Indiana has the pleasure of actually mattering in this Election year. Earlier in the month, Barack Obama visited Plainfield High School. Hillary Clinton visited Ben Davis High School this past Saturday. WXNT producer Chris Spangle covered both and here are his impressions:

Both gyms are of equal size. Both Schools opened space for overflow. Senator Obama filled the entire gym and the auxillary gym used for overflow two hours before the event. Senator Clinton did not have anyone in the auditorium used for overflow. She did not fill the entire main gym. There were at least 50 seats empty out. I’d estimate that 3,000 showed up for Obama, and 2,000 for Clinton.

Both candidates brought a proportionate amount of Indianapolis’s ethnic make-up. There were members of all races, colors, creeds, and religions at these events. Economically, Obama brought more middle-class and upper-class listeners. Clinton had more working-class and union members.

Crowd Reaction: Both crowds were very enthusiastic for their candidate. Surprisingly, Hillary’s crowd cheered more intensely. Could be the building, but they were louder and more fervent. The crowd leaving Obama’s event was more positive on the Senator, and more upbeat. I heard a mixed reaction from the crowd exiting Clinton’s event. Some were inspired, some were calling B.S.

Message: Obama was more a message of hope and unity. It was meant to inspire. Hillary’s was more intellectual. The speech was mostly that the G.O.P. has left the country a disaster, and asking the crowd to remember how wonderful it was under her husband. The job will be hard, but she is the only one to fix it. Obama was more upbeat, saying that while we have problems, they aren’t anything Americans can’t overcome. I won’t say Clinton wasn’t positive, but I did have a looming sense of doom if I didn’t take her advice and elect her.

Campaign Staff: The Obama event was very structured. Press had to register online the day before. Clinton had open press. Obama had three press agents there greeting the press, helping them set up. They also had student ambassadors to keep the press in their spot, and to assist with questions about the school. The two or three hours that I was there, I didn’t meet one member of the Clinton team. No one introduced themselves or asked if I needed assistance. Now, in fairness, the Clinton Camp is doing a lot of stops in a short amount of time, which needs a lot of logistical support and planning. That could have been why there seemed to be a lack of staff wandering around.

P.S.  Superdelegate Andre Carson spent a few moments with Barack Obama when he visited earlier this month. He also attended Obama’s speech. Congressman Carson was not present at Senator Clinton’s speech.

I’m heading back to Indianapolis today after spending the last few days getting caught up with friends, tending to legal matters and visiting with my accountant.  And after doing my taxes again this year, I have re-affirmed my disdain for the federal government and how it spends the money it takes from me.  What makes matters worse is the more I make (i.e. the more a productive and contributing member of society I am) the more this government wants to take from me.

I understand more than a lot of people that taxes are the price we pay for civilization, but can’t we be a little more civilized about the way to do these things.

If I had my way, I would eliminate income taxes altogether and replace them with a “federal transaction fee” on all goods and services.  The rate would fall somewhere between 3-5%.  But every time you made a retail purchase, a car a house, food, lawyer, doctor, etc., you would pay the  FTF.  This way you only pay the tax when you spend the money.  And we as Americans like to spend money as shown by the fact we have so much debt.

Unlike the “fair tax” which taxes only new purchases at a rate of about 27% by some estimates, the FTF would have a much broader tax base, thereby translating into a much lower rate.  Everybody would pay it, because everybody spends money.

No one should have to pay more in taxes simply because they are more productive than someone else.  You would get to keep more of your own money  and a lot of wealth would be freed up and tax code made much simpler.  Yes, there will always be tax cheats, just like there will always be poor people.  A pretty famous guy once said that.

And there is no reason why such a system, for a few percentage points more, couldn’t be adopted at the state and local levels in exchange for the elimination of property taxes.

And for those of you who think I am just acting as some spoiled little yuppie (or buppie in my case) who is mad that he has to pay the federal money, your damn right.

The federal government didn’t go out and work 80-90 hour work weeks, I did.  The federal government did not train and study for years to get marketable skills which are in demand in the workplace.   All the federal government did was go out and run up a bunch of bills and get involved in a war that I didn’t ask for (I ordered Afghanistan and Bin Laden, not Iraq and Saddam Hussein)  And don’t even get me started on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

To the federal government, all a single, able-bodied, strong capable young man like me is good for is producing income which it can take away.  So when you put it in that perspective the only difference between me and my ancestor from 200 years ago is that he wore chains.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Posted on March 30th, 2008

I’m out of town today getting ready to meet with my accountant and vet out some tax issues.  I really need to just have one job and be done with it.  Either that or maybe the government should stop taking so much of my money, either way I’m out today, but I wanted to leave you with this thought about Indiana’s Super delegates.

As you know,  Indiana’s Democratic Congressmen have not come and publicly stated who they will support for President. Rep. Pete Visclosky (IN-1) , Rep. Baron Hill (IN-9), Rep. Brad Ellsworth (IN - 8), Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN-2) and Rep. Andre Carson (IN-7)  are all in the undecided column, or are they.

My sources are telling me that Hill, Ellsworth and Donnelly are going to back Barack Obama.  The logic makes sense, each is running for re-election in competitive areas and who wants their opponents to hang the albatross of Hillary Clinton around their necks.

Carson is a different creature.  I don’t expect him to endorse anyone until after the primary because he has no reason to.  Half his supporters are for Clinton (Evan Bayh, Dan Parker) and the other half are for Obama (Bill Crawford, Greg Porter).  Carson has nothing to gain by coming out and making a decision.  All it will do is make half his base mad, so staying undecided for now is about the best decision he could make.  I would expect him to make a decision after the May primary because then he can use the “will of the voters” as the perfect cover.

I have to get back to gathering up some more documents, but I thought I’d send this little item your way.

Enjoy your weekend.

You’ve probably heard about the Butler University student who got his chops busted by Chelsea Clinton for asking about the Monica Lewinsky affair.  Had I been at the town hall meeting, here is the question I would have asked. 

“Mrs. Clinton, as President it’s pretty important that you stay focused while working on important issues.  If you are working on a major issue in the Oval Office, how will you be able to concentrate knowing that your husband cheated on you in that same room with his intern?”

Feel free to steal that one if  you want.

The word on the street is that Hillary Clinton may be back in Indiana on Saturday.  I’m told she’ll be speaking Saturday morning at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.  Stay tuned.

The Indiana Department of Local Government and Finance has signed off on Marion County’s reassessment figures. According to the DLGF, the reassessment resulted in a $6 billion adjustment. Officials say the township assessors missed more than $1 billion in exempt properties in addition to the $4 billion in commercial property. Overall, commercial and industrial assessments increased by 30 percent, while residential property decreased slightly more than half a percent.

The gross assessments are now their way to the County Auditor who must apply exemptions and deductions in order for you to get your final tax bill.

My colleagues at RTV 6 are reporting that you won’t get your reconciliation bill until mid-July.  Marion County Treasurer Mike Rodman says because of the reassessment you won’t get your Spring 2008 bill until late October/early November and you won’t get your fall bill until December.

The DLGF has a tool to help you estimate your tax bill.  Click here.

Stay tuned.

Whenever someone asks me about my personal politics I tell them the best way to describe me is a socially-progressive capitalist pig.  I don’t care what people do as long as they do it to themselves and don’t cost me money in the process.  So with that attitude, the Clinton’s didn’t bother me the first time around.   They were like a TV show. 

The first couple seasons were spent figuring out the formula, seasons 4-6 were pretty good.  Season 7 was the impeachment and jumping the shark and by season 8 it was time for it to come to an end.

When I see Hillary Clinton running for President all I can think of is a sequel to a television show.  Sometimes you get a Frasier, other times you get a What’s Happening Now. 

So here’s the question, if Hillary gets elected President, what television sequel would be the best way to describe her administration?

I’ll start.  The Colby’s.

One of the closest friends of the Clintons is helping Barack Obama become President.  Greg Craig, who defended Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearing on the floor of the United States Senate is an advisor to the Obama campaign.   Apparently he is helping in the area of foreign policy.  His named appeared in a media advisory for a conference call today by the Obama campaign, but it turns out it was typo and he wasn’t going to be on the call.  It would have been fun to talk to him though.

Indiana House Majority Leader Russ Stilwell is endorsing Barack Obama for President. In a news release this morning Stilwell said Obama “has the best plan to turn the economy around and create good-paying jobs across the country – including here in Indiana – but more important than plans, Obama’s decision to reject money from special interests means he’ll be better positioned to actually make good on his promises.”

What’s interesting about the endorsement is that Stilwell is from Booneville which is in southern Indiana near Evansville. And Stilwell represents the types of Democrats that Hillary Clinton has been targeting and Obama has been trying to reach, white, conservative and working class.

Indiana may turn out to be more of a bellwether states for Democrats that I originally thought.

Watch out for this one folks, home prices are dropping across the country.  Indianapolis won’t be immune to this syndrome either.  And remember, the property tax system here is based on fair market value.  As home values drop, there is less assessed value.  If there is less assessed value that should translate into less money for local governments, but officials can still raise the rates to make up for the loss in assessments.  So although your home is worth less, you can still see yourself paying the same amount.  Of course all this falls against a backdrop of tax caps.  But you still have to consolidate the local governments to avoid increases in your property taxes.  Don’t let the reform stop.