Save the Auto Industry - State by State

OK so the Republicans only want to save their friends at Wall Street and in all the Banks. They could care less about the working people of the USA and one of our largest industries. Well, I care and offer this suggestion. If every state had a sales tax holiday for one week on any purchase of a product made by the big three, this problem would be over. Sure each state would lose some tax dollars, but they are losing them anyway as no one is buying. So get moving and declare a sale tax holiday. Lets save the big three without Washington.

Republicans do you want a depression?

The Republicans bail out Wall Street, the banks, etc and don't even say a word about pay cuts and when it comes to the auto workers and Democratic leaning unions they go hog wild. To the many of you who believe bankruptcy is the answer, just watch the effect as 1000's of small businesses down the line go out of business because the big three stop paying them or don't have too. That will throw even more people out of work and the Republicans will cause a depression.

Free markets is an easy answer for all the worlds problems. Let the market determine who wins, who losses. But in today's Bush world it would appear it depends on who you are.

Hopefully the big 3 can hold on until a new Senate comes to power next month and a new bill is introduced.

OK I lost, but the election was fun.

Well, the election is over and I lost, but I must say I think I put up a good campaign. It was very interesting and I have to admit a lot of fun. I met a lot of very nice people and a few nasty ones – but only two of them, which is not too bad. So here is a little about the campaign.

I did not raise much in the way of money for this campaign, it seems everyone had one person on their mind and that is where the money went. Also finding people to help was very hard, once again, the people drifted to the top slot again. So pretty much I was on my own. Towards the end a few people came forward and helped with phone calls and walking door to door. To all of you I big thank you.

I did have a plan but as with all plans things don’t work out. I was hoping for a debate with my opponent, but she doesn’t debate. She told one person who requested that we have a debate “Incumbents don’t debate.” And I find that statement very interesting. Well no money, no debate, so why not walk door to door. Sounded good to me, lets see there are 32,000 doors in the 29th District, how many could I do, based on about 100 a day and on weekends 200, the total came to 6000 doors. That became my goal. The other plan was to meet people at the Farmers Markets, other Festivals, etc. I printed up flyers to give out in my door-to-door visits and cards to hand out at festivals. Well as it turned out on the Friday before election day, I did meet my goal of 6000 visits to homes and here are some highlights: one naked man answered the door, but zero naked women. It was a very hot summer day and I am willing to bet he didn’t even realize the king had no clothes. Two people told to get off their property in no uncertain terms after they asked which party I belonged too. These were the two that were not nice. I am pretty certain one of them called the police on me as a few minutes later a patrol car came by and I just continued to walk door to door and he didn’t say a word but watch for a few minutes. While talking about police, in another community a patrol car pulled up and when he saw my name tag for office, he just smiled gave me a thumbs up and drove off.

I keep getting asked about dogs, the big ones just look at you and stay in their yards. But when a dog was in the yard I went on to the next home. One home I did not open the chain link fence to ring the doorbell, the dog chain was as thick as my wrist and I knew it was better to move on. One little dog broke thru its invisible fence and ran into the street and pulled on my pants. The owner came flying out of her house and grabbed the dog. After she put him in the house we talk about my campaign and she said I will vote for you, but don’t sue my dog. I figured one vote was worth a couple of dog bones I would win in court.

Most people were surprised that a candidate came to their door actually many were shocked. I met a lady who had just celebrated her 100th birthday and how sweet was she. A young man of 30 who told me he knew nothing about politics and could he ask a few questions, we spent the next 30 minutes together. Most people did not know what to say and only a few asked questions, etc. Some told me about some problems and I told them whom they should contact in the local government. But by and large it was a lot of walking and fun. To those of that answered your door, thank you for the honor letting me meet you.

Festivals, farmers markets, etc. They also were fun and I met over 3000 people at these events. I know because I gave away 3000 cards with my name on them. I was asked to leave the Noblesville Farmers Market because they do not allow political activity. Hmm I was asked to leave in front of a booth working for women’s equality, sounds political to me, they also over the various weeks had a few others. I think it was just to get rid of a Democrat since the Republicans don’t campaign in Hamilton County. At another event a police office came up to me as I was going around saying hello and asked what I was doing. I told him and he said don’t brother people. I told him if you brother people you wouldn’t get their vote as he walked away. I did see him later point me out to another officer. So I can tell you, that the police are watching and that is good.

Well, I did raise enough money to buy some yard signs and place them around the three towns in the district, Fishers, Noblesville, and McCordsville and in the countryside of Wayne Township. Right away the signs in Fishers started to vanish and I mean vanish. I did find a bunch of them at the Fishers Town Hall Dumpster and got them back. In the other areas they remained on duty informing the voters. I know because I mapped out where I put them and after the election got almost all them back. I do have a yard sign story. When early voting started at the County Courthouse a number of us Democrats stood outside the Courthouse on Saturday and met voters as they entered to polls, we even had signs in the grass. Fast forward to the next Saturday, a deputy comes out and tells us we have to remove all signs. A little while later we had a Democrat lawyer show up and protest, by this time the Mitch people had shown up and were putting out their signs. An official came out and said all signs had to go, I asked her if she wanted a law suit on Monday morning against the county in violation of the First Amendment after all this was a polling place and public property. The county had enacted that rule in the past week and I am sure it was based on Democratic signs. Well in ten minutes, word came back; signs could be used but only during voting hours. The same as at the polls.

Well, I guess I will run again in two years, but may start walking earlier and try for 10,000 homes, maybe some of you will want to help walk and we can get to almost every home in the district. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors and who knows you might find a naked man.

Then again maybe people will donate money and we could run a newspaper or TV ad. I am accepting donation now for two years from now.
www.indianaforjoe.com

Our Financial Mess- Black Friday October 10, 2008

Why?

I am at loss myself and have never seen anything like this ever. Our world has lost all confidence in the US Government and thus in the US Markets. In my opinion they are in fear McBush might win the election and current policies will continue. Once Obama wins I also believe we will start to see a small stabilization and after the New Year when he takes office a recovery will start. Until then many business and people will flat out stop all spending.

Why did happen?

Lets go back 1000 years to the plains and why the American Indian never established towns and cities. They had no regulations and they hunted and chopped wood and when an area had no deer left, they moved to a new area. After 10-20 years the new area had no deer left, firewood was all gone and they moved to a new area, after 10-20 years they had no deer left, firewood was all gone and maybe even moved back to the area they were in 30 years ago as nature let the few remaining deer re-populate and the new trees grew. Now if they had started to build cities and have a real government, they would have understood to replenish the land by regulations and understand forest management.

We only have to go back a few 100 years to see what happened in our land for the same types of examples. Let’s say you were a lumber robber baron and there were no regulations. You started by chopping down every tree near your lumber mill to maximize your profits; you kept expanding your circle of chopped clear land without any regard for the land. When all the land was clear, you packed up the mill and moved it to a new area full of tress. Then came the government and finally stopped you, you yelled, it’s government regulation, stop this, we are free to do whatever our profit hungry business wants to do, get out of our way. But for the good of everyone else, we start to require lumber companies to plant new trees. Establish forest management.

1929 no regulations on Wall Street and in banking, the same greed that the lumber mill had we had in the financial markets. Maximize profits without any regard to anything but your own company, your own profits. Come into the Bush era and the same thing happens, remove regulations, the free market, well this time the mortgage leaders move to maximize profits by chopping every tree, clearing every field and building millions of homes for people who can’t afford the home. The to cover their tracks, they sell the mortgages to one another, so no one can tell who owns what and more greed, give mortgages with no money down. Building contractors who could care less start selling to anyone with no money down and don’t tell the new homeowner about real costs. “I didn’t know I had to pay for gas to heat my home and hot water, the apartment I came from it was included in the rent, I though it was in the mortgage.” Yes, I actually heard this. Then came the property taxes, insurance, etc. Many of these new homeowners started to move back to apartments and just walked away from their homes. They had no investment, it was a no lost for them. I met one home owner, who moved in with a zero down mortgage, had never paid a single mortgage payment and had lived six months free in their home only paying the electric bill. He figured he had a few more months of free “rent” before they got to him.
We as a nation need to understand the greed that comes from a few without regulation and oversight. Make the regulations fair but stop the few crooks, which ruin it for all. The concept of free markets, etc is nice and in a perfect world might work. But we live in a world where a few are willing to steal. In the 1930’s we made a lot of regulations to stop the crooks of the markets of the 20’s. In the next few years we are going to have to look back and start to make new regulation or institute old regulations to stop the type of abuse that caused this mess. It’s not the end of the world to have a few regulations for the benefit of most against a few who want to ruin for all to their benefit.

I hope that my Republican friends can cross the line this election year and vote for the person best to lead in their area, whether the President, Congressman or the State Representative. Look at the person, what they have done in the past or what they propose to do in the future. The ones who want to do nothing or continue what they have been doing it’s time to replace them.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for State Representative in the Indian 29th House District and I approve this message.

Paid for and authorized by the Weingarten for 29th District State Representative Committee.

$700 Billion Fails due to Republicans - Depression Coming

House Republicans have said no to their own leadership and have told the rest of us they would rather have a worldwide depression than interfere with government regulation. They are the same Republicans who caused this mess with a lack of regulations. The Republicans believe everything will be taken care in a market that is free of government interference; it was the same concepts that in 1929 lead us into a worldwide depression. So now that these people can’t read a simple history book will lead us back into a worldwide depression once again.

Back in the 1920’s it was the lack of regulation of the stock market and deals built upon deals without a foundation. It was greed. Today it’s not the stock market but the home market with greed built upon homes that were lacking a foundation, not a cement foundation but an economic one this time. Once again it was greed, greed to mortgage lenders and banks willing to write a mortgage based on a hope and prayer. As I am walking neighborhoods I spoke to a homeowner who told me about the vacant new home next to his. The loan company wrote a $170,000 loan to two kids working part time at a Subway and didn’t tell them about all the expense with a new home. Didn’t tell them about the taxes on a home, that they would have real utility bills, he said they lasted three months and moved out. The house has been empty for a year. Thee bank is paying for that house and therefore losing money every month.

Lets look down the near term road at some of the other problems that are coming our way. Local government runs on property tax, as home values drop, I have seen one estimate so far this year of a 12% drop, so will tax revenues drop. Now will local governments lower spending or raise taxes as revenue drop. They will ignore the problem and try and raise taxes. The result less money in people’s pockets and less spending further moving our nation into a depression.

Banks will not have any money to make loans, housing starts have already slowed down, thus construction workers will not have money in their pockets and another slow down in another area.

Banks will fail and be bought up by other banks and soon we will have a few very large banks and nothing else. I guess that is what the rich Republicans want.

Next is the greed by the CEO’s and the lack of oversight by the Boards of these companies. The CEO’s get friends to be on the boards no one questions the CEO anymore until the FBI shows up at the door. Do CEO’s even care who they work for anymore? I doubt it. It’s a game and they have no clue about the company they manage, it's more of a management style and not the company’s product line. Combine these along with the lack of caring by the government and guess what it’s 1929 all over again.

In Memory of Kevin Peterson

Please read the messages below-- I have been working towards putting on the ballot the question of should Fishers remain a Town or become a City with a few other individuals. After what has happened I think it became even more important to get this question on the ballot and put some responsibly into local government which a city would bring. In a few weeks we will be putting a group together to move forward and if you want to help please let me know. I would like to have people at Fishers polling places to obtain petition signatures on voting day. By doing this we could in one day obtain signatures to get this question on the ballot.

I met Kevin a few times and here was someone willing to fight for his own rights. This was a 3 1/2 year battle for him. As you read what is below you will get the feeling a town that does not care. It's time we the people take action to stop this form of government in our area. PLEASE sign up to help work this worthwhile project - send me an e-mail if you can help to mrmac@aol.com. We will have a meeting very soon.

Joe Weingarten

----- Original Message -----
From: Art Levine
To: Doug Allman
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Peterson's

Dear Doug,
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and my prayers are most certainly with family at this time.
Sincerely,
Art Levine

--- On Thu, 9/25/08, Doug Allman wrote:

From: Doug Allman
Subject: Peterson's
To: "Charlie White" , "David George" , "Art Levine"
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 10:02 PM

So this is what it has to come too. A guy takes his life because a group of individuals running a town is hell bent with running over longtime rural Hamilton county residents with building a town to their liking. All the Peterson's and neighbors wanted was a fence to block out noise and car lights and a commitment to not light the complex till we move from the area. What kind of values do men have that show no respect and compassion for their fellow man to which they adversely impact their lives. Kevin Peterson was a good man. He would do anything for you. All he wanted was a few reasonable commitments that anyone living next to such a facility would expect. Fishers has not been a respectful new neighbor.

So what does the town do now? Sue the widow Peterson for the court cost to show other residents what happens to those who try and stand up for themselves? I will not waste time sending this to the other 4 as they would not even pause to reflect on what has happened and I am sure Church and Bucher are already working on a positive spin for the town.

When is one or all of you going to do the right thing for the people ?

Judge dismisses Fishers residents' due process lawsuit

A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit four Fishers residents filed against the town in federal court earlier this year.

Kevin Peterson, one of the plaintiffs, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest this morning in his garage, said Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Vicky Dunbar. She said foul play was not suspected.

Kevin Peterson and his wife, Caroline Peterson, along with another couple, filed the lawsuit over the town's construction of Cyntheanne Park near 126th Street and Cyntheanne Road, which bordered their property. They alleged in the lawsuit that the town violated zoning laws, as well as the residents' right to due process.

Kevin Peterson had complained about the noise and crowd the park would bring.

"What they are building here is a sports complex, not a park, with a public address system, lights and a huge parking lot," Kevin Peterson said in August. "When we tried to talk to the town about how this was (intruding) on our privacy, they wouldn't listen, so we were forced to go to court."

Judge Richard Young threw out the case because the plaintiffs didn't "state a claim upon which relief can be granted," Young wrote in his order to dismiss the case.

The trial was a waste of the town's time and money, Fishers attorney Doug Church said Wednesday afternoon. He couldn't estimate how much it cost the town.

"Any dollar we spent was a dollar more than we should've had to," Church said.

Though the case failed in court, it played a role in the fall voter referendum that could strip Fishers of its zoning authority over areas in Fall Creek Township that are outside the town's boundaries. The Geist residents who collected signatures for the referendum to appear on the ballot used the case as an example of why Fishers should no longer be in charge of zoning outside its boundaries.
Call Star reporter Carrie Ritchie at (317) 444-5506.

Republican Socialism

What everyone has forgotten is that the Republicans under the Bush leadership has started one of the biggest socialist programs ever the take over of the banking / finanical system by the government.

They started deregulation and the greed of the party fairful has backfired. So now to hide the faliure of their prograns they want a bailout with no controls.

This is the same problem we have anywhere you have a single party in power. No checks and balances on the system.

This is the problem here in Hamilton County where the Republican Party seems to run everything. It's time to change this one party takes it all and elected people based on peole and not the party. Actually if you look at this way a few Republicans act more like Democrats and the other way around. Its the policy of the person, not the party.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for Indiana House seat in the 29th Distirict and I approve this message.

Greed

Today everything is about Wall Street and the Bush economy and the urgent need to give them $700 billion to bail out the people who got us into this mess. From what I read it means I as well as every one of you has to hand over $2000 of our money to bail out these rich folks.

First George tried to give us money to make the economy move and now he is taking it back and giving it to his buddies on Wall Street. The same people he worked so hard to give a free hand so they could build the economy. Well they build homes for themselves and not the economy. Now I have nothing against Wall Street what I do have is an anger against CEO’s that make millions just to see which CEO can make the most, not what’s good for their company, but who has the largest jet and of course the biggest house and of course how many houses. We have turned the world upside down. Working families are on the bottom of the pile and a few executives and sports stars on top. It’s time to stop this nonsense.

We need to change the tax structure and lower taxes for those who make less than million and raise it for those who make more than a million. Actually I am not sure where the cut should be, but making 5, 10 or 20 million a year is not right. No one is worth that much, but our culture makes us think that way. What if we took away a zero from all the superstars? Got a 10 million contract, opps lets make that one million. I see nothing wrong with a 90% tax if you make over 10 million. Make less than $100,000 I want to reduce your tax. Oh no can’t do that, that is socialism, wait isn’t what George wants to do on Wall Street real socialism. Or is it reverse Robin Hood, steal from the poor and give to the rich. With a 90% tax The Donald would cry and cry but would he even notice it, I doubt he even knows what he has. What if for every million over one million the income tax goes up 5% until it hits some high number? Or make it 3%, I don’t care, let congress figure out a number, but lets do something instead of this crazy idea to lower taxes on the rich. The concept is if you lower their taxes they will spend the money and it goes down into jobs. Sorry, they don’t spend that much, they save it to make even more. While a middle income family spends too much of their money.

Next it is time for shareholders to revolt and demand the CEO’s take a pay cut. In fact a big pay cut or throw them out and hire someone who cares about the company and not only about their pay. It used to be you worked your way up to the top. Now you work way up to then work for an outsider who knows nothing about your company, but knows money tricks. It’s time to stop all this nonsense.

Then it is time to stop our love of sports and the pay of the players. No, love the sport, but stop paying the players to the point of where you can’t afford to go to a game. What has gotten into people willing to spend hundreds to see a bunch of overgrown people play a game? It’s only a game; start to realize it’s only a game. Why are you wasting your hard earned money on a game? I think some people would rather go to a football game than save the money to sent their children to college. What would happen if no one went to any football game for a weekend and demanded lower cost tickets? Then do it again another weekend, then a week of baseball games. If every player quit, want to bet a bunch of new ones would fill the ranks overnight.

It’s time to stop and think, please think. Greed by a few has gotten us into this mess, let’s stop the greed, and let’s demand that it stop.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

My new book club.

I want to thank Sara Palin for a list of books that I have to read. You see this is the list of books she tried to remove from Wasilla library
This information is taken from the official minutes of the Wasilla Library Board.
When the librarian refused to ban the books, Palin tried to get her fired.

Also I have to wonder if she is elected will she try and ban Halloween? After looking over this lis t I think she would.

People wake-up. She could be one heart beat from the red button and therefore the end of the world.


***
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Blubber by Judy Blume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Christine by Stephen King
Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Cujo by Stephen King
Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Decameron by Boccaccio
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fallen Angels by Walter Myers
Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Forever by Judy Blume
Grendel by John Champlin Gardner
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Have to Go by Robert Munsch
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Impressions edited by Jack Booth
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
My House by Nikki Giovanni
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Separate Peace by John Knowles
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Bastard by John Jakes
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
The Living Bible by William C. Bower
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
The Shining by Stephen King
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder
Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth

The Goose and Gander Act

If elected I will propose the Goose and Gander Act. First I am not sure who is the Goose or who is the Gander, nor do I believe the Legislators in the Indiana House and Senate have the guts to pass this Act nor the guts to even let it get to the floor for a vote. They would hate to see this become law; it would sort of level the playing field between them and state employees. Why submit the Act? To show the people of the State of Indiana how bad things have become, how the legislators take care of themselves and don’t care anymore. How their special interests seem to be more important than the people.

So what is this act that will be so embarrassing to the lawmakers? Here is simple version of the bill:

Whatever is law for state employees must also be law for legislators in the areas of ethics and benefits. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. A prime example would be the pension fund, just compare the two. Then look at the requirement of ethics between the two. One has extensive requirements the other almost none. Can you figure out which one? I would write this bill to include any government agency at any level in the state. So a schools board could not have two levels of benefits for administers and then another for teachers.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for the Indiana 29th District House seat and I approve this message.

Privatization – Good idea, but it does not work.

The concept of privatization is that private industry can do a better job than the government in running many programs. This is a good concept and true in many cases. It is true where you have real competition, such as electronics stores or Home Depot vs., Lowes or in the auto dealerships that have to fight for your dollar.

But it falls flat on its face when you have private industry take over a government function. You see you lose that one word in these cases competition. All of sudden there is no incentive to be better, what you have done is replaced one bureaucracy with another. You go from a government bureaucracy to a private one. If a service manager at a dealership does not take care of you, you can’t go to a different dealership. It’s the same as if it were the government with a new and different name.

The why do some government leaders love the idea of privatization, it’s a cover, it’s a way to hide from responsibility. All of sudden it’s not a government problem, but a problem at xyz Corp. Talk to their CEO, well try and talk to their CEO. If you think you get the round around with some government agencies, try talking to a contractor of a government function. Try then talking to the government official in charge of the contract, you will never get anywhere, each will claim it’s the others responsibly and you have to talk to them. You will go around and around and around and around --- I think you get the picture.

Next move down the road a few years. The contractor all of a sudden needs more money. The government has requested a new report, etc and this was not within the context of the original contract, therefore the government will have to pay more, etc and on and on. The costs of course for any new effort far exceed anything realistic, you see the private company has you over a barrel. The other shoe drops, unforeseen costs have developed and more money is needed, time to renegotiate the contract. What are you going to do, fire them and switch, too who? No one else does this work? The government has built a monopoly within its own state network. Bring the work back into the state, wait you fired all the people who know how to run that department and replaced them with a few contract monitors, who by now have no clue what is going on. And, in no time all your savings are gone and now you are paying even more. But the size of government is smaller, but the size of real government is much larger. This is another way industry pads the bill to the government by growing in size to meet your “needs.”

Let’s look at the sale of the toll road by Mitch. I am willing to bet in a few years the new owner will go to court to get a toll increase. They will claim the cost of maintenance was incorrectly developed by the state and the higher oil prices, etc, require a higher toll. If everyone fights them and says no, they will declare bankruptcy and have the court save them with a price increase. Mitch could have achieved the same thing of raising money by sell highway bonds and keeping ownership of the toll road. This will rear its ugly head in a few years, but Mitch will be long gone and no one will remember who got us into the dumb mess.

Be very careful of privatization, sounds good on paper or from the mouths of politicians, but it does not work and by the time you figure out it does not work the politician proposing the original concept is long gone. So now it becomes your problem.

If elected I will work to stop any state privatization effort.


I an running for State Representative from the 29th District and I approve this message.

McCain is anti Veteran Hospital Care

For some reason unknown to me a lot of Veterans keep telling me they will vote for John McCain because he will be pro-military. I am sorry but he is not pro-military, but rather pro-war and there is a major difference. Military.com is very reliable when it comes to reporting on military affairs. If you think John is pro-military you need to read this article, if you believe John is anti-veteran you need to read this article. This article provides a great insight into the real John McCain. It just might change your mind. In Indiana we can expect whatever happens in Wash DC to flow downhill to our state. As a lucky veteran who is healthy I do not use the VA System, but my father-in-law did, I have several friends who do and I might need it in the future. I would hate to see this removed and closed down. What is this man thinking?

Oh, I know, John has lots of money and get the best of private health care, so if he buy what ever he needs so can everyone else.


Please read this link:

http://www.military.com/news/article/mccain-plan-moves-some-out-of-va-care.html?col=1186032310810

This is from Military.com that is right on the money when it come to the military.

Here are a few quotes form the article--

"If John McCain is elected president, wounded veterans could be in for a world of hurt."

"Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contribution than has Republican John McCain."

"Ideologues like John McCain and George Bush hate the fact that the VA exists,"

"Veterans are also skeptical of McCain's plans because as a senator, he has repeatedly voted against fully funding veterans' health care. "

Please read the entire article.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.
Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

Hey John Sell a House

I just got in the mail a letter from John McCain about a critical juncture in the campaign. Other than a letter that was too hot to handle for its language on the left wing, etc. it was a call for an "Emergency Membership Contribution." Well, John I suggest you sell a few of your houses. You see I only own one house and after my mortgage and taxes I have nothing. So I will not be able to give you anything. In fact why don't you sell some of your houses, if you need money that bad for your camp gain, I mean after all you said its an emergency.

One last thing your letter says I am a member of your party - you also got that wrong.

Now any of you reading this, I only own one house. I need money for my campaign, so if you are looking to donate for a campaign to someone who cares, how about me. Go to www.indianaforjoe.com and make a donation.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative.

Fishers, In - Cyntheanne Park and the UDO

On Monday August 18,2008 the Fishers Town Council will vote on an ordinance: “Town owned properties are exempt from the standards of this Unified Development Ordinance. All other State and Federal laws and regulations (i.e. State Building Code) shall remain in full force and effect.”

Now isn’t that nice, the Town of Fishers can do whatever its wants to but its citizens have to tow the line. I am very surprised it didn’t include elected officials of the Town as also being exempt.

What is very interesting is that the Town Planning Commission gave this an "Unfavorable recommendation" to the Town Council by a 4 to 7 Vote. While this is nice some a few times the Planning Commission has returned an unfavorable recommendation to watch the Town Council approve. I am sure once again they will approve to hide the mistakes and bad judgment they have shown in the Cyntheanne Park Development. By the way to those of you who might read this blog outside the area. This is not a park development it’s a mega sports complex with lighting to light up the night sky, parking, well just say more than enough for a park in the country, actually for 100’s upon 100’s of cars. Concession stands, etc. Oh just a small park. You would think they were trying to get the Olympics to come to Fishers.

I am very sorry but it seems that some elected officials forgot why they were elected, some think they are in charge with powers that go far beyond what they should be doing.

To the elected officials of Fishers, it’s time you stop acting like spoiled children having to have your way and listen to the people. Now, I know the group fighting you in this case is outside the Town boundaries, but it’s a matter of time before you annex them and then hopefully they will help remove every single one of you from office at the polls. Other voters in Fishers are starting to wake up to your form of non responsive government.

My effort to convert Fishers to a city is about responsible government, something you don’t know about. About being able to elect representatives directly and not hide behind an at-large system. About having a single city point of contact and not hide behind a town manager and thus pass the football back and forth until anyone who complains gives up. About voting for a Mayor instead of having a defacto head of the town selected by yourselves. All you know about is power and your running of this town as if it were your own private club.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

The Heavy Hand of Fishers, Indiana

Kevin and Caroline Peterson of Fall Creek Township, Indiana have a very nice home in the country and it was peaceful until the Town of Fishers, Indiana made the decision to build a park next door to them. Now you would think a park would be nice to have next door. But not a park built by Fishers.

You see Fishers does not want a park but rather a massive sports complex complete with a stadium and lights that light up the night and all the homes in the area. Hundreds of parking spaces, the list goes on and on. So the Peterson's and their neighbors went before the Town Council. Not once but three times.

To which Fishers Town Council et al said "Fishers did not have to reply to the Peterson's complaint nor do anything to redress their grievances because they (Fishers) were not subject to due process, civil rights, or equal treatment under the law provisions of the U.S. Constitution."

So the Peterson's took the matter to Federal Court. The town needless to say has been claiming this does not belong in Federal Court, it belongs in state courts, where the local politics start to play a role and towns are never wrong. Well, right now its still in the Federal System. Its rather interesting in questioning, the Township Trustee stated that the Town Council President threatened the removal of Fire Protection and another elected Town Council member tried to bride him if he played along. Is this Indiana or Chicago? The late Mayor Daley and Boss Tweed of NYC would be very proud of this town council.

So while the Judge is reviewing the Fishers claim that this does not belong in a Federal Court the Town is moving ahead with a new plan, exempt themselves form the law. The Unified Development Ordinance" (UDO) is the Fishers code on new developments.

If the matter remains in Federal Court the Town will move into its usual legal mode, flood the system with filling, depositions, etc and drive the Peterson's legal bill into piles so high they will reach the moon. After all its only taxpayer money on the town side.

What they (Fishers) will be proposing and will probably approve is the "Exemption" of Fishers Town Council and Government from the UDO requirements and adherence thereto. In other words, its "do as I say, not as I do;" or the ever popular, "We're above the law and therefore not subject to it." The law is for you peasants. They are going to vote on this Tuesday August 12 and anyone willing to take a bet it passes. As usual the Town Council is unified and all decisions are made in advance.

So here we have a local government that exempts itself from its own laws, and claims that its citizens are not protected by the Constitution of the United States of America.

$37,500 and going up - Waste of public funds.

The elected officials of this state enjoy a great benefit to help them get reelected. We pay for them to do it. We have our elected representatives wasting taxpayer money on getting reelected. Rep Kathy Richardson has sent out her third "informational" mailer to 32,000 households in her district. Each of these mailers cost $12,500 to mail (cost obtained via Freedom of Information request), so she has already spent $37,500 and that does not include money to prepare these fancy four color flyers. By election time I am sure she will mail out 2-3 more. All at taxpayer expense. So if each elected state rep and senator mailed out just four of these flyers we are talking about a $10 million dollars. Now couldn't the State of Indiana use ten million dollars for a useful project. It's time to end this abuse of public funds to help people get re-elected.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for election as the 29th District State Representative. If elected I will not use government funds for re-election, in fact I will move to remove this un-ethical benefit from all and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative.

Comcast - the new evil empire - Part II

Federal regulators determined on Friday that Comcast broke the law by slowing Internet traffic for subscribers using BitTorrent to swap large files with other people. But then the FCC decided it was enough to issue a press release declaring the victory of the rule of law and now it's time to move on. No fines, no nothing. So we here suffer at the hands of Comcast.

Is this part of President Bush's "every citizen left behind" effort?


My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.
Weingarten for State District 29 Representative

Bring on the million dollars big oil.

Standing before a room of oil company executives in June, John McCain flip-flopped and declared support for coastal oil drilling. Now the Washington Post is reporting that, within days, oil and gas execs ponied up nearly $1 million to elect McCain.1 It's another piece of evidence that in a McCain White House, oil companies will call the shots—just as they have with President Bush.

Het big oil I could use a million for my election campaign, you know for a million I will support off shore oil drilling at Morse and Geist. I know oil is under Geist, not too sure about Morse, but what the hey, go for it.

You know on the other hand - keep you money - I would rather not have you mess up our pretty lakes.

My name is Joe Weingarten, I am running for the 29th State District Representative and I approve this message.

BTW- I sure could use some money to buy yard signs - go to www.indianaforjoe.com and please contribute since I have turned down that million from the oil companies.

Comcast - the new evil empire.

I recently read comments about Comcast and its actions to limit the internet. Over the last few days I have been trying to transmit an 16.7M file to someone via the internet and found it was not being transmitted. I finally called Comcast customer service and was told they were limiting me to 7 meg maximum transmission.

I had never been notified of this and I was able to transmit this same file in the past. Since in the area I live I am only have the choice of one cable company I find this monopoly of service and their actions of limiting my transmission something that needs a full investigation and action by the government.

The telephone companies were opened up to competition and now it is time to do the same with cable. It is time to remove the lock cables companies have on the service to any area. I would like to see that a cable company can only be paid for the use of the cable and all content and products are open to other companies, the same as using telephone lines.

Until this is done we will continue to see increased cost to the consumer and a continued reduction of service.

If elected cable companies beware, I will fight you on behalf of the consumers of the State of Indiana.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

Stock Market Report

One thing the Republicans seem to say all the time is that Democrats are bad for business and bad for the wealthy. The data is just in, if you have money and are invested in the stock market – you better vote democratic this fall.

Here are some facts:

1. The Dow Jones Industrial Average produced an annualized return of 7.21% during Democratic presidents, in contrast to an average of 3.6% during Republican presidents -- or almost precisely half as much, in other words.

2.Inflation is higher on average during Democratic presidencies; so on an inflation-adjusted basis there is a smaller difference between the stock market's average returns during presidencies of the two parties. But the Democratic Party still comes out ahead: 2.5% annualized during Democratic presidencies, versus 1.7% during Republican presidencies.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

Oil oh how you can fall, but gas you don't.

Crude oil prices drop $16 a barrel in three days, gas prices at the pump drop five cents. So if crude can drop almost 11% how come gas drops only 1%?

If I were elected I would be calling the Attorney General and asking this question.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative.

Mike

This morning I drove downtown to meet with a group of people about my run for office. Not knowing how long it would take, I had a shock; almost every light turned green and I zipped down fast. Since I was 1/2 hour early I stopped in a McDonalds and sat outside having a cup of coffee. Next to me was Mike. He introduced himself to me and asked about my shirt that says Joe Weingarten for State Representative.
“What Party?” – Democrat
“Good, good. I have down on my luck and no job and I heard Obama the other day on responsibility”
You see Mike is black.
He continued “My daughter who is 10 also hear him and we talked about it.” What did she say-
“She asked me how come mommy works and you don’t?”
“That got me thinking and about my responsibilities to my family.”
I asked him what he was doing. He told me he was on his way downtown for an interview at the one of the hotels. They had an opening and he passed the first test since he finished high school. We chatted a few more minutes and then I told him I had to go to my interview to hopefully get some people to help me get elected. I wished him the best of luck in his job hunt and told him to keep at it no matter what. He said he would and the lord would help him. The he asked me for a big favor. “Sure I said what can I do?’ “I will never have a chance to meet Mr. Obama, but since you are running for office you will and when you do please thank him for turning my life around.” I shook his hand and assumed him I would.

Mike – I wish you and your family the best, I hoped all morning you got the job. And, should I ever meet Mr. Obama I will pass on your message, maybe he will read it on the internet in this blog. I also noticed you called him Mr. Obama and you’re the first person I know who did that, hopefully you soon you can call him Mr. President.

A Question of Ethics in Indiana Politics

The State of Indiana has a pretty good Ethics Code, the major problem it only applies to the Executive Branch of our government. Somehow the rest of the state got left behind. In fact you can go to the following website http://www.in.gov/ig/codecomplete.html and see the information on the code.

But what about everyone else? That is what I want to know as a taxpayer and I am sure you do.

For example, I don’t believe it is ethical for any elected official to have a contract or be employed by a government or government agency. Let me give you a few examples: An elected Township Board Member is also under contract to the Town that is in the Township. This person makes approximately $16,500 a year under this contract. Can this person be fair and maybe vote against the town relative to Township business? An interesting ethical question.

Another example: I do not believe any elected official can be allowed to hold a government position that can be effected by outcomes of laws they enact. The state enacts a law on personal policy that effects county government and a lawmaker is also a county employee. Should this lawmaker be allowed to vote on the bill, I would say not, but in Indiana no problem. In fact I don’t think any one in Indiana should be allowed to hold two government positions at any level. Whether elected, appointed or employed.

So we have is an Ethics Code for State Executive and Administrative Branches of government, the Courts have a code of Conduct, but Indiana is one of 27 states in which no outside agency oversees ethical conduct of state legislators. It is one of 18 of those states where no ethics agency oversees any aspect of disclosure.

Is legislative oversight defined in statute? Yes. Indiana also has the House Legislative Ethics Committee and the Senate Legislative Ethics Committee, which are enabled by Indiana Code 2-2.1-3. http://www.ai.org/legislative/ic/code/title2/ar2.1/ch3.html But, it mainly deals with money, gifts, business and lobbyists. It should also deal with same factors that apply to the Executive Branch. I guess the lawmakers who wrote this did not want to measure up to the same standards as the state employees.

Then we get to local government, and that is something where the Wild West takes over. Each City, Town, Township may enact its own code of conduct and then they can ignore it. In many cases they have one that applies to workers, but somehow the elected officials don’t seem to have one.
Its time for a fresh look, its time for an ethical change.
My name is Joe Weingarten, I am running for the 29th District Indiana State Representative and I approve this message.

It's Time - City of Fishers, Indiana

Indy Star 07/11/2008
Fishers to petition to be called a city

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS/80711051


The best quote in the article is Town Council President Scott Faultless said he opposed becoming a city.
“With a council you need consensus on everything,” he said. “No one person can decide what the vision will be.”

Consensus is what Fishers Town Council is all about. Everything is detemined in advance before anyone even gets into the Council Chamber. Only once in recent history did the council not agree and Mr. Faultless was so upset he broke his gravel pounding it.

A city formation would result in a Mayor accountable to the people, voting by districts with set boundaries, accountable to the people. A full time government accountable to the people. A City Council which must also have consenses to approve projects, so Mr. Flautless the real big change is that you would be out of a job as a part time Council President.

If the consensus council is such as great form of government, how come only small towns have it as a form of government. No this has nothing to do with vision, but all to do with power.

It's time to let the people vote on the matter.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.
Weingarten for 29th State District Representative

Fishers, IN - The Indiana Courts can't protect you this time.

"Family sues over park's construction."

Fishers is used to lawsuits, annexation suits, other suits, and to a large degree I think they feel they will always win. You see they hire lots of law firms and have the Indiana Supreme Court. The Supreme Court favors Towns and Cities in cases brought before it.

So congratulations to the Peterson family for going to Federal Court in a suit against Fishers. Now they will get a fair trial.

You see Fishers is building a park. No problem in building a park but a 500-car parking lot and lights that will be seen from the space shuttle is a problem. Homeowners along side the park will not have to turn on their lights in their homes at night, the lights of the park will have lit up.

So what’s the problem? Well for starters its in violation of Fishers own building code they the Town feels it can ignore. After all they make the rules and have to enforce them, if they violate a rule who is going to tell them they did wrong. Themselves, never.

Then comes the little fact they were outside the town zoning and in the unincorporated area of Fall Creek Township and they don’t care about any rules. They are the judge and jury when it comes to zoning.

So by jumping to a Federal Court, they have opened a new door. Good move on the part of their attorney. My hat is off to you.

More at Fisherstar.com

Update on Mitch's Tollroad

Mitch you know when it rains it pours. Now some of the toll road workers may go on strike. It seems the new owners may not like unions. Maybe the truck drivers , many that belong to unions will see the picket sings and avoid Indiana or take a detour around the toll road and clog two lane highways across the state.

Fishers, IN - The un-Freedom Festival.

Since I am running for office I look for ways to meet people and talk with them. So when the Town of Fishers had a big festival the week before the 4th of July I looked into the gala event.

I was shocked – no politics. No politics in the parade, such as car with vote for Joe signs. Well it stands to reason, you see the Town of Fishers is run as if it were a kingdom of a few and of course no outsider are allowed. The Town Council has been discussed many times in this blog.

Well, I went anyway to the festival and walked around handing out my cards, after all it was held in a public park, and if anyone stopped me I would remind them of the little thing called the Constitution and the First Amendment.

A note to the committee next year please call this the festival by a name that reflects your philosophy. The Fishers Un-Freedom Festival.

Oh, one more thing, when you set up the blow-up Statue of Liberty next year, could you clean it before you blow it up. It looked rather pitiful.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

I remember Silver. Is it OIL this time?

In the late 1970’s two brothers Nelson and William Hunt were trying to corner the silver market. They drove the price of silver from $11 an ounce in September 1979 to $50 an ounce in January 1980. By the time they were finished they owned 1/3 of the worlds supply, then came “Silver Thursday” March 27, 1980. The price of silver stopped going up and led to panic on commodity and futures exchanges. The price collapsed. Even today, 20 years later silver is way under the high of 1980.

Let’s jump forward to oil of today. The biggest argument I hear is that worldwide demand is up. OK, worldwide demand is up, but did it jump two, three times overnight. In fact according to www.chinaview.com between 2007 and 2008 the consumption rose by 2.5 percent and in the first quarter the consumption rose by 8 percent. So where is the doubling. In the USA consumption even went down, very slightly, but down. It is estimated that world consumption will grow by 50% by the year 2030. If we were to push more solar and wind energy the demand might even drop further.

So are we living the Hunt brothers all over again? I think so. Will the market collapse? I hope so. Are the Sheiks and speculators pushing up the prices? I would have to lean to a yes. Maybe just maybe, some of the extreme terrorists realize they can’t take us over by military action, but they can hurt us beyond means by oil action. And just maybe our oil top heavy President and Vice-President don’t see the big picture because they are blinded by money pouring into their friend’s pockets.

What can we do? Let’s start doing our share, lets allow solar panels on rooftops and wind generators in Indiana. Let’s develop tax incentives like many other states for these products. We have lots of empty factories, could we help start up production of energy products, from windmills, to power invertors to power factor units. That would bring jobs to Indiana and reduce our power needs at the same time. What a different concept.

Pounding the Streets Saturday June 28, 2008

When you are running for office and don’t have lots of money you walk neighborhoods. Well Saturday morning was another walk in a small subdivision in Noblesville.

They were having a community wide garage sale so lots of people sitting in their driveways. What a great way to meet people. This subdivision is still being built out, so the homes and people are new to the area or homes. Here are some of things I saw, spoke to people about, etc.

On a sad note, I saw a lot of for sale signs and foreclosure signs; in fact one home the garage was boarded up.

I asked a neighbor about the home, “lost their job and then the home, nice people.” Then he told me about someone a few houses down, who was not paying his mortgage on purpose and had not paid it since January. He told me that smart- … believes with so many houses on the market, they won’t foreclose on him because he keeps the lawn nice. I had to laugh. Your kidding I said. “No” was the response. He figures he is going to last a year that way and then find another home and do the same thing. I asked how he was doing on the mortgage front. He told me when his mortgage jumped, he sat down with the bank and took his four years of equity and reapplied it into a new 30-year mortgage, with little monthly increase. Pretty smart guy.

I spoke to another couple that just moved here from Michigan and needed forms to register to vote. They took a beating on their Michigan home, but were very happy to be here.

One dear woman asked me if I was Republican or Democrat, only one out of the entire area. That is a surprise to me. When I responded Democrat she said “too bad, why should I vote for you?” I started out by asking her if she knew who her representative was? She didn’t. The I told her she had been in office for 16 years, you would think she would have hear of her by now. The came the OK, “my husband is 62 and an engineer without work in his field, he is now selling cars and most of the time brings home almost nothing as cars are not selling. “ We spent the next 15 minutes talking about energy and jobs in Indiana. By the time I left I think that Republican is going to vote for me.

Lots of people would not answer their door when I rang I have to wonder why? I could see them in their house, maybe they though I was selling something. But I did get to talk to about 1/3 of the people living in the area. Main areas of concern, since was a neighborhood with lots of young couples was state testing in the schools and of course the price of gas. I did not find one person who believed testing was in the best interest of the children. On the price of gas, I asked them if they insulated their home about what the builder recommended. Only a few said yea. I explained to them if everyone did in the entire state we would reduce the power needs and in the long term reduce overall fuel consumption, that overnight we are not going to get the price down. I also explained how Indiana does not provide real incentives to reduce home power needs such as credits for wind and solar power. Many were surprised.

Hey Mitch Daniels your Tollroad is calling.

Hey Mitch

The chickens are coming home to roost on the toll-road and you haven’t even finished your term in office. Maybe it’s time people understand what you have been up too and totally finish your time in office.

On Monday June 23, 2008, the Associated Press reported that drivers are flooding the state offices with complaints about the highway. “Gripes include filthy restrooms, busty model….”

Lets go back in time for a minute. Mitch didn’t like the idea of the state owning and running a toll road, put it in the hands of a private company and have them buy it. They can run it better than the state. Plus the state will get billions from the sale and can use it to build more highways elsewhere. The state did get $3.8 billion, but so far I don’t see many other highways being built. They are starting slowly to use the highway money, but I just don’t see it. Somehow I see Mitch ads about a surplus in the state budget, maybe just maybe it’s the highway money that makes it look like a surplus. Sort of like a shell game.

Now Mitch, would a private company buy a highway, if they didn’t see a profit? I doubt it. How do you maximize a profit, reduce costs is one way. So they installed electronic tollbooths, sure, it gets rid of people and maximize profit, could the state have done that of course. Could the state have bought the new snowplows, the odds are they already had them and would have to buy a few new ones every year. Was the announcement by the company that they bought 40 plows because the state highway department took its trucks with them when the road was sold. So buy new trucks to make it look like you are doing something special. The filthy restrooms, well maybe the state inspectors can’t get to them because they can’t afford the tolls to drive to the restrooms to inspect them.

A long time ago we used to have ferries and roads that were private and with time the government took these over as a matter of public good. Gasoline taxes were used to improve the highway network. What happened to this concept? OK, Mitch I understand you needed a lot of money to build out I-69 and couldn’t wait for the highway taxes but sell off the highway.

Here is what I would have done and by the way would have raised the same amount of money and still owned the highway. Have you ever heard of a state tax-free revenue bond? The concept is rather simple, the state sells revenue bonds for $3.8 billon and then collects tolls and pays off the bonds. That is what was done in the first place to built the toll road. In fact the state actually makes more money since the “profit” now going overseas to Ryan Company would have stayed in the state.

Mitch a few last items – Why don’t you sell the Capitol Building and then the state could rent it back from the new owners, oh, please don’t sell the Governors Mansion, the next occupant plans on living in it.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for State Representative in the 29th District and I approve this message.

Who's Who

I just received the notification I am going to be included in Who’s Who in America in the 2009 edition and in Who’s Who in the World. I am already in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering.

This is not the first time I am in Who’s Who. It used to be a big honor to be selected for inclusion, but today there are so many Who’s you don’t know the real from the hanger-on book. I do feel honored because this is the original company (Marquis) with the higher standards to be included. You can’t buy your way into the book.

Today you can buy your way into too many things. It’s like the cost of an election. If you have lots of money, you can flood the airways with ads and if you don’t, you can walk neighborhoods and meet people. I guess I will be walking. I hope to meet lots of people, talk and listen. Have a group that meets in the district (Fishers, McCordsville and Noblesville), I would be happy to come to your meeting. Just give me a call 598-1026.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for State Representative in the 29th District and I approve this message.

Conflict of Interest

On Monday June 16, 2008 at a meeting of he Fallcreek Township Board of Trustees, the big discussion was an agreement between the Township and the Town of Fishers, Indiana.

I am not going to bore all of you with details on this agreement. Rather, I want to talk about how elected officials act in the State of Indiana and how we need to clean house and get some laws changed.

One member of the Township Board is a financial consultant; in a previous meeting he stated that he had a possible conflict of interest with the Town. What he didn’t state was that he received compensation in excess of $16,500 in the year 2007 and was going to get more this year. Also that he has been consulting to the town for years and years and being paid all those years.

I formally requested he step aside and even leave the meeting all together. According to the Township attorney he didn’t have to leave, just not vote on the issue. This came from an attorney who has clients that will directly be affected by the actions of the document they were discussing.

Now if I had not said a thing, I am willing to bet he would have voted.

To me this is a clear-cut conflict of interest and both he and the attorney should have left the meeting. For him to continue to chair the meeting and the attorney to provide legal opinions on the document they were going to approve is not exactly above board.

We need a law in Indiana that enforces and better defines what is a conflict of interest and another law that forbids any elected official to have a contract with any government agency.

You can’t have two masters – it’s either the people or the government. If you are elected you are given the public trust and if you are being paid by another agency, how can you have the publics trust.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for the 29th House District in the State of Indiana and I approve this message.

Indiana Government Waste

You would think the Representatives and Senators would know better, but some don’t and some do.

Around the last week in May 2008 I got in the mail a slick 4 page, full color flyer from Kathy Richardson the Representative of the 29th District. It so happens this is the same district I am running for to be the state representative.

As an incumbent she has the ability to spend your tax dollars to get her name in front of you just before an election. Interesting how that works. So what does this fancy flyer have to say? Nothing that was not already in the news, on TV, etc. Her letter on the back page is all about the property tax cut and her thanks to those who contracted her during the session. Kathy the session is long over and you write us now. What took you so long?
Oh, I understand elections are coming.

Well, how much this slick flyer cost? I asked. I got a response of sorts. They would not tell me how much was the cost of developing the flyer. But did tell me the cost of printing and postage which comes to a whopping $12,656.70.

I know I did not get one of these form Senator Gard. Maybe she doesn’t want to waste money.

I am also certain that many other Representatives and Senators have the state mail out these flyers, after all it’s a cheap way to tell all the voters about yourself without spending any campaign funds. I don’t care if it was a democrat or republican who mailed these out, its wrong and a waste of your tax dollars. This money could be much better spent on education, heath care and many other things, rather than self-preservation of yourself in elected office. Or even better yet reduce, your taxes some more.

While the property tax cut is a great idea and I fully support it, I strongly believe other taxes and fees will skyrocket because the government has done nothing to reduce the cost of government.

Anyone want to take a bet you will get one of these in October?

Fishers / Geist Annexation / Property Taxes

Under the old Annexation and property tax rates it was estimated that if Fishers, IN annexed the Geist area the property tax increase at 16.4 %. Many people have assumed under the new law that all property taxes would be capped and we would all pay the same amount. Some of the infamous Fishers 7 Council Members even made statements to that effect.

It’s far form the truth. Here is a way you can prove it for yourself. In my case my taxes would be 13.4 higher if we are annexed.

Here is how you find out your tax rate.

Go to: http://www.stats.indiana.edu/dlgf_calculators/calculator.asp?county_cd=29
Select tax district – 007 Fallcreek Township
Put in the value of our home, etc. and get your tax rate.
The change the taxing district to – 020 Fishers Fall Creek Twp
Get you new tax rate.
Notice the jump in taxes.

To me a 13.4% jump is a big jump. Approxumately 80% of the Geist homeowners have remonstrated against the annexation, but that fact has had no effect on the Fishers 7. They do not care about people and the will of the people. It's time we change the government in Indiana, it's time to remove those in office and replace them with new faces.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.
Weingarten for 29th District State Representative.

Solar, Wind, Net Meter-- Watts up Indiana

Is Indiana ahead of others? Yes in net metering. But shouldn’t we be doing a lot more?

We have all heard about people installing solar panels on their roof or a windmill in their back yard. Well these systems keep dropping in costs and I expect more and more of these systems to be installed. I really expect them to pop up on one farm after another as that where it makes the most sense to reduce the cost of operation.

What is net metering?

This is where a special metering and billing agreement is established between a power user, who also installs power-generating equipment and sells back to the utility excess power. Lets say you install solar panel on your roof and while you are gone during the day, the panels generate more power than your empty house uses. That extra power is fed back into the power grid and in essence your meter runs backwards. You would then be charged for only the “net” amount of power you used.

Federal rules allow for up to 100kW of power to be returned to a utility at the avoided cost. But the limits of what a utility has to accept are set by each state. Some how the limits set by each state do not make any sense, in Arizona the limit is 10kW, in California it far exceeds the Federal limit with 1000kW, In Arkansas its 25kW for residential and 100kW for commercial systems. In Indiana you can have 1000kW per month that’s 1 Megawatt per month the same as California. But not as good as Ohio which has no limit.

Should we be doing a lot more? Yes. Indiana also exempts solar, wind etc residential units from property taxes. But many other states offer rebates and other incentives to install this type of equipment Indiana does not.

In the Indianapolis Star on May 29, 2008 the front-page headline “Indy’s big footprint.” “Study ranks metro area second-worst in U.S. for carbon emissions, due in part to use of coal.”

Shouldn’t Indiana take immediate action to reduce this carbon footprint and encourage installation of both solar and wind power by homeowners? We need to do this and do it fast. We need to pass legislation that exempts solar panels and small wind turbines from residential covenants. Most homes can’t install these items due to artistic restrictions. If multimillion-dollar California homes can have solar panels so can we.

We also need to provide rebates at the state level similar to those offered by other states. Many states offer rebates. Loans, and property and sales tax exemptions for different kinds of renewal able energy sources. Why not Indiana?

A way to reduce our carbon emissions is to encourage Hoosiers to install alternate energy systems. Its time the state works towards that end.

If elected I will move to pass legislation to encourage sound energy management programs.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this massage

Every child left behind........

The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year's term was ' Political Correctness '.
The winner wrote:
'Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.'

Somehow to me it seems it is most fitting this comes form Texas. the land of our President. But don't get me started on him.

You see I have been wondering if "No Child Left Behind" isn't because he was left behind and now wants no child left behind like he was, but he didn't understand what it stood for and didn't realize it means "every child left behind in the long run."

When you have a test, each teacher is graded on that test, so they teach to the test and stop teaching. During the Cold War I read a report on Soviet teaching methods and guess what folks - it read like no child left behind. The only difference was in Russia as the teacher if you children were left behind, you might have been taken out back and shot. At least here the shotting have not started.

We need to teach to teach to be creative, to invent, to dream, that is what has made the US the engine that drove the world, but no more. Let's get back to those days. Let's get back to teaching and let's get rid of statewide tests.

Noblesville Farmers Market

Saturday, May 24, 2008, 8:45am to noon. Beautiful day, a slight cold breeze, bright sunshine, sort of a day you would expect in California, not in Indiana. A great day to meet people in the district and talk.

It started out costing me money as when I arrived I met Ron Wilson who spotted my Vietnam ribbon on my jacket and he was selling memberships in the newly formed Hamilton County Veterans. Without question a group worthwhile joining, so if you live in the county and have a DD214, please sign up, its only $15. You can e-mail Ron at memnpap@hotmail.com.

What amazed me the most is how many people just take a card that says I am running for office and never say a word? A number had lots to say but everyone was extremely nice. I was also surprised how few even asked what I wanted to do if I get elected, what can I do for the County. Also the age of the people asking questions, most were in there 30’s. The above 40 crowd just made statements or ask questions that were not relative to positions. I loved this one – “Are you an incumbent?” “No sir” “ Well them you have my and my wife’s vote, we are going down the line and voting against every incumbent.” I was wondering if I could hire him to go door to door for me. I talked with him some more as he is the second person I have met making this statement. He didn’t care what I stood for; he feels that the people in office have lost touch with what is wrong and what the people want. He also believes strongly that we need term limits in every office. I have to agree with him, as I see too many in office forever and the power base they develop. Another funny statement – “Are you in the same party as Mitch?” “No.” “Give me your card I am voting for you?” Didn’t tell me why etc. It nice to meet someone in the Ditch Mitch group.

I only had a few say, can’t vote for you because you are a democrat. I did tell one fellow about someone in the district who told me that on election day I had to go to the cemetery with a black tarp and put it over his fathers grave when he voted for me. He got a kick out of that and then said I will take one of those cards.

Only one person said they were going to look up position on my web page.

Well I gave out about 150 cards, and spoke to a lot of people. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning.

Danger – Car Wash Ahead.

On May 20, 2008, Bob Segall of WTHR, Channel 13, Indianapolis broadcast a program on the use of hydrofluoric acid as a cleaning agent by car washes. One of the users is Mike’s Express and now a warning I got before I moved to Indiana is making sense. In Dayton, Oh a friend who owns a car wash told me never to use Mikes because of the cleaning formula they use, he said it makes a car look clean but is very dangerous. It will with long term use dull your paint and fog your glass. If mixed wrong it will do it even faster. I took his advise and don’t go to Mikes, in fact I prefer not to go to any car wash, but if I have too, after a lot of winter salt, I found this nice small car wash in Noblesville.

I also have to wonder what happens to the wastewater at Mikes and other car washes, so are we letting this nasty stuff go down the drain? I guess so. What if an employee gets the mix wrong and this stuff eats you and your car. To nasty I believe to be used in an everyday setting. Now Mikes claims that take a lot of care in the handling of this acid and being a large business I believe they can, but what about a small owner of maybe one or two car washes. Will they be able to take the same amount of care in handling of this highly toxic material?

What was very interesting was a comment by Steve Peterson a large supplier of cleaning agents that they do not carry car washing detergents that contain hydrofluoric acid. So its not like saying we don't have a choice. We do.

We should ban the use of hydrofluoric acid in products such as detergents or where the product can enter the wastewater systems.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for State Representative in the 29th District and I approve this message.

Governed by a Ruling Elite- Time to change.

On July 9, 2007 Republican Gary R. Welsh wrote about a Democrat being selected to replace an Indiana State Representatives seat in “Advance Indiana: Government Bureaucrat Gets Nod To Fill Kuzman's Seat.”

While it is not surprising for a republican to take shots at anything a Democrat does one of his statements actually is true for both sides in Indiana.

“Once upon a time, the idea of tapping a government employee to take a legislative seat was frowned upon. Today, it seems to be the rule. We are increasingly becoming governed by a ruling elite of government/political professionals instead of citizen politicians who serve out of a sense of civic duty.”

A comment to this blog was by bitchette who said

“Ha, what a joke... we've asked Rep. Richardson numerous questions since moving to HER district ~8 yrs ago; to date, we've received not one reply from our representative... canned or otherwise.”

Mr. Welsh please tell me what you think of Republican Kathy Richardson; she fits the bill very well.

One of the reasons I am running against Kathy is exactly the comment by bitchette; I e-mailed Kathy a few times with no response. The concept of a representative is exactly that to represent and to respond to concerns of people of the district. She seems to have forgotten this in her 16 years of holding this post.

Vote for Joe Weingarten to replace Kathy Richardson in the 29th District of the State House. Its time after 16 years for a fresh look.

I am Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Fisher's Indiana - Voice of the People Award

Last October, I think, Fisher was given the Voice of the People Award, well to say the least I was dismayed. Fishers winning an award for listening to the people from the ICMA. No way. But yes they did. I can only assume they wrote the proposal for the award to give it to themselves.

Fishers Town Council has proven over and over they do not listen to anyone but themselves.

The Downtown development, the Geist Annexation, the Airport, the Twin Toners of Allisonville Rd and the list goes on. Now they do listen if you are a builder or developer, but to the common everyday citizen. No way. With over 70% of the people who live in Geist against annexation, did Fishers listen; no they are going ahead full speed to annex. Did they listen to the people of course not?

I wanted to contact the ICMA to ask that they rescind the award. So off to Google to find out who the ICMA was? Here are a few answers to my search:

International Cement Microscopy Association
International Card Manufacturers Association
International Computer Music Association
International Center of Medieval Art
International Capital Market Association
Institute of Certified Management Accountants
International Commission on the Middle Atmosphere
Indiana Concrete Masonry Association
Illinois Country Music Association
Illinois Cast Metals Association
International Classified Media Association

Finally on page 4 I found it:
International City/County Management Association
777 N Capitol St NE
Washington, DC 20002
I also found the e-mail address or Mr. O'Neil, roneill@icma.org, their executive director and I sent him an e-mail requesting they take back the award. If you agree, why not send him one also.

Joe

Can it

Maybe the title should be aluminum can it? I need about 200 thousand dollars and fast, well it be nice for me to have, but I am trying to help raise money for a non-profit organization. We were brainstorming and I said what about scrape metal, I had heard a VFW group in Michigan raise over100 grand collecting metal. Right now even people are stealing all kinds of metal form copper to iron manhole covers for a fast buck. So the more I though about this the closer I came to an idea, why not cans? Aluminum cans currently bring 98 cents a pound. Now that means if I want $200,000 I need about 98 tons of cans.

Americans use 200 million aluminum cans a day. The average person uses 43,371 cans in their lifetime and that is 1434 pounds of aluminum. So for every person, if we were to save every can it would be worth $1405.32 in their lifetime at today’s prices. So if I need $200 grand I would have to find 142 people to use up all their cans in a weekend. Ok that’s 6,172,402 cans. Man, that’s a lot of cans. But Americans use 200 million a day, maybe its possible.

If you live in the Geist, Indiana area, start collecting your cans. More details to come in a few days. If you live near Geist and want to help, start saving your cans. Lets go green in the Geist area and start a massive canning operation.

Mr. Smith its not Black and White Property Tax Reform

Too bad the world is not black and white, but to some people it is black and white and that is one of the things that is wrong with our political system.

Do you believe in this or that and you can’t say anything else. Let me give you an example of someone trying to be good but at the same time is causing harm with his black and white approach.

The question of taxes in Indiana and specifically property taxes is a hot issue.

Mr. Aaron Smith runs a web site, http://finplaneducation.net/2008_general_elections.htm, and to be very frank he is black and white, you are either 100% with him or you are no good. Well I am 99% with him and therefore no good.

That is a basic problem we currently have in government and people like Mr. Smith that add fuel to this fire and that is one of the primary factors of what’s wrong and what needs to be changed. He wants everyone to stand up and vote for a constitutional amendment to cap property taxes at 1%. While a great idea, its not going to achieve what he wants in the long run. Instead we need to look at what he wants. The real objective is to reduce government spending and to cap a tax doesn’t reduce government spending, what will happen is that spending will continue, bonds will be issued, and all of a sudden, the government leaders will say the amendment was wrong we have to vote to remove it or no more police and fire protection. Anyone want to take this bet? Or will the next session of the state legislation, all of a sudden change the property tax law again, after all it will be after the election and the special interest groups will be at it, especially the Association of Cities and Towns. They will do everything they can to get this changed back. We need meaningful reform not just a reduction. In the long run it won’t work. But Mr. Smith is so mad; he can’t seem to see that. If I had my magic wand I would do away with property tax, as we now know it altogether.

Don’t get me wrong I would vote for the cap, but it does not have to be in the constitution. If you take the time to read HEA 1001 you start to find one hole after another. Local government will bypass the property tax and enact other taxes by a different name; one local government that claims to have low property taxes has all kinds of fees, some of which belong in with the property tax since each and every property pays the tax.

So Mr. Smith you and your web site have lost all creditably with your philosophy. The same kind of philosophy that President Bush has when he told the world you are “either with us or against us.” You listed me as Taxpayer Unfriendly. You state unfriendly candidates believe the greatest good is served when the fist of government is shoved ever deeper in the wallet of ordinary working families. The problem is I want to go further than your statement and reduce government spending. A concept you don’t seem to understand. I am far from taxpayer unfriendly.

Mr. Smith why don’t you work towards reforming the entire system. The caps of 1,2,3 are unfair to people who rent, to farmers who will have to increase our food prices and to businesses that will have to charge us more. The new system does not take care of trending to where your taxes will increase due to value increase and will still force people on fixed incomes out of their homes. This is a band-aid and not a real fix. No, Mr. Smith sounds like this is something you just want and your website is black and white and not correct in today’s world. Mr. Smith your are the one that is Tax Payer Unfriendly.

Grandparents Day (unofficial)

Today was third grade Grandparents day and it was a day that shows you the future and how important Grandparents are to the many children of the world. Of course it was not a national day but rather one at a local school and only for the third grade. But to the kids it was a day to show off to their grandparents and the importance of being their grandparents. It was not a day made up by Hallmark to sell cards.

Some drove hours to come, a few who were far away couldn’t make it and one even flew up from Florida. Almost every child had one or more sets of grandparents in the overflowing room. If I remember correctly only two didn’t have any because of distance, but their parents filled in. That is also a symbol of how we grandparents are living longer.

It lasted about an hour, but to the children it will be a very important day, a day they got to show off their grandparents. A day that showed the children they are loved by their grandparents. A day when no child was really not left behind.

Joe W wiins by a Landslide

OK so my election was uncontested and after I voted I won. But what is interesting my opponent also was uncontested and she got about 1000 less votes and her party has 70% of the registered voters in this area.

Kathy Richardson is a very nice lady, everyone keeps telling me that, but they also say, she does nothing nor does she representative the people of the district. Kathy does not answer questions put to her nor e-mails. She votes 100% as she is told by the party.

Maybe that is why so many are willing to vote for me. I will answer questions and while we may not agree on everything, I am sure we will agree on many topics and I am sure of one other factor I will represent the people of the District.

Now comes the vary hard part, raising money to run ads, to do a few mailings and walking door to door to meet with many of you.

I do have a warning for many of you, if you are standing in line at the Post Office or Kroger, Marsh etc and I am either behind or in front of you, be ready for a political speech. And with my line standing luck, it will be the wrong line and we will have some time to talk.

I do look forward to meeting all of you around the 29th District.

Good-by Snow Blower, Hello Mower

Today was the day, the snow blower was turn on and let run until all the gas was used up and the mower was filled, oil checked and started. The snow blower moved to the front of the garage and the mower to the side near the front. Winter to summer conversion has been accomplished.

But the bad news continues, I actually had to mow the weeds, they popped up over the last few days and they and a little grass needed to be cut. So now starts the war of man against his lawn. Two shots of weed killer already applied and, one even by a professional outfit, and the weeds treat these killers as if they were fertilizer. So much for weed killer. Will have to call the pros back for another shot.

Other than that flowers are jumping up form the ground and making the place look rather nice. I was also out near here and drove past one field after another with the farmers out plowing. It’s a little late this year, we had too much rain.

Well that’s it from the heartland for today.

Geist Reservoir 2008

In 2007 Geist Reservoir was off limits to swimmers, etc, as toxic algae bloomed in the water. In 2008 we have no idea if this will happen again, but at a meeting on April 29th a number of government officials came to tell the residents what they are going to go. As a former government engineer I saw the handwriting on the wall right away. When you don’t know what to do, or what you should do will cause too much controversy – study the problem and hope people will go away nodding their heads. Well they are going to study and study the reservoir this summer and all the water sources in the Upper Fall Creek Watershed. Wow, 73 testing stations and they made a big deal about placing one buoy in the water near the dam. I am surprised they didn’t try and get a grant to buy six more buoys and place them all over the 1800 acres of the reservoir. That would be more in line with government/university thinking.

What was also interesting was that two state senators and one representative attended the meeting. All of their districts touch the reservoir, also were people from several state agencies, the water company, other cities that use the water and even people from the governor’s office. But of course missing were the Town of Fishers, who annexed the reservoir last year and Representative Kathy Richardson. I can understand the Town of Fishers, you see they only would show up if they could make money form the reservoir, if they could figure out a tax or fee to fight the algae they would be at the meeting. Just watch if they annex the homes around the reservoir they will institute a water clean-up fee, blaming the use of fertilizer from the homeowners and do nothing. Also missing was Kathy, who it appears does not go to meetings, and I am running against her in the fall election. Now I was at the meeting. Part of Geist is in Kathy’s district. But Kathy a long time ago forgot what represent the people means.

What am I going to do? The message was loud and clear one of the factors that can cause the growth of the algae is fertilizer with phosphorus in it. So my lawn has non-phosphors fertilizer being applied this summer and from now on. I have also installed a water aeration pump by my dock to add air into the water that helps with water quality.

If elected I will do something no one at the meeting was willing to stand up and do. I would submit legislation to ban the use of phosphors fertilizer anywhere in a watershed in Indiana or for sale in stores for use on properties less than five acres. This would still allow the use by farmers, but would remove the use by all homeowners and by the commercial lawn care companies.


My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.
Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

E-mail from a neighbor on property taxes.

I just got this e-mail from a neighbor:

I have lived in Indiana for 33 years. At least 30 of those years
Assessed property taxes were due and payable no later than May 10th
And November 10th.

I stopped by the courthouse to inquire about my property taxes.
"The taxes are not ready yet", I was told. "In Indiana property
taxes are in arrears. You pay the 2007 taxes in 2008 and this being
an election year, the Indiana General Assembly did not want property
taxes arriving just before the spring election."

"Many property owners are going to pay higher taxes in 2008!"

He is right. A number of factors come to play; first and foremost the people in office will use every trick in the book to make you believe they are working for you. Look at all the e-mails and flyers in the mail form the statehouse or congressmen still in office, making you think they are working for you. Well folks they are costing you a lot of money. Those mailings are not cheap. The four color printing and mailing to thousands. It’s all your money. No wonder taxes are so high.

Delay collection of taxes by a few days, so you don’t remember how much your are paying, why not. Get your vote before you get mad over the tax bills.

I wrote a letter to the Governor asking that the state take action to notify banks and mortgage holder of the reductions in taxes so the monthly payments to them could be reduced. No reply from the Governor. I can’t image why. Is it because a candidate for office asked that he do something for the people? Well, maybe. But I doubt it.

Its time for a change, its time to change and remove people from office who have been in office so long they forgot what the word “represent” means.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th District State Representative

Geist Files Suit against Fishers, IN

Approximately 1700 Geist property owners have filed suit against the Town of Fishers, IN to stop the unwanted annexation of their property. That is out of 2200 properties. That’s close to 80 percent.

Of course Fishers is continuing its attack. They don’t seem to care what the people want, its only what they want. Recently I was a little dismayed when I found out that Fishers, IN had been awarded the Voice of the People Award last October.

Voice of the people? I have written the organization that gave this award and asked that they take it back. Fishers doesn’t listen to the voice of the people. It seems the leaders of Fishers hear voices.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for the 29th District State Reprsentative and I approve this message.

Fat Fishers

This mornings Indy Star had a note that over 40% of Fishers residents are overweight. So I wanted to see first hand what is going on and went to http://www.fishers.in.us/?cantaloupeItemID=5 and needless to say two very overweight guys right on the pictures of the Fishers web site.

I guess the article was correct. Now Fishers also claims to have lower taxes, that's because they use all kinds of fee's instead such as the new storm water fee (TAX), maybe with the property tax cut they will have to start a new fee and at the same time reduce overweight people, I can see them having a "Biggie" fee, when you order anything biggie at a fast food joint, you get hit with the biggie fee, order a single, no fee, a double a 10 cent fee, a triple a 25 cent fee. Of course a monster burger would be a dollar fee. Same with sugar filled sodas.

Now I would rather see a program on education on how to eat properly. This would be a lot better than Fishers growth objective of adding as many strip malls and business such as all the fast food restaurants all the time.

My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for 29th State District Representative.

Geist Alage Fight

The Geist Algae problem of last summer is being fought by a non-profit group and they are having a meeting on April 29th with several state lawmakers. Missing form the list of legislators that will be at the meeting is Representative Kathy Richardson. Not only is Geist in part of her district more importantly is Morse Lake, which also suffered from toxic algae last year. In addition if you look at a map a lot of the run-off into Geist is from an area that is in her district.

I am running for the seat she now holds and believe the development of a comprehensive plan to limit phosphorous needs to be put into place. It may be as simple restricting the use of lawn fertilizers that contain phosphorous within the water shed area of both lakes.

In any case we need someone in the statehouse that cares about the environment and this area. My name is Joe Weingarten and I approve this message.

Weingarten for the 29th District State Representative.

A very simple property tax

Well, well, well the citizens of the State of Indiana can on-mass to the capitol and demanded a reform of the property tax mess. People were seeing tax increases in the 100's of percent, the government was forcing people out of their homes and people were being force to sell their homes because of a reckless government.

So the government sort of listened and sort of reformed the property tax setting a limit of 1 percent of the home value that can be taxed. But if your a farmer they made it 2% and if you own a business 3%. If you rent a place to live the landlord is also going to be charged 2%. Now what they didn't do was stop the process of assessment that provides the value of the property, in ten years we will be right back where we started, storming the statehouse, complaining about high property taxes, about people being forced from their homes.

So the farmers are going to be charged more for their property, so do you think the farmers are not going to charge more for the food they produce. Lets look at the landlord, of course the landlord is not going to raise rent to pay for the increase in taxes, in fact watch them round off the increase to a higher level. And last the business is now going to have a higher cost factor and no they are going to very good hearted about this and not increase their selling prices.

What were they thinking, maybe I know, hide the real factors from the public. Then they added a small little clause that Cities and Towns can enact an income tax, of course they need the approval from the County Commissioners, but after this years election and they get re-elected for four years, why not approve a tax increase, who will remember four years from now.

My last question is to reduce the taxes to the above in simple terms took almost 1000 pages. So my other question is what else are they hiding in the property tax law?

What I did find out was that our elected officials don't seem to know how to think out side of the box. The word inovation is missing from the language they speak. So here is what I would have proposed.

What if when a house sold the state charged a 1% sales tax and the selling price becomes the assessed value for as long as that owner lives in that house. That's it. How come a bank can offer a 30 year loan and the cost of your rent to the bank never goes up, well I would expect the government to be able to do the same. So when you buy your house you know up front what your taxes are going to be until the day you sell the house. When you sell the buyer pays a 1% sales tax and the new selling price becomes the assessed value.

What happens right away the entire cost of assessment is gone, all the government employees gone, all the appeals gone, all the paperwork gone. The cost of government goes down, when a property is transferred the county recorder, sets the property tax. Plain and simple. I like plain and simple.

While I am at it I would reduce the percent cap on farmers and renters to 1%. If I could I would reduce farmers to zero. On business I recognize that they cost government to operate but would lower their cap to 2% and hope I can get more businesses to move into Indiana. The more business we get the more revenue we get from people working, its a great cycle. Business is not here to rescue government, but to provide jobs for people and to provide products and services to people.

If you were in business you know your income and adjust your spending, well government leaders its about time you took a lesson from business and do the same. You can't just keep growing government and not consider the public. If your income were set, you would have to limit the growth of government. Again outside of our governments way of thinking. We need to make government think. I know its beyond most of them to do, they just expect the public to bail them out with more tax dollars.

Well, my name is Joe Weingarten and I am running for State Representative for the 29th District of the State of Indiana and I approve this message.