MCCSC Dilemma or Dogma

The editorial in the October 25, 2005 edition of the Herald Times spins a familiar twist on an old story; blame it on the State. If a person read this editorial and was unaware of the lack of historical relevance one might actually assume that shifting funding for education is something new. The editorial called out the State Legislature and Governor Mitch Daniels but failed to highlight this practice has been going on for many years. This same tactic has been supported through several Democratic administrations including former Governors Evan Bayh, Frank O’Bannon, Joe Kernan as well as Senator Vi Simpson and State Representative Peggy Welch. This crew has shifted and delayed payments to the local school corporations with the best of them, all the while sinking our State into a deeper and deeper financial abysses.

Local governments have been clamoring for years about local control and in this case the State has been more than happy to comply by shifting a larger portion of the tax burden to the local taxpayers and from their position who could blame them it’s a win, win situation. They get to hold the line on their burgeoning State budget while not having to take the blame for shortfalls in education funding. From their perspective if local communities want to continue building crystal palaces for their offspring to be educated in then let them pay for them. This is where common sense and local school boards play their greatest role, as common sense should prevail when a budget increases by 81% in ten years and is still not enough. The simple overruling question remains, has your income increased by 81% over the last ten years? If the answer is no, and I suspect that is the answer of the majority of county residents, then it is easy to see how this “cast of characters” as the HT calls them, can get upset.

The overall cost of living index has gradually increased at a rate of around 3% per year for the last ten years. How can any public entity morally consider increasing their budget in excess of the average cost of living increase? Are taxpayers supposed to somehow feel guilty for not allowing school systems to increase their budgets by twice the cost of living? Herein lies the dilemmas, many costs associated with education are federally mandated especially the stratospheric cost of educating children with “special needs”. The MCCSC or any other school system has no other choice but comply and fund the associated cost therein. Furthermore the general public demands facilities second to none for “their” children. These grand facilities and mega sports arenas cost money, big money, which equates to big debt service funds for school systems. Teacher’s salaries and benefits, although not exorbitant, are basically non-negotiable except for increases and god forbid someone would suggest removing a teacher with tenure for poor performance. The cost of providing health insurance has increased an average of 27% a year. Transportation of children to and from school is certainly not mandatory but it’s expected. Many of the hard cost associated with the educating our children are similar to other governmental ran entities, out of control.

The dogma is all too evident whenever someone or some group suggests holding the line on education funding. The MCCSC’s justification for additional funding is essentially because they lag in funding behind other Indiana schools they should seek an increase thus increasing taxes after all they feel they've got it coming to them. The fact that MCCSC ranks 184th out of 293 school systems in per pupil spending is really immaterial. The total advertised school budget, not just the general fund, is in excess of $89 million nearly the same amount to run both the city and county governments combined. The idea that we have to spend as much as the next school system is ludicrous, this keep up with Jones’ has caused all too many to exceed their means.

The age-old rebuttal is “don’t you care about our children’s education” is simply out of touch with reality. Sure we all care about education and we all want children to get a good education. We all would like to continue to eat regularly and be able to afford a vacation once every two or three years too but that is something that many fail to realize that for the average family it is getting more and more difficult to accomplish. Children deserve to have parents at home once in awhile instead of them having to work two or three jobs to keep a roof over their head. School is but one factor, albeit an important factor in the overall upbringing of children. The MCCSC as well as every other government taxing entity should take a lesson from Governor Daniels by taking a hard look at the cost of providing their service and then make the tough choices that trim the excess. With several of the MCCSC’s administrative staff having salaries that are near the $100,000 a year mark it really wouldn’t take all that long to trim some fat. Don’t be fooled the quality of education is not directly linked to money. The fact remains as long as the taxpayers keep shoveling money their way they will continue to find ways to spend it.

Arts & Cultural Activities Bring $44 Million To Local Economy?

A recent letter the editor by Lee Williams the director of the Lotus Foundation in the October 8th 2005 edition of the Herald Times included several thought provoking statements. He made the statement that the arts and culture scene add a huge amount to the quality of life to the residents of Bloomington; I think most people would have to agree with that. Another statement included thanks to Mayor Kruzan for his efforts championing for the arts in our community as an “economic growth engine.” He went on to indicate the arts contributes over $44 million dollars to the local economy. This is where I must admit I have a little trouble with the figures. I don’t fault him for repeating what he has heard but the information has been derived from some pretty interesting studies on the financial impact by tourism and travel on Monroe County.

The suggestion that the arts and cultural activities in Monroe County bring in such huge financial dividends is derived in part from the annual report offered by the Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau. This same report indicated that in 2004 the Monroe County economy benefited to the tune of $258 million from tourism and travel. According to the Herald Times a recently “completed economic impact study of tourism and travel in Monroe County during 2004 shows that most of the $178.8 million dollars spent by tourists - 34 percent - was for food and beverages. Shopping accounted for 27 percent, lodging for 14 percent, transportation for 13 percent, attractions for 7 percent and souvenirs, 5 percent.” In a February 15th 2003 Herald Times article it was reported that restaurants in Monroe County grossed over a $194 million in sales for the previous year. The most recent report indicated 34% or $61 million of the $178.8 million was for food and beverages. Have food and beverage sales dropped by two thirds since the 2003 report or are the numbers cooked?

Essentially this leaves us with the understanding the $44 million arts related figure represents one-sixth of the County’s total tourism and travel economic impact amount. I guess if you believe the other numbers this one fits right in. It’s obviously easy to question the results of these extrapolated figures however I think very few would question the benefits that arts and culture brings to Bloomington. The reality is that everyone has a different cultural meter scale. Some for instance may rate the cultural importance of the Lotus festival as a one or two on their scale of ten when others may choose to rate it a nine or ten. Some might rank the entertainment importance of Bloomington Raceway’s Friday night races as very high when others see absolutely no socially redeeming value in the events. Bloomington Raceway doesn’t benefit from subsidies from our local government and yet they too bring hundreds of people to the area over the course of several summer weekends. I must admit this is a strange comparison and yet a very valid comparison of how we choose to spend our tax money locally. People can make the impact numbers read any way they want them to read when they reflect positively on the type of programs and entertainment venues that they support. There are many “economic growth engines” within Monroe County and we should remember they are all equally important and make Monroe County a very unique place to live. Fortunately for the taxpayers of Monroe County we don’t have to fuel all the economic growth engines with tax dollars.

Jim Kennedy Running For Sheriff

It wasn’t a total surprise to see Jim Kennedy make an announcement that he would be seeking the nod for sheriff in next year’s election. What was a bit of a surprise was which ticket he has decided to run on. His announcement to run on the Democratic ticket has sent shock waves through the both party’s camps. Kennedy for all intent and purposes a lifelong Republican obviously made the decision to run as a Democrat for all the wrong reasons. I'm sure it's not because he has had a change of heart or his philosophy in politics has suddenly changed. It is rumored he is running as a Democrat simply because he wants to win. He obviously feels his chances are better running with them than against them especially considering the outcome of the last election. Last years election in Monroe County was heavily influenced by national politics which resulted in what was turned into an anti-Bush, anti-Republican mandate. These feelings although misaligned with the rest of the state, are still quite strong in Bloomington will be considered by some to have somewhat of the same effect on the outcome of the 2006 election.

What will be interesting to see is how hardcore democrat voters accept Kennedy in the primary? In an off year election the primary turnout is usually quite low and the makeup of the average voter is usually informed. For the purist, Larry Smith, another well-liked candidate that has announced his candidacy for sheriff on the Democrat ticket would obviously be the person of choice. He has the support of the regular party faithful even though he has little if any law enforcement experience. As the Technical Services Administrator for Monroe County he is counting on his administrative experience to carry him through. Kennedy on the other hand has vast law enforcement and administrative experience including Chief of Police for the City of Bloomington, Chief of Police for Indiana University and a stint as a United States Marshall. What isn’t setting well with the local GOP is that Senator Dick Lugar reportedly made Kennedy's recommendation for US Marshalls appointment and the appointment was confirmed by President Bush both Republicans.

This opportunistic party shift may not sit well with the voters even though Kennedy’s resume is impressive. He is obviously counting on the average voter being uninformed and looking only at the credentials of each candidate. This might play well in most communities however in Monroe County that’s not necessarily the case as you have to look no further than the results of the last election where several highly qualified candidates were beaten by those with little or no applicable experience. Voters in this county are anything but consistent. How else could you explain Joyce Poling's narrow victory over a person like tree sitter Mike “Moss” Englert in the 2004 general election? If Kennedy does indeed make it onto the primary ballot as the newly elected Democrat Chairman could decide to contest his presence, the primary will definitely be his battleground where he will have to overcome the persona of a Republican running on the Democratic ticket. As for the Republicans I suppose it would be nice to see a Republican elected even if it’s on the Democrat ticket.

Charles Is All Tangled Up In His Own Webb

I found the cover story interview with retired music professor Charles Webb in the October 4th 2005 edition of the Herald Times particularly offensive and very ill conceived. For someone with his level of education and background to make such preposterous accusations and assumptions through his limited contact with people from mostly Arab / Muslim nations shows how easy it is for people’s opinions to be swayed and manipulated. To make a comment that many people even perceive George W. Bush "as a greater threat to world order than Osama bin Laden." is one of the most maligned and opportunistic assumptions that could have been derived from this report. His comments only show a narrow-minded viewpoint derived from an overly simplistic view of the world’s political and cultural climate, as it exists today. What kind of feed back did these people expect from the very region has birthed and swaddled the terrorist that roam the world today looking to destroy the very life that people like Mr. Webb lead? Until this article was published I must admit I had more respect for Mr. Webb, unfortunately now that respect has been lost. No President in history has been popular during war times and this is certainly no exception. Even Winston Churchill’s wartime heroics were not rewarded with a post World War II reelection. It grieves me to read articles that contain such duplicity especially when people allow themselves to be manipulated by a handful of liberal renegades into spreading this anti-American sentiment. An educated person would never make this type of broad-brush comparison.

Mr. Webb’s assumption is that through cultural exchange and diplomacy the world would be a much better place and that war could be avoided. If he and others would take off their rose colored glasses long enough to look around at the real world this concept is completely out of balance with reality. Where was the diplomacy when the terrorists flew planeloads of American citizens into the World Trade Center killing thousands of innocent civilians? History has proven time and time again that regardless of the amount of cultural exchange between countries people will always have differing views and beliefs and sometimes those differences result in conflict. Conflict and ultimately the resolution thereof often time results in war. It is quite obvious Mr. Webb allowed him self to be manipulated and used as a pawn to help influence and win the physiological battle over the American way of life. The vast majority of the Muslim nation, especially the extremist truly hate the American’s way of life. Their hatred and resentment is deep rooted and goes back many generations and is taught to their children at a very young age. To level the blame on President Bush and his staff makes about as much sense as blaming Churchill for Hitler’s actions during World War II.

There will always be tyrants in this world that seek out power and notoriety and no amount of civic and cultural exchange will ever totally rid us of them. There are also pacifists and others that feel war is never the answer and that we should always turn the other cheek until we have nothing left to offer. There are also those people that understand action is necessary at times and to sit back and allow our country to be attacked is not a time to offer up another cheek. War is never clean or cheap and people certainly will die but unfortunately it’s the only language some tyrants understand. Sometimes force must be met head on with force. It is our right as Americans to be able to hold differing opinions and opposing viewpoints about our government but those opinions should never result in undermining the nations resolve in good times or bad.

Bump Outs and the Buskirk Chumley

What do both of these things have in common? Many locals believe the City has no business getting involved in either one of them. The Buskirk Chumley Theatre is a beautiful old historic building that deserved to be saved and restored to its present day splendor. With that being said the question arises as to what the limits are to government funding for civic and cultural facilities such as this. When the City of Bloomington decided to get involved in the refurbishment of the old theatre it was a worthy and noble cause for such a grand old building but the money was offered in exchange for and with the full understanding that the City of Bloomington did not want to own the facility. The funding concept was that upon the completion of the remodeling the facility would become nearly self sufficient under the able management of the Waldron Arts Center. Detractors insisted that concept was highly improbable and the project was nothing more than another drain on valuable taxpayers resources.

Several years and several hundred thousand dollars later the City is getting ready to tread down a very slippery slope indeed, taking over the ownership of this relic from the past. The facility has never come anywhere close to being profitable and unfortunately probably never will. This is simply another example of a small handful of elected officials selling unrealistic pie in the sky concepts to the public so they could secure funding for another one of their “causes”. How can this happen you ask? The answer lies in the fact that a high percentage and getting higher all the time, of the elected officials have virtually no background in business or economics. The cost of maintaining such a facility is enormous and with the limited revenues it generates it would give even a risk taker cause for concern of getting involved in this endeavor. The point is it’s a really nice building but at what cost?

This brings us to the second half of the commentary, the bump out debacle on Auto Mall Road on Bloomington’s eastside. Where is the public outrage for this public / private deal made in a complete void of public input or knowledge. It was reported the repairs would cost the City $24,000 however the actual cost of making reparations will probably never be known as it too will undoubtedly be shrouded in darkness. The simple fact remains that tens of thousands of taxpayer’s dollars were wasted for tearing out and repaving this entire stretch of roadway. Mayor Kruzan has taken responsibility for the circumvention of due process and subsequent mishandling of the project and is surely hoping the issue will go away as faster than the city workers patched and repaved the roadway.

This year alone we have endured two major traffic obstructions to facilitate development on the eastside. First the community was force fed an undersized “round a bout” on Moores Pike that cannot even be negotiated by a semi-truck and now we get to pay for the removal of more public impediments installed by this same developer on Auto Mall Road. I wonder just how much Wininger / Stolberg and its principals donated to Mayor Kruzan’s election campaign? This unfortunately is just another example of the all too typical dictatorial style of leadership that we presently have in City Hall, which is all the more reason not to let this be swept under the rug. If this were private enterprise someone would surly loose his or her job and it has been suggested that if you had to start somewhere start with the Director of Public Works Julio Alonso.

What I would like to know is why are we so conditioned to accept this type of incompetence and over site from government officials and furthermore why do the offenders get off without suffering any consequences? There is obviously a vast separation between taking responsibility and being accountable. Responsibility is when you own up to throwing an arrant baseball through someone’s window. Being accountable is when you actually pay for the window. In this case taking responsibility is one thing but who is going to be accountable and repay the thousands of misused and abused tax dollars? Evidently no one!

Commissioners Approve GOP Redistricting Plan

The Monroe County Commissioners voted two to one along party lines to approve the GOP’s new redistricting plans for both the Council and Commissioners districts. The usual group of talking heads from the Democrat Party provided those in attendance with their standard responses to virtually everything including claiming the redistricting process was nothing more than partisan politics, that redistricting would disenfranchise voters and the process was setting a dangerous precedent. These arguments are getting more mileage on them than a slick set of radials. I really do wish they could be a little more creative.

One of a handful of Democrat operatives that took the podium was Chaim Juliam, he offered a petition supposedly containing two hundred signatures in opposition to the redistricting plan. Mr. Juliam was representing yet another innocuously named political action group called Democracy for Monroe County. This group along with others of similar name and culture regularly camp out in the friendly confines of the farmers market with their petitions and liberal propaganda. Another regular at the podium was local activist Scott Wells, as usual he served up a hearty swig of his typical brand of political indignation delivered in his normal loud and threatening tone. Even the staunchest of the Democrat supporters cringe with embarrassment when he gets up to speak. One individual that for some reason feels compelled to make a statement at these meetings is Pedro Roman. I’m not sure of his nationality or for that matter his citizenship but his English is very broken and must be an absolute nightmare for someone to transcribe into the minutes of the meeting. No one seems to know just exactly what he said but since he hangs around with the other overzealous liberals it’s a safe assumption he was against the redistricting plan. The only new face in the political arena was interim Democrat Chairwoman Lee Jones. She provided a preview of the new Democrat Party leadership and I must say she is no Dan Combs and I know Dan Combs.

Redistricting was absolutely necessary and obviously long overdue. Thank goodness our two Commissioners stood their ground and did what is right for the voters of Monroe County. For the first time in many years the citizens of this county will have the opportunity to cast a vote that will actually have some bearing on the outcome of the election. The new districts better comply with the law and have been calculated so tight in population and compactness that it will be virtually impossible for anyone to redraw them anytime soon even if Democrats should regain control of the Commissioners office. The sad part of this is, besides a few political hacks on both sides, no one even really cares about redistricting and it was obvious from the small turn out at the meeting. The overall effect on the political landscape will be substantial because for once the districts were not drawn to accommodate a particular candidate or opponent this was evident in Commissioner Kilmer virtually voting himself out of a district. If there was a down side to this meeting it was provided by our current County Clerk, Jim Fielder. If you closed your eyes while listening to Fielder you would have sworn a Democrat had taken the podium. He obviously has some fundamental differences with the rest of the Republican Party and if so his silence would have been appreciated. Regardless, his comments failed to gain traction with the Commissioners and the process motored right on through similar to what transgender legislation will pass through the City Council in the near future, but that’s another story altogether isn’t it?

Rebel Without A Clue

The Wednesday September 28th edition of the Herald Times included a “guest editorial” by Monroe County Council Member Sophia Travis. Still stinging from the backlash she received for her misguided vote against the recent tax abatement request from Cook Incorporated her conscious obviously got the best of her as she made a lame attempt to justify her action. She claimed that her nay vote was tied to the fact that Cook fails to pay a living wage to its workers per the City of Bloomington’s definition and furthermore her philosophy in politics includes a healthy dose of discourse and opposition. Along with that skewed outlook on politics she defended her obligation to the people that put her in office by remaining committed to her campaign promises. That is truly an admirable trait first considering she actually possessed some infinite wisdom that was supported in facts. Being so closed minded that she fails to recognize the benefits of supporting a company like Cook Incorporated only further proves her radical independence overrules her sense of responsibility to the citizens of Monroe County. Reportedly many of her decisions have been overly influenced by others including her spouse, which originally went on record as being against this type of corporate tax abatement. She is obviously going out of her way to make a statement that her decisions are her own as she indicated her husband had advised her that a vote against Cook would be politically damaging, ironically once again she is simply following his lead.

Another interesting issue that arises out of this situation is how quickly the guest editorial appeared in the Herald Times after the Cook abatement vote. Since when has the newspaper been so timely with an editorial allowing an elected official to justify their vote with a written editorial response? In most instances the editorial staff reviews these submissions and subjectively sets them aside until the issue is so old most people don’t even remember what the editorial is referring to. Isn’t it just adding insult to injury when we have to be subjected to the humiliation of having an elected official vote against one of the most prominent and well-respected employers in Monroe County and then we have to turn around and read her slanted editorial in the newspaper? This desire for attention and publicity comes at a dire cost and unfortunately we the taxpayers are forced to keep picking up the tab.

What many have feared is coming to fruition, the off-center ideas that have tainted City politics for so long has now migrated into the County’s political landscape. The County Council recently passed a record budget that included spending down its much needed cash reserves in lieu of increased funding for social services all the while failing to recognize and fund even the most basic of necessities within county government, fuel for its vehicles. Now we have a County Council member utilizing the City’s Living Wage Ordinance to justify her vote against a County tax abatement request. These are dangerous times in local government, as extremists have infiltrated virtually every aspect of leadership. It’s truly a shame when good honest hard working people suggest that the local political scene is too far-gone and they don’t want to get involved because they have lost all hope that common sense and reason will ever prevail. Do we really need someone in government that disagrees just for the sake of disagreement? Do we really want the City’s overtly liberal attitudes governing the citizens of the county? The next election will be a critical turning point in local politics, as we have to confront these issues head on. With this and many other issues facing Monroe County we certainly don’t need any more rebels without a clue.