are just not sure where to begin.”

Make sure to check it out!

A post was written and the caterwauling of the left roared to a fiery tempest.

A lot has been made of today because of a few lines at the end of a post written by one of our Directors concerning Democrat Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama.  Was it something I would have written?  Probably not, but then again, that’s not my style of writing.

But what poured out of the keyboards of the so-called tolerant and self righteous left was nothing more than petty minded hypocrisy.  Consider what has been written and said of Governor Sarah Palin by the left in recent days since she became Senator McCain’s VP nominee, both nationally and locally:

• Democrat Congressman from New York, Charlie Rangle called Sarah Palin “disabled”
• Comedian (term used loosely) Sandra Bernhard, in a routine, warns Palin “not to come into Manhattan lest she get gang-raped by some of Sandra’s big black brothers” (hello?  Where’s the cry of racism there?  Oh wait, she’s a fellow Democrat)
• Not to be outdone by her own self Bernhard also refers to Palin as “Uncle Women,” a “turncoat b—h” and a “whore.“
• From Left Hand Play in an open letter to Hillary Supporters “Stop fixating on a politician’s chest and using that as your basis for voting. It’s their BRAIN that allows them to make decisions, not their BOOBS.”  Clearly he’s misogynistic.
• Blogger Doug Masson continually lambastes Palin for having different views on abortion and the theory of creation than he does (Heaven forbid people not think like he does)
• Former State Democrat mouthpiece referred to Sarah Palin as a “milf” and “gilf” and even pushed an unfounded rumor (even at the time she wrote it) that Bristol Palin was actually dating a guy who was 10 years older than her at the time she got pregnant.
• Democrat bloggers here and around the nation pushed the rumor that Palin was a secessionist even when that was proven false (kinda like that whole Obama’s a muslim thing.  Thank goodness he cleared that up with George Stephonopolous…or George cleared it up for him…uh oh, that might be considered racist that I pointed that out)
• A Blue Indiana diarist, Brad L, referred to Palin when he titled a post “Lipstick on a Fascist Pig“
• And let’s not forget that not 24 hours after Palin is announced as VP, Daily Kos publishes posts claiming that Trip Palin is not Governor Palin’s son, but her grandson and the son of her daughter Bristol!
• Oh yeah….her email account was hacked this week by the son of a Democrat state Rep in Tennessee!

I could go on, but I plan on actually going to bed sometime soon.

Sure there have been blogs that have insinuated that Obama was a gay muslim or attacked his citizenship…well I would hope you wouldn’t find that here, because clearly, the guy is straight, I’ll believe him when he says he’s a Christian (there are plenty of Christians in the middle east with the middle name Hussein) and the argument over whether the guy is a citizen is one of the most silly arguments there is.  If you’re going to play that game, you could play it against John McCain too.  And really, is it worth it?  No.

So all you silly politically correct and hyper-sensitive liberals out there, get off your high horse.  What was written below is nothing, and I repeat nothing, compared to what has been written of Governor Palin.  Get over yourselves and political correctness.

And by the way, even though I’ll refer to him as Barack or Senator Obama, his initials are B.H., his middle name is Hussein and in high school and part of college, he called himself Barry!  If you are so offended by this, give him a call and complain.