Carl Brizzi's Law License Suspended for 30 Days

Last night WRTV reported that former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has been suspended from the practice of law for 30 days. For advocates of good government Carl Brizzi has been a major irritation for many years. Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden have chronicled his nefarious legal career on their blogs. WRTV's report starts out with the disclaimer that Brizzi in the past has served as an on air legal analyst in the past. Jordan Fischer over at WRTV writes:

The suspension stems from two incidents in 2008 and 2009 while Brizzi was still serving as prosecutor.

Brizzi was accused in 2008 of failing to disclose a 50-percent stake in a real estate venture with former criminal defense attorney Paul Page. An investigation by the Indiana Supreme Court's Disciplinary Commission ultimately said the evidence showed that the omission was inadvertent, and found no violation.

A second incident in 2009, also involved Page, drew more condemnation from the disciplinary commission.

In a disciplinary order filed Wednesday, the commission pointed to "high unusual" intervention by Brizzi in instructing his chief deputy to allow a criminal defendant being represented by Page to a class "D" felony rather than a class "C" felony.

Brizzi told RTV6 last year he thought the issue had been settled after he received two letters from the disciplinary commission in March 2015 saying there was no
reasonable cause to believe that you are guilty of misconduct which would warrant disciplinary conduct."

But then in May 2016, the commission filed a verified complaint for disciplinary action against Brizzi in connection to three alleged incidents of professional misconduct.

"They sent a letter last year stating all matters were closed," Brizzi told RTV6 last year. "The disciplinary commission's pursuit is surprising given their representations plus the fact that the matter is eight years old."

The Supreme Court's ruling will prohibit Brizzi – who now operates a private law practice in Fishers – from practicing law for 30 days, beginning May 1.

His license will be reinstated following his 30-day suspension. 

Longtime readers of Advance Indiana and Ogden On Politics will recognize the name Paul Page. Page was at the center of the bungled federal prosecution of real estate mogul John Bales. The failed prosecution involved the leasing of a property in Elkhart to the Indiana Department of Child Services. Gary Welsh writing on this years ago says:

Brizzi didn't pay anything to gain a 50% stake in that Elkhart building that was leased to the Department of Child Services under a sweetheart deal. This came after he decided not to pursue a criminal investigation of DCS officials in the Tajanay Bailey case that he had announced months earlier, an agency that coincidentally employs his ex-wife. The sweetheart lease deal was brokered with the same guy representing the state with whom he executed a sweetheart lease deal for office space for the prosecutor's office.


To the amazement of many then US Attorney now Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett decided instead of prosecuting Brizzi that he instead be referred to the Indiana Attorney Disciplinary Commission for possible disciplinary action. Tajanay Bailey was a 3 year old girl that was killed by her mother's boyfriend. At the time serious questions arose as to the conduct of various Department of Child Services workers in Tajanay Bailey's case. Back in 2007 soon after Tajanay's death Brizzi promised a full investigation into the matter. Strangely no such investigation to our knowledge has ever taken place. Advance Indiana wrote about the case:


Many of you will recall the tragic killing of 3-year-old Tajanay Bailey in November, 2007. She was beaten to death by her mother's live-in boyfriend at the troubled Phoenix Apartments where she and her mother lived. Subsequent new stories told a troubling tale of how case workers for the Indiana Department of Child Services had badly failed in their mission to protect children like Tajanay. According to a story in the Indianapolis Star, Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi expressed deep concern about DCS's handling of the case and promised a complete and full investigation. Specifically, Brizzi wanted to know why DCS officials had failed to notify police after they learned Tajanay had been physically abused in the home in 2006 and why she had been returned to that same home. At the time Brizzi made those comments, Tajanay's tragic killing was all over the news. As time passed, we never heard from Brizzi again about DCS.

We now know that DCS entered into a lease agreement with L&BAB LLC in 2008 to lease a 13,000 square foot building for $248,500 a year that the business had acquired in Elkhart, Indiana only five months after the company purchased the building in February, 2008 and just three months after Brizzi said he planned to investigate DCS' handling of the Tajanay Bailey case. According to the IBJ, the 50-50 owners of L&BAB are Carl Brizzi and Paul Page. Brizzi was not required to pay anything to L&BAB for his 50 percent stake in the company. The deal raised eyebrows of many people in the legal community, largely because Page represented a number of criminal defense clients adverse to Brizzi's office at the time and other questions have been raised about whether Brizzi cut favors for Page's clients. Did the investigation of DCS' handling of the Tajanay Bailey case suffer because of the business deal Brizzi and his partner struck with the agency? It's a fair question to ask in light of recent disclosures about decisions his office has made.


Carl Brizzi also has gained notice for his bungling of the case of former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White. Brizzi as upset as he maybe by having his law license suspended. Old Carl B is glad that he is only receiving a 30 day suspension instead of hard prison time that the rest of us "little people" would receive. He is certainly getting off much easier than Paul Ogden did in front of the Disciplinary Commission. Mr. Ogden was fined $10,000 and given a 30 day suspension for simply criticizing a judge in an email. Never mind that the judge in question had been removed from the case that Mr. Ogden was speaking of in his email under the lazy judge rule. For further details of Paul Ogden's kangaroo court farce click here. We would encourage everyone out there to post comments on every site you can find carrying Brizzi's suspension story. And point out how Brizzi is getting less than a slap on the wrist when he deserves much worse. Email all the legislatures, the Governor's office, and every media outlet in Indiana. Also call all the newspapers, radio and TV stations and demand they run stories that detail Brizzi's sordid past in detail. If they refuse then leave comment's online, start your own blog's, don't let up. Keep the pressure on. Worse case you just simply make the Indianapolis Media Complex miserable. Don't ever give up. And to the parasites of the political class out there. Gary Welsh's followers are mad as hell! We will honor and continue Gary's quest until you are all defeated! Let us all comrades turn to the song stylings of the great Twisted Sister's song for inspiration and motivation:



Mike Pence Weasel, Liar and Slave to Washington!

Good Evening. Hope everyone is taking it easy and trying not to get to sucked into the craziness out there. As you all know by now. The IR team are not supporters of former Indiana Governor now Vice President Mike Pence. You may recall our recent blog post about his email scandal.  We all have been chided by many of our fellow republicans for saying that Mike Pence is nothing more than an opportunistic clod. Given Mr. Pence's conduct over the past week or so in regards to his unsuccessful attempt to "persuade" many of his former congressional colleagues to sell out there principles and support the American Health Care Act, aka AHCA, aka RyanCare, aka TrumpCare/ObamaCare Lite. We feel more than vindicated in our assessment of Mike Pence as a man and as a politician. Over at Redstate.com Jim Jamits has written an article critical of Vice President Pence titled "Never Trust Anyone Who Asks You to ‘Take One for the Team’"


Jamitis writes:


As someone who used to have high hopes for what Vice President Mike Pence might do for the conservative movement and who never got on board the Trump train, I wasn’t thrilled that Pence enthusiastically became Trump’s running mate. I had mixed feelings.
Part of me said that it’s good someone like Pence would have Trump’s ear, but another part wondered whether I had been wrong about Pence from the beginning. How could a solid ideological conservative submit to a guy like Trump?
Some of the anecdotes reported in the wake of the AHCA failure make me think Pence is just another Washington insider driven by politics instead of principle. Politico Magazine describes how the Freedom Caucus and their policy concerns were treated by the White House.


Quoting from Politico Jamitis says:


They hoped for a meeting with Trump and an opportunity to negotiate some major policy changes directly with him. Instead, they found themselves hauled into the less-than-inspiring Executive Office Building for a pep rally with Vice President Mike Pence, chief of staff Reince Priebus, Bannon, and other members of Trump’s inner circle—but not the president himself. (As an aside, it’s impossible to ignore the failure of Pence, Price and Mulvaney, three former conservative darlings while in the Congress, to sell more of their ideological brethren on this bill.)


Jamitis responds to Politico by stating:


It’s impossible to ignore the failure because for the Freedom Caucus it was probably impossible to ignore the the defection of these men to the cult of Trump. They had abandoned their principled roots for a seat at the table of power.


The incident paints a picture of Pence as just another cynical Washington horse trader trying to score the political win even if it meant arbitrarily discarding the notion of actually repealing Obamacare.


Quoting again from Politico:


Members of the Freedom Caucus realized right away that there would be no negotiating. Pence tried to pump up the conservatives, telling them the fight was theirs to win and that they needed to help Trump and Ryan score a victory for the new administration. The plea landed on deaf ears. “Take one for the team” was a phrase repeatedly deployed; [Emphasis added]


Jamitis offers these parting thoughts about Pence's attempt at negotiating with strong arming his fellow republicans into doing the will of his D.C. masters:


In the GOP, being asked—or told—to “take one for the team” means two things. One, you are not really considered part of the “team,” and therefore your only value is as cannon fodder or as a scapegoat. Two, your values, principles, and campaign promises are worth spit to whomever is asking you. Only your vote matters and you should expect no reward from the team for selling it to them cheaply.


In theory, making a sacrifice for the good of something bigger than yourself can be a noble act, but when asked to compromise your principles for a dubious good, follow your instincts and not the crowd.


After a lifetime of working and being active in the republican party. We are in agreement with Mr. Jamitis's view of what "taking one for the team" really mean in the world of politics. What Jim Jamitis and many others many not quite realize is that Mike Pence doesn't have any principles! Of course the Indianapolis media's refusal to actually point out the truth about Pence probably explains a lot as to why so many people have such an unrealistic view of Pence. Dan Carden of the Northwest Indiana Times pointed out last year on twitter that Mike Pence had stated on his 2011 tax return that he and his wife Karen lived in Arlington, Virginia back when he was getting ready to run for Governor:

	Dan Carden @nwi_DanCarden
@KyleBabcock @indysentinel Oh hey, look who said he lived in Arlington, Va. in 2012 while running for Ind. governor pic.twitter.com/OHTakUWwDz 7:34 PM - 10 Sep 2016 Twitter by: Dan Carden @nwi_DanCarden This is interesting because Article V, Section VII of the Indiana Constitution states: Section 7. No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor, who shall not have been five years a citizen of the United States, and also a resident of the State of Indiana during the five years next preceding his election; nor shall any person be eligible to either of the said offices, who shall not have attained the age of thirty years. So how could Mike Pence meet the eligibility requirements to be Governor if as he stated on his 2011 Income Tax Return that he and his wife lived in Virginia? As all taxpayers are aware the address you put down on your Income Tax Return is supposed to be the address at which you are currently residing when you file taxes. Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was crucified by the Indiana political, media and legal establishment because they allege that he voted in the wrong voter precinct one time! So using the standard applied to Charlie White former Governor Pence should have some awkward questions to answer! It is amazing to all of us that the Hillary Clinton campaign didn't do more opposition research on Pence during last years presidential race. No doubt Indiana and National Democrats have this and other information to use against Pence should he ever decide to run for President. We are all grateful that some of our fellow conservatives and republicans are waking up and seeing that Mike Pence is not our friend. Pence is nothing but a scheming little weasel that the republican party should toss out on his ass! We here at IR in the meantime are more than happy to see "Pampered Pence" be used as a piñata for frustrated republicans! Hope you enjoy being a global joke Mike! Here is Mike Pence's real self!:

Indiana Will Be Restored!

Good evening friends. As all of you out there have been witness to  the sin and vice that makes up much of the world around us. It is only natural to feel discouraged and beaten down at times. What must be kept in mind is that any trouble no matter what is only temporary. IR's staff is besieged with inquiries as to how to fight back and reclaim our state and our nation. The answer is multilayered but part of the answer is it is not just enough to expose the darkness in our world. We must also practice and promote positive active goodness in our own lives. Gary Welsh was and still is a great man. He was wonderful at fighting and exposing the corruption of today. But one area our dear departed comrade sometimes fell short in was in not focusing on what is right in our lives and the goodness we can and will accomplish. We can say with the utmost confidence that Indiana and the rest of these United States shall achieve great heights and continue to be the "shining city on the hill" that will be respected by all good people everywhere. We can say this due to what we see and hear everyday. There are people who are striving to achieve goodness and who choose not to give into the darkness. Even if they are not readily visible they exist and you can be one of them. At IR we don't write to get readers. We have readers so that we may write. We have received much great feedback since we started almost a year ago. We all were inspired to our lives calling by the writing of Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden, Jon Easter, Charlie White and many others like them. Perhaps we are planting the seeds for more such men and women to emerge and say to the powers that be: "Enough"! We are not naive this process will take sometime. Decades or more possibly. But the more we get out the truth, the more shackles are broken the sooner we will achieve our values. Let us dedicate ourselves to the "great task remaining" Each day we shall continue to work for the emancipation of the spirit of mankind. We are the disciples of reason and the soldiers of freedom! Let us stand together and show the world the spirit of Gary Welsh is not only not dead but is just barely started it's fight for goodness!

Should Hoosier Republicans Form a Third Party?

Should real Hoosier republicans form a third party? That's a question that is being asked of us a lot these days. With there being no discernible differences between the two major parties in Indiana. At least in the area of good government. It is a question that most if not all serious conservative/libertarian republicans must ask ourselves. It's certainly a tempting thought to declare the party of Bill Hudnut and Rex Early dead and buried and walk away to create a new party one dedicated to individual liberty and freedom. But for reasons we will elaborate on. We here at IR have come to believe that starting a new political party would be ultimately counterproductive. Before we get to why we are not in favor of forming a new political party in Indiana. We wanted to provide some new information about the Indiana GOP's plans to hike the states gas tax. On January 25th, 2017 the Indianapolis Business Journal ran a story entitled "GOP lawmakers draw criticism for calling tax hikes 'user fees'" the same day a bill to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees for Indiana passed through the House Roads and Transportation Committee according to a story on WISH-TV's website. With the obvious abandonment of fiscal responsibility by Governor Eric Holcomb, Rep. Ed Soliday, State House Speaker Brian Bosma, and the Marion County GOP Leaderships pushing for higher taxes, along with the gutting of the State Board of Accounts. It understandably makes us ask "Why are these people Republicans?" The only answer we can come up with is they are Republicans merely out of convenience rather than ideology. The only core conviction that Daniels, Holcomb, Bosma and McQuillen hold is they believe they are entitled to serve in public office. Recently we reported about Christine Scales decision to leave the Republican Party to become a Democrat. We here at IR cannot speak for Mrs. Scales. But in our minds we cannot help but think that if the Marion County and Indiana Republican Party had a few more people like Christine Scales and fewer apparatchiks like Mike McQuillen she might have stayed.

Alright now to why despite the temptation to do so. We here at IR would oppose Hoosier Republicans bolting the GOP and forming or joining a new political party. One of the biggest reasons is the immense difficulty inherent in attempting to win an office as an independent or third party candidate. Take a look at the case of former Republican Congressman Ron Paul who ran for President on the Libertarian Party line. He did not earn a single electoral vote when he ran in 1988. However when he returned to congress as a Republican in the mid 90's and then twice ran for the GOP presidential nomination he did much better. Congressman Paul has generated far more interest and attention for his ideas as a republican than he ever did as a libertarian. As a difficult as it is to reform a political party. It can only be done by changing the parties office holders and structure. After all why should a political party be open to any change if the activists who seek it all walk out? Lastly one issue that has not been brought up much is: Are third parties any better run than the two dominant political parties? Many a disgruntled republican in Indiana has left to join the Libertarian Party. Many have left the LP because in this state at least the Indiana Libertarian Party is just a social club that likes to play games with both parties. For an alternative political party they spend time kissing up to people like Democratic State Rep. Ed Delaney and pseudo republican and former Angie's List CEO Bill Oesterle. We feel that the State and National Republican Parties have a heritage that is to beautiful to surrender to the Daniels, Holcomb's, Oesterles, and Ballards! We believe as President Reagan did that what our state and nation needs is not a third party but a revived and vibrant second party!

Residency Issue Cost Former Indiana School's Superintendent Tony Bennett a seat on the Clark County Council

Finally some good news this week for a change! Earlier today it was reported that former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett was originally set to be appointed to a seat on the Clark County Council. But apparently is ineligible to take the seat because he has not resided in the county for the required period of time need to serve on the council. Elizabeth Beilman writing for the News and Tribune reports on this issue:


Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett won't be serving on the Clark County Council after all, as he doesn't meet the residency requirements to hold office.
State law requires office holders must have lived in the district they represent for at least six months and within the county for at least a year.
The Clark County Assessor's office recorded Bennett became the owner of his Jeffersonville home Sept. 8, which doesn't meet the six-month requirement to live within the council district. His former home in New Albany was transferred to a new owner Aug. 29.

Bennett confirmed Thursday he has only lived in Clark County about six months, having previously lived in Floyd County.
"I'm not aware of any [such law]," he told the News and Tribune when informed by the newspaper of the residency requirement. "Frankly, I would assume [Clark County GOP Chairman Jamey Noel] would know that."


Bennett said he would step aside and allow someone else to fill the seat.
"I had no intentions of running when the two years were up," he said of the District 2 term. "I strictly saw this as serving the county."
Attorney Larry Wilder, often hired to represent local Republicans, took fault.

"Sometimes when you have lawyers that don't read every word in a statute, they give bad advice," Wilder said. "Tony and I talked about the opening, and I spoke with [Noel] as well, and they both asked a question about eligibility to serve and quite honestly, I made a mistake."
Bennett was one of two Republicans caucused onto the board Wednesday evening in a surprise move. But Bennett wasn't named to fill the seat vacated by Mike Popplewell, who resigned amid misdemeanor charges.
Instead, Bennett was going to represent District 2. Brian Lenfert, sitting District 2 councilman, was elected to fill Popplewell's at-large seat.
A call to Noel was not immediately returned.


Chelsea Schneider one of the only good reporters left at the Langley-Run Indianapolis Star had this to say:


Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett returned to Hoosier politics this week — but his stay was brief.
Bennett had been appointed to the Clark County Council in Southern Indiana on Wednesday. But a day later, Bennett said he would no longer serve after the News and Tribune reported he hadn’t lived in the county long enough to hold the office. State law requires a council member to live in the county for at least one year. Bennett told the newspaper he had lived in Clark County for about six months.
The development is the latest chapter in the high-profile Republican’s political career. He took a break after losing re-election as state schools chief in 2012 and resigning as the Florida education commissioner a year later.
After his selection, Bennett told IndyStar Wednesday that filling the vacancy was an “opportunity to do something that I think is really positive.”
“It’s just to serve the community I grew up in in a very positive way,” Bennett said. “I wanted to be a service to our county given my background. I have a good understanding of fiscal policy and budgeting.”
After learning he was ineligible for the seat, Bennett told the News and Tribune that he “had no intentions of running” when the current term was up.
Bennett and Clark County GOP Chair Jamey Noel didn’t immediately return requests for comment.


We are over joyed to hear that at least for now that Tony Bennett will not being serving in public office. It appears that his attempt to serve on the Clark County Council just went "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!" Couldn't have happened to a nicer lowlife! One can't help but wonder if Tony Bennett is thinking about why they chose to apply local residency law to him when so many other office holders have flouted residency laws to keep their offices! Former Senator's Dick Lugar and Evan Bayh both have. Former Governor Mitch Daniels lived at his house in Hamilton County even though the Constitution of the State of Indiana states that the governor must reside at the seat of Indiana State Government which the court's have interpreted to mean Marion County. But at least Bennett is grateful that he is not facing any legal repercussions for this. He is undoubtedly thankful that he was not charged with federal wire fraud violations from stunts that he and his staff pulled when he was Education Superintendent.


Paul Ogden and Gary Welsh both have written extensively on Bennett's time in office. Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White has also discussed this at length on his podcast series "The Charlie White Show".


Especially of interest is a blog post by Gary Welsh over at Advance Indiana back on December 02, 2014. The post  is titled "Joe Hogsett And Terry Curry Gave Tony Bennett Pass On Multiple Wire Fraud Violations". Mr. Welsh gave some facts which should be reviewed in light of Tony Bennett's past and also the fact that he is clearly willing to seek office again. From the keystrokes of the Grand Master himself:


Before Inspector General David Thomas entered into a settlement agreement with former Education Supt. Tony Bennett this summer letting him off with a hand slap for using state employees and state resources for political purposes, he prepared another 95-page report in which his investigation concluded there were 100 instances in which Bennett or his staff violated federal wire fraud laws. For some reason, Thomas didn't bother to release that report at the time he entered into the state ethics settlement with Bennett, but State House reporter Tom LoBianco has now obtained a copy of the original report, which should have been posted on the IG's website for public inspection but wasn't.

. . . In a section labeled “Scheme to Defraud,” the inspector general laid out its case, saying Bennett “while serving as the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Indiana, devised a scheme or artifice to defraud the State of Indiana of money and property by using State of Indiana paid employees and property, for his own personal gain, as well as for his own political benefit to be re-elected to the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.”  

The violations fell into five categories: political campaign fundraising, responding to political opponent’s assertions, calendar political activity meetings, political campaign call appointments and general political campaign activity.  

Through reviews of emails and calendar entries and more than 50 interviews with top Republicans and former staffers, investigator Charles Coffin determined that Bennett falsified mileage logs to cover fundraising trips and the use of two state workers as campaign drivers. The report also details 20 days on which Bennett used the SUV to go to local Republican fundraisers coded as “business” in his handwritten vehicle logs, as well as instances when trips to events billed as education-related also had calendar notes about political donors being present.  

Bennett also used tax dollars to send a staffer to attend the 2012 Republican Party convention on his behalf . . .

According to LoBianco, the report analogized Bennett's case to the recent federal prosecution of former Lake Co. Surveyor George Van Til, who pleaded guilty last December to six federal wire fraud counts related to the use of county employees and resources for his political campaigns. Bennett could have also been prosecuted for official misconduct and ghost employment under state law just like one of his predecessors, Harold Negley, who former Marion Co. Prosecutor Steve Goldsmith prosecuted on nearly identical charges. The question now that must be answered is why former U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett and Marion Co. Prosecutor Terry Curry, both Democrats, passed on prosecuting Bennett. What was the quid pro quo? Inquiring minds want to know. The answer should be quite obvious in both instances. Both of them should be holding their heads in shame for breaching their respective oaths of office.


Welsh then goes onto point out some interesting information about former Indiana Secretary of State now Congressman Todd Rokita and how one of the staff members cited in the Inspector General's report on Bennett office. Had a spouse who was mentioned in regards to alleged violations at the Secretary of State's office under Todd Rokita.


I (Gary Welsh) would be remiss if I didn't remind people that former Secretary of State Charlie White reported his predecessor, Todd Rokita, to the state's Inspector General and the Marion Co. Prosecutor, for similar violations after he and his staff uncovered campaign-related documents on the state's computers in his office when he took office. The spouse of one of the employees cited in the Inspector General's report on Bennett's office was at the center of those violations in the Secretary of State's office. Both the Inspector General and the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office refused to investigate White's allegations. The State House media has refused to report on White's allegations because they don't like him and want him destroyed.

Here was my reaction last July when the IG's settlement agreement with Bennett was announced:

Clearly, the admissions made by Bennett involve violations of criminal statutes, including official misconduct and ghost employment under state law. Former Education Supt. Harold Negley was forced to resign and prosecuted for exactly those same offenses back in 1985 by then-Marion Co. Prosecutor Steve Goldsmith. The state ethics commission can recommend forwarding the findings to the prosecutor for further investigation, but nothing is stopping Marion Co. Prosecutor Terry Curry from acting on his own. It remains unclear why he sat back and allowed the Inspector General's investigation to play out before convening a grand jury to conduct his own independent investigation. Remarkably, Bennett's lawyers at Barnes & Thornburg claim they have an agreement with Curry not to prosecute him, which is a complete outrage if true. Curry claimed he planned to get tough on the prosecution of public corruption cases when he ran for office four years ago, but he declines to take any action in the most brazen cases set in front of him.

It is completely beyond reason as to why Tony Bennett was not charged like his predecessor in office Harold Negley was back in 1985 for pretty much the exact same offenses! Some democrats complained about the refusal to prosecute Bennett and such refusal certainly cost the democrats their chance to pick up some more elected offices. Why Todd Rokita has been allowed to skate by in the matter of their being claims made that their was campaign related documents on the state's computers is also astonishing. It is way past time that someone looked into Mr. Rokita and his tenure as Secretary of State! We all must be vigilant in regards to Tony Bennett. He and other's might have thought that with the unfortunate demise of Gary Welsh. That he and the other parasites and vultures that seek to drain the life blood out of the citizens of Indiana with nobody noticing them. Surprise! Gary Welsh maybe gone but his influence lives on! You know we will let the great actor Henry Fonda break it down for you:






Once again we are your host here at the Indy Republican Blog saying goodnight and be happy wherever you are. But before we leave you we want to share a little treasure from the good Tony Bennett and also a link to a podcast by that great freedom fighter himself MR. CHARLIE WHITE!


Here is Tony Bennett performing that great classic "Anything Goes" with Lady Gaga:











And last but certainly not least Charlie White's take on Tony Bennett: http://indianatalks.com/site/2014/10/the-charlie-white-show-10-29-14-podcast/

Reasons to be thankful

We know it is hard for many of you to be hopeful at times like this. For we have to look forward to Eric "Bagman" Holcomb as Governor as well as Mike Pence as the next Vice-President of the United States. But there is a lot we all as Hoosiers and Americans have to be thankful for! For one thing we are Americans! We are citizens of the greatest country in human history! We have freedoms that are unparalleled throughout history! Ironically we the people have had these freedoms so long we have started to take them for granted and we are in danger of losing them. But we have them anyway. Yes it is true that Gary Welsh the great Titan of the Indiana Blogsphere passed way to soon. But we all need to be thankful for his contributions to this state and this nation. Thanks to him and Paul Ogden Dick Lugar and Evan Bayh are no longer rotting away in the Senate! Yes Misters Donnelly and Young are no prizes but at least it has been shown in politics that no one is invincible. Paul Ogden is still blogging all of us here have joined the cause as well! Inspired by Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden to be modern day troubadours to sing the songs of good government and freedom! Others here and there along the highways and byways will join us and ultimately we will succeed in making a more perfect state and a more perfect union! We must remember that although exposing corruption is one of our primary goals. In addition we must practice positive active goodness. Our enemies the Daniels, Bayh's, Holcomb's, Delaneys, the Matt Tully's, and the Jim Shella's wish only to continue their nihilistic crusade to destroy the good for being good. Unlike them we wish to be free and enjoy life not just avoid pain. The parasites mentioned above believe that others are merely tools to be used to further their own ends. All of us deal with others by choice and voluntary association. We strive to avoid using anyone in any manner. That is why the powers that be are scared. They know themselves to be full of it! And nothing scares them as much as men and women who can think! Slowly but surely people around this state and around the country are beginning to question the elites! Christine Scales has been the target of both political parties in Indianapolis because of her stateswoman like refusal to be bullied by either former Mayor Ballard and his RINO cronies or by Mayor Hogsett and his minions. Paul Ogden is the object of both praise and hatred for his refusal to stop calling out the garbage that has to long disgraced our state! Together and individually we shall smash the media monopoly in this state! We must remind each other and ourselves that the best things in life happen outside of government. We must remind our elected officials they work for us and we own their fate they don't own us. This struggle has and will be long and complicated. It may take decades and may require both parties to fade into oblivion before we have reclaimed our state. But ultimately we will win because we will not submit. We will honor the heroes gone before us. We will continue the work that Gary Welsh began. We will succeed and cause him and all the other angels in heaven to shout with joy at what we will ultimately accomplish. We will continue to offer advice as time, experience and the Holy Spirit guide us. As David struck down Goliath and the walls of Jericho came a tumbling down. So shall the cracks continue to open and widen in the bipartisan cabal that controls so much of our state! Remember the words of Christ who said: "Let not your heart be troubled", "let none be yee called masters", and lastly our brothers and sisters as the savior also said "Do not worry about tomorrow. For each day has enough worry unto itself. By worrying can you add a minute to your life or an inch to your height." Oh we all here forget to mention word on the street is that Holcomb is already ruffling feathers and might be in for a rocky start as governor. There are many who fear him. But just as many who will undermine him everyday he is in office. He would be wise not to trust anyone.

With that we bid you all Godspeed! May the blessings of God be with you all! AMEN!

Trouble in Paradise? Angie's List to layoff undisclosed number of employees!

Wednesday  night Fox 59 reported that the taxpayer funded racket Angie's List is going to be making some cutbacks in it's workforce.

Fox 59 said yesterday: 

Angie’s List isn’t being specific tonight on layoffs reported in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Employees at its East Washington Street campus confirmed to FOX59 that layoffs did in fact take place, but there have been no details released from the company.

Angie's List has been subtly indicating that it would be looking for cost cuttings measures. Marketwatch reports stocks went up 3.5 percent Tuesday after the company publicized that it was putting itself up for sale and exploring strategic alternatives.

Third quarter net losses released Tuesday showed Angie’s List took a $16.8 million hit.

A company spokesperson issued this statement to FOX59 Wednesday afternoon:

As we covered on the earnings call yesterday, we're always looking to drive efficiencies and have identified another $15-$20m in savings. These are primarily workforce related and targeting non-revenue generating headcount.

 Those of you who follow INDY REPUBLICAN, Advance Indiana, and Ogden on Politics are familiar with Angie's List and it's underhanded way of doing business. Former Angie's List CEO & Co-Founder  Bill Oesterle has been a particularly frequent target for criticism by our staff, the now deceased Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden and Charlie White. Although we don't envy the 150 plus layoffs our sources tell us are coming at Angie's List. In a way it's only poetic justice that this Frankenstein monster that Oesterle and his cohorts have created is like the walls of Jericho is "a tumbling down"! Thank God for small favors! No wonder Bill went flying out of Angie's List like a bat out of hell last year! He is forever grateful to "Asskisser" Matt Tully and his minions in the media for not reporting on Billy's lack of business acumen. 

How the Mighty have Fallen! Establishment Rag Indianapolis Star to layoff more staff!

Good morning friends! Well it appears the useless Langley controlled tabloid the Indianapolis Star is falling even further into irrelevancy! In a story reported by Lesley Weidenbener in the Indianapolis Business Journal on October 26, 2016 the Indianapolis Star aka Pravda Indiana is letting go two of it's works and plans to eliminate seven more in the near future. Ms. Weidenbender reports:


The Indianapolis Star laid off two members of its reporting staff Tuesday as part of a larger effort by its owner, Gannett Co., to trim 2 percent of its workforce.
The layoffs were the seventh round of job reductions at the paper in the past eight years—and more cuts are looming.
Negotiators for The Star told union officials Tuesday that the paper plans to eliminate its entire copy editing staff and move those duties to a central copy desk in Louisville.
The move would eliminate seven jobs in Indianapolis, although two of the staff members would be moved to other positions focused on web production and proofreading headlines and front pages, according to a post on the website of the Indianapolis NewsGuild, which represents The Star’s newsroom and custodial employees.
The two employees who lost their jobs Tuesday, Phil Friend and Leah Woodrum, were web producers—reporters who generate online stories and social media content. Friend worked in sports and Woodrum handled general-assignment duties. Both joined The Star about seven months ago after being transferred from the Lafayette Journal & Courier, also owned by Gannett.
Guild President Robert King, a reporter at the paper, said the pair were generating content for The Star and other Gannett papers in Indiana.
“They were new to us but we were glad to have them,” King said. “They were good folks. I don’t think this is any reflection on their work. It’s a decision far above us here.”
Jeff Taylor, a Gannett vice president and its Midwest regional editor, declined in an email to IBJ to comment on the changes.
The announcement about the copy editors—who generally check stories for grammatical and factual errors and write headlines—was part of the paper’s opening salvo in new contract negotiations, which started Tuesday.
King declined to comment specifically on the negotiations. But a post on the union’s website said “guild leaders reacted with concern about the proposal, not only for the job losses but also for the potential damage to the quality of the news product.”
In 2012, The Star moved most of its designers to Louisville, where Gannett owns The Courier-Journal and operates a Regional Design Studio that lays out pages for area papers. Now, the guild said, The Star is seeking a change in its guild contract to allow the copy editor positions to be moved to the Design Studio as well.




“We’re still trying to put out a quality product,” King told IBJ. “And we’ve got some really good people here. But another hit to our staff is always tough.”
Today, the guild represents roughly 75 employees, down from 120 in 2011.The paper has several other job openings and King said it’s not clear whether those positions will also be eliminated.
On Monday, Gannett CEO Bob Dickey sent a memo to employees saying that the company would reduce its workforce by 2 percent as part of an effort to “assertively manage our costs” while working to transform “into a leading, next-generation media company.” Politico said the 2 percent figure represents about 350 jobs.
He said most of those laid off would be notified by end of day Tuesday with all “actions” completed by the end of the week.
“Actions like these are difficult,” Dickey wrote, “but I remain steadfastly committed to reinvesting in our employees and the capabilities required to sustain and grow our company so that we may continue to serve our customers with excellence.”


If Gannet CEO Bob Dickey was at all worried about growing his company and providing excellent customer service the first thing he should do is fire Matt Tully! And hire people like Paul Ogden, Charlie White, and former Star reporters Dick Cady & Ruth Holladay! But Gannet as usual just seems interested in spewing mindless drivel than having any media of merit! We can just here Gary Welsh laughing from his grave at the total train wreck that is the Indianapolis Star!


In the words of that classic 1970's band The Tramps all we can say about the decline of the Star is "BURN BABY BURN"!

Open Letter to Advance Indiana's Readers

INDY REPUBLICAN is writing this to all the readers of the late, great Gary Welsh's blog. All of us here, just like all of you are still reeling from the tragic death of Gary Welsh. He did leave this earth far to soon. But his job and ours of rooting out and exposing corruption all throughout this state continues. This state which is part of the greatest nation in the history of the world is not beyond redemption. Anymore than our nation is beyond saving. We here know that we cannot and never would try to be Gary Welsh. But if he was able to accomplish what he could we can accomplish at least as much, maybe more. To do this we will need any and all suggestions, news tips, and story ideas you all have to offer. Many fans of Gary and Paul Ogden have and have continued to provide invaluable aid and support to all of us here. We ask that you continue to do so. For anything you want us to look into post a comment on this blog post. Your comments on this post will be kept confidential and will not be published. Also we request that you give all the aid you can to Paul Ogden and Ogden on Politics as well as whatever encouragement and aid you can give to Charlie White. We suggest you all ask them and ask Indiana Talks which carries both the Johnny Stir and Charlie White Shows what help they need to compete against the monopolistic Indiana Media. God Bless you all! And we look forward to working with all of you. Let the games begin!

Hallelujah! Ogden on Politics is Back!

Everyone if we can have your attention! We have just received word that Ogden on Politics is back up and running! Our prayers have been answered! For more information read it straight from the source himself right here. Congratulations on getting your blog back Paul! You have resumed your place along with Jon Easter, the late great Gary Welsh, and Charlie White as being the undisputed kings of Indiana Political Commentators!

Democrats Pull Bait-and-Switch Baron Hill Out Evan Bayh in for US Senate!

Just when the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN thought politics in good old Indiana could not get any more bizarre. Word was sent to the staff by an avid fan of this blog to us about a little switcheroo that the Indiana Democratic Party has decided to pull. According to an article by Tom LoBianco at CNN.COM former Indiana Governor and former US Senator Evan Bayh has decided to grace the state with his wisdom and greatness and run for his old job as US Senator. According to LoBianco's article:

National Democratic leaders have encouraged Bayh to run for more than a year, ever since incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Coats announced he would not run again. Bayh was dismissive at first, insistent he was done with public life, but Monday's announcement will mark a significant victory for Senate Democratic recruiters.

LoBianco goes onto mention that the previous Democratic Party candidate for US Senate ex-congressman and old Hoosier Democratic Warhorse Baron Hill has announced that he is leaving the race for the Senate on Facebook this morning Hill said of his decision:

"I am also a proud Democrat who wants to see an Indiana Democrat fighting for Hoosier families alongside Senator Joe Donnelly in the U.S. Senate," Hill wrote. "And, I want to do everything in my power to ensure a U.S. Senate that will govern responsibly. That is why, after consulting with my family, my staff and party leaders, I am withdrawing from the U.S. Senate race and removing my name from the November ballot."

Also mentioned is this observation about Bayh's decision to run:

"Bayh has been heavily courted by Democrats ever since he left in 2010 in large part because of the large amount of campaign cash he had left in his account — about $10 million."

Readers of this blog may recall in our most recent post about the Mike Pence for VP Soap Opera about how we refrained from reading Matt Tully's propaganda piece Column in the Indianapolis Star because we felt no need to induce vomiting amongst ourselves! Well fortunately for good old ass kisser/hack reporter Matt Tully. The news of hearing of Evan Bayh's return to public life made us even more ill than that silly man ever could. So we decided to take a look and see what the latest round of establishment BS reporting Mr. Tully had to offer us about Saint Evan's return. Tully gushes over describes Bayh as: "the man who left politics in 2010 in deep frustration with partisan dysfunction." If that is not enough to make someone lose their lunch. Tully treats to another round of his cult worship of useless humans with this gem of insight: "On the Mount Rushmore of Indiana's modern-day politics, two politicians stand alone: Former Gov. Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh. Put either name on a ballot, any ballot in Indiana, and you likely have an instant front-runner."

Fellow Blogger Paul Ogden wrote on his blog today about Bayh's abandoning his 2010 Senate Re Election bid and asked questions about Bayh and pointed out facts that the Indianapolis Lame Stream Media including Matt Tully's Circle Jerk Club will not about our state's newest Senate Candidate:

"At the time of his 2010 decision, Bayh said he was leaving because Congress was dysfunctional and he lost interest in serving:

After all these years, my passion for service to our fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned,  For some time, I've had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is much too much partisanship and not enough progress. ... Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people's business is not getting done.

One has to wonder what Bayh saw about how Congress has operated in the last six years to cause him to have renewed faith in the institution.   Further, Evan Bayh does not even live in Indiana.  He is a Washington, D.C. lobbyist who lives in the Georgetown section of that city.  The Washington Business Journal published a story on the Bayh's purchase of a home four-bedroom home on N Street Northwest in March of 2015:

The former Democratic senator from Indiana, now a partner at the K Street office of McGuireWoods, said he would have been just as happy staying in Spring Valley. But with their two kids off to college, the big six-bedroom, Georgia-style brick home was more than the couple needed.

Susan Bayh, her husband said, "just liked the idea of being in the middle of things," including plenty of shopping options. After the sacrifices she made for his political career, the senator figured he could sacrifice for her by moving to Georgetown.

"It's really simple. We have twin sons who went off to college last fall, my wife really wanted to downsize, and we didn't need as much space," Bayh told me in a phone interview. "It's the age-old story. The wife wanted to move. The husband didn't. So we moved."

The couple, which celebrated their 30th anniversary last month, settled on an 1820 Federal that was completely renovated with modern amenities, an old-meets-new "best of both worlds" setup, Bayh said. The home is assessed at $1.4 million, according to the District, and initially hit the market through Washington Fine Properties at nearly $3.2 million. McEnearney Associates represented the Bayhs.

The constitutional requirement for Senate is only that a person running be a resident of the state at the time of the election. So Bayh could move back to Indiana to run for the Senate.  But the problem is that while clearly residing in Washington D.C. and working as a lobbyist in that city, Evan Bayh and his wife has for years (even after Bayh left the Senate) continued to vote in Indiana, claiming that a very modest downtown condo is the family's residence.  Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was prosecuted successfully for a felony based on the allegation that he didn't live at the address he used for voting.  Yet more popular political figures like Democrat Bayh and former Senator Richard Lugar continue to do the exactly same thing without even the slightest concern of being prosecuted.

My guess is that many Democrats will be quite displeased with today's turn of events.  Hill's donors, who could now see their donations transferred to Evan Bayh for use on his campaign, also have an even more particular reason to be angry at these turn of events."   

It is insightful of Paul Ogden to mention how many Democrats will not be pleased by Hill's decision to quit. Since the news broke this morning the INDY REPUBLICAN staff has been hearing of many angry Hill supporters who are extremely irritated at the eleventh hour move by Baron Hill to allow Evan Bayh to run in his place for Senate. Although at this blog we are mostly Republicans having had our share of ups and downs with various politicians throughout our combined 241.297 years of experience in the political arena. We can honestly say that we understand and share the frustration of people who thought they were helping out one candidate only to be gut kicked at the last second to help someone who is repulsive to them! Baron Hill should immediately refund all campaign contributions given to his US Senate Campaign! God knows Bayh doesn't need it! He has only been sitting on a $10 Million war chest forever! Paul Odgen also wrote back in 2010 about Bayh's sudden departure from the political scene.

Forgive us for being more than a little skeptical about the timing of all this. We have heard of suspension of disbelief but for the Indiana Democratic Party elites to ask us to believe that this is all a spur of the moment decision on Bayh's part to run for his old job. They are asking us to suspend insanity as well! We would much easier believe that the spirit of Frank O'Bannon appeared and told him to run than to buy this nonsense!

Paul Ogden also briefly mentions if Bayh even still lives in Indiana. If we are to use the standards applied to Charlie White than we would be compelled to say that Bayh in ineligible to be elected to the Senate from Indiana. But the laws that apply to us mere mortals do not apply to Evan Bayh or "Tricky Dick" Lugar! For an more in depth view of Evan Bayh's problems with Voter Residency we refer our readers to these two exceptional posts written by the master himself the Late Great Gary Welsh and to a Master's Thesis by Bayh's Former Campaign Manager Current Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogssett:

If Charlie White Committed Voter Fraud, Then So Did Evan Bayh

Why is The Media Giving Evan Bayh A Pass On His Voting Residency Problem?

Mayor Joe Hogsett's Master's Thesis on Evan Bayh's Residency Issues During the 1988 Race for Governor



Will Trump Pick Mike Pence to be Vice President? Or how Mitch Daniels might worm his way back to being Governor!

Hello to all of you out there in cyberspace. The staff at Indy Republican wishes all of you out there a Happy Independence Day this coming Monday. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way let's get down to business. An alert reader of Indy Republican was gracious enough to pass on this little tidbit about Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence being under consideration to be running mate for presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.  The article by NBC News states that Mike Pence is "in play" to be a possible VP pick for Donald Trump. Some readers of this blog may recall Pence's tepid endorsement of Ted Cruz for President back in the Indiana GOP Primary in May. A move that as Gary Welsh in what would be his next to last blog post said would do nothing but alienate even more Indiana Republican's who are already dissatisfied with Pence.


Sources have told the staff here that if Mike Pence is selected they believe that former RINO Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels might be put on the ticket as Governor since current Lt. Governor and former Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb couldn't win election against a trained Monkey! Holcomb was put on the ticket when his predecessor Democrat Sue Ellsperman decided to leave the ticket to become president of Ivy Tech State College. Holcomb was originally running poorly in the Senate GOP Primary and was on track to lose big. When all of a sudden he was offered the post as Lieutenant Governor in a move that has continued to anger many Conservative Hoosier Republicans including the Indy Republican News Desk. Real Hoosier Republicans like Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden also criticized the selection of Holcomb as LG. Gary Welsh went as far as to compare Mike Pence with former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich! Paul Ogden flawlessly pointed out the misgivings that many Hossiers should have about Holcomb. Also Indy Republican wrote about Holcomb in a previous blog post which mostly dealt with Mike Pence's betrayal of conservative principles.




Obviously we will not know for awhile yet if Pence is picked as Trump's running mate. It will be even longer before we will see if Mitch Daniels is put on the ticket in order to run for Governor again. But one thing we can all be certain of is that the Corrupt Indianapolis Talk Heads such as Jennifer Wagner, Jim "Shill" Shella and Matt Tully and his Circle Jerk Club will all ignore the obvious duplicity that such a thing would entail and would just praise the return of their beloved "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels! Why so many Indiana Republicans and Democrats worship Mitch Daniels is a mystery to many! There is are the issue's that occurred under him at the IURC, FSSA, the Hoosier Lottery, BMV, DWD, the Major Moves debacle, and also his living in Hamilton County instead of Marion as he was required by law to at under the Indiana Constitution! The best thing that can be done now is that all Hoosiers demand that Mike Pence answer straight out if he is indeed running for Governor this Fall or if he plans to jump ship and be part of the Trump ticket! Governor Pence needs to give the voters of Indiana a straight answer and he needs to do it yesterday! The clock is ticking Governor! What's it going to be try to keep your job as Governor or jump ship and try to be VP?



Note to readers: For further Information on the myriad of scandals and problems caused by Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence during their tenures in Indiana. Please consult both Gary Welsh's blog Advance Indiana, Paul Ogden's blog Ogden on Politics, The Charlie White Show, and last but not least Jon Easter's Blog Indy Democrat and his podcast series The Johnny Stir Show.


Update: Fellow Blogger Jon Easter has written about Mike Pence's possible selection as VP on his blog. We encourage all our readers to check it out!

Ex-BMV Offical's Ethics Wrist Slap or More Reasons why Indy Republican will not endorse Mike Pence!

In a story reported in today's Propaganda Rag Indianapolis Star by Tony Cook one of the only real reporters left at the Star. It is reported how former Bureau of Motor Vehicles Chief of Staff Shawn Walters and the Indiana State Ethics Commission have reached and agreement for Walters to pay a $500 fine for having violated state ethics law requiring a one year cooling off period for state employees who wish to leave state employment and go to work for a company that does business with the state. Yesterday the Star reported that Shawn Walters had come to a settlement between himself and Indiana Inspector General Cynthia Carrasco. And that the terms of the settlement would be revealed today. This whole sordid tale revolves around Walters having taken a position with Express MVA a company that had a contract with the state to charge "convenience fees" at BMV Express workstations that were double the costs of services usually charged at BMV branches. A class action lawsuit was settled last year for $30 Million after it was discovered that the BMV had been overcharging customers for several years. A news report in the Indianapolis Star back in May  2015 and a posting by Gary Welsh at the same time argued that political patronage was to blame for much of the overcharges.  Many top executives at the BMV were aware of these problems but chose to not do anything about them. Rumors have said that it was because the BMV did not wish to suffer any budget shortfalls. Governor Mike Pence had the state's contract with Express MVA cancelled in August 2015. Inspector General Cynthia Carrasco was asked by Governor Pence to investigate the matter. Today it the $500 settlement was revealed to the public. The staff here at Indy Republican cannot figure out why any fine was levied at all if the only thing Walters is going to get is a $500 wrist slap!


Julia Vaughan with Common Cause Indiana is quoted as saying the fine "amounts to a slap on the wrist. Five Hundred Dollars is not going to put fear into anybody. It's not significant enough punishment to get anybody's attention or to make them take these laws seriously."


It's interesting that the article points out that the ethics case in question did not address Walters part in the multi million dollar overcharges to Hoosier motorists. Neither Shawn Walters or his attorney Debra Minott (who strangely was Walters employer when she was in charge of FSSA) were present at the hearing today. Some readers may recall that Debra Minott was appointed by Governor Pence to run FSSA shortly after he took office and was then mysteriously removed from her position at FSSA for reasons that are still not clear. Before her 18 month tenure as head of FSSA Minott was in charge of the State Personnel Department (SPD) during the first term of former Governor Mitch Daniels and also left that position for unspecified reasons. Minott's appointment as FSSA Secretary was a move that angered many Indiana Republicans who were left asking ourselves Why in the world is Mike Pence stupid enough to appoint a Mitch Daniels crony to run FSSA after the mess she caused at SPD? Gary Welsh pointed out that Mike Pence did not cause the overcharging problems at the BMV that occurred under the administration of Mitch Daniels. But apparently neither the Indianapolis Star or Matt Tully's Circle Jerk Club as Gary Welsh so affectionately refereed to him and his clique as. Would trouble themselves enough to hold Daniels feet to the fire! They all were probably admiring themselves too much in the mirror or social climbing!


But for all the trouble that "Napoleon Mitch" Daniels caused at the BMV. Mike Pence deserves as much blame for his refusal to fire every Daniels holdover and heed the advice of Real Republicans Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden, and Charlie White. Men who tried to do the right thing and try to root out corruption, sin and vice. But the Uber-Christian Mike Pence seems to be so convinced of his own moral righteousness that he cannot or will not see the corruption going on in front of his face or do anything to root it out! No doubt the scandals at the BMV have been archived away by Indiana Democrats for use against Pence in the upcoming Governor's race where he is being challenged by former Indiana State House Speaker John Gregg. For the simple reason that Mike Pence has repeatedly kept Mitch Daniels hacks and parasites in his administration is enough cause for all of us at Indy Republican to refuse to endorse him for reelection as Governor of for election to any other office whatsoever! The staff will not vote for Pence or Gregg and at this point are probably just going to refuse to vote for any candidate running for Governor! To Governor Mike Pence if there is any awareness left in your brain at all could you please for your own sake and what remains of your reputation start actually doing your job! For those of you who wish to peruse the story that most of the Indianapolis Press will not tell you about the BMV the staff refers you to the following articles, post's and podcasts for the truth! Strangely some of these articles are from the Indianapolis Star and are mostly if not all written by Tony Cook!


Gary Welsh's Postings:


Debra Minott gets the Heave Ho from Pence!:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2014/06/pence-fires-fssa-secretary.html




Pence appoints Mitch Daniels Holdover to run the BMV:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/02/yet-more-bmv-overcharges-brings-new.html




Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! Patronage Alive and Well at the BMV!:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/05/star-bmv-fee-overcharging-problem-may.html




Shawn Walters, BMV, and Shady Deals:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/07/more-bmv-shady-dealings.html




Pence Does Something Right Cancels Bad BMV Contract:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/pence-cancels-sweetheart-bmv-contract.html




Former BMV Chief of Staff on Unpaid Leave from New Employer Pending Ethics Investigation:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/express-mva-places-former-bmv-employees.html


BMV CFO Demoted:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/bmvs-unqualified-political-hack-cfo.html




Indystar articles:


Ex BMV Officals fine:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/06/09/former-top-bmv-official-fined-500-ethics-violation/85641756/




Former BMV Offical to face ethics complaint:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/07/former-top-bmv-official-faces-ethics-complaint-thursday/85557192/




BMV Offical took Job with Express MVA:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/24/bmv-boss-pushed-fee-took-job-company-benefited/30632873/




Overcharges ignored by BMV:
http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2015/03/22/bmv-officials-knew-overcharges-let-ride/25177557/


BMV and Patronage:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/05/23/patronage-lead-bmv-overcharges/27797473/




FSSA Chief's Ouster:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/19/concerns-pences-obamacare-alternative-preceded-fssa-chiefs-ouster/11006829/


Paul Ogden's posts:


Pence Cancels BMV Contract:
http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2015/08/governor-pence-end-questionable-bmv.html



Charlie White's Podcast:



Charlie White's Discussion of BMV Troubles:

http://indianatalks.com/site/2015/05/the-charlie-white-show-5-26-15-podcast/

RINO Mike Pence & Indiana Republicans & Democrats Screw the Taxpayers AGAIN!

If you wonder why the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN has come to the conclusion that the statehouse media in this state is a complete joke. And that the elites of both political parties in Indiana are only out to mess over the citizens of Indiana. You need look no further than this article in today's Indianapolis Business Journal:




"Local governments will see fewer audits due to a recent change in Indiana state law.


The State Board of Accounts used to audit cities and counties every year, and audit school corporations every two years. Now those audits will be conducted every four years unless there are red flags."


Todd Caldwell the director of Audit Services for the State Board of Accounts is quoted as saying: "The statute on frequency of audits changed last year from annual or biannual to a risk-based approach."  The article goes on to point out that there are almost 200 Field Examiners that work in all of Indiana's 92 Counties. Caldwell told the Muncie Star Press that "because of budget limitations and the sheer number of entities that require auditing mean's there is too much work and not enough people to do it."


We at INDY REPUBLICAN have found the law that Todd Caldwell is referring to is House Bill 1104 which was passed last year by the Indiana General Assembly. The digest of the bill "Permits the state board of accounts to determine the frequency with which the state board of accounts conducts financial examinations based on risk based criteria approved by the audit and financial reporting subcommittee of the legislative council" Also included in the digest of the bill it "Specifies that certain examinations by the state board of accounts may (rather than must, under current law) be made without notice."


In effect the state legislature and the Governor have stated that instead of counties and schools being audited for waste, fraud, and abuse every year or every two years. That they will only be audited if the audit and financial reporting subcommittee's approved risk based criteria are met. As far as all of us at INDY REPUBLICAN concerned this might as well be a giant sign that it is open season for local city, county and school bureaucrats to commit as much corruption as they want! Since they know they will not be audited very often! Although Caldwell does say that the state does consider various risk factors. Since the bill: "Eliminates the requirement that the state examiner must annually furnish forms and instructions to reporting officers." How in the world will the Field Examiners know what to look for?


The State Board of Accounts has in the past shown itself to be very helpful in finding issues with financial irregularities at the city, county and school level. For those seeking a more in depth look at SBOA's work we refer you to  the late great Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana fame who painstakingly chronicled some of the SBOA's outstanding work on behalf of Indiana taxpayers here, here, and here.


It is true that the Republican Party has a supermajority in both the Indiana State House and State Senate. But keep in mind that the overwhelming number of House and Senate Democrats voted for this bill and it was signed into law by Governor Mike Pence on May 5th, 2015 and is now Public Law 181. The bill passed by 88 to 6 in the House and by 47 to 1 in the State Senate. Here is the breakdown by party of members of both Houses:






Indiana State House:


71 Republicans
29 Democrats


Indiana State Senate:


40 Republican
10 Democrats


So assuming that all the nay votes were cast by democrats that means that around 80 percent of the Democrats in the House and 90 percent of Democrats in the Senate voted for this bill. Interestingly an alert staff member pointed out that one of the co-authors of this bill is Rep. Gail Riecken who represents Evansville is the Assistant Democratic Floor Leader in the State House! The staffer also informed us that back during the 2009 Special Legislative Session that Riecken authored a bill that would require a performance audit of Family and Social Services Administration's (FSSA) welfare privatization debacle. Gary Welsh reported very well on the FSSA disaster here. So the fact that Riecken having authored a bill to audit the failed welfare privatization at FSSA. Then in 2015 co-authors a bill that cripples the very agency designed to help root our local government corruption should give the voters of her district cause to seriously question just how committed she is to making sure that taxpayer money is not wasted! This certainly does not inspire any confidence in Democrats claiming that they will restore accountability to Indiana Government!


Governor Mike Pence also deserves a large amount of the blame for not being a MAN and vetoing this bill when it got to his desk! After seeing how Governor Pence has kept most of the staff from the previous Governor at the state. It isn't a surprise that he would pick Mitch Daniels old crony former State GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb to be his Lt. Governor after Democrat Republican Susan Ellsperman left his administration to become the new head of IVY TECH State College. Holcomb's pick as Lt. Governor should scare the living daylights out of all Indiana Citizens especially Republicans if for no other reason than former Indiana Democratic Party Communications Director Political Hack Jennifer Wagner seems to think it is a great move by Mike Pence to pick Eric Holcomb! That's funny awhile back Wagner spent a huge amount of time and effort on her now defunct Taking Down Words blog tearing up every Republican she could find! Especially striking is that she had not a word of criticism of former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in her recent article about "Little Man" Holcomb. As she ripped Daniels up constantly on her now defunct blog! (Deservedly so most of the INDY REPUBLICAN staff believes.)






Real Indiana Republicans Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden and Charlie White have chronicled Eric Holcomb's myriad of shortcomings as both a man and as a running mate for Governor Pence. Read here, here, here, and here for the information that the Indiana press will not share with you. So for that reason INDY REPUBLICAN'S staff will because we wish to share the truth and to restore the True Grand Old Party! We will not water down the principles of Republicanism to fit the agenda of any man or any number of men. Regardless of what Party Label they claim as their own!


We urge all Indiana citizens to call your lawmakers and urge them to repeal this horrific law! If anyone has any suggestion, comments, or news tips for the staff please post a comment and someone will get back to you.