Seen tonight as Andy Harris’ Facebook Status:

“Looking towards running for Wayne Township Trustee starting in January of 2010. It is time we bring TRUST back into TRUSTEE in Wayne Township. Enough is Enough, Andy Harris for Wayne Township Trustee!!!”

Andy is a great guy and will do well as the Trustee. My question for Andy is – if the opportunity to consolidate the township functions (i.e. fire department) into the City and County were to occur during his tenure as Trustee, would he willing go along with it, regardless of who occupies the 25th Floor or holds the majority of the City-County Council?

As announced by the Lake County Republican Party:

The Lake County GOP is saddened to have to announce the passing of Schererville Town Council President Perry Ferrini. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

From the (Hammond) Times today:
“Schererville Town Council President Perry Ferrini died Sunday from medical complications while being treated at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, town officials confirmed Monday morning.

“This was just a terrible surprise,” councilman Hal Slager said of Ferrini, was about two weeks shy of completing his first year as president of the council. “We certainly didn’t expect it to go like this.”

As vice president of the council, Slager will assume Ferrini’s responsibility as president. No further discussions have been made about how Ferrini’s council seat will be replaced.

Ferrini, a married father of three and avid White Sox fan, was the recipient of a heart transplant in August 1998.”

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: The County Council’s vote to fund Planned Parenthood
Date: Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:54:25 -0500
From: Scott Tibbs <tibbs1973@yahoo.com>
To: vkelson@co.monroe.in.us, cnewmann@co.monroe.in.us, mhawk@co.monroe.in.us, jlesh@co.monroe.in.us, whenegar@co.monroe.in.us, gmckim@co.monroe.in.us, councilorthomas@gmail.com

Planned Parenthood’s finances

♦ Revenue of Affiliates — $966.7 million
♦ Revenue of National Office — $84.7 million
♦ Eliminations – $13.3 Million
♦ Total Revenue — $1.0381 billion

♦ Expenses of Affiliates — $892.8 million
♦ Expenses of National Office — $73.6 million
♦ Eliminations – $13.3 Million
♦ Total Expenses — $953.1 million

♦ Profit of Affiliates — $73.9
♦ Profit of National Office — $11.1
♦ Total Profit — $85.0 Million

Dear Councilors,

I was very disappointed to see that you have chosen to fund a corporation with over $1,000,000,000 in annual revenue when you disbursed social services funds back in October. I was very pleased to see that Planned Parenthood did not even apply for funding from city government over the summer. I was not surprised to see PP ask for funding from county government, with meeting times that are much less open than city government’s meeting times. While I approve of the change that has the County Council disburse these funds instead of the County Commissioners, your meeting time necessarily excludes many concerned citizens.

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Remember back in November of last year when the Washington Township Advisory Board voted 4-3 along partisan lines to give themselves a pay increase?  Well the same shenanigans could happen again tonight in Wayne Township.  Word is that the Wayne Township Board will be reviewing the salary schedule as it relates to the 2010 budget tonight at 6pm at the Wayne Township Government Center.

What’s on docket for the vote?

• Pay increase for board members that put in 40 hours a year
• Payments into PERF (Public Employees Retirement Fund)
• Full health insurance for board members

According to Abdul over at Indiana Barrister, these guys make $8,500 a year at about $700 per meeting and they feel like they deserve a pay increase….and benefits?  Are you kidding me?  Township government may not be a problem all across the state, but it’s certainly a problem in Marion County and there needs to be reform!

If you’re interested, the board meeting info (again) is at 6 p.m. at the Wayne Township Government Center, 5401 West Washington Street. (317) 241-4191

UPDATE 6:33 PM: Abdul reports via Twitter:

“AttyAbdul Wayne Tship board turns down raise benefits. Common sense rules!”

While the nation’s unemployment rises, Indiana is on the right track today and announced that they are adding more jobs right here in Indianapolis.

Today the nation’s unemployment went higher today and it is at the highest it has ever been since 1983! This is not good news and now Congress and the President need to focus on job creation in the private sector, instead of trying to grow into a bigger and less efficient Government!

Then we see this report come out yesterday that Indiana was one of 11 States that are recovering from this recession.

See our Governor and Mayor get it, instead of spending more money and creating a bigger Government, they are focusing on recruiting more companies to our great State and City!

Not to be outdone by Fishers, the City of Greenwood is spending public funds to study moving Greenwood Airport (HFY) from its current location at County Line Road and Emerson Avenue to a location east of I-65. Recall that Fishers wanted to move Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport (UMP) from its location near 96th Street and I-69 to a location centrally located between Noblesville, Pendleton, and Anderson. Fishers wanted to develop the land which UMP sits into – of course – retail and office development. When all the parties could involved could not agree on a location and zoning, the Indianapolis Airport Authority which owns UMP pulled the plug on the idea of moving the airport.

From the Franklin Daily Journal [emphasis added by yours truly]:
[More below the fold]

The guest post below reminds me of a post that I wrote back in January of this year.

By Evan Matthews, a Hoosier Libertarian. Originally posted at LPIN.org.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Smoking bans are onerous, misguided and dangerous.  As Indianapolis lawmakers debate whether the Circle City requires more stringent smoking legislation, they should stop to consider the economic and realistic implications.

The owner of a private establishment, be it bar, bowling alley or barber shop, should be able to determine whether or not smoking is permissible on their property. Proprietors would display a sign on the door, reading either “Smoking” or “Non-Smoking,” both enforced with vigor. Individuals would then be able to make informed and individual choices, free from government coercion.

About three-fourths of the population are non-smokers. Establishments would be foolish to alienate this huge market. As a result, many will enforce their own bans in order to cater to clientele. Government intervention isn’t needed to create non-smoking environments in private establishments.

One highly visible side effect of smoking bans is their adverse economic effects. A Montreal Economic Institute study examining several Canadian cities concluded that sales at bars and pubs were 22.5% lower than they would have been without the ban. Interestingly, the article adds that the population’s smoking rate remained at 25%, about a fifth above the national average, despite the ban, providing evidence that prohibitive measures do not change smoking habits.

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From the Indystar:

A felony official misconduct conviction today resulted in the automatic removal from office of Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs.

Hobbs, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge this morning in Marion Superior Court, admitting to using a $500 check from the Castleton Volunteer Fire Department to pay his apartment rent in February 2007.

He apologized and asked Judge James Osborn to enter the conviction as a Class A misdemeanor; the option is allowed under Indiana law for a person’s first felony, and it would allow him to stay in office until his term is up at the end of 2010.

Osborn, a fellow Democrat, said no.

As standard procedure, Lawrence Township Democrats will caucus in the near future to pick Hobbs’ replacement. Anyone familiar with Lawrence Township Democrat politics have a hunch on who would be picked to replace Hobbs?

Four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that government may take private property for use by private developers, a case that shook the very foundations of private property rights and the Fifth Amendment. Now, in the city of Bloomington, another property rights case is being decided that could define how government relates to its citizens. Over 30 years ago, the city of Bloomington built a footpath between the homes of two property owners. One of the original property owners, Shirley Jablonski, says that city officials told her “the city had an easement and could take the land” according to the Herald-Times.

But the city of Bloomington never had an easement to build a footpath on private property. Now, the city claims that it has acquired the use of the land through “adverse possession.” However, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled last year that government may not use adverse possession to gain control of private property, making the city’s legal “argument” even weaker. Even if that maneuver were permissible under Indiana law, it is trumped by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which clearly prohibits these kinds of takings.

It is critical that Jablonski and Jeff Sagarin win this case, for two reasons, First and most importantly is that if the city of Bloomington wins, the Fifth Amendment will be severely weakened. If the city of Bloomington is allowed to keep this property that they never had a legal right to use, a dangerous precedent will be established putting the private property rights of every single citizen of the United States in danger. Sagarin and Jablonski should not be forced to tolerate trespassers on their land on a path that is shockingly close to Jablonski’s windows.

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“nor shall any person… be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” — The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Two years ago, the city of Bloomington approached Jeff Sagarin and informed him they were going to be upgrading the footpath that goes through his yard, connecting his street to Greenwood Avenue to the north. The city claimed it had an easement for the footpath, so Sagarin began researching, and made a shocking discovery. The city never had an easement to put a path through Sagarin’s yard, and there is no legal documentation that the city has any right to use Sagarin’s property for public use. When the city refused to budge, Sagarin filed a lawsuit. The case finally went to court late last month.

The city’s excuse for keeping the land that they never had any right to use is that they have obtained a right to use the land through adverse possession. The city claims that since the path has been used by the public for well over thirty years, the use of the path automatically defaults to the city. While adverse possession has a history in common law, it clearly does not apply here. The supreme law of the land in the United States is not common law, but the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment trumps common law, adverse possession, or whatever other lame excuse the city (or its defenders) wish to use to defend this egregious attack on private property rights.

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I attended and spoke at the Monroe County Board of Health meeting last night, where the BOH considered a resolution to urge the County Commissioners to ban smoking in vehicles with children younger than 14.The Commissioners will consider the ban at their 9:00 a.m. meeting, safely hidden away from people who have to be at work. (See yesterday’s post.)

What I found amazing was the attitude of some of the supporters, including some members of the Board of Health. There was a great deal of pretentiousness and arrogance, as if they’re looking down on us and making decrees on the sheep who are too stupid and ignorant to run our own lives. People know better, but we have to control behavior by law because they do not do what is good for them, as one BOH member said.

The language of the amendment does not allow police to use smoking in a car with a child to be a reason to pull someone over. That was the case with seat belts too, and I have driven through checkpoints in downtown Bloomington where police look to see if I am wearing my seat belt. (I always do.) Of course, it’s entirely possible that police may pull someone over for another violation that would not otherwise merit the driver being pulled over, for the purpose of collecting the $100 fine. There’s also nothing to prevent the ordinance from being amended again.

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Tonight, the Monroe County Board of Health will hold a public forum at 7 p.m. in the Monroe County Courthouse regarding a proposal to make it illegal for people to smoke in their own vehicles if a child less than 14 years old is in the vehicle. The County Commissioners will consider the proposal in their meeting tomorrow. See the PDF legislative packet.

Before I even get into the issue, this is exactly why County Commissioner meetings should not be hidden away at 9:00 a.m. on a Friday morning, while most people are at work.
This is a significant piece of legislation that will affect the liberty of thousands of Monroe County residents. Having a meeting schedule that discourages public participation is unconscionable and the Commissioners meeting times should be changed as soon as legally permissible.

The text of the amendment is as follows:

Smoking is prohibited in a motor vehicle, either at rest or in motion, in which there is present a person thirteen (13) years of age or younger. A law enforcement officer shall not stop a vehicle for the sole purpose of determining whether there is a violation of this section.

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