Tuesday, August 26, 2008

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.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

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

Friday, August 22, 2008

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.

Friday, August 15, 2008

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

Sunday, August 10, 2008

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.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

$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.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

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