Dirty Politics in Hamilton County

It once again points out the behavior of the the elected officials of this one sided county. When you have all the elected people in one party you get this kind of lack of representation of the people but the special interest groups. As Councilman McKinney writes in this letter he is calling for an investigation into "pay for play politics plaguing Hamilton County." I can only hope the County Sheriff does do an investigation into both the sign removal and pay to play. While I would rather see the State Troopers or the FBI do the investigation.  If it turns out that Jeff Hern did remove the sign, he should also resign from his position as Fall Creek Trustee.

  The following is from the Hamilton County Reporter issue Sunday April 17, 2016.

"Theft of campaign signs is unacceptable

Over the past several days, many of my campaign signs

worth nearly $1000 have gone missing.

After confirming with the city of Fishers that the signs

were properly placed, I called the Hamilton County

Sheriff’s office to report the thefts. Investigation led to the

discovery of a cell phone on the ground where one sign was

taken. This cell phone is allegedly owned by Jeff Hern of

Fishers, one of my opponents in the upcoming County

Council primary. The phone is now evidence in the

Sheriff’s criminal investigation.

In all my years in politics, I have never witnessed such

behavior. This type of dirty trick is unacceptable and a

criminal charge in the state of Indiana. I hope whoever is

found responsible for these thefts will apologize and make

restitution. Additionally, I hope all current and aspiring

elected officials will reject these tactics and the candidates

who use them. Our citizens deserve better representatives

who believe in fair play.

I have full confidence that law enforcement will inves-

tigate not only this incident, but also the broader corruption

and pay for play politics plaguing Hamilton County. A

message needs to be sent that this type of behavior will not

be tolerated. The citizens of Hamilton County can rest

assured that if they reelect me this May, I will continue to

be a voice for integrity, transparency and financial inde-

pendence. I will always represent their interests with sound

fiscal principles and high moral standards.

Rick McKinney

Hamilton County Councilman at large

www.rickmckinney.com"

Pay to Play by Mark Herbrandt - A new chapter

What would happen if anyone running for office or elected to office could not bid or hold any government contract or any company they work for?

In Hamilton County a number of elected officials running for office would no longer be running for office.  A case in point is the recent newspaper article* about Mark Heirbrandt who works for Ameresco and that company was bidding for a Joseph County contact. Of course the e-mail asking about the status of the contract and about political contributions to the person making the contract had nothing to do with one another.  The two nothing to do with one another were in the same paragraph. But remember they had nothing to do with one another. Want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn?

The article pointed out a favorite quote of the elected Republican officials of Ham Country – doesn’t Ham equal pork another political term. “Pay to Play.” In other words you have to bribe the elected for favors such as contracts. But since it is against the law to bride someone they contribute to your campaign funds.

What would happen if any political contribution made to a candidate and if elected they can no longer vote on any contact from that contributor for the term they are in that office? Watch the contributions drop like a lead balloon.  Now of course the concern would how to funnel the money through individuals to avoid this, but I would extend to employees about $250.00. For example once I noticed a $5000 contribution to the Political Action Committee working to get the elected office holders re-elected from Fishers. This contribution was from an individual not even living near Fishers, so a little digging and I found he was on the Board of Directors of a construction company that builds sewer plants and was bidding on a Fishers sewer contract.  Smells to me.  How about you?

One of the current County Commissioner who I picked at random and had a the following contribution listings first on his list a law firm, second an engineering company and last a paving contractor.

The contributions by the engineering companies would vanish, as would the law firms, all kinds of suppliers and construction companies.

How about the Firefighter Union that contributes to all sitting City Council members for re-election. Do the Firefighters expect a pay raise? Of course they don't.They just like these people.

My favorite “Pay to Play” and funnel was Pete Peterson’s Royal Tiger Pac**.  It was so apparent that it was short lived.

*ttp://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/2016/04/06/emails-raise-pay-play-concerns/82717666/

and

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/questions-raised-on-st-joseph-county-campaign-finances/38882028

**http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2014/04/is-3500-price-of-political-influence-in.html

$5,156,032.40 - Where's my Reward?

I just got a letter from the Attorney General of the State of Indiana:

 April 6, 2016
"RE: Complaint No. 11100909
Dear Joe Weingarten:
I am writing to report to you the results of our investigation of your Telephone Privacy complaint(s)
against Jerome Edmond dba USA Promotions (originally reported as “”).
After investigating your complaint(s), we filed suit against Jerome Edmond dba USA Promotions. Thecase resulted in a judgment, which provided the following:
1. Defendant is required to pay $5,156,032.40 to the State; and
2. Defendant is permanently enjoined from making calls in violation of Indiana’s Telephone
Privacy laws.
Amounts collected are used to support the Telephone Privacy program."

What I earned the state 5 million and no reward, no nothing but a e-mailed letter. Now this is my third judgement for these nasty phone calls the other two resulted in around $30,000 and one for $420,000. But this is the big fish. five million.

I should at least get a letter form the Governor - no wait not this Governor, if the next one is a new one, I hope he sends me one.

Gov Pence you should wait for the next Governor

"INDIANAPOLIS -
Gov. Mike Pence will be making his first appointment to Indiana's highest court sometime this spring.
  
Indiana's Judicial Nominating Commission sent the Republican governor a letter March 11 with the names of three finalists to replace Justice Brent Dickson, who retires from the high court April 29 before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75.
  
Pence must name one of those three to the five-member court within 60 days of receiving the letter. Spokesman Matt Lloyd says "the governor has no timeline for making his selection" other than within that timeframe.
  
The finalists are St. Joseph Superior Judge Steven L. Hostetler, Boone Superior Judge Matthew C. Kincaid and Indianapolis attorney Geoffrey G. Slaughter.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)"

Governor Pence since you fellow party members are demanding the President can't name a new Supreme Court Judge you should follow that same demand and not appoint someone to the states highest court but allow the next elected Governor to appoint the Judge.

Meaningful quotes - so we don't forget.

 The following are quotes from one person. The last line should give you a hint as to who made them but don't look yet. Read these first and think about what they say in this political season. I will leave about 10 lines between the next to last to the last one.

Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.

If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.

The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.

The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.

The art of leadership... consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention.

The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force.

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.

Great liars are also great magicians.

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

It is not truth that matters, but victory.

What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.

Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all.

Do not compare yourself to others. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.

I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few.

The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan.

The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category.

I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social inequalities ... my feelings against Americanism are feelings of hatred and deep repugnance ... everything about the behaviour of American society reveals that it's half Judaised, and the other half negrified. How can one expect a State like that to hold together?

But the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly and with unflagging attention. It must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. Here, as so often in this world, persistence is the first and most important requirement for success.

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.

I know that fewer people are won over by the written word than by the spoken word and that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great speakers and not to great writers.

I use emotion for the many, and reserve reason for the few.

To study history means to search for and discover the forces that are the causes of those results which appear before our eyes as historical events. The art of reading and studying consists in remembering the essentials and forgetting what is not essential.

Generally, readers of the Press can be classified into three groups: First, those who believe everything they read; Second, those who no longer believe anything; Third, those who critically examine what they read and form their judgments accordingly.

Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all.

The odds are you guessed correctly. 

Trader Joe's / Jungle Jim's

Another note on IKEA. OK two years ago I asked for an IKEA and by magic it is coming so it is time for me to make another timely request. We are being flooded by organic supermarkets but they are all about the same so as I drive by the parking lots they never too full.  Well only two in Fishers but just outside the border others and since they are very close I count them in the mix.  Now in case you don’t read the WSJ--- we have Kroger that is looking to buy out one of the chains and that means the one on 116^th right across from Kroger the odds are will close.

So city leaders what I want next is one of two chains to move into Fishers. I expect you to get working on this right away. My first choice is Jungle Jim’s from Cincinnati but if you tell them Fishers they might break down laughing so approach them about IKEA and not Fishers. Then if they turn you down go after Trader Joe’s. It’s a hassle to have to drive down to the only one around for the $2.99 AKA used to be known as two dollar Chuck.

So instead of wasting money on getting more car dealerships or dumb ugly office buildings downtown get moving on Jungle Jim’s or Trader Joe’s.

Donald Burn the Books, Mike buy a $5 card.

Ok so now the Donald wants to re-write the laws to make it easier to sue the media, what is going to do next, burn the books?

The campaign is going to get even more nasty as time goes on, why do people like this nut job because he yells at people? Because he says anything he wants even if it is not true just to get a headline.

I heard he is going to build walls around all Taco Bells, there Mexican aren’t they.

Things are not much better here in Indiana where the Republicans are running wild in the state house. Thank goodness many of the very dump laws are being defeated but why are they even seeing the light of day. A bill to allow payday loan companies to become legal loan sharks.  That’s right 180 percent, of course the Republican Sen. Travis Holdman said "We are talking about providing access to credit to folks in our state that don’t have any other way to borrow money because they don’t qualify for credit cards, or conventional bank or credit union loans.” Well after this they will not have even a roof over their heads. 180%.

Then our great Governor is adding 1.1 million dollars for the care of the elderly and at the same time he wants to spend 53 million for the states 200^th birthday. How about 1.1 million for the birthday and 53 million for the children and old folks who don’t need a birthday party.  Actually how about $5 for a nice card.

Also we are back at it again on deer hunting in a cage and to add injury to insult they are passing a bill to allow high powered rifles for deer hunting. Just what we need AK47 and M16 for deer hunting. But they did turn down a bill to allow state employees entering the state house from being allowed to carry guns into the state house.  Maybe they were afraid of the employees.

Just another day in Indiana.