Last Wednesday I heard Glenn Beck mention that on a recent episode of Jeopardy! the three contestants were stumped by the following clue:
Category: NIGHTLY NEWS WORDS (for 1000)
A Marxist stage before communism, this is government control over the economy; I thought it meant friendliness.
The correct response: What is Socialism?
It's true, none of the contestants rang in. The episode aired Tuesday Feb 17, 2009. No wonder we've got trouble.
This is also one of the reasons I never watch the show anymore. If these contestants had been my opponents back when I was a two-day champ in March 2006, I'd still be on there today.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Where There's Smoke, There's Ire
In 1998 I awoke one morning and decided that I would stop smoking. I went out and purchased my first nicotine patches and my last pack of cigarettes. Over the course of the next 12 weeks I successively ended my use of cigarettes. That was 11 years ago and I have no desire to take up that habit again, although I do enjoy an occasional cigar whether it be on the golf course, sitting on my patio or at a cigar bar or similar establishment.
As a former cigarette smoker I was ecstatic when Marion county’s first smoking ban went into place. I liked the idea of being able to go into a restaurant of my choice and not have to breathe in cigarette smoke. Now upon further reflection, while still appreciative of the result of the ordinance, I have trouble reconciling it to my views on the role of government in a free market. Ideally, market forces would determine whether or not a particular restaurant or bar allows smoking.
So let’s talk about smoking bans and employee rights. If a person accepts a job at an establishment that allows smoking, such as a tavern, smoke shop or cigar bar, then that employee is accepting the risk that accompanies that job. In the case of smoke shops and cigar bars, there is an expectation that customers will be smoking in these establishments, after all that is the only reason these businesses exist, to sell tobacco products, allowing for their use on the premises is good business.
Do smoking and second-hand smoke pose serious health risks? Yes. There is ample evidence to support the connection between cancer, heart disease and a variety of other conditions. Will banning smoking in all enclosed public places prevent people from getting these diseases? No. Only a complete ban of the sale of tobacco products in the State of Indiana would have a truly significant effect on public health. However, it is doubtful that the State would be willing to forgo the tax revenues gained from their sale. Therefore, a simple smoking ban is in keeping with the lack of political courage that the legislature routinely exhibits. Until such time that the legislature is ready to take such a stand, they should let the market dictate policy.
As a former cigarette smoker I was ecstatic when Marion county’s first smoking ban went into place. I liked the idea of being able to go into a restaurant of my choice and not have to breathe in cigarette smoke. Now upon further reflection, while still appreciative of the result of the ordinance, I have trouble reconciling it to my views on the role of government in a free market. Ideally, market forces would determine whether or not a particular restaurant or bar allows smoking.
So let’s talk about smoking bans and employee rights. If a person accepts a job at an establishment that allows smoking, such as a tavern, smoke shop or cigar bar, then that employee is accepting the risk that accompanies that job. In the case of smoke shops and cigar bars, there is an expectation that customers will be smoking in these establishments, after all that is the only reason these businesses exist, to sell tobacco products, allowing for their use on the premises is good business.
Do smoking and second-hand smoke pose serious health risks? Yes. There is ample evidence to support the connection between cancer, heart disease and a variety of other conditions. Will banning smoking in all enclosed public places prevent people from getting these diseases? No. Only a complete ban of the sale of tobacco products in the State of Indiana would have a truly significant effect on public health. However, it is doubtful that the State would be willing to forgo the tax revenues gained from their sale. Therefore, a simple smoking ban is in keeping with the lack of political courage that the legislature routinely exhibits. Until such time that the legislature is ready to take such a stand, they should let the market dictate policy.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wanted - A Few Good Libertarians
The Libertarian Party of Marion County is in the process of expanding our grassroots organization. We are recruiting Libertarian minded men and women who think that the time for debate is over and that the time for action has come. As the new county Vice-Chairman, I am organizing a network of precinct, ward and township chairmen. These individuals will be responsible for attending neighborhood meetings and local business group meetings in your areas. Additionally, you will advise the Vice-Chairman of upcoming events (block parties, festivals and fairs) in your areas regarding the possibility of having a Libertarian presence there. You will also be responsible for explaining the basic tenets of Libertarianism to those wanting more information, and recruiting new members.
No experience is necessary, only a desire to see the local party grow and become a stronger presence in local politics.
No experience is necessary, only a desire to see the local party grow and become a stronger presence in local politics.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A New Year, A New General Assembly, A New Congress, A New Administration
When I began this blog one of the first posts I wrote dealt with the dangers of citizen apathy. I began that post with the following poem:
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
Variation on a poem attributed to Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
Niemöller was a Protestant minister who, although an early supporter of National Socialism and Adolph Hitler, eventually became a strident opponent of Nazi policies. For his beliefs, he was imprisoned first in Sachsenhausen and then in Dachau concentration camps. In 1945 he was liberated by the American 5th Army. His poem is a lament on the inactivity of the German intellectuals, including himself, who did nothing to oppose the initial rise of the Nazi Party. It is a stark rebuke regarding the dangers of apathy.
This week will see the convening of the 111th US Congress and the 116th Indiana General Assembly. January 20th will mark the inauguration of President-Elect Obama.
Now is not the time for Indiana's citizens to assume that their civic duty ended at the ballot box. We elected these men and women. We must now hold them accountable to their words. We cannot assume that they will automatically fulfill the promises made on the campaign trail. We must hold them to every single pledge and position taken in the pursuit of their elected office. After all, this is the reason they were elected and the voters deserve to receive that which they paid for with their votes.
There are those that will argue that campaign rhetoric should not be taken seriously, that what is said in the heat of battle should have no bearing on policy, that this is the way the political game has always been played.
If politicians have no intention of following through on the promises and pledges they made to the voters of this state and this nation, then they are truely without honor. This includes every single position taken. If a legislative candidate put forth a plan which would increase the state income tax, even if only for a select group of Hoosier taxpayers, then it is that legislator's duty to follow through by introducing that legislation. If a legislator campaigned on a platform which included voting to keep the Property Tax caps from becoming part of the Constitution, then we should expect that when the vote comes up they will be true to their word.
These are extreme examples, meant to provoke thought, but the basic premise is sound.
As I stated earlier, we must hold our elected officials accountable. Our civic duty does not stop at the ballot box or the jury box. We must be vigilant. We must not be apathetic, and unlike Niemöller, we must speak up. Who will do so if we do not?
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
Variation on a poem attributed to Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
Niemöller was a Protestant minister who, although an early supporter of National Socialism and Adolph Hitler, eventually became a strident opponent of Nazi policies. For his beliefs, he was imprisoned first in Sachsenhausen and then in Dachau concentration camps. In 1945 he was liberated by the American 5th Army. His poem is a lament on the inactivity of the German intellectuals, including himself, who did nothing to oppose the initial rise of the Nazi Party. It is a stark rebuke regarding the dangers of apathy.
This week will see the convening of the 111th US Congress and the 116th Indiana General Assembly. January 20th will mark the inauguration of President-Elect Obama.
Now is not the time for Indiana's citizens to assume that their civic duty ended at the ballot box. We elected these men and women. We must now hold them accountable to their words. We cannot assume that they will automatically fulfill the promises made on the campaign trail. We must hold them to every single pledge and position taken in the pursuit of their elected office. After all, this is the reason they were elected and the voters deserve to receive that which they paid for with their votes.
There are those that will argue that campaign rhetoric should not be taken seriously, that what is said in the heat of battle should have no bearing on policy, that this is the way the political game has always been played.
If politicians have no intention of following through on the promises and pledges they made to the voters of this state and this nation, then they are truely without honor. This includes every single position taken. If a legislative candidate put forth a plan which would increase the state income tax, even if only for a select group of Hoosier taxpayers, then it is that legislator's duty to follow through by introducing that legislation. If a legislator campaigned on a platform which included voting to keep the Property Tax caps from becoming part of the Constitution, then we should expect that when the vote comes up they will be true to their word.
These are extreme examples, meant to provoke thought, but the basic premise is sound.
As I stated earlier, we must hold our elected officials accountable. Our civic duty does not stop at the ballot box or the jury box. We must be vigilant. We must not be apathetic, and unlike Niemöller, we must speak up. Who will do so if we do not?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I Went Digging for the Truth and I Struck a Nerve
This morning's edition of the Indy Star contains the following "rebuttal" to my op-ed piece of Dec 5, which was posted to this blog as well.
Setting some facts straight about parties and voting
I take issue with Ed Angleton's Dec. 5 My View on two counts; his claim that the lesser-qualified candidate was elected Marion County surveyor in November and that straight-ticket voting hurts third-party candidates.
Angleton describes Surveyor -elect Debra Jenkins as an "executive assistant" in the office of the Marion County recorder when in fact she is that office's chief deputy and previously served as office manager.
Jenkins campaigned strenuously for an office that few pay attention to. She communicated a well-thought-out plan for bringing smarter, cheaper government to Marion County at public events throughout the county. In the end, though, she was elected because there are more Democrats in Marion County than Republicans. Of those who did not vote a straight ticket in November, Jenkins still won handily with 56 percent of the vote.
The election figures from Marion County show that, in down ticket races such as coroner and surveyor, Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans vote for Republicans whether they vote a straight ticket or not. It is unrealistic to imagine that voters are going to spend time researching these races when there are many more important races to consider.
The figures can also be used to make an argument that straight-party voting actually helps third-party candidates. Third-party presidential candidate Bob Barr received a higher percent of his vote total in Marion County from straight-ticket voting than did either John McCain or Barack Obama. Taking away the option of straight-ticket voting would only inconvenience voters and would make no real difference.
Angleton's real beef seems to be with party affiliation rather than straight-ticket voting, and it seems to have a faint odor of sour grapes about it.
Martin Mahern
Indianapolis
Let us examine the facts you’re setting “straight”.
1. According to the County Employee database Ms. Jenkins title is “Executive Assistant”.
2. A careful reading of the duties of the County Surveyor would seem to indicate that someone with a background in engineering would be more qualified.
3. The statement that down ticket races are not important enough for voters to research is more than a little condescending. Let’s take the Coroner’s office. When candidates are elected solely on the basis of party affiliation we end up with unqualified office holders, scandal and costly legal judgments. There are NO unimportant races.
4. Perhaps, I was amiss in using results of the Surveyor’s and Coroner’s races as my examples. An examination of the Attorney General’s (AG) race shows the effect much more clearly. In Marion County the Democrat (D) received 160318 votes. The Republican (R) received 152917. Of the 369009 total votes cast for AG, the D got 59%, with 41% for the R. There were 134575 straight ticket votes for the D party, 78480 for the R party. If we subtract the straight ticket votes from the candidate’s totals, we have 81517 for the D and 74437 for the R, or 51% to 49%. The percentage HAS changed indicating a discernable effect due to straight ticket voting.
5. If we look at the Governor’s race we can dispel some of the author’s other arguments. 377648 votes were cast for Gov in Marion County. Conducting a similar analysis as was done for AG, we see that with straight ticket voting the D received 42%, the R 56% and the Libertarian (L) 2%. Subtracting the straight ticket votes the percentages become D 16%, R 81% and L 3%. Did straight ticket voting have a significant impact on the two major parties? Yes. On the third party? No. Using the Bob Barr example is also somewhat disingenuous as Mr. Barr never campaigned in Marion Co., whereas the other two Presidential candidates did.
If straight ticket voting is so important to preserve, why have 34 states done away with it?
As for "the faint odor of sour grapes" remark, there's nothing like a good old fashioned ad hominem attack to finish off what should have been a reasoned and fact based rebuttal.
Ed Angleton
Setting some facts straight about parties and voting
I take issue with Ed Angleton's Dec. 5 My View on two counts; his claim that the lesser-qualified candidate was elected Marion County surveyor in November and that straight-ticket voting hurts third-party candidates.
Angleton describes Surveyor -elect Debra Jenkins as an "executive assistant" in the office of the Marion County recorder when in fact she is that office's chief deputy and previously served as office manager.
Jenkins campaigned strenuously for an office that few pay attention to. She communicated a well-thought-out plan for bringing smarter, cheaper government to Marion County at public events throughout the county. In the end, though, she was elected because there are more Democrats in Marion County than Republicans. Of those who did not vote a straight ticket in November, Jenkins still won handily with 56 percent of the vote.
The election figures from Marion County show that, in down ticket races such as coroner and surveyor, Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans vote for Republicans whether they vote a straight ticket or not. It is unrealistic to imagine that voters are going to spend time researching these races when there are many more important races to consider.
The figures can also be used to make an argument that straight-party voting actually helps third-party candidates. Third-party presidential candidate Bob Barr received a higher percent of his vote total in Marion County from straight-ticket voting than did either John McCain or Barack Obama. Taking away the option of straight-ticket voting would only inconvenience voters and would make no real difference.
Angleton's real beef seems to be with party affiliation rather than straight-ticket voting, and it seems to have a faint odor of sour grapes about it.
Martin Mahern
Indianapolis
Let us examine the facts you’re setting “straight”.
1. According to the County Employee database Ms. Jenkins title is “Executive Assistant”.
2. A careful reading of the duties of the County Surveyor would seem to indicate that someone with a background in engineering would be more qualified.
3. The statement that down ticket races are not important enough for voters to research is more than a little condescending. Let’s take the Coroner’s office. When candidates are elected solely on the basis of party affiliation we end up with unqualified office holders, scandal and costly legal judgments. There are NO unimportant races.
4. Perhaps, I was amiss in using results of the Surveyor’s and Coroner’s races as my examples. An examination of the Attorney General’s (AG) race shows the effect much more clearly. In Marion County the Democrat (D) received 160318 votes. The Republican (R) received 152917. Of the 369009 total votes cast for AG, the D got 59%, with 41% for the R. There were 134575 straight ticket votes for the D party, 78480 for the R party. If we subtract the straight ticket votes from the candidate’s totals, we have 81517 for the D and 74437 for the R, or 51% to 49%. The percentage HAS changed indicating a discernable effect due to straight ticket voting.
5. If we look at the Governor’s race we can dispel some of the author’s other arguments. 377648 votes were cast for Gov in Marion County. Conducting a similar analysis as was done for AG, we see that with straight ticket voting the D received 42%, the R 56% and the Libertarian (L) 2%. Subtracting the straight ticket votes the percentages become D 16%, R 81% and L 3%. Did straight ticket voting have a significant impact on the two major parties? Yes. On the third party? No. Using the Bob Barr example is also somewhat disingenuous as Mr. Barr never campaigned in Marion Co., whereas the other two Presidential candidates did.
If straight ticket voting is so important to preserve, why have 34 states done away with it?
As for "the faint odor of sour grapes" remark, there's nothing like a good old fashioned ad hominem attack to finish off what should have been a reasoned and fact based rebuttal.
Ed Angleton
Monday, December 1, 2008
Can There Be True Democracy With Straight-Ticket Voting?
This past election demonstrated the willingness of Hoosier voters to vote a “split ticket”. While Barack Obama, the Democratic Party candidate, was able to narrowly carry the State of Indiana in the Presidential Race, Mitch Daniels, the incumbent Republican Governor, was able to win re-election by a wide margin. However, upon closer inspection the “down-ticket” contests were more dependent upon the coat-tails of a strong top of ticket candidate. The narrow victory of Greg Zoeller over Linda Pence was, in all likely-hood, strongly influenced by straight-ticket voting, else one would have expected a larger margin of victory.
Closer to home, we can look at the influence straight-ticket voting may have had on two county races; Coroner and Surveyor. In the Coroner’s race the most capable and qualified candidate in Marion County, and perhaps the entire state, was defeated. Dr John Pless, a forensic pathologist who has trained many of the forensic pathologists in the state including his victorious challenger, was defeated not on the basis of ability or qualification, but by a system that rewards candidates simply by party affiliation. Dr. Pless ran as a Republican and there is little doubt that had he run as a Democrat he would have been elected. Erica Pugh, a transportation engineer, was defeated by Debra Jenkins, an executive assistant in the Recorder’s Office. Again the candidate with the lesser qualifications was elected.
The effects of straight-ticket voting are even more apparent when third party and independent candidates are involved. These candidates, even if well qualified, must battle the lack of party name recognition and the financial resources necessary to combat this. Voters are in essence consumers and attracted to “brands” that they know. Combating this requires large sums of money that is often beyond the means of the smaller third parties. What we end up with is a “democracy of dollars” that is reinforced by straight-ticket voting which marginalizes and partially “disenfranchises” voters and candidates.
We must begin to seriously consider ending straight-ticket voting in Indiana. Thirty-four other states have already done this. It is time we made it thirty-five.
Closer to home, we can look at the influence straight-ticket voting may have had on two county races; Coroner and Surveyor. In the Coroner’s race the most capable and qualified candidate in Marion County, and perhaps the entire state, was defeated. Dr John Pless, a forensic pathologist who has trained many of the forensic pathologists in the state including his victorious challenger, was defeated not on the basis of ability or qualification, but by a system that rewards candidates simply by party affiliation. Dr. Pless ran as a Republican and there is little doubt that had he run as a Democrat he would have been elected. Erica Pugh, a transportation engineer, was defeated by Debra Jenkins, an executive assistant in the Recorder’s Office. Again the candidate with the lesser qualifications was elected.
The effects of straight-ticket voting are even more apparent when third party and independent candidates are involved. These candidates, even if well qualified, must battle the lack of party name recognition and the financial resources necessary to combat this. Voters are in essence consumers and attracted to “brands” that they know. Combating this requires large sums of money that is often beyond the means of the smaller third parties. What we end up with is a “democracy of dollars” that is reinforced by straight-ticket voting which marginalizes and partially “disenfranchises” voters and candidates.
We must begin to seriously consider ending straight-ticket voting in Indiana. Thirty-four other states have already done this. It is time we made it thirty-five.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Numbers Game Part 1
A few numbers to ponder regarding Tuesday's District 100 race.
Total Registered Voters in District 100: ~45,000
Voters who voted in the District 100 contest: 12,557
Votes for Ed Angleton: 1980 or 15.77% (Record for Libertarians in Marion Co ?)
Number of postcards sent to Republican voters to inform them that there was not a Republican in the Race: 2500
I'm looking forward to seeing the precinct by precinct breakdown.
Total Registered Voters in District 100: ~45,000
Voters who voted in the District 100 contest: 12,557
Votes for Ed Angleton: 1980 or 15.77% (Record for Libertarians in Marion Co ?)
Number of postcards sent to Republican voters to inform them that there was not a Republican in the Race: 2500
I'm looking forward to seeing the precinct by precinct breakdown.
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