A blog dedicated to carrying on the work of Gary Welsh's Advance Indiana by continuing the fight for the Republican Principles of limited government, free speech, advocate for good government, rule of law, civil liberties, and opposing cults. We oppose the Church of Scientology. Send any requests, news tips, or gossip. Email: 6vwts@notsharingmy.info. Use the Contact Form on the right side of the screen. Follow on Twitter: @IndyRepublicanX
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Monday, September 25, 2017
$35,000 buys you and your significant other a private dinner with Vice President Mike Pence!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Fake Republican Governor Eric "Taxman" Holcomb Strikes Again
Friday, August 11, 2017
Eric Holcomb Day tomorrow at the Indiana State Fair. Can the GOP sink any lower?
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Jon Easter's take on Pence's PAC/ATM
Monday, June 19, 2017
"Taxman" Governor Eric Holcomb AKA Mitch Daniels Lapdog!
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Wanna Chat with Governor Eric Holcomb? Just Bring $10,000 and you can talk to them!
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Cover up at the BMV?
A supervisor at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and her son — also a BMV employee — have been fired after an internal fraud investigation.
But the BMV is releasing few details about the firings, rekindling concerns about openness at an agency that has overcharged customers, grappled with an ethics scandal and faced questions about politically motivated hirings.
Stacy Cox, the accounting supervisor at BMV's headquarters in Indianapolis, was terminated on March 21 for providing false information during an investigation by the agency's Fraud and Security Enforcement division.
Apparently if the BMV is to be believed lying during an investigation runs in the family. Since Cook goes onto say:
Her son, Richard Cody Pringle, who also worked at the central office as a driver's license printer, was terminated two weeks later for the same reason.
The fraud investigation was prompted by the employees' personal vehicle transactions, including allegations of the employees submitting false monetary amounts paid for those vehicles, according to Ashley Hungate, a spokeswoman for the state personnel department.
In phone interviews, Cox and Pringle defended their actions as oversights rather than deliberate misconduct.
IndyStar requested a copy of the fraud investigation reports, but the BMV refused to provide them. citing exemptions to the state's public records law regarding personnel matters.
Such reports, however, are typically released when they involve non-employees.
Government watchdogs say the agency's decision to withhold reports involving BMV employees is concerning, especially since employees fired after fraud investigations have landed sensitive jobs with BMV contractors in the past.
Sarah Bonick, a spokeswoman for the BMV, said the agency must strike a balance between employee privacy and transparency.
Cox told IndyStar the investigation began when she bought a vehicle from an Eastside junkyard, Barlow's Used Auto Parts, where her brother worked.
The vehicle turned out to be stolen. She said she was unaware that the vehicle was stolen when she bought it.
BMV investigators later found she had titled a box truck five years earlier in her name and listed the purchase price as $0, even though her then-boyfriend had paid for it, she said.
The BMV takes such indiscretions seriously because they can muddy the vehicle's ownership history and allow the new owner to avoid title costs, which include a 7 percent sales tax based on the purchase price listed on the title.
Pringle said BMV investigators questioned him about several vehicles he bought or sold, including a pickup truck he purchased from the owner of Barlow's, where his uncle worked.
"They accused me of lying about how much I paid for it," Pringle said. "I can't remember the amounts."
He then sold that vehicle for $500 and "some handguns," he said, but only listed the $500 cash on the title work. He later told BMV investigators that there was only one handgun involved in the exchange, though in reality there were "three or four," he said.
"It was none of their business how many guns I traded for," he said.
In another case, he purchased a vehicle for $2,000 from a friend, but paid only $100 in cash and agreed to work off the remaining $1,900 at his friend's shop, he said. So he listed $100 on the title work.
While the terminations may be justified, advocates of open government said the BMV should be more transparent about such situations.
"As a citizen, I am always concerned when a government agency fails to be transparent regarding offenses or violations that occur at the hands of its employees," said Zachary Baiel, president of the Indiana Coalition for Open Government. "Without access to this information, the public cannot be assured the necessary accountability has been met."
Julia Vaughn, public policy director for Common Cause Indiana, shared her concerns.
"While keeping these records under wraps serves their immediate interest of avoiding public scrutiny about what happened here, in the long-term it’s just another reason for the public not to have faith in this agency," she said. "All I can think is there is information embarrassing to someone at a higher level who is still at the BMV."
IndyStar reported in 2015 that at least three fired BMV employees were later hired by a BMV contractor, where they continued to have access to sensitive information stored on BMV terminals.
Two of the employees had been fired after a fraud investigation; the other was terminated for poor performance that supervisors said opened up the agency to potential fraud.
As in this latest case, the BMV declined to release any of the FSE investigation reports related to those employees.
Bonick said the BMV now has safeguards to ensure that fired employees don't end up working in similar positions for outside contractors.
"All potential employees who will have access to BMV terminals or our transaction system while working for a contractor are vetted through the State Personnel Department and also the BMV’s Fraud and Security Enforcement Department," she said in an email. "Any former State of Indiana employee, not just those who previously worked for the BMV, who have been flagged as Not Eligible For Rehire are not approved."
The firings come after several turbulent years for the agency. Since 2013, the BMV has admitted to overcharging Hoosier motorists about $90 million in taxes and fees. Those overcharges have since been refunded, but one of two class-action lawsuits over the fees remains unresolved.
Any IndyStar investigation in 2015 found that top BMV officials knew for years they were likely gouging Hoosier motorists with excessive fees, but chose to ignore or cover up the overcharges rather than refund the extra money and adjust to significant budget losses.
The financial mismanagement raised serious questions about the qualifications of several top BMV officials and the role that political connections played in their hiring.
IndyStar also found that Shawn Walters, the agency's former chief of staff, encouraged the use of a new fee, then went to work for a private vendor that benefited from it.
The series of controversies led then-Gov. Mike Pence to shake up BMV leadership and cancel the state's contract with the controversial outside vendor. The state ethics commission later fined Walters $500 for violating state ethics rules — an amount that government accountability experts criticized as too low.
The BMV has since worked with lawmakers to streamline the state's complicated system of fees.
Well we can all see why Holcomb didn't have a problem vetoing the controversial public records search fee bill. It is because he knows his lapdogs throughout state government will refuse to release records by claiming they relate to "personnel matters". As for BMV spokeswoman Sarah Bonick's stating they have to balance employee privacy with transparency. We ask: "Ms. Bonick how is that applicable in this case?" Cox and Pringle are no longer employed by the BMV. So how can the BMV say that by keeping their fraud investigation reports secret you are protecting employee privacy? Especially since reports are usually released when non-employees are involved? Even conceding that somehow the agency is interested in protecting Cox and Pringle's privacy. Cox and Pringle have given interviews to the Indianapolis Star. So obviously they are not concerned about their own privacy. So there is no reason for the BMV not to release the information.
Last June we blogged about several BMV scandals and gave links to Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden and Charlie White's chronicling of all the BMV stupidity. IR must confess that Julia Vaughn's saying "All I can think is there is information embarrassing to someone at a higher level who is still at the BMV." Has all of us thinking this is more likely than not the reason for the BMV's being so reluctant to release the information in this case. But if so who at the BMV stands to be embarrassed by this and why? For the record IR is not saying that this is anything other than a simple fraud investigation. That we don't know. But given the BMV's troubled history. Our natural inclination is to assume a cover up. Unless we are given reason to believe otherwise. If you have any information, rumors or tips. Please leave a comment at the end of this post. Or on the web version of this blog fill out the contact form and submit it.
From all of us here at IR we wish you all a good rest of the week. And remember stay positive.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Legislator's Force Hoosier Taxpayers to Pay for Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence's Bicentennial Boondoogle!
If past experience is any indication the legislators including Kenley will probably come up with some other bone-headed plan to take care of former Governor Pence's mistakes!
An article written today by the Associated Press appeared on the Indianapolis Business Journal's website which details the bailing out of Mike Pence's stupidity. The AP writes:
Indiana lawmakers are bailing out the state's former governor, Vice President Mike Pence, after the Republican's efforts to pay for two completed projects celebrating the state's bicentennial foundered.
A provision tucked into the state's next two-year budget, which was approved late last month by the GOP-dominated Legislature, sets aside $5.5 million to pay for an elaborate plaza constructed outside the Statehouse in Indianapolis and upgrades to the state library.
"They did the work, so somebody had to pay for it," said Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, who is one of the state's lead budget writers.
As the AP points out though the bulk of Pence's planned projects have yet to be funded:
Still, funding for the rest of the $53.5 million in projects Pence planned to celebrate Indiana's 200th year has not materialized, including financing for a new state archives building and money to build an inn at northern Indiana's Potato Creek State Park. It's unclear when—or if—the state will move forward with those projects, which have been on hold for more than a year.
Lawmakers were skeptical when Pence first pitched the plan in 2015, with Kenley questioning "if we could afford a bicentennial." Pence won them over after proposing to pay for the projects by leasing out 340 state-owned cellphone towers through a public-private partnership.
But one year later, Pence was still struggling to make his plan work. He even declined an offer of help from Kenley, who proposed shifting money from a revenue stream used to pay for some of Pence's other priorities.
As IR wrote back in January:
Lawmakers agreed to spend tax dollars on these assorted projects because Mike Pence had assured them it would be paid for by leasing excess space on state-owned cell towers. And two years later the state has no cell tower deal. Now the IR staff does not generally handle large scale business transactions. But it seems to all of us that both Pence and the legislators share blame for this. Pence should have at least had some deal ready to cover the costs of these projects in full before proposing this to the legislature. The legislators on the other hand should have made certain that Pence actually had something on the table and wasn't just blowing smoke to get them to agree to another of his half-baked schemes!
AP continues:
Then last September, Pence touted a new 25-year deal with Agile Networks that his administration said would expand high-speed internet access in rural areas, while bringing in $50 million for the state upfront.
But that drew opposition from the state's cable and broadband trade groups, which represent companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner, because it would've allowed Agile—a competitor—to get a leg up and use the state's fiber network.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, Pence's successor, pulled the plug on the tentative plan shortly after taking office this year.
Rep. Greg Porter, the Democrats' point person on the budget, said Pence was counting on "magic money that didn't appear."
"I knew it was highly suspect because it took so long to develop," said Porter, of Indianapolis. "He planned for a party, had the party and didn't have anybody to pay for it."
A spokesman for Pence did not respond to a request for comment.
Kenley said the agreement with Agile ended up being more complicated than it initially appeared and could have negatively impacted local companies.
"The subject matter was more complicated than we initially expected it to be," he said.
It would have granted extensive control of state property to Agile, which would have been in charge of managing and operating the towers. That could have required competitors to reveal confidential business plans when seeking right-of-way approval from Agile to use state lands.
"On the face of it, it was anti-competitive to my members," said John Koppin, president of the Indiana Broadband and Technology Association, which represents AT&T and CenturyLink, among others.
Kenley and Holcomb said they hope to come up with a workable alternative in the future. In a memo, Holcomb administration officials said that the governor intends to "manage the individual leases on towers ourselves instead of seeking proposals for third-party managers."
They also hope revenues from a new deal will finally fund the projects Pence first proposed.
IR's staffs interest was piqued after reading about the now aborted deal with Agile Networks that would have given them what comes dangerously close to a monopoly over the state of Indiana's cell phone towers. Given what has been revealed about Mike Pence we seriously doubted that he wanted to lease the cell phone towers to Agile Networks for the benefit of Hoosiers. So we decided to do some digging into Agile Networks. It appears that Kyle Quillen, a founder and Chief Technology Officer at Agile had donated money to Mike Pence's Campaign. According to Quillen's bio on Agile's website:
Quillen is a "a nationally recognized leader in the design, engineering and deployment of Data Infrastructure aimed at Economic Development and reducing costs for Government."
Quillen's LinkedIn page says:
He is: "Experienced in Public/Private Partnerships aimed at Broadband Development and Data Infrastructure Building."
Sounds like a polite way of saying that Quillen is also responsible for trying to buy access to government officals in order to help fill his companies coffers! Public/Private Partnerships have become synonymous over the past few decades with legalized influence peddling!
Looks like the local and national media should start looking more closely into Agile Networks relationship with Mike Pence. Especially since Eric Holcomb's administration has stated they hope a new deal will come about that will fully fund Mike Pence's proposed projects! Sounds like "Bagman" Holcomb could have killed the deal with Agile only to be setting up taxpayers with an equally bad if not worse deal!
See below for the record of Mr. Quillen's contribution to Mike Pence in 2016:
Committee Name: | Mike Pence for Indiana | Filing Description: | 2016 2nd Quarterly Report |
File Number: | 6171 | Reporting Period: | 04/01/2016 - 06/30/2016 |
Committee Type: | Candidate | Filing Due: | 07/15/2016 |
Contributor Type: | Receipt Date: | Amount: | Cumulative Year-To-Date: | Large: | Contribution Type: | Amendment: |
Individual | 04/22/2016 | $500.00 | No | Direct | No |
Contributor: | Kyle Quillen | Occupation: | Other |
518 Fair Ave. NW | |||
New Philadelphia, OH 44663 | |||
Monday, April 24, 2017
Governor Holcomb stands up for Hoosiers Vetos Anti-Public Records Bill!
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb used the first stroke of his veto pen Monday afternoon on a bill that would have allowed state and local government agencies to charge a fee to citizens for public records requests that required more than two hours of work.
In a letter to House Speaker Brian Bosma, Holcomb wrote that the legislation was “contrary to my commitment to providing great government service at a great value for Hoosier taxpayers.”
“Providing access to public records is a key part of the work public servants perform and is important from a government transparency standpoint,” Holcomb wrote. “I do not support policies that create burdensome obstacles to the public gaining access to public documents.”
The measure by Rep. Kathy Richardson, R-Noblesville, would have allowed state and local government agencies to charge the lesser of $20 per hour or the hourly wage of the employee completing the search, after the first two hours spent working on the request.
The bill required a "good faith effort" to complete the search within a reasonable amount of time but did not set out who would audit agencies or hold them accountable.
The Indiana Coalition for Open Government had urged Holcomb to veto the proposal, calling it a step to "make government less open and insufficiently accountable" by adding barriers to access.
Indiana's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists also opposed the bill.
Holcomb said he understood the intent behind the bill and said he supported a provision that would require public agencies to provide electronic copies of public records.
“Finally, I believe there are steps that can be taken administratively to streamline and improve the process for fulfilling public records requests, and I have charged my office to examine the best ways to provide public transparency and access to public records at the highest possible value to taxpayers,” Holcomb said.
We would like to make clear that this post should not be taken to mean that our already low opinion of Eric Holcomb has changed. It has not. But when any public official does something we view as praise worthy. We are big enough to say so. We also would like to congratulate the Indiana Coalition for Open Government and the Society of Professional Journalists on their efforts to defend all our freedoms! No word on yet on what kind of input Governor Holcomb received over this bill. Not sure if he got the singing telegram or not! Word around the capitol is that Gary Welsh's ghost maybe haunting some of the lawmakers! We cannot comment on that. However it is safe to say that the influence of Gary Welsh lives on. And his influence will not end! Thank you Gary for inspiring us all here to make this a more positive state and planet.
Here is a little song to celebrate our victory:
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Indy Republican Joins the Call to Defeat Blasphemous Bill to End Access to Public Records!
Kaitlin Lange of the Evansville Courier & Press wrote an article yesterday detailing this issue. Ms. Lange gives information on the bill's present state and gives statements from supporters and opponents of the bill here:
Gov. Eric Holcomb will decide the fate of legislation that would allow units of government to charge up to $20 an hour to citizens and media representatives seeking public records.
The House on Tuesday voted 63-27 to send House Bill 1523 to the governor. It would allow the hourly charge to kick in for a records search requiring more than two hours of work. The bill previously cleared the Senate on a 44-3 vote.
Bill author Rep. Kathy Richardson, R-Noblesville, said 27 other states and the federal government already allow such fees.
Well Kathy a lot of elevator's play Kenny G music! That doesn't make it right! IR already has a low enough opinion of this bill! Couldn't you at least have come up with a better argument than to say "Well everybody else is doing this!"
Lange continues:
Former Gov. Mike Pence vetoed a similar measure two years ago, saying "the cost of public records should never be a barrier to the public’s right to know."
The governor has the option of vetoing the bill, signing it into law or allowing it to become law without his signature.
Those opposed to the bill say that people already pay taxes and should not have to pay again to get access to public records.
“It’s the taxpayer’s property," argued Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington.
The Indiana Coalition for Open Government and Indiana Pro Society of Professional Journalists also issued statements against the legislation, saying it could make it “cost prohibitive” for both journalists and concerned citizens to find out how their tax money is being spent and hold elected officials accountable.
“Government employees could deliberately drag their feet on such requests, racking up exorbitant charges to produce records the taxpaying public already paid for in the first place, either to shut down requests or deter them in the future,” SPJ said in a statement.
Those in support of the bill said fulfilling the large amount of records requests that are filed can be time consuming for public agencies.
Rep. Karen Englemen, R-Corydon, said she saw this firsthand as former Harrison County auditor.
“Some people come in and ask for hours and hours of research to be done,” Engleman said. “We don’t get paid anything for doing that.”
The legislation heads to the governor a month after Indiana was ranked the No. 1 state for budget transparency and government administration.
Mike Pence's decision to veto this bills dad two years ago is probably the only good decision that he made while he was Governor. We agree completely with State Rep Matt Pierce-D when he states that public records are taxpayers property and hence we should not be charged a fee to examine our own property. You go Matt Pierce! We were so impressed by the Indiana Coalition for Open Government and the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists strong support for freedom of information that we have added them to our list of Pro-Freedom Sites! They are right on when they say: “Government employees could deliberately drag their feet on such requests, racking up exorbitant charges to produce records the taxpaying public already paid for in the first place, either to shut down requests or deter them in the future.” We have news for all of you government employees in this state already drag their feet on public records requests. The biggest problem with this bill is that we would then be paying them more to screw us over!
Fake Republican State Rep Karen Engleman's statement that based off her experiences as Harrison County Auditor gives her lame ass excuse to make taxpayers take it up the rear is laughable. Engleman says: “Some people come in and ask for hours and hours of research to be done,” “We don’t get paid anything for doing that.” So what in the hell are you paid to do then? We know that it is a major annoyance for you and your soulless friends to actually do their jobs and provide the public with their own records! You guys are supposed to make things easier for the people! We are not supposed to make your lives better! Karen if doing your job really sucks then our advice is that you quit!
As for Indiana having been ranked the best state in the nation for budget transparency and government administration see our earlier article last month here that shows why anybody who believes that needs to seek help for drug addiction! The overwhelming bipartisian backing for HB 1523 is proof enough that our state legislature is so bad it smells worse than the outhouse outside a White Castle!
This is to our knowledge the first article we have ever read of Ms. Lange's and we must say we are all very impressed with her work. Please contact Ms. Lange and let her know you appreciate her talent! She can be reached at (812) 549-1429. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange
The Indianapolis Business Journal also ran an article by the Associated Press which contains some more information on the legislatures blatant attempt to crush the voters.
IBJ's story includes these kernels of knowledge:
The bill requires a "good faith effort" to complete the search within a reasonable amount of time but does not set out who would audit agencies or hold them accountable. State law currently prohibits public agencies from charging a fee to search for, examine or review a record to determine whether it can be disclosed. Opponents say concerned citizens should not have to pay to access public records.
Supporters of the hourly fee argue government agencies can be bogged down by large requests and that compensation would help to alleviate the burden on government resources.
This bill also requires public agencies to provide electronic copies if they are requested and already exist. It does not require the agency to change the format of the public record.
It comes as no surprise that the legislation does not spell out what a "good faith effort" is on the part of government agencies. So that portion of the bill is completely useless! Since state law currently bans public agencies from charging a fee to search for records. Why should it be changed now? The traitorous lawmakers who support this are being less than honest when they say this is to help ease the strain on government resources. Most Indiana lawmakers have had no problem burdening us with the screw-ups of FSSA, the BMV, DWD, and DCS! Speaking of DCS any word on when the tragic death of Tajanay Bailey and DCS's handling of that case will ever be investigated? It's only been about a decade since she died! So don't give us this crap that you guys give a damn about burdening people!
It is time to say enough is enough! We all must contact Governor Holcomb's office and tell him to veto this bill! Contact his office and tell him that if he signs this or any other bill like this one that you will recruit a real republican to challenge him in the primary. And also tell him if that fails that you will vote for whoever the Democrats nominate to oppose him should he run for Governor again!
We will provide below Governor Holcomb's contact information as well as how to get ahold of the Indiana Coalition for Open Government and the ISPJ. Don't just call, email, tweet, or facebook post or message, or send a signing telegram to Governor Holcomb about this! Post, Call, Email, Voicemail, tweet, write him every five minutes! Send so many messages that his email, voicemail, twitter feed, and facebook starts begging you to stop! And then just keep piling on! Don't let up! Our freedom is at stake! Now get to work making some calls our friends!
Governor Eric Holcomb Contact Information:
Governor Eric Holcomb |
Phone:
317-232-4567
Mail:
Office of the Governor
Statehouse
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2797
Email form link for Governor Holcomb:
http://www.in.gov/gov/2752.htm
Indiana Coalition for Open Government:
http://indianacog.org/
Indy Pro Society of Professional Journalists:
http://www.indyprospj.org/
Spread these statements all over the internet!
http://indianacog.org/icog-news/icogs-opposition-hb1523-gov-holcomb-must-veto/
http://www.indyprospj.org/news/2017/4/3/statement-on-senate-bill-1523
http://www.indianaforefront.com/bad-bills-never-die/
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Oops! Mike Pence Did It As Well! The Day Mike Pence Became Hillary Clinton!
MIKE PENCE AS HILLARY CLINTON |
Vice President Mike Pence continued to fight to keep secret a political white paper emailed to him while he was Indiana governor, petitioning the Indiana Supreme Court not to review a public records denial for the controversial papers.
If opened, the communications could reveal a slew of Republican political strategies that Pence and dozens of other U.S. governors devised to fight former President Barack Obama and an executive order of his concerning immigration.
If the justices take the case, the court also could redefine the bounds of open, public communication for Indiana's executive office.
The case stems from a public records request made in December 2014 by Indianapolis attorney William Groth, a Democrat, who was gathering information about the former Republican governor's use of outside counsel for the immigration litigation and its cost to Indiana taxpayers.
Pence produced the requested emails “but those documents included substantial redaction,” including a white paper the governor failed to produce, according to court records.
The white paper in question contains legal theories used by many governors in their decision to join State of Texas et al v. United States of America, which challenged the Obama administration's executive order regarding immigration.
After Groth filed suit in Marion County Superior Court, a judge ruled in favor of Pence, saying the redactions the administration made to the public record were "proper."
This January, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that Groth does not have the right to view the political white paper, but disagreed with the governor's contention that it would violate the separation of powers doctrine for the judiciary to second guess the redactions.
That was an important finding to advocates of government transparency, who feared a Pence victory in the suit could set a broader precedent that would embolden future governors to refuse to disclose or heavily redact public documents with no court oversight.
Earlier this month, Groth petitioned the Indiana Supreme Court to take up the case.
Indianapolis attorney Greg Bowes filed the 19-page petition on behalf of Groth claiming the appeals court erred in determining that the white paper did not have to be released because it was "deliberative material" for the purpose of preparing for litigation.
Groth is arguing the Court of Appeals improperly applied the attorney-client relationship doctrine because the white paper was emailed to a wide range of people outside of the attorney-client relationship. He is also asking the court whether the court of appeals improperly created a "deliberative materials exception" to state public records.
Calling Groth's lawsuit "unfounded" in court documents, Joseph Chapelle, Pence's attorney from Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburg, last week filed the 30-page response.
Chapelle told IndyStar that the appellate court majority’s decision should stand and that if the Supreme Court takes on the case, "it will be an opportunity for the court to clarify the separation of powers doctrine."
In the latest court documents, Chapelle maintains that Pence will use executive privilege as a defense in the future. "There are policy reasons for executive privilege," Chapelle said.
Groth told IndyStar Sunday that he wants to see transparency in government.
"Hoosiers are entitled to and should continue to demand more, rather than less, openness from all governmental officials, but especially from their governor," he said
The fact that Pence has an attorney from Barnes and Thornburg handling this situation is enough to make us think Pence is terrified of these emails being publicly released. Longtime readers of Advance Indiana and Ogden on Politics will recognize the name Barnes and Thornburg. They are the law firm that has represented the state in the FSSA Privatization debacle, also they fought like hell trying to save former US Senator Dick Lugar's butt! Word is that they went so far as to get WXIN the Fox affiliate in Indianapolis to spike a story about Lugar's residency issue that the station had planned to air in 2011 click here to read Paul Ogden's recounting of that incident. Other nefarious individuals associated with B&T over the years have included: Former Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman and Democratic State Rep. Ed "Why Did I meet with some mysterious person in a Parking Lot" Delaney. We are especially curious as to what Mr. Chapelle's reasoning is behind his claim that "There are policy reasons for executive privilege." That Pence is claiming as to why these emails shouldn't be released. For what policy is Chapelle referring to? And what policy could possible trump our right to know what Mike Pence was doing with the taxpayers money? This sounds a little to much like Nixon's bullshit claim of executive privilege during the Watergate Scandal!
Ms. Hussein wrote in her November 21, 2016 "Pence's legal team argues to keep emails secret":
"The statute (Indiana Access to Public Records Act) itself cannot get into the governor's personal papers," said Joseph Chappelle, Pence's attorney, from the Indiana law firm Barnes & Thornburg, referring to the legal bounds of the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
Legally, the burden is on the governor to prove the documents are protected from public purview.
What we are curious about is if these were Mike Pence's "personal papers" as his lawyer says they are then why did he email them to 30 or so different people in several different states? Since it is Pence's job to show why these documents in question should be shielded from public purview it is reasonable to assume that he would not have sent such sensitive information to over two dozens parties! So either he believed they were sensitive at the time and chose to brazenly send them out to 30 people. Or more likely in as we believe he only adopted the stance that these emails should be kept secret when Mr. Groth asked for them. It is true that Pence's office had large amounts of his AOL emails that he sent out turned over to now Governor Eric Holcomb's office recently after he was called out on the carpet. But Pence's continued pursuit of keeping some of his official emails secret inspires no confidence in him. Pence might as well put on a blonde wig and a blue woman's business suit. Based off of his lack of transparency with his official emails the verdict is in. Mike Pence is now Hillary Clinton.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Tabloid Indianapolis Star Peddling more Pro-Establishment Propaganda
IR is curious as to just what "success" Governor Holcomb wishes to continue. Is he referring to the disastrous reign at FSSA of Mitch Roob? The incompetent reign of the IDOI and IURC by Jim Atterholt who unjustly fired Paul Ogden? Does he wish to continue the legacy of "Godfather Governor" Mitch Daniels of firing and destroying state whistleblowers like the venerable Paul Ogden? Does Holcomb intend to continue turning a blind eye towards misconduct committed by the likes of former Indiana Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett? If so then the hell with Holcomb and his definition of success!
Drivel like this out of the "Downtown Mafia's" paper of record proves conclusively that the Indianapolis Star is no longer home to people like Dick Cady and Ruth Holliday. But now serves only to spew out whatever Matt Tully and his circle jerk club are told to write by their paymasters. We encourage people to checkout Dick Cady's book "Deadline Indianapolis" for a glimpse as to what the Star used to be. No doubt Advance Indiana's Gary Welsh is laughing from his grave at Indiana being given the "Best Government" designation! We all here long ago canceled our subscriptions to the Star. We advise all of you to do the same. Let's drink to the day when the Star is gone!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Jim Atterholt going back to IURC
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday (February 9th) announced Jim Atterholt, former chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, will once again serve in that role.
Atterholt will replace former IURC Chairwoman Carol Stephan, who stepped down Jan. 1 after 2-1/2 years.
Atterholt, a former lawmaker, most recently served as chief of staff to former Gov. Mike Pence. He was IURC chairman from 2009 to 2014. Atterholt is also a former commissioner of the Indiana Department of Insurance.
“Jim Atterholt’s history of service and depth of knowledge on utility issues make him the best choice to lead the IURC, particularly over the next four years,” Holcomb said. “IURC’s work will be central to my focus as governor to provide great customer service for Hoosiers in every corner of the state.”
If Holcomb is truly saying that Atterholt is the best person to run the IURC and to provide great customer service to Hoosiers. Than Holcomb needs to seriously rethink his idea of what "great customer service" is! As we, Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden have pointed out before Jim Atterholt should have his ever widening butt kicked to the curb! His past history at the Indiana Department of Insurance and his previous tenure at IURC show him to be completely ill suited to run a lemonade stand! Let alone the IURC! The article does point out that there is bipartisan support for Atterholt to go back to
A nominating committee of four Republicans and three Democrats interviewed and made recommendations to the governor for selection on Feb 3. Holcomb said the decision was “unanimous."
The IURC is a powerful agency that regulates $14 billion worth of electric, natural gas, telecommunications, steam, water and sewer utilities. It approves utility projects and determines how much utilities can charge customers.
This of course is not news to us or to those who have been paying attention at all to politics in good old Honest-To-Goodness Indiana! For decades now the IURC whether it by run by Republicans or Democrats is simply interested in screwing over the rate payers and carrying out the will of the Bipartisan Cabal that runs much of Indiana state politics!
Holcomb has shown that his time as Governor is the time of the second rater!
Should Hoosier Republicans Form a Third Party?
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!
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Ex Governor "Pamepered" Mike Pence stiffs Indiana taxpayers on State's Bicentennial Consrtuction Projects!
At issue are $53.5 million in new projects Pence sought as part of the state’s 200th birthday celebration last year. They included a new $2 million Bicentennial Plaza at the Indiana Statehouse, a $2.5 million education center at the neighboring State Library, a new $25 million state archives building and a $24 million inn at Potato Creek State Park in St. Joseph County.
Construction on the plaza — with its two large sculptures and water features — and the education center already are complete. Some design work for the archives building also has occurred. So far, the state has spent more than $5 million.
But two years after those assurances were made, a cell tower deal has yet to materialize.
So let's just think about this for a minute. Lawmakers agreed to spend tax dollars on these assorted projects because Mike Pence had assured them it would be paid for by leasing excess space on state-owned cell towers. And two years later the state has no cell tower deal. Now the IR staff does not generally handle large scale business transactions. But it seems to all of us that both Pence and the legislators share blame for this. Pence should have at least had some deal ready to cover the costs of these projects in full before proposing this to the legislature. The legislators on the other hand should have made certain that Pence actually had something on the table and wasn't just blowing smoke to get them to agree to another of his half-baked schemes!
Cook continues:
Now, Gov. Eric Holcomb, Pence's successor and fellow Republican, is trying to find a way to fill the $5.5 million hole those projects left in the state budget.
He initially proposed dipping into a fund traditionally reserved for public health initiatives, but is now reworking that plan after questions from IndyStar.
The need to find $5.5 million for the bicentennial projects comes at a time when Holcomb is already grappling with a $378 million revenue shortfall compared to what lawmakers had originally budgeted for this year.
"We did the projects. We have to pay for the projects," said Stephanie Wilson, Holcomb's spokeswoman.
In the two-year state spending plan Holcomb sent to lawmakers earlier this month, he sought to use money from the state's Tobacco Master Settlement fund to pay for the projects.
Money in that fund comes from a 1998 multistate lawsuit settlement with big tobacco companies over the health impact of their products. Indiana receives about $128 million a year from the settlement. Other states have used their share of the settlement for unrelated purposes, but Indiana traditionally has reserved the funds for public health initiatives such as children’s health insurance, community health centers, mental health treatment and programs to combat HIV and AIDS.
Holcomb's proposal to use the fund to pay for bicentennial projects raised concerns among public health advocates given the state’s HIV outbreak last year, a sharp uptick in opioid abuse and deaths and the state's 12th-highest-in-the-nation smoking rate.
Cook goes onto point out that last year that State Rep. Greg Porter-D, and other legislators in both parties had questioned if any cell tower deal would be able to fully fund these projects. And what deal that then Governor Pence had in place would most likely have not fully funded the bicentennial projects funding needs!
“That money was intended for health-related programs and that’s where it should go,” said Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis. “Our governor talks about having an honestly balanced budget with no gimmicks. I think this would be a nice gimmick.”
He and other lawmakers raised concerns when Pence first proposed funding the projects with a cell phone tower deal. Even Republican fiscal leaders expressed doubts about Pence's proposed funding mechanism after IndyStar exposed last year that any cell tower deal likely would fall short of fully funding the projects.
“I’m going on faith," Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said last year. "They assured me they can get this done.”
Amid such concerns — and in the heat of the presidential campaign — Pence announced in September that a cell phone tower deal had been reached with Ohio-based Agile Networks. The deal would provide the state with $50 million upfront and more during the life of the 25-year lease, his administration said.
“This agreement, if approved, will put underused assets into full play, enhance Indiana’s communication capabilities throughout the state and fund the state’s bicentennial projects,” Pence said at the time.
What Pence didn't say was that the deal with Agile Networks was far more expansive than advertised. Not only would it have given Agile control over the state's cell phone towers, it also would have allowed the company to use the state's vast fiber network.
That stirred fierce opposition from the state's cable and broadband trade groups, which represent companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner.
A spokesman for Agile declined comment for this story.
The deal was supposed to go before the state budget committee for final approval in December, but it did not end up on the agenda amid the behind-the-scenes controversy.
Now, the fate of the deal is uncertain.
Wilson said the governor is reviewing "the entire deal."
"It’s not done," she said. "We don’t know if or when it will be done."
In the meantime, Holcomb is backing off his initial proposal to pay for the bicentennial projects with money from the tobacco settlement fund.
Wilson said Tuesday that Holcomb is now asking House lawmakers to change the funding source for the projects to the general fund.
The tobacco settlement money will instead be used to support a planned increase in funding for the state’s adult protective services, which an IndyStar investigation found last year is woefully understaffed and ineffective in protecting vulnerable adults exposed to abuse and neglect.
“This is in keeping with the governor’s commitment to using health-related funds for health-related purposes,” Wilson said.
When asked about the bicentennial funding problem, fiscal leaders in the General Assembly tried to cast it in diplomatic terms.
"Let’s say we had some friendly jousting going on between me and the (Pence) administration over the bicentennial projects," Kenley said. "At one time I said, 'I’m not sure I can afford to celebrate our bicentennial.' But we went ahead and celebrated. Now that we’ve celebrated, we’ve got to pay the bills."
This story alone shows why most of our legislators in both parties should be thrown out of office! If as State Senator Luke Kenley states that they were not certain they could afford the projects but went ahead and did them anyway. That is reason enough to show that he has no business being in charge of anything! If past experience is any indication the legislators including Kenley will probably come up with some other bone-headed plan to take care of former Governor Pence's mistakes! Kudos to Tony Cook for writing this story! If he keeps this up he will get snatched up by a real news outlet sooner or later!
Update: All of us here are especially honored and thankful for a mention by Mr. Jon Easter about this post on his blog. Click here to read his wonderful work.