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Thursday, May 25, 2017

Republican Party Should Listen to J. Cal Davenport or get toasted!

Redstate.com's J. Cal Davenport has published a piece today entitled "No Party Is Serious And I Feel Politically Homeless". Davenport nails down exactly the frustration that scores of republicans the IR staff included share with the Republican Party both nationally and statewide.  Davenport also lays out the case as to why so many of us frustrated and disgruntled republicans refuse to join the Democratic or Libertarian Parties. Davenport's article is of such high quality and relevance  especially in light of yesterday's incident in which the GOP nominee for the House of Representatives Greg Gianfonte is reported to have assaulted Ben Jacob's a reporter for the British newspaper The Guardian. It is for these reasons we have decided to share  Davenport's article on this blog:

Yesterday’s news that a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress from Montana body-slammed a reporter has me pensive once again about where I and other conservatives like me belong.

Greg Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault for lifting The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs by the neck and slamming him to the ground hard enough to break his glasses, all because Jacobs asked for a response from the candidate regarding the CBO’s scoring of the American Health Care Act. Newspapers have pulled endorsements in what will hopefully not be the last of the repercussions for Gianforte’s conduct. (Hat tip to Andrea Ruth for such a fantastic job following this story.)

One congressional candidate, who is already facing swift and harsh backlash — some social media defenders notwithstanding — is only one straw, but it’s just the latest in a series that has made it harder and harder to take the Republican Party seriously anymore. Founder of the Gianforte Family Foundation, whose mission it is to “support the work of faith-based organizations engaged in outreach work, strengthening families, and helping the needy,” Gianforte also has worked with Focus on the Family and donated over a million dollars to a creationist museum. He is a poster child for political engagement by a conservative Christian entrepreneur.

And this becomes his witness.

Liberals punch people and set fire to tires in order not to provide a platform to views they don’t like too, so violence as a solution to ideological challenges is largely the order of the day in American politics. Without a doubt, it is a pervasive problem across the spectrum.

Yet in spite of the if-it-bleeds-it-leads bias toward reporting the outrageous, I argue that the biggest problem in the American political system is that there is an overwhelming lack of seriousness. It infects the GOP at least as much as any other party, and when it sufficiently debilitates its host, the host sees only escalating absurdity as the way forward.

I remain a registered Republican. Certainly I approve of a greater number of GOP politicians — Ben Sasse, Mike Lee, my own state of Michigan’s lieutenant governor, Brian Calley, for example — than of any other party, but that is mostly due to the fact that the only rival to the Republican Party in size is the Democratic Party. Before I’m a Republican, I’m a conservative, but the movement and its party manifestations over the past five, but especially two, years have threatened to return it to the laughable status it maintained prior to the work Bill Buckley and so many others did to make it intellectually respectable — and elect Ronald Reagan.

Kristen Soltis Anderson at The Washington Examiner recently highlighted the fact that young people are abandoning the GOP ship like it just hit an iceberg. In 18 months, 23 percent of those 18-29 defected from the party and have not returned. As no course correction appears forthcoming, there’s no reason to expect that to change any time soon. 

From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that Christians under forty are marching out of the Republican tent, because they are finding it difficult to reconcile their faith with a party whose titular head shows a callous disregard for the very minorities and vulnerable people we conservatives told ourselves our policies best served. One isolated (but nationwide) incident might have been written off as the last electoral gasp of a generation unable to cope with the changes in America — 50- to 64-year-olds left the Democrats at a greater rate than any other age bracket — except that the GOP leadership morphed from being “concerned” about Donald Trump into monkeys that see and hear no evil.

Too many at the grassroots level have likewise transformed. News that is sometimes fake, but more often spun — predigested for those with weak stomachs — serves as the blindfold and earplugs that block out the pervasive moral and intellectual vapidity. The party in Washington is unserious because those who are “engaged” (I use that term loosely) are unserious, and demand nothing more. Rather than think deeply about the myriad problems and challenges America faces, those who claim to take them seriously just get angrier, while also becoming less connected to reality and other people.

What do those of us who increasingly feel like a minority do? If we leave, where do we go? The Democratic Party continues its insistent on abortion on demand, it elevates issues like an endless menus of genders from which to choose over basic budget math and common sense, a loud and influential faction mocks Christianity and its most compelling member is a 75-year-old self-described socialist.

Speaking of Bernie Sanders, he happens to be the only prominent member of his party both to insist that there is a space for pro-lifers on the left and to unequivocally condemn the violent reactions of campus liberals who protest speeches by conservatives. Yet to embrace him is to embrace a man with a budget proposal that would have added $21 trillion to the debt in just a decade — an anathema to conservatives, as well as anyone who realizes that this so much money it could be piled in stacks of $5 bills and still reach the moon five times. We’re not about to leave a sinking party only to advocate for sinking a party under crushing debt. Be serious. The problem is bipartisan.

The Democratic Party’s adamantine defense of the increasingly misnamed Affordable Care Act is completely unironic in the face of double-digit premium hikes. The alternative? Republicans spent 7 years promising us free-market, conservative solutions to problems in the healthcare industry, only to offer “Swampcare” in various editions, which, in greater and lesser degrees, buys every Obamacare premise about the nature of the problems and solutions, and gives us just a little less of what we had before, as though the solution to the nauseating taste of Budweiser is Bud Light.

If silliness pervades both major parties, are there other options? The Libertarian Party confidently nominated a successful two-term Republican governor of a center-left state, implicitly assuring us that James Weeks II stripping down at national convention was just an anomaly. Then Gary Johnson took a golden opportunity and turned it into a reminder of why the LP is such a distant third electorally, with this. And this. And this. They can’t be serious.

Evan McMullin, my favorite presidential candidate in the general, finished third in his home state of Utah — his best showing — despite the fact that the GOP there was hemorrhaging his fellow Mormons. Since the election, he’s appeared to be more an opportunist than a serious leader, embracing interpretations of President Trump’s every action that put him in the worst possible light, no matter how implausible or inconsistent. He isn’t serious.

The Constitution Party is irrelevant. The problem proves to be not just bipartisan, but multi-partisan. (Perhaps the new Federalist Party is the place to be? At this point, it’s far too early to predict the success of that venture.)

I am partial to the view that the path partially is to be found outside of party politics, but the degree to which politics is downstream from culture is up for debate, as is the question of how politics itself influences culture. Besides, the insanity reaches outside of party politics as well, the Seth Rich conspiracy theory being only the most recent example. To find our place outside of a party is simply to act on the knowledge that conservatism isn’t a party. Eventually, though, a political movement needs an electoral outlet.

To return for a moment to the GOP, I’m agnostic and ambivalent as to whether it is part of the long-term future of serious conservatism. If it ceases entirely to be the party of Lincoln, Coolidge and Reagan, what merit does it hold as a vehicle for the movement? It’s the short term that presents a problem.

It seems as though any moron can run for office these days. When anyone can captain the Titanic, it’s much more likely to hit an iceberg. The pertinent (and seemingly eternal) question is whether it is possible to wrest control and correct course in time. If not, on which liferaft do we take refuge as we abandon ship?

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Joyriding Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard Crashed City Car

 







This mornings edition of the Indianapolis Star reported that RINO Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard had crashed a Carmel city car last month.

Indystar reporter Chris Sikich reporting on last months crash writes:

No one was injured or cited in the crash, although the driver of the vehicle Brainard hit faces a charge for driving without a license. 
Brainard was driving northbound on 3rd Avenue SW around 2 p.m. April 20 when he crossed the center line along the curve north of Carmel Drive, according to the Carmel Police Department report. Jose Guzman Uribe, 36, Indianapolis, was driving southbound in a 2006 Chevy Silverado hauling a trailer for his lawn-mowing business. Brainard crashed into the trailer.
The mayor told police he was feeling fatigued before he crossed the center line, according to the report. 
Brainard did not respond to an interview request. In an emailed statement, city spokeswoman Nancy Heck said the mayor was returning to City Hall from a meeting in Downtown Indianapolis.
The city is leasing the 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium, the highest end of the Fusion models, for $649.45 a month. The mayor signed the three-year lease through Tom Wood via Quality Leasing Co. in July 2016 as part of his benefit package. That's $23,380 over the life of the lease, plus expenses such as oil changes. The Fusion's retail price is $32,018.
Heck said insurance will buy out the lease for $29,588.50. The city will pay a $500 deductible, she said. The mayor is driving another city-owned car. 

Heck said the trailer was damaged, but no claim has been submitted to the city. 
Lt. Joe Bickel, Carmel Police Department's public information officer, said it is up to the officer at the scene to decide whether to conduct a sobriety test or cite a motorist involved in a crash. In this case, the officer didn't think either was warranted.
Harvey Lancaster, an attorney with Hensley Legal Group, which specializes in traffic crashes, said police typically only issue tickets in crashes if they witness a violation. He said officers have discretion to conduct toxicology tests based on what they witness. 
"It varies from case to case," he said. 
It appears that Mayor Brainard has crashed a city owned vehicle at least once before. 
Sikich continues:
In November 2002, he T-boned a school bus in a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, while attempting to turn left on 99th Street to Westfield Boulevard. No one was injured, but both vehicles were damaged. 
Jose Guzman Uribe the unlicensed driver of the car that was towing the trailer that Brainard hit. Has been charged with a Class A misdemeanor for driving without a license. He previously received a 60 day suspended sentence in 2014 for driving with out a license.
IR has been unable to uncover any other information about Brainard's 2002 T-Boning of a school bus. Late last year we posted about Mayor Brainard and the Star's Matt Tully's mancrush on Brainard. That was about the article that Tully wrote proclaiming that Brainard was woefully underpaid as mayor. Tully as usual was simply lavishing praise on another member of Tully's Circle Jerk Club! 
As far as we can deduce from the information available to us we cannot see any evidence of the police acting improperly at this time. But Brainard's stating that he was fatigued at the time of the incident, along with rumors that Brainard has been suffering from some unrevealed health malady for some time now, possibly prior to 2010. Coupled with sources telling IR that Mayor Brainard is reputed to be very hyperactive, an extreme multitasker, and now having been involved in two traffic accidents during his 20 year reign as mayor. This does raise very serious questions about whether he is physically up to the demands of his job. He may very well be. We strongly would recommend to Mayor Brainard that he get himself medical care ASAP. He also needs to be straight forward with Carmelites about his health. If he is not careful he or others maybe hurt or even killed. If anyone has any information about this incident or Brainard's 2002 accident. Please fill out our contact form on the web version on the Indy Republican blog, or contact Paul Ogden of Ogden On Politics fame, or call Chris Sikich at 317-444-6036, or WRTV reporter Kara Kenney via twitter or Facebook.
Fellow Blogger Paul Ogden also reported on old Jimbo Brainard's driving issues here.





Monday, May 22, 2017

19 Dead and 50 Plus Injured in Ariana Grande Concert Explosion

IR has just received word of an explosion at Manchester Arena in London. Earlier today an explosion occurred during Ariana Grande's concert at the Arena. Cause of the explosion is unknown at this time. The London Guardian's website has confirmed 19 people dead and at least 50 injuries. We ask that everyone of you offer your prayers and support to the victims of this tragedy. If anyone wants to follow this story click here for The Guardians coverage. 

Going Back to the USSR Comrade Pence?

According to WSBT-TV. Apparently some of the people in South Bend decided to give a special welcoming gift to make Vice President Mike Pence feel more at home. When entering South Bend to speak at Norte Dame Vice President Pence was greeted by this lovely display:

 



WSBT-TV reports:

The sign pictured above is up at the corner of South Bend Avenue and Edison. The sign is in Russian with the hammer and sickle, and at the bottom it says "Welcome Election Conspirators."

IR hasn't heard anything as far as any response from Team Pence about this symbol. IR is curious about how Mike Pence feels being associated in some people's minds with the old Soviet Empire. If anyone out there hears anything else about this let us know. In the meantime let us all pray that the Soviet Union stays dead! 

Indy Car Robbery Suspects In Custody

If you are like most of us here at IR. You are probably looking forward to the upcoming INDY 500. Our hero the late great Gary Welsh would attend the 500 most years. So when we all heard about the robbing of Indy Car drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti yesterday. We were shocked and appalled and we hoped and prayed for the parties responsible to be brought to justice. We are thrilled to say that our prayers appear to have been answered. 

WISH-TV reports that they have two suspects in custody. WISH-TV's website reporting earlier today:

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti were robbed at gunpoint at a Taco Bell in the 3500 block of West 16th Street. Dixon’s wife Emma Davies-Dixon is also listed as a victim on the police report, as is an unidentified 25-year-old man.

The incident happened hours after Dixon won the pole position Sunday for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.

The teens are listed as 14 years old and 15 years old in the IMPD report.

IMPD said that surveillance cameras at Taco Bell caught a suspicions vehicle on video. The vehicle and the suspect appeared from the same direction, then the suspects ran in the same direction of the vehicle.

About 30 minutes later, the vehicle was located. The passenger attempted to run from police but was caught by a K-9. That passenger was positively identified by one of the victims. The driver told detectives that he was partially involved and told investigators where the stolen property was. One of the suspects was sent to the Juvenile Detention Center was the other was sent to a local hospital.

In addition to being this year’s pole sitter, Dixon is previous winner of the big race. Franchitti has made it to the winner’s circle three times.

Chip Ganassi Racing issued a statement to 24-Hour News 8:

Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti are completely fine after being held up last night by two men at a fast food restaurant in Speedway, Ind. Thank you to everyone for all of your concerns about their well-being. However, we will allow the Speedway/Indianapolis police departments to handle the situation and while they conduct their investigation we will refrain from making any further comments to allow Scott to focus on the upcoming Indianapolis 500.”

We would like to thank the IMPD for apprehending the suspects so quickly. We would also like to wish Scott and Dario good luck in the 500. Also we would like to ask all of you to pray that these two young people who allegedly robbed Misters Dixon and Franchitti. We pray that these two young people clean up their acts and that after their debts to society are paid they go onto live good and prosperous lives. IR's staff believes in outing corruption, sin, and evil wherever we see it. But we all also believe in practicing active goodness and working to achieve the final salvation of all souls. To all of you out there. This is the Indy Republican newsdesk and we wish you all a good night.


Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Cover up at the BMV?

If anyone out there thought that electing Eric "Bagman" Holcomb would clean up the BMV. Tony Cook's column "BMV fires supervisor and her son, won't give details"  shows just how irrational hope in Holcomb is. 

Tony Cook writes:

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.




Thursday, May 11, 2017

Mike Pence and Indiana Secretary of State Connie "Freeloader" Lawson to be part of Voter Fraud Commission

Earlier today that lovable gadfly Paul Ogden wrote an article called Vice President Pence Damages His Reputation in Conveying False Narrative About Comey Firing. IR continues to be impressed by Paul's writing. And we all here welcome his contribution to the cause of freedom. Around the same time today as Paul Ogden's piece appeared. News broke that President Trump had signed an executive order to investigate claims of voter fraud said to have occurred during last years presidential race. David Jackson & Deborah Barfield Barry of USA Today wrote in Mike Pence, Connie Lawson to study 'voter fraud' as part of Trump commission:

The commission will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, who will be joined by up to 15 other members, including Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has advocated for some of the most restrictive election laws in the country, will serve as the commission's vice chair.

"The president's committed to the thorough review of registration and voting issues in federal elections,'' said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. "And that's exactly what this commission is tasked with doing.''

The order calls for the commission to study the "vulnerabilities in voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting.''

The advisory commission  set up to "promote fair and honest federal elections'' will hold public meetings and meet with federal state and local officials as well as election experts, according to the order. The commission is expected to present a report to the president next year.

If the intention of the commission really is "to promote fair and honest federal elections". Than Mike Pence and current Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson should be removed from this group immediately. It has been given little attention so far by the Indiana or National Media so far. But a cursory look at both Mike Pence and Connie Lawson's electoral careers shows that there are serious questions about their voting and residencies. We are not saying there is anything illegal. But given the legal and public beating inflicted on Lawson's predecessor former State Secretary of State Charlie White for allegedly voting in the wrong precinct one time in his entire life. Justice demands that Pence and Lawson's conduct as office holders and candidates be examined in the same manner.

Mr. Charlie White has written online and spoken on his podcast series at length about both Pence and Lawson's issues.

Writing on his Facebook page Mr. White has this to say:

October 3, 2015

The State of Indiana is a backward 'state of men' and not of law.  The "law" shifts, alters and is "suspended" depending upon "who you are"...It is akin to driving down the street and the state changes the posted speed limit to give you a ticket, after which they abruptly change it back for the benefit of others.  Its like trying to kick a field goal in football and they move the uprights as the ball is in the air so the ball doesn't go through. Be on notice that the word "shall" for statutes that provide you rights & privileges really means "may" and "may" really means "shall".  Legally defined words in the code are ignored and words not defined in the code have shifting meanings depending on the day.  Im really getting sick of "Tricky" Dick Lugar holding a court order saying he can continue to vote from an abandoned farm house with no water or sewer while he "lives" in Virginia after the AG Greg Zoeller said he could vote from a strangers house for 36 years (because Greg Zoeller did it too!!) Or Gov. Mike Pence living off the SAME ROAD (Olio road) in Fishers as me, enrolling his daughter in HSE schools as he votes from Columbus?!  Of course, pampered Gov. Pence didn't feel compelled to disclose on his campaign reports that Indiana Builders Council board member Bill O'Gorman provided the $400K Fishers house for "the convenience of (Pence's) family". Of course, the media doesn't like talking about them, Mitch Daniels, Evan Bayh or the judges who live in one county/state and vote in another over their "intent" because they know damn well someone with a 5th grade education can see that something doesn't line up. If you mention anything about this, see how quickly people suddenly lose the ability to speak and want to change the subject or simply lie about the facts of these kingpins. If you value your liberty and you are dumb enough like me to ask public officials in your own grand old party to stop taking lavish free vacations in exchange for road and bridge projects, run out of Indiana as fast as you can.  Everyone, not just me, deserves fair notice on what the law is...and we all deserve equal protection under the law where folks are similarly situated.  Indiana, unfortunately, changes law "retroactively" (ex post facto) to make legal behavior 'illegal'..even if its temporarily illegal to get one person.  If mandatory statutes and 100 years of published case law are no longer valid, it would've been nice to know.

I think you see that its a free for all.  Secretary "Freeloader" Lawson and her husband had homesteads in Hendricks Co., Marion County and in Arizona all at the same time!! If that were us we would be crucified...but she is one of the elites.  Mitch Daniels claimed a homestead in Hamilton County in his special mansion he told the world he wouldn't build it bc it was in a county where he legally couldn't reside as governor. Pence claimed a homestead in columbus while living down the road from me in fishers in 2012 as he enrolled his child in HSE schools. 

If what Mr. White says is accurate especially in regards to Connie Lawson having had multiple simultaneous homestead exemptions in Indiana and another in Arizona. Then she has some serious explaining to do! As far as we are aware you can only claim one homestead exemption period! So why did Mrs. Lawson have different homesteads in Indiana and Arizona? There might be an answer for them. But unless Connie Lawson is willing to explain whether or not this is true she should either step down from the advisory commission or be tossed from it! 

As for why Mike Pence is not the man you want in charge of cleaning up voter fraud. As IR pointed out not that long ago Mike and Karen Pence listed on their 2011 tax return that they lived in Arlington, Virginia. Which is very problematic considering that Pence ran for and was elected governor of Indiana in 2012. The reason this is an issue is because according to the Article 5, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana:

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.

Here is a shot of Mike and Karen Pence's 2011 tax return:

 


Now if as Mike Pence's tax return from 2011 states that he was living in Virginia that year. Than how could he have possibly resided in Indiana for the five years preceding the 2012 Gubernatorial election to legally qualify to run for Governor? If his  Form 1040 that is signed under penalty of perjury is to be believed than he could not and did not meet the eligibility requirements to run for and be elected Governor in 2012. So either his 2011 tax return address was in some way wrong, or his voter registration and homestead in Columbus, Indiana was in error. One of these maybe true but one of them has to logically be wrong! 

In light of the already cantankerous political atmosphere of today's world. Mike Pence and Connie Lawson should have had there backgrounds checked out further. We can already see the Democrats going after Pence and Lawson right now in order to gain more of an edge in next years midterm elections. We agree with Paul Ogden that Pence has destroyed his credibility. We would argue however that Pence trashed his credibility decades ago and he should be sent into political retirement.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Legislator's Force Hoosier Taxpayers to Pay for Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence's Bicentennial Boondoogle!

We wish we could say we are surprised to find out that Indiana lawmakers decided to fork over the money to take care of former Governor Mike Pence's Pork Barrel Bicentennial Projects! But as we predicted back in January:


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
 



























Friday, May 5, 2017

Rush Limbaugh Castrates Mike Pence

Mike Pence (Left) struggling to defend the budget deal to Rush Limbaugh (Right)


We have been getting some feedback lately and some of our readers express the belief that IR has been portraying fake republican former Indiana Governor now Vice President Mike Pence in too positive a light. This has us all scratching our heads. But to assuage our valued readers. We decided to write this post which we hope will once and for all settle any doubts as to IR's feelings towards Mike "Pampered" Pence. On Tuesday May 2nd, 2017. Mike Pence called into the Rush Limbaugh show to try to sell the God awful budget that the House of Representatives had just voted to pass.


Debra Heine of PJMedia.com wrote on May 3rd, 2017 about Vice President Pence's attempt to defend this un defendable budget deal. Ms. Heine writes:


Vice President Mike Pence called into The Rush Limbaugh Show yesterday to defend the budget deal. Right off the bat Limbaugh asked Pence, "Mr. Vice President, why vote Republican?"

What is the point of voting Republican if the Democrats are gonna continue to win practically 95% of their objectives, such as in this last budget deal?

Pence characterized the deal as a "win for the American people," a characterization Limbaugh didn't quite accept.

If I’m the Democrats, $21 billion, $15 billion for defense that was not originally authorized, that’s a small price to pay for continuing to fund refugee resettlement, continuing to fund Planned Parenthood, continuing to fund sanctuary cities, continuing to fund the EPA, and not build the wall. The Democrats clearly think this is a big win, and they’re confident they can block Trump’s agenda after this spending bill for the rest of Trump’s term. There isn’t anything of the president’s agenda in this budget, and people are beginning to ask, when’s that gonna happen? If you’re gonna shut it down in September, why not now? 
As much as all of us here at IR are no longer think very much of Rush Limbaugh. He is absolutely right in asking VP Pence why should the voters vote for republicans if all that winds up happening is that Democrats still get the overwhelming majority of their pet projects funded! Also why would the White House think that having a government shutdown is a reasonable idea in September but not now? This endless water carrying for Washington D.C. insiders only confirms our belief we expressed in a previous post. That Mike Pence is simply a yes-man whose man of the people image is simply a fraud. If this keeps up we predict that Pence has nothing to look forward to except another four or heaven forbid eight years of butthurt to experience trying to sell a load of crap to the American people.


Okay so does this satisfy all the naysayers out there that think we were going to easy on Mike Pence?