Easily Fooled Opportunist Mike Pence should resign the Vice Presidency now!

Mike Pence praying that people are buying this bullsh@! he is peddling

Good evening everyone in cyberspace! Well we here at IR had thought we could give Mike Pence at least till Halloween to prove himself as Vice President. Old Mikey though continues to exceed the already low opinions we have of him. Only six months into what we hope will be his only term as Vice President. We honestly can say we have seen enough. Our advice to the Vice President is: "Resign now while you still can!" After countless denials of what is going on in the administration that he is part of. He is either a fool, a damned liar, or both. 

In an article published on IndyStar.com today called "Vice President Mike Pence unaware of Donald Trump Jr's Russia meeting" Tony Cook reports:

"The Vice President is working every day to advance the President's agenda, which is what the American people sent us here to do," Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said in a written statement. "The Vice President was not aware of the meeting. He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket."

Trump's oldest son released emails Tuesday showing he knew the damaging information he was seeking about Hillary Clinton was being peddled by the highest levels of the Russian government. 

Told that the Russians had "incriminating information" about his father's Democratic campaign rival, Donald Trump Jr. responded: "If it's what you say, I love it."

The emails appear to back up the most damning revelation in New York Times reports that Trump's closest associates and family members actively sought information they knew was part of a high-level Russian government effort to support Trump's campaign.

Pence has repeatedly denied any contacts between Trump associates and Russia since taking office as vice president.  

During a round of Sunday morning news show appearances in mid-January, Pence told John Dickerson of CBS' Face the Nation that there had been no contacts. 

"I think to suggest that is to give credence to some of these bizarre rumors that have swirled around the candidacy," Pence said at the time.

That same day, Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday, asked Pence if he had asked whether there had been any contacts between Trump associates and the Russian government or its intermediaries.

"Of course not," he said. "Why would there be any contacts between the campaign?"

A month later, Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was fired for lying to Pence about contacts with a Russian official. 

Pence has also said he did not know Flynn had secretly lobbied for the Turkish government, despite reports claiming Flynn had actually disclosed to the Trump transition team back in January that he was under a federal investigation.

Pence was leading the transition team at the time.

Once again Tony Cook writes another article that is so good we can't figure out why he is still employed by The Indianapolis Star also known as the CIA's paper of record. He points out very well about how it is strange that Pence claims he didn't know that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had lobbied for Turkey. Even though it appears that Flynn disclosed this to Trumps transition team which Mike Pence was in charge of!

Also as we have chronicled on this blog several times. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter is not to be believed on anything. He is a former lackey of "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels and former Indianapolis Mayor "Boss Greg" Ballard!

Also his actions as Governor ranging from his stiffing the Hoosier state with the bill for Bicentennial projects, to picking Eric Holcomb as his successor, and appointing that dumb as a door post Rick Hite to run the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. These actions as Governor and his unbelievable denials and asskissing he has committed as Vice President show clearly he needs to leave political life entirely. 

C'mon Mikey! You are obviously stressed out, and tired after rolling out of bed at noon everyday. Public life doesn't suit you. Find something else worthwhile and salvage something of your dignity. Just resign and leave Washington. 

A reader of ours posted a comment back in May of this year saying: "MIKE PENCE IS POLITICAL MENTAL PORNAGRAPHY TO THE CRITICAL THINKER PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE TO RESCUE OF THE REPUBLIC." We of course are not sure what kind of porn they are comparing Pence to. It could be 1990's scrambled porn, midget porn, etc. Who knows!

Here are what some others think of Vice President Pence:

John Weaver @JWGOP

Replying to @BillKristol

The Sgt. Schultz act won't survive. Jerry Ford without the lasting friendships, integrity or balls.4:53 PM · Jul 11, 2017 from Cannes, France

51 Retweets

236 Likes

Lane Terrell @WorldTrvlrDaddy·6h

Replying to @JWGOP and @BillKristol

Exactly! @JWGOP This whole episode will amount to a very short resurrection of his career.

Middle Is @MAmichigander·6h

And when it's all done, we in Indiana respectfully request that he and his mother stay the hell away from us.

    https://twitter.com/BeingKimmieToo/status/884848982048088064

"Taxman" Governor Eric Holcomb AKA Mitch Daniels Lapdog!

RINO TRAITOR ERIC HOLCOMB 

It's a beautiful Monday today here in Indiana. All of us here have had a great start to the week. Hope all of you have as well. Now unfortunately we must switch gears and discuss something far less pleasant. We are talking about our political hack of a Governor Eric "Taxman" Holcomb. What can we say about this soulless eyed, butt chinned, vampiric parasite that has not already been said before? Unfortunately he is so "insane in the membrane" it's hard to stop discussing his shortcomings!

As we start the dog days of summer many of us are looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the warmth of the outdoors. Unfortunately this summer Hoosiers are going to start feeling the pinch of higher gas taxes and user fees courtesy of Eric Holcomb and the spineless jellyfish that are our republican state legislators!

Dan Carden of the Northwest Indiana Times has the story in his column "Indiana legislature, governor hike 45 different taxes, fees paid by Hoosiers", click here to read it. 

Mr. Carden writes:

Motorists almost certainly will notice when fuel prices across Indiana increase by 10 cents per gallon on July 1. 

Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb enacted a fuel tax hike to fund road construction projects and restore the buying power lost to inflation since the current fuel tax rates were established more than a decade ago.

But that's far from the only new charge Hoosiers soon will pay.

Carden points out that "Altogether, Indiana lawmakers imposed or increased at least 45 different taxes and fees on everything from notary services to teacher background checks, according to a review by The Times of every law passed during the 2017 legislative session." 

And what does our so called fiscally responsible Governor think of the hikes in taxes and fees? He most certainly thinks they are a bad idea and is working to undo this right? WRONG!

Carden says: "Holcomb declined to characterize that (fees and tax hikes) as "a lot" of tax and fee hikes.

He instead was quick to insist, "I'm very comfortable with paying for what we need."

The question to ask who is this "we" that Holcomb speaks of? And what is it they need and why?

Carden quotes State Senator Brandt Hershman as saying:

"State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, chairman of the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, said Indiana lawmakers adjust various taxes and fees every year, but strive to avoid a general tax increase on incomes or sales.

"Many of us feel that's a good policy, because it's a fee-for-service model and people can make a decision as to whether it's a good value for them or not, and whether they're getting bang for their buck," Hershman said."

What Hershman doesn't point out is that Hoosiers have to pay the taxes by law. And in many instances the fees are not something that we can avoid paying.

Now in marked contrast to Hershman, Holcomb and other so-called Hoosier Republicans who see no problem in gouging taxpayers. The leader of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus had a different view of the legislatures raising taxes.

"House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, quipped that he's not sure Hoosier Republicans are the party of Ronald Reagan anymore, since the high number of tax and fee increases they enacted seemingly go against the tax-cutting policies championed by the 40th president.

"Sometimes I get a little flummoxed," Pelath said. "The raids on the private citizens' wallets come in a myriad of ways, in very small amounts, spread over a very wide area ... and they're very hard to keep up with."

This defies logic and reason. To think the day has arrived when Indiana Republicans are correctly scolded by the State House Democratic Leader for abandoning the traditional conservative republican principles of Reagan and lowering taxes and reducing government spending. We are not surprised after all Holcomb is simply doing as he is told by former "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels. Daniels is the little runt of a man who believes he deserves to rule over others. 

Here is a little ditty that describes accurately Holcomb and Daniels:

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/

RINO Brian Bosma and Statehouse Republicans want to raise taxes on all Hoosiers

Happy 2017 to all of you from the IR staff! Hope the new year has been a good one for all of you so far. State House Speaker Fake Republican Brian Bosma started out the new year by outlining his plan to raise taxes on hoosiers. Tony Cook and Chelsea Schneider wrote a good piece for the Indianapolis Star about Bosma's plan to hose the taxpayers in an article dated January 4th, 2017 entitled "Why House GOP wants to increase your gas tax"


Cook and Schneider write:


House Speaker Brian Bosma’s plan would initially increase the state’s gasoline tax by 10 cents a gallon, resulting in a tax increase of $48 per year for the average Hoosier motorist.
The proposal also would create a new $15 per year fee on every vehicle registered in the state. Electric vehicles would pay more at $150 per year as a way to compensate for using less gasoline. Those fees are expected to generate an estimated $92 million per year with that funding going toward local roads.

In the long run, House GOP leaders say the plan — along with potential new highway tolls — is expected to generate the projected $1.2 billion per year needed to maintain state and local roads and fund expansions. Under the plan, gasoline taxes would see an initial boost, and then regularly increase with inflation and Hoosier income growth.
“The overarching goal of the House Republican caucus this year is to have a sustainable, long-term and comprehensive road funding program," said Bosma, R-Indianapolis. "For far too long, we’ve kicked this can down the road and been concerned about a single session or a two-year term or the next administration. It’s time for us to think about the next generation."
The announcement amounts to the second year in a row House Republicans have sought tax increases to support long-term road funding. Last year, those plans were blocked by Senate Republicans and Gov. Mike Pence who were hesitant to support tax increases.


But this year, Senate leaders seem more open to the role tax hikes could play in highway funding, though Senate Republican leader David Long declined to comment Wednesday. Incoming Gov. Eric Holcomb has said “all options” were on the table and is expected to say more on road funding Thursday.
"I’m very encouraged by where we are all starting on the many important issues we’ll be discussing over the next several months," Holcomb said in a statement. "When it comes to road and bridge funding, we all share the same goal — creating a long-term, sustainable plan that strongly positions us for the future, and I’m confident we’ll have one before we adjourn."
The House GOP plan would send nearly $300 million in new dollars to state roads in 2018 and then $480 million in 2019, House fiscal leader Rep. Tim Brown said. An estimate by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates higher revenue in 2019 at $540 million.
In 2018, the state would begin shifting more of the sales tax on gasoline to highway funding, a move that’s expected to raise more than $360 million when fully implemented in 2022, Brown said.
However, the shift would leave a hole in the state's general fund. Bosma made no commitment to plug the gap, but suggested lawmakers could look to increase taxes on cigarettes. Last year, House Republicans proposed to increase the tax by $1 per pack to help pay for roads.


Not surprisingly many true conservative republicans are opposed to Speaker Bosma's shafting of the taxpayers. The article goes onto say:


The conservative Americans for Prosperity-Indiana plans to oppose the tax hike through door-to-door visits with Hoosier voters, as well as by phone and mail. "Before any tax increases are discussed, gasoline sales tax revenue should be moved to a designated fund immediately, and spending should be frozen at current levels using a portion of revenue increases to fill the gap," state director Justin Stevens said. "Hoosiers overwhelmingly agree that if lawmakers aren’t using existing money to make roads a priority, they should not be trusted with more of our hard-earned paychecks.”


Legislative leaders say new revenue is needed because the state's 18 cents-a-gallon gasoline tax has not been increased since 2003. The introduction of more fuel-efficient vehicles since then has caused that revenue stream to stagnate.
The House plan also would increase the special fuel tax and motor carrier tax by 10 cents a gallon. It also would require the Indiana Department of Transportation to study the potential for tolls on existing interstate highways.


Justin Stevens makes an excellent point if our legislators are failing to use taxpayers money responsibly there is absolutely no reason to give them more of other peoples money to squander! This is another good pieces by Ms. Schneider and Mr. Cook. One point that nobody seems to be making though. Is back in 2006 when then Governor "Godfather" Mitch Daniels pushed his "Major Moves" legislation through it was sold as being able to take care of the state's road funding problems for decades. If that was true then the legislators need to be asked why in the name of hell do they need more money for roads now? Governor-elect Eric Holcomb also has come out in support of this plan. Not a surprise since Holcomb is a longtime tool of Mitch Daniels and his fake republican cohorts who have done nothing but enrich themselves by draining the lifeblood out of hoosier taxpayers! It is long past time that Brian Bosma should be put out to pasture. He has done nothing but enrich himself and try to hide lawmakers emails from the voters. Someone needs to ask what he is afraid that taxpayers will see. Let's all keep our eyes trained on dear old Brian and see what other nonsense he tries to pull!


We urge our readers to contact Chelsea Schneider & Tony Cook and urge them to keep digging into Brian Bosma's agenda and how it will impact all of us. Here is their contact information:


Chelsea Schneider (317) 444-6077. Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea. 
Tony Cook (317) 444-6081. Twitter: @indystartony.