The Time for Liberty

If you believe in the ideals of the Founding Fathers...
If you hold the blessings of Liberty dear...
If you honor the scarifice of the millions of US servicemen and women...
If you are concerned about the erosion of our precious Civil Rights...

Then you must watch the following video.




(Thanks to Mark W. Rutherford's Electing Libertarians for posting this previuosly)

Thank You Mr. Hobbs

The local blog world is abuzz with the news that Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs is considering withholding or delaying aid from parents whose children aren't in school when they should be. (Advance Indiana and Indiana Barrister, see links sidebar) This is an interesting idea, that perhaps needs to be expanded upon. I believe that all forms of "unearned" (unearned being non-pension etc.) governmental assistance should be subject to reduction if the receiver does not uphold certain basic duties such as ensuring that their children are attending school. This should be a statewide program not limited to one particular county or township, and would apply to both parents and guardians. By doing so, we can avoid charges of discrimination because the rules would apply in both urban and rural areas. The only way to ultimately break the cycle of poverty is through education.

Andrea Neal Gets it Right!

Andrea Neal is probably my favorite columnist at Indiana Policy Review. Her latest submission echoes to a large degree my feelings about the current state of the property tax problem.

Long-Term Property Tax Solution Is Not Yet in Sight
http://inpolicy.org/

Visit my website to get my views on how some of these issues can be fixed.

http://www.edangleton.com/PropertyTaxReform.html

I also favor the payment of a "compensation" by the state to counties that are home to significant state owned properties (parks, governmental buildings etc.)

'Nuff Said

If you want a very interesting study in probable self-interest look at the following:

http://cms.indygov.org/myassessedvalue/result.aspx?Parcel=1081021
http://cms.indygov.org/myassessedvalue/result.aspx?Parcel=1046648

Another Victory for the Bill of Rights

The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker has overturned Indiana's new leigislation on sexualy explicit material for being too vague, too broad and potentially applicable against "unquestionably lawful, nonobscene, nonpornographic materials being sold to adults."

"A romance novel sold at a drugstore, a magazine offering sex advice in a grocery store checkout line, an R-rated DVD sold by a video rental shop, a collection of old Playboy magazines sold by a widow at a garage sale ... would appear to necessitate registration under the statute," Barker wrote.

Plaintifs in the case included the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and several bookstores and publishers.

The author of the legislation, Rep. Terry Goodin, D-Crothersville, said he would confer with the state attorney general on next steps, but the options included taking the matter back to lawmakers in the 2009 legislative session.

Given Rep. Goodin's intent to not let this unconstitutional law die the death it deserves, it is more important than ever that we elect legislators and a governor who will abide by the US and Indiana Constitutions.