The following is reposted here with permission of Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana:

The following is a guest post by former State Rep. Jon Elrod (R-97th) explaining why you should vote no on the Wishard referendum. It’s great to see there’s a real Republican left in Marion County.

As the old maxim says, “The only certainty in life is death and taxes.” So if a governmental entity tells me they need the ability to raise taxes, but promises not to raise taxes, I am skeptical.

HHC must issue bonds to get a mortgage to build a shiny new hospital. In order to get a decent rate, the bonds must be secured by a property tax levy. But they assure us that the money from the nursing homes will pay the mortgage, without a tax levy.

Bull.

(More Below The Fold)

Mitch Daniels doesn’t stand still for long.

On Monday, he outlined his ideas for a new state budget.

On Tuesday, he set a date for the special session to hammer out that budget.

On Wednesday, he was in Washington D.C. speaking about his ideas for a revival of the Republican Party.

Among them was a return to empathy, you might call it Compassionate Conservatism 2.0:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, said Wednesday that his fellow Republicans need to work harder to show “empathy” if they want to emerge from the political doldrums.

Daniels also called those on the left of the political spectrum “the meanest people in politics.”

Conservatives have lampooned President Barack Obama for using “empathy” to describe one of the qualities he seeks in a potential Supreme Court justice. But Daniels said “empathy” is spot on — Obama’s just misappropriated the word.

“Empathy is going to get a bad name for a little while because it’s been transported into the world of the rule of law,” Daniels told a forum for conservatives. “It’s what distinguishes us from other species.”

Republicans, he said, “must not only assert but assert with credibility that we understand what’s going on in the lives of everyday people.”

Daniels spoke at “Making Conservatism Credible Again,” a forum hosted by the Hudson Institute and the Bradley Foundation. Daniels used to work at the Hudson Institute.

The second-term governor said conservatives would have to bide their time but that push-back on Obama and Democratic leadership is coming. In the meantime, the governor said, conservatives needed to practice humility.

“We don’t have to believe we have all the answers,” he said.

Still, Daniels said he saw reason to be optimistic. Many voters motivated by the historic nature of Obama’s campaign cast their ballots as a sort of “fashion statement,” he said, and will come to regret their decision when Obama’s policies are enacted.

Conservatives can use their time out of power to distinguish themselves from their opponents’ time in the wilderness, Daniels said.

“We need to accept the role of the loyal opposition much more gracefully than our opponents did,” he said. “If you haven’t noticed, the meanest people in politics are on the American left. We must be a friendly movement.”

I heartily agree with the need to be happy warriors in the opposition, rather than become mindlessly enraged as the Democrats and the left did with Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Mitch also slammed the Obama administration’s policies as “shock and awe statism,” a very fitting term:

While it may be going too far to say he’s a Grinch bent on stealing Christmas, South Bend mayor Steve Luecke (D) has perhaps chosen the worst time of year to advocate for a tax increase.  Because St. Joseph County is facing a budget shortfall of $4 million dollars for the upcoming year and the City of South Bend is also facing shortfalls running into the millions of dollars, Mayor Luecke is urging that the county local option income tax be raised by 150%.

This new tax increase would hit everyone in St. Joseph County, but perhaps its telling that the mayor of South Bend, who is not part of county government, is the point man for this proposal. St. Joseph County isn’t just home to the job hemorrhaging city of South Bend but also to the expanding and growing city of Mishawaka as well as rural areas that are doing just fine. My advice to the County Council would be that they not listen to the tax policies put forth by Mayor Luecke unless they want to turn the entire county into a larger version of South Bend.

(Read more below the fold)

November 4 may have represented a paradigm shift in county elections in Monroe County. The student vote increased dramatically over 2004, as students excited about Barack Obama flocked to the polls. This was devastating for Monroe County Republicans, who did not win a single contested race.

There is talk among some local Republicans about making students vote in their hometowns instead of in Monroe County. This is a foolhardy strategery. First, efforts to prevent students from voting are unlikely to pass legislatively, and it would be difficult for these residency requirements to survive scrutiny by the courts. Finally, telling students “we do not want you to vote here” would only increase Republican losses in the student vote, hampering efforts to break the Democratic Party’s stranglehold on county government.

(Read more after the leap)

Things are about to get really messy in Terre Haute.

Via WTHR.com:

The Indiana Court of Appeals has thrown out the 2007 mayoral election in Terre Haute, ruling that winner Duke Bennett was ineligible to take the office and declaring it vacant.

The court ruled 2-1 in favor of former Mayor Kevin Burke, who claimed that Bennett’s candidacy violated a federal law that limits the political activity of employees of some not-for-profits receiving federal money.

Bennett was the director of operations at Hamilton Center Inc., which operates an Early Head Start program that’s funded by federal grants, before he became mayor.

Burke lost the mayoral race by 110 votes, but the court ruled he cannot take over the office because voters weren’t aware Bennett wasn’t eligible.

A special election may be necessary.

Tuesday night was very bad for Monroe County Republicans, as we lost even more ground. We went from a 2-1 Democratic majority on the Board of Commissioners to a 3-0 Democratic monopoly, lost the Treasurer’s Office and were unable to regain the Auditor’s Office. Not a single Republican won a contested race in Monroe, and I am guessing the Democrats are kicking themselves for not challenging Judge Kenneth Todd.

What a turnaround this was from 2002, when the Republicans won 3 of 4 district seats on the County Council for a 5-2 majority and unseated an incumbent Democratic County Commissioner for a 2-1 majority. Even Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez lost his home county to Todd Rokita in the Secretary of State contest. Two years before that, we won 2 of 3 at-large seats on the County Council (and very nearly swept all three) and unseated an incumbent Democratic Surveyor.

(Read more after the leap)

(Post updated to reflect Democrat Scott Reske’s victory in HD 37 after barely holding off Republican challenger Kelly Gaskill)

Here is a note to my fellow conservatives and Republicans.

I did not have the highest of expectation for last night.  I had hope that John McCain might some how pull off a miracle (because really that’s what he needed to win), but it wasn’t a lot of hope.  And like many of you who may have stayed up fairly late (after the webcast which ended at midnight, I went out and picked up yard signs to get some much needed alone time) I’m still recovering from yesterday’s action.  But I came to this conclusion.

It’s time to face the facts.  Barack Obama will be our 44th president.  And a historic congratulations should be sent his way.  But we should take solace in the fact that Democrats did not net major gains in the House or get their filibuster proof Senate, though they could still up with (a worst case scenario) 59 seats.

But there were some positives for us as well last night.  Governor Daniels smoked Jill Long Thompson (no surprise there) and Greg Zoeller and Tony Bennett won their statewide races.  The Indiana House will end up with only one seat gained by the Democrats after much hand wringing they could end up with as many as a three to four seat gain. On the congressional level.  Everybody stayed the same.  Many thought Congressman Souder could be a loss in the Republican column, but he showed his tenacity and didn’t just win by a small margin, he kicked his young upstart opponent to the curb.

But now onto my message.

Fellow Republicans, this is no time to give up.  This is also no time to resort to childish pettiness, bemoaning and name calling that the left resorts to when they lose.  This is a time to step up!  We do have a lot of ground to make up nationally, and while our state still leans red, it certainly is becoming a closely and evenly divided state.

We need to re-energize our base and return to what made our party great!  I encourage our state and national Republicans to return to the principles and virtues of the Contract with America.  We need to raise the level of discourse on the issues that matter most to Americans at this time; the economy and energy independence.  And while I believe social values cannot be ignored (though we must never give up on the issue of Abortion), we must understand, as a Party, that in these tough economic times, voters are thinking mostly with their wallets.  We must return to a message of fiscal restraint.  We must hammer the message of an “all of the above’ approach to energy independence.  We must hold our new President’s feet to the fire when it comes to the issues of coal and nuclear power.  Nothing can be off the table if we want to break free from the shackles of foreign oil.  President-Elect Obama seeks energy independence, but he must seek all avenues, closing off nothing.

We lost the American’s public’s faith in us when we lost our way as a party.  We have only ourselves to blame for the situation we are in.  Now is the time to make up for our past mistakes.  Now is the time to take action and to be the party of solutions and ideas.  We gave that away, but it’s time to take it back!

(But should you need it, here is Red State’s Obama Administration Survial Guide)

Jim Joven is running for Circuit Court Judge in Marion County.

This morning we held a press conference in South Bend in which I officially announced to the public that I am running for the Indiana House of Representatives in House District 7. The South Bend Tribune and the Howey Report have both posted items about the event, and I expect more coverage from WSBT Radio, WSBT TV, ABC 57, the South Bend Tribune and perhaps others. For more information on my campaign check out my website at www.DanHerbster.com. On the website you can find out more about the campaign, and you can make a safe and convenient contribution (hint, hint) via paypal or via check.

I hope to have photos (and maybe video) of the event posted soon on the website and on our “Dan Herbster for State Representative” facebook group. Here’s the official press release:

Dan Herbster is honored to have Kip Wellin, his former high school government teacher and basketball coach, join the Herbster team as campaign chairman

Today, Dan Herbster announced his candidacy for the Indiana House of Representatives for House District 7. Dan is a new face in local politics, and wants to use his teaching experience and familiarity with legislative matters to serve the residents of our district.

He also announced Kip Wellin’s acceptance of the campaign chairman position. Kip was Dan’s high school government teacher and basketball coach. Kip also has years of experience in the business world and in the classroom.

Dan Herbster issued the following statement:

“Thanks to all of you for coming out today. I am excited to announce that I am running for the Indiana House of Representatives here in House District 7. I am here today because I believe the time has come for new leadership, and I want to use my core values and my experiences teaching in the public schools and in schools overseas to serve and represent the community where I grew up. The issues I am most concerned about are attracting good paying jobs to our area, fighting tax increases, strengthening education, and protecting traditional Hoosier values.”

“I am also pleased to announce that my former high school government teacher and basketball coach, Kip Wellin, has agreed to be my campaign chairman. Kip has years of experience in the business world and has spent the last twelve years impacting the lives of young people as teacher and coach. I will greatly benefit from his support and advice, particularly on economic and educational issues.”

Kip Wellin issued the following statement:

“Today it is my distinct pleasure to accept Dan’s request to chair his bid for the Indiana House of Representatives. Having known Dan and his family for many years I can honestly say that Dan represents all that is good about the Hoosier state, and in particular the core values that we hold dear like hard work, low taxation, faith, and responsible, representative government. This campaign for the 7th district is about a call for new leadership and fresh ideas. And our candidate will bring youth, energy and vitality to a people who deserve nothing less. I am pleased to chair Dan’s bid to be your state representative.”

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It seems IPS janitor turned Center Township Assessor Eugene Akers is running afoul of the law. It seems WXNT host and blogger Abdul has caught Akers handing out political literature to those who go to the Center Township assessor’s office to protest their assessment. Taxpayers are given this piece of paper:

“JUST SAY NO!

If you wish to retain local representation in Center Township, vote NO on the November 4th General Election Referendum issue:

“Should the assessing duties of the Elected Township Assessor in the township be transferred to the County Assessor?”

Please look for this referendum on the backside of your ballot!

JUST SAY NO!
Thank you for your Support!”

According to Abdul, there was no standard disclaimer on this piece of political material nor a statement of who paid for the flyer. Abdul states the State Board of Accounts “would take exception to the township assessor paying for political activities out of public funds.”

The incompetence of Beth White never ceases to amaze me. Just received an email that explained the Marion County GOP Chairman “lost” his Precinct Committeeman spot because the Clerk put him on the wrong precinct ballot. No worries because he could always appoint himself to any random open PC position anyway. But its the principle of it all – if she can’t get a PC position right, what makes anyone think she isn’t going to screw up something a little more important.

Never mind we had precincts not open up until late afternoon or not at all in May 2007.

On Tuesday there were numerous reports of irregularities and odd happenings coming out of Philadelphia, perhaps the toughest political battleground in the state of Pennsylvania. With the Pennsylvania primary giving Hillary Clinton a reason to stay in the race, the eyes of pundits are now turning to Indiana and North Carolina where primaries will be held on May 6th.

Aside from national attention shifting to Indiana, another way to tell that the primary is looming is the start of election shenanigans in Lake County.

Apparently the good folks over in Gary felt that part of their civic duty involved helping some of the city’s high school students vote early by busing them the county seat of Crown Point for a vote-early field trip. Yes, you heard that correctly: a school district in a city where Obama will probably win a landslide victory bused 200 voting age students on 32 miles round trip just so they could vote early.

(Read more after the leap)