Indiana
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7:01 p.m.
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I was impressed by how little information was contained in an Indy Star article about the “Bring Your Gun to Work” bill. It was just a series of reactions from people whose knowledge base about the issue was never revealed. Person 1: “When I come out at night, I don’t know who is going to [...]...
Masson's Blog - Mon 3:07 p.m. - 7 clicks 
So who exactly is Bob Wichlinski, anyway? Bob Wichlinksi, whom you correctly tied to Pete Visclosky and a PMA funded company at the Merrillville Ameriplex, is a long time Republican insider in Porter County. He is the former Porter Township Trustee and is now running unopposed in the primary for Auditor as a Republican. Long time Mitch loyalist, tight with Todd Rokita and Dan Dumezich. I c...
Blue County in a Red State - Mon 3:07 p.m. - 6 clicks
So when the good Republicans of the Highland Central Committee starting grilling Little Calumet Commission President Dan Dernulc as to why he hired Democrat Dan Repay for the Little Cal Executive Directorship, he said, "If you have any questions about it, talk to Tom Wichlinski". Everybody that I've talked to about that thinks it's fishy. The more people know about Lake County politics, the fish...
Blue County in a Red State - Mon 3:07 p.m. - 3 clicks
So I was invited by the Munster Republican chairman to come over to the Munster Lions Club Pancake Breakfast to do a little campaigning (He's a Lion, too). They put on an unbelievable event, there were a ton of people there. I'm not big on bugging people while they're trying to eat, so what I did was put one of my signs by the door, I put my nametag on, and I just opened the door for people comi...
Blue County in a Red State - Mon 3:07 p.m. - 4 clicks
It says so right here: Chapter 36: LAKE COUNTY AND PORTER COUNTY FOOD AND BEVERAGE TAX IC 6-9-36-8 Distribution of revenue Sec. 8. (a) The entire amount received from the taxes imposed by a county under this chapter shall be paid monthly by the treasurer of state to the treasurer of the northwest Indiana regional development authority established by IC 36-7.5-2-1. (b) The taxes paid to the trea...
Blue County in a Red State - Mon 3:07 p.m. - 3 clicks
The Lafayette Journal & Courier has an editorial pleading with the General Assembly not to let the vote center pilot program expire. Tippecanoe County, along with Wayne and Cass Counties, was allowed to create voting centers where anyone in the county could vote, regardless of the voter’s precinct of residence. The person was given a [...]...
Masson's Blog - Sun 6:02 a.m. - 7 clicks
In an article titled "Earmarks and Ethics" Congressman Visclosky is featured very prominently. One of the reasons that I have such a hard time with Times Editorial Advisory Board Member Cal Bellamy and his Ethics Board is that he is one of Visclosky's biggest campaign contributors. Visclosky is a bad guy. He is corrupt, and he has been for a very long time. It is high time that people like B...
Blue County in a Red State - Sat 11:06 a.m. - 9 clicks
Have we got a deal for you today! We've partnered with PFLAG to send unemployed LGBT people to Washington DC on March 16 to lobby on behalf of ENDA. How do you participate? Glad you asked! Are you unemployed? Did you lose your job because of your sexual orientation or gender identity? Do you live in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio or West Virg...
Bilerico-Indiana - Fri 9:25 a.m. - 7 clicks
The AP is reporting that the Indiana House of Representatives did not adjourn sine die as it had hoped to do. Instead, the House has adjourned until next Wednesday and will reconvene to see if some final compromises can be worked out in this year’s short session. In particular, measures hang in the balance that [...]...
Masson's Blog - Fri 4:43 a.m. - 8 clicks
I got to wondering about the Indiana Department of Revenue’s service for posting tax warrants online. At one time, this was the proper link.The page says: This site is temporarily unavailable. INDebt information will be available beginning Spring 2006. According to the 2005 fiscal report (pdf), the INDebt program brought in $2 million in two [...]...
Masson's Blog - Thu 9:22 a.m. - 5 clicks
Teabagger paranoia is approaching critical mass in Indiana, where members of the Tenther strain of teabaggery are declaring their homes sovereign nations, creating their own "national" identification documents, and declaring themselves immune from U.S. federal law. [h/t ThinkProgress] ...
DailyKos (Indiana) - Thu 8:44 a.m. - 9 clicks
When you have a website, you get tools that can show you who has visited your site and where they came from. I’ve had a congressman visit my site from housegate32.house.gov And someone else from DC: 173-8-13-54-washingtondc.hfc.comcastbusiness.net Visclosky? ...
Blue County in a Red State - Thu 6:47 a.m. - 9 clicks
Mary Beth Schneider, writing for the Indy Star, reports that House and Senate leaders are meeting behind closed doors to discuss a solution to the unemployment insurance debacle. The insurance fund has been operating in the red for quite awhile and has been running on loans from the federal government. Last year, lawmakers negotiated a [...]...
Masson's Blog - Mar 3 - 10 clicks
WTHR has an interesting, if perhaps overly breathless, story about how the governor and his economic development corporation, now run by Mitch Roob, puffed up its record of attracting jobs. The short version is that they chalked up victories when companies announced intentions to locate or expand employment in Indiana but didn’t take them off [...]...
Masson's Blog - Mar 2 - 2 clicks
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 2/22-24. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines) Brad Ellsworth (D) 36 Dan Coats (R) 37 Brad Ellsworth (D) 34 John Hostettler (R) 40 Baron Hill (D) 37 Dan Coats (R) 37 Baron Hill (D) 36 John Hostettler (R) 42 Jim Schellinger (D) 34 Dan Coats (R) 39 Jim Schellinger (D) 33 John Hostettler (R) 44 Hostettler and...
DailyKos (Indiana) - Mar 1 - 5 clicks
This isn’t political or even Indiana related. But, my sister-in-law posted a blog entry demonstrating how rolling with the punches can lead to great things. A traffic jam thwarted her plans for running a race. She and a friend decided to go running anyway and enjoy the day. They ended up in the midst of [...]...
Masson's Blog - Mar 1 - 5 clicks
Looks like there is a newish blog that might be worth watching going by the name of “Hoosier Advocate.” It describes itself as a blog for “independent, liberty-minded Hoosiers” and is based out of southwest Indiana. Just an aside – when I hear “advocate” in publications, I think of gay issues. That does not [...]...
Masson's Blog - Mar 1 - 8 clicks
Indiana Democratic Party chair Dan Parker's staff put out this press release today. I've translated it below if you're having difficulty parsing it... Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker on Baron Hill's Decision to Seek Re-Election Applauds dedication and public service to Hoosiers I speak for my fellow Hoosier Democrats in thanking and acknowledging U. S. Congressman Baron H...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 27 - 3 clicks
We get a story like this about once every two months: Michael T. Davis, the former treasurer of the union representing Lake County correctional officers, has been charged with theft after $8,400 in unauthorized transactions was uncovered during an audit. Davis, 27, of Hammond, is charged with stealing the money between Oct. 15 and Jan. 11. In court records, Deborah Stack, one of three trustee...
Blue County in a Red State - Feb 27 - 4 clicks
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman did the right thing and canceled a fundraiser at Tom McDermott Sr.'s home this weekend. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman canceled a $250-per-plate fundraiser this weekend at the home of former Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Sr. Citing scheduling concerns, Skillman said she had to reschedule the event at McDermott's 12,000-square-foot home in the exclusive Morningside subdi...
Blue County in a Red State - Feb 25 - 4 clicks
A SWAT team arrested Tony Perkins, 47, of Greenwood, Indiana on Friday, after a tip by a former girlfriend that he was HIV+ and was knowingly infecting women by having unprotected sex. He was charged under Indiana law with "failure of carriers of dangerous communicable diseases to warn persons at risk (a Class D felony) and intimidation." Mr Perkins allegedly was looking to infect women, becau...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 25 - 3 clicks
Presented without knowing who made the video, of course. I'd like to add my thanks for Bayh's decision since it'll more than likely cost us a Senate, House, and State House seat - throwing the entire state under Republican control . (For those who don't get the reference, Evan's father, Birch Bayh , was a famous Senate progressive who was friends with Teddy Kennedy and saved T...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 25 - 6 clicks
Now that the Indiana legislature is wrapping up their business for the year, Indiana Equality is claiming victory in this years' marriage amendment skirmish. From an e-blast: Senate Joint Resolution 13, the Marriage Discrimination Amendment, has died in the Indiana State House. Due in large part to your support and actions, the proposal to amend Indiana's state constitution was stoppe...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 24 - 8 clicks
I went to two meetings last night and spoke about my campaign. The first was the monthly meeting of the St. John Township Republican central committee. I introduced myself and spoke about my "big 3" issues (income tax, food and beverage tax, RDA). Being that these were Republican Committeemen, I let the conversation go to other issues (assessments, property taxes, Illiana). It was pretty cool,...
Blue County in a Red State - Feb 24 - 4 clicks
Dear media outlets considering polling in Indiana, Please consider asking about the ENDA, or, more generally, banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I'm sure some of you are finally interested in Indiana again, interested enough to fund a state-wide poll. The last time you had to visit the Hoosier state everyone was talking about whether the Democratic candi...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 23 - 5 clicks
Rep. Brad Ellsworth announced on Friday he would seek the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Evan Bayh. I touched on Ellsworth's history of throwing LGBT people under the bus in a post last week for Huffington Post . Today I want to touch on two more aspects: how Ellsworth is not only wrong on many other issues that concern Hoosiers, but how he is following a path that will blow the seat for De...
Bilerico-Indiana - Feb 23 - 4 clicks
Via: The DCCC - On Meet the Press, DCCC Chairman Van Hollen debated Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence on the Recovery Act, heath insurance reform, Democratic accomplishments and Republican obstruction: Chairman Van Hollen lays out a list of Democratic legislative victories for the American people and calls out Republicans for their obstruction and hypocrisy. Visit msn...
Left in Aboite - Feb 22 - 3 clicks
