Ed Angleton for State Represenative Campaign Event

When: Sat. Aug 23, 11 am to 11 pm
Where: Spades Park on the near Eastside
What: NESCO Feast of Lanterns

Please join me this Saturday at the Feast of Lanterns. Volunteers are most welcome. Stay for an hour, stay all day if you'd like, it's a great event and a chance to further the Libertarian cause.

http://www.indyfeast.org/

The Erosion Continues...

US Border Agency Says It Can Seize Laptops

Agam Shah, IDG News ServiceFri Aug 1, 7:50 PM ET

Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.

The DHS document, issued July 16, appears to state publicly a policy that has already existed. Laptops and electronic devices have been subject to search in the past, and travelers have reported not getting their devices back. The policy has drawn strong criticism from lawmakers and nonprofit groups, who charged that the searches were invasive and a violation of an individual's privacy rights. Computers contain a vast amount of private information about family, finances and health, which could be easily copied and stored in government databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has complained.

The policy document states that being able to examine documents and electronic devices is crucial for "detecting information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling... contraband including child pornography, and... other import or export control laws."

The new DHS policies allow customs agents to analyze the contents of laptops without any suspicion of wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement.

"The policies that have been disclosed are truly alarming," Feingold wrote.

The policy could blur the distinction between "search" and "seizure," which could also allow DHS officials to steal personal documents from laptops it has retained, Feingold wrote.

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.