Torpor Indy

Trouble with the CIB

2009-04-15T13:57:00.004-04:00

Well folks your friendly neighborhood Capitol Improvement Board ("CIB")needs some help.

You might recall that the CIB is the quasi-government agency that runs our fine athletic facilities including Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, and Victory Field. The problem stems from our Indiana Pacers' desire to not pony up the 15 million or so a year that it costs to maintain the Fieldhouse. Our beloved Colts convinced the CIB to cover the costs of maintaining Lucas Oil Stadium when it signed the greatest lease in the history of leases a year or so ago. It also appears that the CIB may not have computed the correct amount of money needed to maintain the "Luke." The CIB, suffice to say, is in financial trouble.

There are various proposals being floated around to address this problem. And, of course all center around raising your taxes. In this economic environment the fine taxpayers of the county aren't excited about paying more and more out of pocket.

The Mayor's office has put its two cents worth in to try to solve this problem. For the most part I don't like the proposal. My reasoning and various counter proposals on the issue now follow.

Expansion of Taxing District: I actually think this is a good idea. The plan is to have the various inn keeper taxes from the new JW Marriott hotel go towards the CIB. My problem is it doesn't go far enough. It should include additional hotels, which would in turn raise additional revenue. There are several hotels that have sprung up around Lucas Oil Stadium. Suffice to say they were not built because of their proximity to the Diamond Chain Company or the Speedway Gas Station. Because those hotels directly benefit from its location in relation to the stadium why not have the taxes collected from them go directly to the CIB?

Increase in Rental Car Fees and Hotel Fees: This is a horrible idea. For one both were already raised to build the Luke. Two, the city already has some of the highest taxes on these in the nation. This is really a "cut off your nose to spite your face" argument. Our economy depends on our town's convention business and both the Fieldhouse and the Stadium were built in part based on that business. However, we could tax ourselves out of the convention market if we continue to increase these taxes.

Alcohol Taxes: I oppose this for one reason: why should taxes be extended to those who may or may not reap the benefits from our athletic facilities? Sure one could argue simply "don't drink" but honestly, is that really feasible? Not that I associate with a bunch of drunks but who do you know that doesn't consume alcohol? I am going to guess not many.

Parking Fees: This idea is ridiculous and was proposed only by the Mayor's office. Why pass on the costs of the CIB to the average downtown worker? Do we really want to further encourage business to move to the North side of town or worse (from a taxing standpoint) the suburbs?

Colts/Pacers contribute five million dollars: Under normal circumstances I would think this would be a great idea. The only problem is it won't work. The Colts signed a legally binding document called a lease. The have no legal duty to pay anything additional other than that which is stated in the lease (unless it is modified by both parties). I assume one could argue that if it was law (that the Colts would have to pay five million dollars) then the Colts would have to pony up. But, that causes additional consequences. Is the lease still valid? Has there been a frustration of purpose? Imagine opening up lease negotiations again if the Colts go down that road. They will. A few hours after the first CIB plan was announced the Colts had already posted its position on its web site. Suffice to say the Colts aren't interested in contributing any additional money.

Counter proposal: So what the hell should we do because we have to do something. I believe that all additional taxes should be directly be levied on those who benefit from the facilities.

1.) Create an additional excise tax on all food, beverages, and clothing sold at the facilities. It wouldn't have to be anything crazy. I propose to add fifty cents to the cost of a beer, ten cents to the cost of a hot dog, a quarter to the cost of a soda, and a special additional one percent tax to all clothing sold at any of the three facilities. At least those who benefit from the facilities are paying its cost. Fifty cents on a beer is steep but it isn't going to stop most folks from having one.
2.) Use the facilities more than they are used now. Both Conseco and the Luke are used as concert venues from time to time but not enough. Conseco could actually be used for more concerts in the summer but generally doesn't try to compete with Verizon Wireless Music Center. That's a shame because attending a concert at Verizon sucks. It is too much of a pain to get there. Because there are multiple ways to get in and out of downtown that isn't as much as a problem when attending a concert there. If the Luke had two additional concerts a year (40,000 attendees) and Conseco three additional concerts (10,000-15,000 attendees) and an additional tax of three to five dollars per ticket was added, this would raise an additional half million in tax revenues. Plus, there would additional taxes raised from spending within the facility. Further, the city could bid on a few things they haven't hosted before such as the NBA All Star Game, the X-Games, or a establish a bowl game. All would increase revenues.

There is also way too much dead space at the Fieldhouse. The Pepsi Center on the top floor is worthless and not used. The Starbucks sits empty most of the time as does the bar on the first level. That space could be converted to a destination restaurant like a microbrew. This would allow additional money to be spent at the facility even when not in use.

Victory Field Naming Rights: I hate this idea but desperate times call for desperate measures. Even in this economic climate I bet naming rights would go for a million a year.

Slots: I am not completely sold on this idea and I completely sensitive to its counterpoint. Indiana depends on gambling way too much. However, it would raise significant revenues and would be a voluntary tax. I may not know many people who don't drink but I know a lot of folks that don't gamble. Plus, it would allow Union Station to be self-sufficient. Most of the tenants at Union Station are not for profits that don't pay rent. I never see the building's main concourse used. It is far too beautiful to sit idle and no one has come up with a better idea. Plus, if Union Station becomes self sufficient and an asset any money used by the city for its up-keep could go to other additional needs.

Pacer's contribution: This will work because the Pacers want to renegotiate the lease (and it contains a clause that allow them to). The Pacers should contribute something to the Fieldhouse's upkeep because that is the deal they signed. But, I do believe that they are in a tough financial situation due to the economy and attendance issues. The attendance issue is going to resolve itself because the Pacers have done a great job righting this ship. Attendance went up this year and with a team on the rise, I expect it to continue. The Pacers also have a superstar in the making. I have no doubt that the city's love affair with my beloved Pacers will return. So the city should agree to have the Pacers' contribution to the CIB to maintain the Fieldhouse to be completely contingent on the team's revenues. When they are down they don't contribute as much but when they have the financial ability to do so they do. It only makes sense.

I hope that this situation resolves itself. The Pacers, Colts, and Indians contribute much to the Indianapolis community and some of my greatest memories involve all three. But, I believe some more creative thinking outside of simply raising taxes across the board most be done to solve this problem.

Read This!

2009-01-23T20:50:00.002-05:00

What is sure to make to the "best of" reads of the year is finally out. George W. Bush's Highlights of Accomplishments and Results is now available for your reading pleasure. Torpor please try to contain your excitement.

In true W style, there are a lot of pictures.

Word on the street it is as compelling of a read as The Pet Goat.

Freddie Hubbard, RIP

2008-12-29T22:59:00.002-05:00

I love music. One of my favorite genres is jazz. So, I was sad today to hear about the passing of Freddie Hubbard--one of jazz's greats. Hubbard was born in Indianapolis in 1938 and (as the story goes or at least how indystar.com has reported it) cut his teeth on Indiana Avenue before he made his name outside the Hoosier state. It is odd to think of Indiana Avenue as having a great music scene at some point. Right now it only seems like a street that will get you to a Qdoba and Hotbox Pizza in the same location.

If you have never heard Hubbard's music, check it out. My favorite is Ready for Freddie, which Blue Note re-released a few years ago. I was just listening to it a couple of days ago while I was getting the house ready for Christmas. It is unbelievable music, no matter if you are a fan of jazz or not. I would also recommend Red Clay, Here to Stay, or hub-tones.

Hubbard, along with the great Wes Montgomery, are the titans of the Indianapolis jazz scene and now both are gone. I hope one day that the city will come up with a fitting tribute to both.

Paging Spicoli

2008-12-26T12:07:00.001-05:00

People still talk like this?

Bailout, et al

2008-12-21T23:39:00.003-05:00

The kid is a busy man. It's been awhile since I have had time to put my thoughts out here for my enjoyment (I doubt it is for any one's enjoyment but mine). And due to the passage of time between posts, my topic may seem a little dated. But my anger is not. So, without further delay I present my random thoughts on all that is the bailout, which I have streamlined in form due to the busy holidays.

I'm pissed off that we have a bailout for any companies. Business is about risk. If you take a chance and someone is there to bail your ass out, it is not a risk.

I'm pissed off that there's no bailout for good decent people who have lost their jobs, their savings, or for their emotional sanity while we wait this thing out.

I'm pissed off that the banks yelled and screamed that if they didn't get a damn cash infusion, the economy would collapse. I'm not talking in a week, I'm talking right fucking now. Give us the money or we will look back on 1929 as the good ole days. So we give them the money and they promptly pay down their own debt, buy other banks, give bonuses to their higher-ups, and stop loaning to anyone who doesn't have a credit rating over 750 and a million dollar a year job. Awesome.

I'm pissed off that we gave these assholes 700 billion dollars without one of them showing up and explaining why they needed it. And the American auto industry wants (by comparison) a paltry 15 billion and we march them into Washington and have them testify. So why GM, Chrysler, and Ford's CEO's are sweating it on C-Span the execs at AIG are on the damn golf course. Makes sense to me.

I'm pissed off that those knuckleheads from the Big Three didn't have a PR person to tell them that flying on a private jet to go beg for money isn't the right message to send.

I'm pissed off that the American auto industry has come to this.

I'm pissed off at myself that I didn't buy an American car a few years back. I'm pissed off at the American auto industry for not putting out a car that I could afford in my price range. I'm pissed off at myself for being pissed off at myself because this is a free market system and if the Big Three couldn't compete for my price range, it isn't my fault.

I'm pissed off at my girlfriend and a great percentage of Americans who think American car companies make crappy products. Maybe in the 70's but not right now. The quality is not that far from the Japanese automobiles.

I'm pissed off that an American car company has finally made a car I really want. I am obsessed with the Chevy Malibu. But, I am going to pay off my car next month, my job security sucks, and even if I wanted to be a dumbass and buy a new car right now, I probably wouldn't get a loan.

I'm pissed off that people seem to blame the auto worker for the Big Three's troubles. They are just trying to make a living too. For goodness sake, if the Big Three can pay their execs out the ass you are telling me a guy that has worked the line for 30 years shouldn't make 40 bucks an hour?

I'm pissed off because the American car companies are poorly run. What the hell is the difference between a GMC truck and a Chevy truck? They look exactly the same to me. I don't know if it makes sense to have several different factories making the same damn thing.

I'm pissed off at that jackass senator from Alabama who fought the bailouts for the Big Three. Of course Alabama has several car manufactures in the State-- all foreign based. How did you get those companies down there genius? Oh that's right-- tax incentives. So it is okay to give tax-payer dollars to a foreign owed entity but not to good ole American companies. Nice work there Red.

I'm pissed off that anyone would think that America would be America without our car companies. There's no doubt, it just wouldn't be the same without them. The Big Three are as much a part of our culture as Hollywood films and fast food. Which happen to be the only things that we produce that the rest of the world still cares about.

I'm pissed off that we could have lived in a world where there would never again be a brand new Chevy Corvette. That's one of the most beautiful things you could ever see.

I'm glad President Bush did the right thing and helped out the industry.

I'm glad that I live in a country that no matter how tough things get, we always pull up our bootstraps and get out of the mess we are in.

It was a good day...

2008-11-09T01:19:00.004-05:00

MTV Video Archive Online

The site lists the most played videos. Yes, Rick Astley has the second most viewed one. Screw that. Enjoy this instead.

Ice Cube |MTV Music

or this:

Joy Division |MTV Music

or this one:

Radiohead |MTV Music

via Dinosaurs and Robots

January 19, 2009

2008-11-06T23:59:00.003-05:00

Indianapolis band Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos spoof George Bush's last night in office in this video.

1st seen on My Old Kentucky Blog

2008-11-05T12:13:00.002-05:00

I am taking down the masthead and willing to take suggestions for any pithy slogan to replace it.

This is a blog to chronicle life as a dissident in the "heartland", the northern tip of the bible belt, the capital city of the Mississippi of the North. Life in a red state leaves one blue

It's 2 10 AM and MSNBC just called Indiana for Obama!

2008-11-05T02:10:00.001-05:00

Life in a blue state?

2008-11-05T01:35:00.005-05:00

I started this blog almost four years ago. I was depressed about the death of my father and the result of the 2004 election. It was no accident that I chose the name "torpor". I was a more faithful blogger in the early days and the blog received some (slight) recognition locally and nationally. The one line that was repeated in descriptions of this blog was the quote "Life in a red state makes one blue" that is in the masthead. I am sick that line for more than one reason, but I am optimistic I may be able to change that. As I type this, Obama has a lead of 22,000 votes in Indiana with 99% of the results in. I hope I can change the masthead tomorrow.

As of now, I am at a loss for words for how I feel about this election, my country and our history. Maybe later...

Goodnight and thanks to everyone who worked so hard to elect President Obama. This includes members of my family who bravely canvassed in my rural hometown.

Priceless

2008-10-31T23:18:00.004-04:00

Confederates for Obama? Ben Smith's blog on politico.com had this picture of an Obama supporter in Martinsville, Indiana who also flies the Confederate Battle Flag. One of the comments: "Bonus points for not even being in a former Confederate state."

Calculate Your Obama Tax Cut

2008-10-21T20:07:00.001-04:00

Hoosier Daddy?

2008-10-15T09:33:00.003-04:00

The latest Economist magazine features an article about Indiana as an unlikely swing state in the upcoming election. The article is short and perhaps poorly researched (the article talks about the University of Indiana in Bloomington). The gist is that we Hoosiers are poorer, whiter and less-educated than the rest of the country and that we like to vote Republican.

The journalist interviewed a few people from Martinsville, a place where he surmised had more tattoos than people, and of course printed a quote from one resident who stated "'Men like to keep their women barefoot and pregnant here,' says Susie, a Martinsvillian who will not give her last name in case her neighbours torch her house. 'You know what’s going to hurt Obama here?', she asks. 'His colour.'”

There are some interesting comments from readers one of which called The Economist, which in my opinion is a slightly right-leaning journal, "a pinko rag".

And the hits just keep on coming....

2008-09-29T23:22:00.003-04:00

The word is that the most embarrassingly painful bits of the Sarah Palin/Katie Couric interviews have not been released yet. Politico is now reporting that the only Supreme Court case she could discuss was Roe v. Wade. The site reported that there was no "verbal fumbling" like with other questions, but "rather silence".

I guess she didn't have time to learn this at any of the 6 colleges she attended in 6 years.

"One 72 year old's heartbeat away from being President of the United States"

2008-09-27T19:15:00.001-04:00

Jack Cafferty goes off on Sarah Palin while Wolf Blitzer covers.

Which one of these candidates is more like you?

2008-09-22T19:33:00.002-04:00

From Kos

Longest Blog Post Ever: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics.

2008-09-17T22:34:00.012-04:00

My mother is inundated by email forwards about Barack Obama and occasionally she asks me to respond to them. Sometimes, I simply respond "that is BS" and supply a link, but last week I decided to attack an email piece by piece. The result is a long and sprawling rebuttal. I could have done better addressing some points, but am I really going to have any success about arguing gun control, abortion or gay marriage with this audience. I did decide to focus more on healthcare and economics because these are real issues.

Republicans have used social wedge issues in order to have Americans vote against their own economic interests for almost forty years. Since 1980, Republicans have either held Congress or the Presidency or both and what have they done to stop abortion? There have been approximately 9 million abortions in the United States since George W. Bush became President. What about gay marriage? Gay marriage is more legal now than it was in 2001, but still the Republicans rally the base with these issues.

On the other hand, Republicans have been extremely successful with reducing income taxes for the wealthy, the estate tax for the wealthy, privatizing government in order to provide a windfall for corporations, and deregulatation to provide benefits for the corporate elite. So really, who do the Republicans benefit?

In spite of facts, the misinformation campaign is effective. God, guns, and the fear of gays, terrorists and creeping socialism have served the Republicans while they've allowed corporations to rob us blind. Lies, distortions and smears like the following are extremely successful. My mom told me today that her friend doesn't want to vote for Obama because she has heard he is the anti-christ.

Seriously.

So, here is my response to the email. The original text is in italics and my response follows. Before I sent it out last week, I did decide to remove my original line where I said "Republicans exist for those who make more than 250,000 dollars a year or have an IQ below 80":

Please read the following positions of our two presidential
candidates. Why are you voting for "your guy"? Maybe these little facts will cause you to actually think before you vote. These are important issues that you need
to know about and really think about how they will affect
you, your family, your parents, your grandparents and the
rest of our nation.
Make an educated decision, ignorance is no excuse!

I say absolutely make an educated decision. In other words please verify these forwarded emails before you spread them around, The economic information in this email has been spread around for some time, is inaccurate and has been debunked by several critics. See http://www.snopes.com and you’ll find the economic portion of this email repeated verbatim and thoroughly discredited.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS

ISSUE JOHN McCAIN
BARACK OBAMA

Favors new drilling offshore US
Yes
No

It’s funny, McCain was against offshore drilling until June 2008 when he spoke in front of a group of Texas oil executives. As the summer came and gas prices skyrocketed, it became politically advantageous to change this position. Though, I have to admit that Obama has demonstrated a similar openness to offshore drilling as well in recent comments.

This is a very cheap election year tactic—even Bush’s Department of Energy has admitted that oil from new offshore drilling would not reach the market for at least 10-years. We are currently researching and developing alternative energy solutions to reduce our dependence on oil. I think focusing our efforts on drilling today is a similar mindset to trying to develop a better VCR in this day of DVD or even Blue-ray technology.

Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it
Yes
No

Judges interpret law—they don’t make it. If this is true, then McCain’s judges will never overturn Roe v. Wade because they only interpret laws and Roe v. Wade is an existing law. The entire activist judges meme is a sham invented by the right wing.

Served in the US Armed Forces
Yes
No

Yes, John McCain was the son and grandson of Admirals, which helped him get into the Naval Academy where he finished 894th out of 899 in his class. He served courageously in war and was a POW. There is a lot to admire him for his service and all Americans owe him gratitude for what he endured. On the other hand, this alone does not qualify someone to be President.

Amount of time served in the US Senate
22 YEARS
173 DAYS

He has been a member of the Senate for 1 year and 8 months. Meanwhile, McCain is a longtime Washington insider and one of the infamous “Keating Five” scandal.

Will institute a socialized national health care plan
No
Yes

The “socialist” scare word. It is like “liberal” but even stronger. We live in the so-called “wealthiest” nation in the world, yet 50 million Americans do not have health care insurance. That is 1 out of every 6 Americans. And what is health insurance? We are the ONLY nation in the industrialized world to have a for profit health care system. That means you are merely a number to Doctors, Nurses, insurance companies, hospitals, and HMOs. You are part of a profit margin and they make decisions about your health based upon economics. For years, the insurance company lobbyists have used the argument of waiting lists (only for non-emergency surgeries) in countries with nationalized healthcare, but how many people do you know that have been denied coverage by an HMO for necessary procedure by a for profit healthcare agency? It happens every day.

Republicans use terms like “socialism” to scare non-critical thinkers. Even though most Americans have no clue what socialism is, it scares people into believing that we will pay higher taxes. Well, America’s dirty secret is that we already pay more per capita than any Industrialized nation for our healthcare. As Americans we pay 16.2 percent of our gross domestic product (national income) for healthcare (source World Health Organization). The next highest is Germany at 13 percent. France, Austria and Switzerland pay from 10-12. The UK, Canada and Norway from 8-10 percent and Japan and Finland from 5-8. One difference of their system and ours is that every single person is covered under a healthcare plan

Think about it-Americans pay more than any other nation for healthcare and we pay a higher portion of our income for this system. This includes the taxes that citizens pay in European countries. So what? We Americans enjoy the best healthcare system in the world, right? Well, the numbers do not support that. American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as children born in Japan, and newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway. We rank 37th in the world in infant mortality. We trail countries like Cuba, Taiwan, South Korea and our counterparts are countries like Latvia, Poland and Hungary.

Our life expectancy is 46th in the world. We trail countries like Jordan and live as long as people in countries like Kuwait and Albania

The World Health Organization ranked the American healthcare system 37th in the world and the overall health of Americans at 72nd. We pay more than anyone yet we rank so low in almost every major health index.

Additionally, unlike other countries, we are forced into bankruptcy because of medical debt or we lose our homes and life savings to support this for-profit healthcare system that has failed us.

http://www.bcbs.com/blueresources/mcrg/chapter1/ch1_slide_1.html

http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/annex01_en.pdf

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/

http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_Infant_Mortality_Rate_aall.htm

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
No
Yes

John McCain on abortion - “I’d love to see a point where Roe vs. Wade is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which would then force women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.”

Source: Ron Fournier, Associated Press Aug 24, 1999

Obama supports the right for states to restrict late term abortions.

Here is a comprehensive and nuanced detail of Obama’s position on abortion.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Barack_Obama_Abortion.htm

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
No
Yes

Obama believes in a phased withdrawal.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

Supports gun ownership rights
Yes
No

This is a vague statement. Does he support the second amendment? Yes. Has he sought to limit the sale of semi-automatic weapons? Has he supported the rights of local governments to restrict handguns? Yes. Here are his positions.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Gun_Control.htm

Supports homosexual marriage
No
Yes

This is incorrect. Barack Obama does not support homosexual marriages. He supports the right of same sex couples to enter into civil unions. He also supports the rights of states to determine whether or not they want to allow gay marriages. Family law has always been left to states to regulate. Republicans or Conservatives have traditionally supported states’ rights without federal intervention. Now, all of the sudden, the Republicans want the federal government to intervene on matters that have traditionaly been left to the states.*

Oh, wait, wait—John McCain agrees with me on this or at least he did before he ran for President:

“Same-sex marriage ban is un-Republican” John McCain

“The constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans," McCain said. "It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/mccain.marriage/

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
No
Yes

Incorrect.

The Tax Policy Institute has determined that both Presidential candidates will increase the national debt by 2018 with their proposed programs. Obama will increase it by 3.4 trillion—that’s with a T. But hold on, McCain will increase the national debt by 5 trillion dollars.

This is refuted in detail below.

Voted against making English the official language
No
Yes

For Obama-True. The United States has survived for over 230 years without an official language. States are free to adopt English as an official language as many have.

McCain has voted against making English the official language before and has received awards from the Hispanic organization La Raza for having done so.

"Our nation and the English language have done quite well with Chinese spoken in California, German in Pennsylvania, Italian in New York, Swedish in Minnesota, and Spanish throughout the Southwest. I fail to see the cause for alarm now." --John McCain

He has more recently changed his position. Now, he is running for President, you know?

http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/John_McCain_Immigration.htm

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals
No
Yes

The answer should be “yes” for both McCain and Obama.

http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/John_McCain_Immigration.htm

Here is part of an exchange from the Senate floor when Senator McCain spoke in favor of a bill to give amnesty to illegal immigrants who had committed document fraud.

"When (Senator)Ensign's amendment came up, McCain tried to seize the moral high ground by suggesting supporters of Ensign's amendment were trying to confiscate someone's "nest egg." "If this amendment is enacted," he said in a floor speech, "the nest egg that these immigrants have worked hard for would be taken from them and their families."

"I believe the amendment is wrong," McCain said.

Ensign did not "calm down" and go away.

"Is he aware that it is a felony to use someone else's Social Security number?" Ensign asked of McCain.

"I am aware of that," McCain said.

"Under this legislation, we forgive that felony," said Ensign. "We grant amnesty for that felony."

Now, the Straight Talker double-talked. "Under this legislation," McCain responded, "we allow the illegal immigrants a path to citizenship which, if they are convicted of felonies or misdemeanors, according to an amendment, then they would be ineligible to embark on that path to earn citizenship."

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24987

But later, when he was in a town hall meeting he said “"I do not support nor would I ever support any services provided to someone who came to this country illegally, nor would I ever and have never supported Social Security benefits for people who are in this country illegally, that is absolutely false."

Oops!

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples).
McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales
income tax.

OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this
affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you
will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading
toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or
move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make
from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will
adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income
from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

This is a lie. The claim that Obama would impose a 28 percent tax on the profit from "all home sales" is false. Both Obama and McCain would continue to exempt the first $250,000 of gain from the sale of a primary residence ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly) which results in zero tax on all but a very few home sales.

Sources: http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/would_obama_tax_my_profits_if_i.html

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp

Also, please go to the Brookings Institute Tax Policy Center link here:

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411742

The Institute has determined that both Presidential candidates will increase the national debt by 2018 with their proposed programs. Obama will increase it by 3.4 trillion—that’s with a T. But hold on, McCain will increase the national debt by 5 trillion dollars. The whole notion of the Democrats as being the tax and spend party is over. The Republicans are no longer fiscally conservative. The neo conservatives who seek endless war are now in control.

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN
15% (no change)

OBAMA
39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money
invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds,
life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays
or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of
the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The
experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and
capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do
absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')

Obama has proposed to restore the dividend tax to somewhere around 20 percent or whatever the capital gains tax was before Bush cut it. Obama only proposed raising it for households that make 250k plus a year or singles making more than 200k, In 2005, only 1.67 percent of American households earned more than this. The Capital gains tax was 28 percent for a very long time,. The Capital Gains Tax was at 28 percent during the Clinton administration, which was the biggest economic boom period in American history. Bush cut it in order to benefit the very wealthy. After this was done, the income gap grew (and the middle class disappeared) in greater numbers than anytime in our history.

By the way, who are the “experts” cited to but never revealed in the above paragraph?

Speaking of experts and sources, I actually read the links buried at the bottom of that email to verify. Nobody checks footnotes and sources, right? Wrong. The income information on the CNN link supports none of the claims of this email. It is merely listed to give the article some appearance of authority. Take a look at one of the articles that was linked from the CNN page It directly refutes the following income tax lie. Basically, Obama’s plan will only begin to affect your taxes negatively if you make more than 227, 000 dollars a year.

Compare what’s found in the link provided as the “source” to what the original email said.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
Here's how the average tax bill could change in 2009 if either John McCain's or Barack Obama's tax proposals were fully in place.
MCCAIN OBAMA
Income Avg. tax bill Avg. tax bill
Over $2.9M -$269,364 +$701,885
$603K and up -$45,361 +$115,974
$227K-$603K -$7,871 +$12
$161K-$227K -$4,380 -$2,789
$112K-$161K -$2,614 -$2,204
$66K-$112K -$1,009 -$1,290
$38K-$66K -$319 -$1,042
$19K-$38K -$113 -$892
Under $19K -$19 -$567

INCOME TAX

MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

I’ve said all I can say about the income tax above, but let me quote a passage from the CNN link that is listed as a source for these facts:

On Obama’s plan

“High-income taxpayers would pay more in taxes, while everyone else's tax bill would be reduced. Those who benefit the most - in terms of reducing their taxes as a percentage of after-tax income - are in the lowest income groups.”

As for the FOX source- it’s a dead link that lists a bunch of campaign news. There is nothing specifically about the issues.

The AARP source cites what I’ve already stated—Obama wants to raise taxes on those who make 250k a year and McCain wants to keep the Bush tax cuts.

The Washington Post pieces do not support this email either.

(Sources in the original email forward):

You can verify the above at the following web sites:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_

INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN
- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA
Restore the inheritance tax

Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and
homes that have been in their families for generations
because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those
willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to
these taxes.

I will cut and paste this directly from the non-partisan factcheck site:

The claim that Obama proposes to "restore the inheritance tax" is also false, as are the claims that McCain would impose zero tax and that Bush "repealed" it. McCain and Obama both would retain a reduced version of the estate tax, as it is correctly called, though McCain would reduce it by more.

The tax now falls only on estates valued at more than $2 million (effectively $4 million for couples able to set up the required legal and financial arrangements). It reaches a maximum rate of 45 percent on amounts more than that. It was not repealed, but it is set to expire temporarily in 2010, then return in 2011, when it would apply to estates valued at more than $1 million ($2 million for couples), with the maximum rate rising to 55 percent.

Obama has proposed to apply the tax only to estates valued at more than $3.5 million ($7 million for couples), holding the maximum rate at 45 percent. McCain would apply it to estates worth more than $5 million ($10 million for couples), with a maximum rate of 15 percent.

NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than
2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas
weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural
resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)
New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not
least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can
receive the same level of medical care as other third-world
countries!!!

All of these claims are false. Some of them are even hilarious. Obama will tax water? Are you kidding me?

In conclusion, if you are going to vote for McCain, then do so. That is your right. If abortion or gay marriage is the most important issue to you, then you know where your candidate stands. If you make less than 250, 000 dollars a year, desire a fair and progressive tax system, a worry about quality and affordable healthcare, dependence on fossil fuels, and are tired of war and want someone different than a candidate who has supported the failed policies of President Bush over 90 percent of the time, then maybe you can pull the donkey lever this November.

All I can hope is that you at least investigate the facts before spreading this misinformation. The great prevaricator, Ronald Reagan once said, “Facts are stupid things” Well, yes, you can pretend that if the facts do not fit your argument. The GOP campaign seems to want to talk about everything but the issues. They want to play up patriotism, make you scared, spread misinformation like what is contained in this email. We are smarter than this. We have to be -- because like the opening of the original emails says: we owe it to ourselves, our family, our parents, our grandparents and the rest of our nation.

Respectfully,

Torporindy

"Less Taxes, More War"

2008-09-16T22:32:00.002-04:00

From TPM

Jesus was a Community Organizer

2008-09-14T23:54:00.001-04:00

And Pontius Pilate was a Governor-Bumper sticker from Zazzle.com

Coming soon to your town: ice skating rinks

2008-09-14T11:30:00.004-04:00

"It's kinda like being a community organizer except you have real responsibilities." -- Gov. Sarah Palin

For an inside look at the real responsibilities former Mayor Palin took on read this article.

Coincidentally, the McCain-Palin ticket just announced their plan to get the economy humming again by building an ice skating rink in each town in America.

McCain's lies may be backfiring.

2008-09-14T00:42:00.002-04:00

The New York Times has a detailed article about McCain's lies. It looks like the straight talk express has gone off the rails.

Mr. McCain came into the race promoting himself as a truth teller and has long publicly deplored the kinds of negative tactics that helped sink his candidacy in the Republican primaries in 2000. But his strategy now reflects a calculation advisers made this summer — over the strenuous objections of some longtime hands who helped him build his "Straight Talk" image — to shift the campaign more toward disqualifying Mr. Obama in the eyes of voters.

NYT

John Lies

2008-09-13T15:27:00.002-04:00

This is not The Greatest Song in the World, no. This is just a Tribute

2008-09-12T15:04:00.005-04:00

Thank you, Atrios, for reminding me of this gem. I don't know who this guy is, but I know he meant well.

This is his tribute to 9/11.

Quote of the Day

2008-09-12T09:48:00.001-04:00

The smell of my daughter’s clean laundry makes me feel warm and wonderful about families, but I’m not electing a pile of it vice president of the United States. I’ve had it with hearing about Palin’s family. I want to know what the next administration we vote into office is going to do for our families—yours and mine.

--Dana Stevens slate.com

It's 9-11 and I am lazy...

2008-09-11T09:25:00.003-04:00

I saw one of the interstate flag wavers today on my way to work, so it's time for another re-run post.

In rememberance:

We gotta blow up those things we don't understand!

2008-09-10T19:36:00.001-04:00

Big Lizard in (someone's) backyard

Reason Number 59 to vote for Obama

2008-09-10T19:35:00.015-04:00

"John McCain will make Dick Cheney look like Gandhi."

Pat Buchanan

I have been gone for a few days, so I need to catch up.

Reason #60 to vote for Obama

2008-09-10T19:35:00.013-04:00

The Tax Policy Institute has determined that both Presidential
candidates will increase the national debt with their proposed programs. McCain's programs are expected to increase the debt by 5 trillion dollars by 2018 while Obama's budget will increase it by 3.4 trillion over the same period.

Republicans versus Reality

2008-09-04T11:25:00.001-04:00

Here is a factcheck of claims made at the Republican National Convention.

Reason # 61 to Vote for Obama

2008-09-03T23:12:00.002-04:00

Barack Obama supports Embryonic Stem Cell Research. This research which is blocked by many Republicans could help find cures for Alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and other conditions.

Random thoughts on the RNC

2008-09-02T23:02:00.004-04:00

I spent most of the night watching the US Open, but:

--I never would have thought they would be cheering Bill Clinton's Presidency at the Republican National Convention, but Joe Lieberman accomplished that if nothing else.

--It seems that all of the Republican figures who were interviewed tonight were given notecards with positive talking points about Sarah Palin.

--According to Fred Thompson, John McCain once dated a stripper from Florida, which is a strange thing to point out about a Presidential nominee.

--I am glad they reminded me that John McCain was a POW. I almost forgot. I cannot fathom what it must have been like for him to suffer as a POW for 5 years. He is a man strong resolve and I admire him for this, but it doesn't qualify him to be President. Just for the record, one of my little league coaches was also a Vietnam POW, but he was also a child molester.

--Will there be blood on the streets of St. Paul? The police are firing smoke bombs, tear gas and concussion grenades at protesters.

Reason #62 to Vote for Obama

2008-09-02T00:05:00.003-04:00

His commitment to increase Voluntary Public Service among Americans

63 days and counting

2008-09-01T20:52:00.004-04:00

I started this blog right after the Presidential election a few years ago. I have neglected it a lot in the past year and a half, but I pledge to post once daily (with the help of the Kid) to give 63 reasons why Obama should be our next President.

Here we go. Reason number 63 might seem frivolous, but this is Indiana.

He has a sweet jumpshot.

Solidarity Forever

2008-09-01T20:20:00.002-04:00

Today is Labor Day and Masson has a link to the Dropkick Murphy's Workers' Song. What a good tribute.

And when the sky darkens and the prospect is war
Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore
And expected to die for the land of our birth
Though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth?

Van Halen is no fan of McCain

2008-08-31T02:03:00.003-04:00

The Republicans have problems over the years when they've tried to use music at political rallies. The Ronald Reagan campaign famously weren't listening to the lyrics of "Born in the USA" when they played it on the campaign trail. John McCain has been asked not to play music by Jackson Browne and John Mellencamp. The other day when he introduced Sarah Palin, Van Halen's "Right Here, Right Now" was playing. I was confused because I was certain that after past embarrassments, I was certain he knew to ask permission, right?

No. Van Halen has issued a statement. I think McCain would be best to stick to the "Nuge" in the future. How about some "Cat Scratch Fever"?

Our President

2008-08-17T21:09:00.002-04:00

At the 1988 Republican convention, a newspaper reporter asked George W. Bush, "When you're not talking about politics, what do you and your father talk about?" His answer?

A) "Baseball"
B) "Well, sometimes it's about getting his friends to bail me out of another business fiasco..."
C) "Pussy"

Let's buy some damn beer on Sunday

2008-08-10T12:56:00.003-04:00

Let's face it. Some laws just don't make a lick of sense or are so outdated they defy common logic. One law that I have never understood is why you can't buy beer or liquor at a store on Sunday in the Hoosier state. I don't have a problem with the law because I am such a raging alcoholic who can't wait until Monday to get a drink, but simply because doesn't make a lick of sense.

You can buy beer in a restaurant on Sunday and that's fine. You can buy wine from one of Indiana's fine wineries on Sunday with no problem. But if you need a six pack, you're screwed. I suppose the law is on the books as a nod to the Lord's day but why would you not allow folks to drink in their homes but they can drink till their heart's content at the local Red Lobster?

Some folks have banded together to try to progress Indiana's law with the majority of states that allow alcohol sales on Sunday. You can access beverage choices by clicking the previous highlighted icon.

I think it is a "noble" cause (I am fully aware that the state has more pressing needs) but I doubt it will go anywhere quick. The restaurant industry would fight it teeth and nail because of their rather profitable monopoly. Also, the Indiana General Assembly can be easily swayed. I remember a few years ago our local microbreweries fought for the same right the wineries had: to be able to sell booze to go on Sunday. But some big beer company from 3 and 1/2 hours West brought their lobbyists and next thing you know it gets shot down. Maybe the Indiana General Assembly should revisit this again considering that company is now foreign owned and its interest shouldn't trump the interest of local companies wishing to grow.

Not only does the law not make any sense, it costs the state money. I grew up about an hour from the Ohio border. When young, I remember crossing the border to Ohio and immediately seeing places you could buy booze. Think how much tax revenue is lost to our border states every year because of this antiquated law.

Plus, we just look backward by holding on to this outdated law. I imagine it will fall on deaf ears but it is time for Indiana to get with the 21st century.

This is a cause I can support

2008-08-09T18:49:00.002-04:00

Go Topless

Apparently, national Go Topless day will be August 23rd. From the website:

We are a US organization, claiming that women have the same constitutional right to be bare chested in public places as men.

Absolutely.

According to the website, the event will fall on the 26th in Bloomington.

Low Road Express

2008-08-01T09:51:00.002-04:00

Those who are following the Presidential campaign may find this web-site from Senator Obama interesting.

Same old (I mean old) song and dance

2008-07-31T13:51:00.003-04:00

John McCain is a desperate man. He has a new ad campaign where he tries to link up Barack Obama with such pop culture lightweights as Paris Hilton. I was flipping through the channels and saw Fox News addressing the issue. Their response? Obama should just laugh it off. What I am unqualified? Golly John that sure is a good one. I am just a sugary media concoction? Man oh man do I have egg on my face for that one, John, you got me.

My favorite is where McCain keeps trying to paint Obama as an elitist. McCain is a man who has held one job in the private sector his whole life: for his wife's father's company. I am sure that he could completely sympathize with what average hard working people go through everyday because we all know that when you are the boss' son-in-law you are judged just like everyone else. Plus that guy has been Washington for how long? Twenty years? Let's call a spade a spade. With his millionaire wife and all his rich lobbyist buddies there in DC it is clear he would feel more comfortable at a country club than at an American Legion having a beer with decent, honest people. McCain, not Obama, is the one who is completely out of touch.

I don't begrudge the man for success. I just find it intellectually dishonest to attack his opponent in this fashion.

Here's a thought Senator. Why don't you try to come up with real solutions for the problems in this country? Why don't you quit pandering to the conservative base that you decried just a few years ago. Why don't you actually show some real leadership instead of this fear based politics you keep putting out there. America deserves better.

Cha-Cha

2008-07-31T13:11:00.003-04:00

In the search engine game, it is clear that Google is on top. I personally think that part of the reason Google has prevailed is that its name has become synonymous with a search request. I "googled" it is a familiar statement. Somehow I "yahooed" it just doesn't roll off the tongue.

Although it is no tech hot bed, an Indianapolis company has thrown its hat in the ring. I think it has been in business for awhile and I now find myself addicted to it. It is called ChaCha and it is also a search engine. However, it has a leg up on the competition. You may not always be near a computer but you are most likely near your cell phone. In addition to the traditional search on-line you can also send ChaCha a text to.... ChaCha (242-242) and get the answer you are looking for.

I am a man of random questions and thoughts. Here are a few things that were rushing through my head after which I texted ChaCha and they came to the rescue.

1.) How many perfect games have been recorded in Major League Baseball? (ChaCha: In Major League History there have been 17 perfect games).
2.) What year did the Korean War end? (ChaCha: It didn't end. there was a ceasefire (an armistice) that stopped the fighting on July 27, 1953.)
3.) What year was Catcher in the Rye published? (ChaCha: Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951).
4.) What is the minimun salary for an Arena Football Player? (ChaCha: 30,000)
5.) What is Taurine? (ChaCha: Taurine is a derivative of the amino acid cyteine(aminoethane sulponic acid). Known to be a dietary essential for cats).
6.) At what age can children eat shellfish? (ChaCha: The food standards Agency recommends that you shouldn't give any fish or shellfish to babies younger than six months).

I have also used ChaCha to figure out other burning questions such as whether there is a delay at the airport and the hours for the Knoxville Sunsphere.

So give it a try to solve family disputes about past Oscar winners or an argument with a buddy at the bar about who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1993. With my family and friends that should at least save me from at least one or two donnybrooks.

Jesse Helms is still dead

2008-07-14T01:09:00.004-04:00

I know he's been dead for over a week, but I shouldn't let his passing go without comment. It bothers me that so much of his racism and homophobia have glossed over. Now, I am not one to speak ill of the dead, but I'll let his own words and actions do that for him.

Perhaps a fitting tribute...

2008-07-10T23:56:00.002-04:00

Group seeks Bush sewage 'tribute'

McConnell handed in his petition at City Hall on Monday
A citizens group in San Francisco wants to pay an ironic tribute to President George W Bush when he leaves office - by naming a sewage plant after him.

The group, calling itself the Presidential Memorial Committee of San Francisco, wants the issue voted on at this November's election.

"It's important to remember our leaders in the right historical context," said petition organiser Brian McConnell.

The Republican Party thinks the plan stinks, and it will fight the measure.

Mr McConnell's group has submitted more than 12,000 signatures on a petition to the San Francisco Department of Elections.

bbc

Funny

2008-07-05T20:06:00.002-04:00

H/T Graph Jam

RIP George Carlin

2008-06-23T16:32:00.002-04:00

In his honor:

Shit
Piss
Fuck
Cunt
Cocksucker
Motherfucker
Tits

Just sayin'

2008-06-16T22:23:00.003-04:00

Hat tip GraphJam

Stay Classy, Fox News

2008-05-25T22:55:00.002-04:00

"and now we have what ... uh...some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama ...uh..um..Obama [after being prompted by the FNC anchor]....well both if we could [laughing]"

Weekend Photo

2008-05-24T17:24:00.001-04:00

Reason No. 212 Why Clinton thinks she should still be in the race

2008-05-23T17:05:00.005-04:00

Maybe, just maybe, someone will assassinate the delegate leader.

Disgusting.

Indiana National Guard Member Faces Deportation from Canada

2008-05-23T16:17:00.007-04:00

An estimated 50,000-90,000 Americans moved to Canada during the Vietnam war to avoid the draft. The Canadian government welcomed them after an initial reluctance. Now, decades later, many soldiers have deserted to Canada to avoid the war in Iraq. So far, Canada has rejected all claims for refugee status.

Corey Glass from Fairmount, Indiana is facing deportation back to the US on June 12th where he will likely be charged with desertion, which although unlikely, is still punishable by death.

U.S. deserter faces deportation from Canada

Sgt. Corey Glass, 25, says he fled to Canada to avoid fighting "illegal" war in Iraq

(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier who deserted to Canada will not face persecution if he returns to the United States, Canada's refugee agency ruled Wednesday.

National Guardsman Corey Glass says he fled to Canada to avoid combat in the Iraq war, which he doesn't support.

National Guard Sgt. Corey Glass, 25, says he fled to Toronto in 2006 after serving in Iraq because he did not want to fight in a war he did not support.

"What I saw in Iraq convinced me that the war is illegal and immoral. I could not in good conscience continue to take part in it," Glass said Wednesday. "I don't think it's fair that I should be punished for doing what I felt morally obligated to do."

Glass, who's still on active duty and is considered absent without leave, applied for refugee status at the Canadian border in August 2006 on the grounds of objection to military service.

But Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board denied his application for refugee status Wednesday, prompting the Canadian Border Services Agency to issue a June 12 deportation order.

CNN

Indy 2012

2008-05-20T15:37:00.002-04:00

The NFL owners voted to award Indianapolis the Super Bowl in 2012. After the heart-break of last year where Indy was considered by many to have the superior bid but lost to Dallas, it is nice to see that one of the world's largest sporting events will finally make its way here. I guess third times the charm (Indy tried one other time in the 80's).

I don't know if the owners had much of a choice. Indy's competitors both had hosted Super Bowls previously with Arizona just hosting it last year. Plus it would have been one hell of a precedent to not award Indianapolis the Super Bowl after building a new stadium. The NFL likes to put the Super Bowl carrot in front of city leaders while they consider dropping 700 million or so on a new facility. Without awarding the Super Bowl to Indy this argument would have gotten much weaker.

But make no mistake, Indy will do a hell of a job. The city's compact downtown will make for a fun atmosphere. Maybe folks can't golf but they will be able to have a good time nevertheless. Plus I have never understood why there is such a huge priority on weather for the Super Bowl. If you can't get excited to see the largest football game on the planet without golf then you are a jackass.

I think the city getting the Super Bowl is really huge. It represents a culmination of a lot of vision of many great mayors to build this city into one that could host one of the largest events in the world. The thought of hundreds of millions of eyes on the city is very exciting.

And if the city never gets around to developing the old Market Square Arena site, there will also be plenty of ample parking.

Book Meme

2008-05-17T02:22:00.004-04:00

I was tagged some time ago by Trifles from Anderson for this book meme.

The rules are:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

The nearest book to me was a Spanish/English Dictionary, so I walked over to a bookshelf and closed my eyes to pick a book. I selected: An Underground Education by Richard Zacks.

The selection was from the section "The Real Life Criminal who Dueled Sherlock Holmes"

He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the firt order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the center of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, he knows well every quiver of each of them.

Tagged: Lemming, Four Square No. 266, Tommyspoon, Left Hand Play, and Lawgeekgurl

Keith Olbermann on Bush

2008-05-15T21:52:00.003-04:00

West Virginia makes Indiana look Cosmopolitan

2008-05-14T10:24:00.004-04:00

Oh Hillary

2008-05-08T21:44:00.002-04:00

According to CNN.com, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made the following statement:

"I will be sending a letter to Sen. Obama and to Chairman {Howard} Dean expressing my strong belief that this issue about the voters in Florida and Michigan is a civil rights issue."

Really Hillary? Would this be a civil rights issue if Obama had "won" those two states. Or for that matter, would this really be an issue if Obama had even campaigned in either state?

Welcome back Dominic Rhodes

2008-05-08T12:27:00.004-04:00

Super Bowl 41 hero Dominic Rhodes is returning to your Indianapolis Colts. You may recall that Rhodes left the Colts after the Super Bowl victory via free agency when he signed with Oakland. He got a two year deal with the Raiders for 7.5 million dollars. After he was cut recently Rhodes again became available. The Colts signed him to a one year deal for around 650 thousand. That's quite a pay cut.

But that is the life in the NFL with no guaranteed contracts. Rhodes became expendable after the Raiders took Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick in this years draft. With his contract, three other running backs on the roster, and his large contract the Raiders deemed Rhodes expendable.

But I think it is a good fit for Rhodes and the Colts. Joseph Addai was a stronger back when he platooned with Rhodes. Addai ran out of gas near the end of this year and Rhodes should help give him some rest. I thought Kenton Keith did a fine job last year though. With those two and Mike Hart on board the battle to be Addai's back up will be one of the most compelling competitions to watch once Colt's camp starts.

Well it's over--now what?

2008-05-07T10:04:00.002-04:00

Today the great Hoosier state may breathe a sigh of relief. The national spotlight will turn its focus out East towards West Virginia and their 28 delegates at stake. In case you actually went to bed before midnight, Hillary Clinton squeaked by Barack Obama by 2%. I am sure it was the most exciting primary in Indiana in my lifetime and I missed it. Although I had the pleasure of experiencing it here in Pennsylvania just a few weeks ago.

Make no mistake in both contests one factor came into play for the Clinton victory: Republicans switching sides to vote for Clinton. She is perceived as a more favorable opponent for McCain in the fall. Of course with Indiana's lax rules on primary voting it is no doubt that "solders" switching sides to vote for Clinton occurred. In fact I personally know two people who played this dirty game. If the state of Indiana can have the most restrictive voting ID law in the nation surely they can adjust their primary rules. It makes no sense that a party loyalist is counted the same as some ass clown who switches his party that morning because some pill popping douche bag on the radio tells him to. Voters should have to declare their party loyalty at least a month in advance.

But I digress. So what does this all mean for Clinton? Well not much. Obama's overwhelming victory in North Carolina put an end to Clinton's campaign. She even had the look of a desperate candidate last night. She is now touting the rant of "count all the votes" meaning Florida and Michigan. They didn't play by the rules Hilary and they aren't going to count. Hell Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan. How in good conscience can she make the argument that those two states (who were warned not to move their primary) should come into play?

But I am starting to believe that the contest is starting to hurt the Democrats. It has divided the party and I don't know whether or not it will recover the longer this goes on. Anyone else notice that McCain is nowhere to be seen? Of course not. He could only hurt himself. Let these two duke it out. It is causing more damage then a million negative ads could ever do.

To unite the party it would take Clinton putting the good of the party before her own ambition. Based on what I have seen of her thus far, I don't believe that is even a thought in her mind.

Reason #359 why lead must be a dietary staple of Hoosiers

2008-05-06T09:48:00.001-04:00

"I am definitely going to try to go with Hillary. I almost feel like [Obama's] the anti-Christ from the Middle East," - Mary Bunger, a 44-year-old single mom from Abington, rural Indiana.

source

Workers' Memorial Day 2008

2008-04-29T11:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Workers' Memorial Day, so I wrote this about coal mining in southwestern Indiana:

Some of my people were coal miners. I think about all of my great-grandfathers were. It ended there for the most part. My aunt married a coal miner though to continue the tradition. He was a union coal miner for over thirty years. He was a blue collar worker married into a family that had become white collar and I admired him for it. I remember when I was a kid I'd hear whispers of him being arrested for picket line violence. He'd come home with black eyes and busted lips in the late 70s and early 80s.

My hometown had been built on coal mining, but most of the Indiana mines closed in the 80s. My uncle had to drive a long way south to work and technically worked in Illinois as he mined underneath the Wabash River. By the 90s, the mining companies had succeeded in closing all of the union mines in Indiana. My uncle's union went on strike last spring at their mine just across the border in Illinois. On the first day of the strike, the company closed its operation citing old equipment. Hundreds of union coal miners lost their good paying jobs.

Indiana does not have a single union coal miner working within the state, but the mines are open again and doing better than ever. All of the coal is in southwestern Indiana, which just happens to be the poorest part of the state. There are young men who jump at the chance to risk their lives for 15 dollars an hour. My youngest cousin is one of them. He dropped out of college a couple of years ago because he has a tendency to collect baby mamas and needed a paycheck. He worked at a factory for a while, but actually paid money to attend "mining school". He's now a probationary miner and works at this dangerous job for around 15 dollars an hour. He is not in a union and probably doesn't even understand what one is. I have to wonder if he'll be any better off than my coal mining great-grandfathers were around one hundred years ago.

Inside the Hoosier Mind

2008-04-20T19:35:00.001-04:00

A little snapshot into the minds of Hoosiers:

Should Indiana teachers slap students to keep order in classrooms?

Yes: 50.9%

No: 49.1%

Total votes cast: 6530

Indianapolis Star online poll

Note: I voted "no" twice.

The Company We Keep

2008-04-15T11:49:00.002-04:00

According to Amnesty International, five countries were responsible for 88% of the world's executions in 2007. They are in order:

1)China
2)Iran
3)Saudi Arabia
4)Pakistan
5)The United States of America

Link

Makes me want to hum some Lee Greenwood.

Universal Health Care

2008-04-04T11:39:00.002-04:00

Universal health care. It has become one of the buzz issues of this Presidential campaign. The Democrats have embraced this issue while the Republican side has yet to address it. From what I have gathered the Democrats believe this is a good issue for the federal government to address with some 50 million or so people in this country living without any health insurance. Also from what I gathered the Democrats also wish to create a bureaucratic agency to oversee such a massive undertaking.

Before I begin with my opinion I want to clarify that I think it is important to indicate as a 33 year old man I have only had health insurance seven years of my life. I also do not have health insurance currently due to decisions entirely of my own choice.

But with that in mind, I don't think the Government needs to take an active role in this issue. For one, there is not a person in this country who is ever denied health care if they truly need it. You think I am wrong, go down to Methodist Hospital. Or any hospital for that matter. People without health insurance or without the means to pay are routinely given access to care regardless of their ability to pay. Also, for example, when a person is in a car accident have you ever seen the emergency persons look in the victim's wallet to see if they have insurance? No. They take them to the damn hospital for treatment. My point simply is that no one from my observation is ever denied health care if they truly need it.

Also anytime the Government takes on an issue the bureaucratic red tape and costs are staggering. In this age of a five trillion dollar deficit (due to reckless economic policies of the current administration and a costly un-necessary war), the United States does not need additional costs to bear.

So how do you address an issue that does need addressed? I believe the best way is for the Government to allow the private sector to tackle the issue. But how? By making it economically feasible to do so through the Internal Revenue Code. For example the Government could establish how much a person of a certain economic means should be able to pay for health insurance. For example, let's say a 25 year old man makes twenty thousand a year. The Government could establish that he should be able to afford health care in the amount of 50 bucks a month. But that is not how much it would cost if he were to try to buy health insurance on the open market. Accordingly, if he were to go to an insurance company they would sell him health insurance for 350 bucks a month (that isn't too far off from how much it would actually cost and that is part of the problem). But, if that same insurance company offered him the insurance for what the Government has established he has the ability to pay, the Code could then allow that same company either a credit or a deduction. So if the health insurance company offered him the insurance for 50 bucks a month and he accepts, that same company would then receive either a 300 dollar credit or deduction for each month he has the insurance. No new government agency would be established and compliance with the program would be passed to an existing agency--the IRS. Also keep in mind that these companies would presumably have increasing profits, which in turn means they are paying more in taxes. That would also mean a lower cost overall for the Government.

Just an idea. It will be interesting to see how this issue pans out in this election.

A city that always sleeps

2008-03-15T15:31:00.002-04:00

Recently I had to take a business trip. I traveled to the largest city of that particular state. Wanting to get a feel for the city, I stayed at its downtown.

I arrived on a Sunday. After checking into the hotel I ventured around. I needed to buy some deodorant and I had wanted to grab a drink. Essentially I wanted to take in the local color of the city.

Having had the pleasure of living in Indianapolis for eight years, I had grow accustomed to a vibrant downtown. Downtown Indianapolis really has all the essentials of a quality urban existence. There are good restaurants, museums, hotels, and parks to be had. I had grown so used to these attributes I had forgotten that for most cities, this is not the norm. It was especially not the norm for my recent visit. There were no stores to be had. There were no bars and no restaurants. I realize it was a Sunday but there was nowhere to go in that town. Nowhere. Nowhere to even buy deodorant.

I did see some potential development. This city was building a rather large building for condos (although why one would wish to live downtown there is beyond me). The city was also expanding its convention center and had just built a very nice museum of art. They apparently have some vision and are beginning to foster it.

It reminded me of my first trip to downtown Indianapolis. I first went there in 1994. It was a shell of the place it is now. I remember the Circle having no lighting and the city's core looking like a war zone. Of course it looked like a war zone because of the development of Circle Centre, which later changed the make up of downtown. The only thing to do, I mean the only thing, was to go to Union Station. Then Union Station was dubbed a festival market place.

Now look at the city. There is really isn't much you can't do downtown. And still there will be more: the new stadium and all the development that will come with it, the Penn Center, the development on South street, and the expansion of the convention center. The city is only going to get better. I have always loved Indianapolis for its constant expanding vision.

When I lived in Indianapolis I heard several people moan and complain about the city. I have traveled to most of the large cities in this nation. They have all had their pluses but none have so surpassed Indianapolis that I could never think of it as the place I wanted to live. Indy has its faults but it has certainly come a long way in the 14 years since I first visited it and is only going to get better. There are many places, including where I visited recently, that are just now starting the vision Indy did years ago.

If that positive thinking does make you feel better about Indy at least realize you can buy deodorant downtown when you need it.

Post 667

2008-02-28T11:37:00.003-05:00

I just realized this blog had been languishing on 666 posts. I spent some time in a Baptist Church as a kid, so this really bothers me.

Anyway, there is a lot going on. I didn't know we have eleven planets now. I remember they were talking about dumping Pluto and that there were some dwarf planets, but I guess I don't pay enough attention anymore. Ceres and Eris are the two latest upgrades. A fourth grade girl won a contest to come up with a mmenomic device to remember them: My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants.

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Cheap tricks have worked for Republicans in the past. I guess they are banking on the same to sink Obama.

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Perhaps thanks to Beowulf, people are drinking mead again.

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We need to start posting about music again here. Torporindy's music critic, "The Kid", is living in Philadelphia and is probably listening to The Hooters or something right now. I don't know whatever happened to the Brick. I would sure like to hear some more teenage confessions. Anyway, a local blogger, MOKB, has a radio show on Sirius. How cool is that?

I also learned on MOKB that Margo and the Nuclear So and So's want to write an album about YOU. Read about it here.

Random Thoughts about last week

2008-02-15T18:37:00.003-05:00

Misremembered stands out as the word of the week.

This week on Capital Hill our fine Congressmen had nothing better to do then watch two grown men point the finger at each other. Roger Clemens & Brian McNamee. This thing was such a circus I kept waiting for the clowns to show up. How on God's green Earth did anyone think this was going to be a good idea? The committee apparently had all the information that it needed before the hearing but still had it on the insistence of Roger Clemens' legal team. I didn't realize that a private citizen could force a hearing to air their grievances. I better call my Congressman because the Kid has received a raw deal a few times in my life and I am ready to get it out there on C-Span.

Roger Clemens claims his friend Andy Pettitte misremembers a conversation they had about HGH. Never mind that of all the people in the world involved with this mess Pettitte would be the least likely to hold a grudge against Clemens and lie. Also nice touch there Roger about the wife getting HGH without your knowledge. I guess that would be something you would keep from your spouse and doesn't at all make your story seem less plausible.

Our own Congressman Dan Burton also got into the act. Mr. Burton may have suffered just a little bit from the red light fever (like when the cameras come on). Mr. Burton had one of the most played soundbites from this mess. He told McNamee that "he didn't believe him." Nevermind that two other persons that McNamee pointed the finger at confirmed his telling of the events.

Indiana University officials might have misremembered a little rule of life: if you buy trash you get trash. Well IU you bought trash when you hired Kelvin Sampson. He brought the stink of his former NCAA infractions with him from Norman, Oklahoma and now he has got you in the same damn mess.

I love Sampson's statement. Some BS about not intentionally doing what he was accused of. My father taught me a lesson years ago. Either you did it or not. Don't play semantics with a once proud university you jackass.

People have begun the speculation about Bob Knight's return to Bloomington. I think people misremember that for the last few years while he was coach he couldn't get IU out of the first round of the tournament.

That being said, Coach Knight ran a clean program and graduated his players. People misremember that there was a time when college athletics was a vehicle to get an education and not a minor league for the pros.

The other night there was a shooting at Northern Illinois University. The news where I live reported it as "another shooting at a university." I remember a time when a tragedy such as this would never be described with the description "another."

Brief note on the Super Bowl

2008-02-04T00:15:00.000-05:00

The Patriots' loss was almost as satisfying as the Colts' victory last year.

The commercials were terrible. The jumper cables attached to nipples and the Godaddy advert were bad enough, but the worst commercial belonged to salesgenie.com. The commercial featured cartoon panda bears with stereotypical Chinese accents. It's amazing that the FOX network rejected the godaddy.com commercial because of the double entendre with the beaver, yet they allowed the terribly racist cartoon.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

2008-02-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

I watched part of the recent Republican presidential debate. The front runner John McCain and Mitt Romney went back and forth debating who was more conservative. I swear it was like watching a "Your Mama's so Fat" Contest. Give it a rest guys.

I usually watch Letterman (like a good Delaware County native) but with McCain on Leno last night I had to watch. Guess who made a surprise appearance: Rudy Giuliani. Fresh off his endorsement of McCain, Giuliani came on Leno and espoused also how conservative McCain is. At one point when asked about some of his liberal leanings Giuliani indicated that he was not afraid to reach out to the opposing party. He proclaimed that it is better to get 70 or 80 percent of what you want rather than nothing at all. Then he proudly proclaimed to Leno "you know who taught me that? Ronald Regan." Guess who taught me that Rudy? Logic.

John Edwards bowed out this week. Too much star power between the two Democratic front runners. Mr. Edwards, who does really seem like a nice guy, stated that he hoped to make his passion--to end poverty-- a component of the Democratic platform. Hey I think that's great but isn't it a little hard to grasp his sincerity about this issue when he is rocking a $400 haircut.

Microsoft just offer around 45 billion to purchase Yahoo. How in the hell is Yahoo worth that much? Hey Microsoft we got a high tech company that we will sell you for a song: Torpor Indy. We would probably let it go for a cool million and a private island somewhere. This web site usually reaches five or six people a week. Think of the ad revenue!

American Gladiator

2008-01-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

I never thought I'd blog about American Gladiators, but a good friend of mine is starring on Monday night's episode. His name is Mark Baker, he works as a chiropractor in Chicago. I have heard the Philadelphia newspaper had an article about him this weekend because he is Roger Ebert's chiropractor. Anyway, if you have a chance, please tune in and watch him.

Boo Hiss

2008-01-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I am proud or embarrassed by this. On Sunday the NFL honored the youngsters who won the punt, pass, and kick competition during the Colts game. One of the winners was a young girl from New Hampshire who was wearing a Patriots jersey. When she was announced the Colts crowd booed her. Booed a 14 year old girl who only happened to wear the jersey of her favorite team. I felt sorry for her when they showed her face on the broadcast.

The Patriots, actually showing some class, have invited this young girl to the AFC championship game so she can receive cheers like the other contestants of the competition received.

What's next Indy? Boo Santa Claus? Cheer when a guy gets his leg broken? Throw batteries at an opposing teams player? What a minute-- those are all Philadelphia fans' antics.

Give the girl credit for not taking this slight personally. But it makes you wonder just a little bit if we are one of America's nicest cities like we claim.

2007-2008 Indianapolis Colts 13-4

2008-01-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

For me it is the worst day of the year--the day after the Colts season has ended. The elation of winning the Super Bowl will conclude in a few weeks when another team wins and knocks the Colts from the title of defending Super Bowl champion.

The game yesterday was a mess. The Colts, sans one interception by Kelvin Hayden, couldn't stop the Chargers. They couldn't even stop the Chargers when LT went out. They couldn't stop the Charges when Phillip Rivers was in there looking like the quarterback for the ages. They couldn't even stop Billy Volek when Rivers got knocked out. Billy Volek? Really?

The offense looked good and moved the ball well. But there were still several mistakes. Why play Harrison if he isn't ready? Part of football is not just the conditioning but being able to get hit. When Harrison got popped the ball came loose. Make no mistake that is partly attributable to his being out of sync with getting smacked around on the field. My thought is we may have just witnessed the conclusion of one of the great careers of the Colts and Harrison wanted to go down swinging (like he always does). I hope I am wrong and he plays several more years. A lot of balls were dropped out there. Plus Peyton tried to force that ball to Kenton Keith in the red zone. Throw that away and take the three points. If they would have taken that they could have taken a field goal in their last trip to the red zone for the victory.

So in the future I propose the Colts deny any bye week. It just isn't good for them. Tennessee. Pittsburgh. San Diego. Keep them hungry. Make them play Ben Davis or something during the off week. Time off is not good for the Colts.

It stings losing. The Colts winning the Super Bowl has only increased the expectations of a fan. But as a fan you have to be proud of this group. No team that I am aware of has come back from so many injuries during the season and still performed as well as have this group of Colts. They lost three starters off defense, including their best player, and still lead the league on D. The disappointment will fester for awhile but I can't help being proud of this year's Colts for overcoming adversity.

Now I am relegated to what every good football fan is: rooting against the Patriots.

Playoff Weekend!

2008-01-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the second round of the playoffs and one of my favorite times of the year. There will be four games including the beginning of the title defense of your Indianapolis Colts. With a potential AFC Championship game out East on the horizon this might be the last game in the RCA Dome.

Of course to get to that point the Colts will have to get past San Diego, a team that beat them this year. You may recall that crazy game where Peyton threw six interceptions and the Colts missed a chip shot field goal at the end of the game that would have won the game.

There have been a few distractions before the game. There are published reports that Dungy will hang it up this season. His son has been enrolled in school down in Tampa and that has fueled the fire of speculation. Also Marvin Harrison is scheduled to return and start. Of course this song and dance has been sung several times over the past few weeks. If Harrison does not come back this weekend I fear we may have seen the last of one of the true great Colts.

Regardless the Colts need to win this game and I expect they will. San Diego is a talented team but on offense are one diminsional. LT LT and some more LT. San Diego's QB, Phillip Rivers, looked good last week and deserves credit for that. Of course that was against the Titans who you might remember had to give everything they had against the Colts in the final game of the year and against the Colts' third string the Titans won by six. But if Rivers has to get into a shoot out with Peyton, lights out San Diego. The San Diego defense is very good and should put some pressure on Peyton. For that reason it will be great to have back a three wide receiver set with receivers you have actually heard of.

If the Colts' special teams don't let the team down then this could be a dominating performance that would lead to the show down everyone wants to see: the good Colts versus the evil Patriots.

Good luck Colts. Oh and check out our friends at Stampede Blue for other Colts news.

David X Harrison, RIP

2008-01-08T17:32:00.000-05:00

David X Harrison, a fixture at the corner of Market and Delaware, passed away on January 1st. For those of us who work or worked downtown it was hard to miss him. He had an infectious smile and always said the same thing, "Have a great day", to those who passed. He never asked for money but there was a cup there if you care to make a donation. I did on occasion but even when I did not his personality never changed.

That corner was his. I once saw him run off another person who tried to claim it as his own. He had a table out front with a picture of himself. Also on the table he had his hat that proudly declared him a Korean War veteran. No matter how poor the weather was, like the Post Office, he delivered because he was always there. I always admired his spirit in light of his challenging circumstances.

I was touched to see that the Star thought enough of him to mention his passing. Of course many of the idiots who read the Star on line couldn't leave enough alone. If you ever want to lower your IQ read the comments on the Star homepage. Why these people feel compelled to say such drivel is beyond me.

Some have mentioned Mr. Harrison's past. Some have decried why the Star would choose to honor a mere pan handler. I thought about this and I believe Mr. Harrison could serve as a positive example to those who actually took the time to think about it. How could you not admire a person who in light of poor health still found something positive in his life? How could you not admire someone who no matter what obstacles he faced still found a way to go to that corner every day to wish people well? How could you not admire someone who even after mistakes in life found a way to turn his life around? How could you not feel shame that a person who served his country in war time would be regulated to pan handler status? Mr. Harrison taught those who did not choose to ignore him a few lessons.

Regardless may he rest in Peace. Have a great day.

Random Thoughts on Sports

2008-01-08T17:11:00.000-05:00

Rich "Goose" Gossage was elected today to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is good to see relievers finally getting some due because of their importance to the game. Of course it makes you wonder why Lee Smith with his 478 saves didn't get the call while Goose with his 310 saves did.

Goose got his Hall of Fame call on his 9th try. Why if a player isn't a hall of famer on his first try is he a hall of famer on his 9th?

Speaking of importance to a game, why is the Football Hall of Fame devoid of any inductees at the kicker or punter position?

On January 2nd I was driving home and got to listen to the Pacers on satellite radio. The commentators decried how they had never seen the Fieldhouse so empty. I spoke to a friend who attended the game and he said there were maybe 5,000 people there. For shame. I could understand if they were terrible but they have the 4th best record in the East. Indianapolis' reputation as a basketball city is forever ruined.

We have a national champion that has two losses. Those two losses were against teams that lost in their own bowl games. There is no doubt that there needs to be a playoff system to stop this madness. Why have a 12th game where a powerhouse team beats up on a nobody? Develop a playoff system. Division I-AA has one. Division II has one. Division III has one. So who is fighting it? The Pac-10 and the Big 10. The Pac-10 is fighting it because some damn Rose Bowl parade. The Big 10 is fighting it because its teams wouldn't make it out of the first round of the playoff.

Trivia question: name the only sport where the NCAA doesn't name a champion (answer below).

I really want to believe Roger Clemens.

Jacksonville is playing the New England Cheaters this weekend. Some (including myself) think they actually have a chance to win the game. But they have to play uncharacteristic Jacksonville football which is to say play smart. In the history of professional sports there has never been a team that shoots itself more in the foot than those knuckleheads. Those guys routinely get unnecessary roughness penalties and other assorted dumb ass calls. The Patriots will not make those same mistakes so if Jacksonville does, good night.

Considering how terrible the Colts defense appeared in the regular season last year isn't it amazing how good they turned out this year. Especially considering they lost three starters off the D. Bob Sanders is very deserving of defensive player of the year.

With that Go Colts!

(Answer: Division I-A Football)

How could this happen?

2007-12-07T18:06:00.000-05:00

A 16 year old took an AK-47 into an Omaha mall this week. He killed 8 people.

When I first saw the headline I paused for a minute. But sadly I have to say I was not in total shock.. It would be a stretch to say that this kind of an occurrence is common. It would also be a stretch to say that this type of assault is no longer expected.

I have a hard time rationalizing why someone would choose to do this. No matter how difficult and hard things are in your life, why would you inflict such pain on other people and their families, none of whom were the source of your problems?

After Columbine I had come to a conclusion. It was simply that somethings you can't explain and that there is simply evil in this world that will at times manifest itself. I don't know if I believe that entirely anymore. It seems to me there is a certain percentage of our population that feels left out and ostracized. I am not trying to be insensitive here but the people who are pulling the trigger aren't the prom king and they aren't the football hero. They are the ones that are picked on at school or who are economically powerless. It certainly does not justify their actions but I think it does go a long way to explain why people are doing this. Society has left them out in the cold and somebody is going to pay.

Their actions are sick and wrong but we can't just throw up our hands in the air and not try to reach a solution. We can't just pause after reading about another attack and in most ways no longer be shocked.

Mike-em-Dum?

2007-12-07T17:43:00.000-05:00

GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee stormed into Iowa. He is up in the polls and might actually have a chance to stage an upset in our nation's first caucus. I don't think national politics has seen this much buzz since Joe Lieberman declared "Joe-em-dum".

And why not? This guy is here to address the real issues. What is on his platform? A constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion and to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Hey who needs State's rights there Johnny Conservative.

But even better is his idea of a Fair Tax. Every few years it seems that politicians jump on this bandwagon. The tax code is long and complicated. Damn near need a Ph.D to figure your taxes. I got an idea! How about a flat tax. Huckabee is suggesting this too. His platform would scrape the income tax system as we know it and replace it with a national sales tax. The news report I read is the national sales tax rate could be as high as 23 percent.

I have to tell you, I don't know if the flat tax is a good idea. Part of what the Internal Revenue Code does (other than as a revenue device) is it encourages certain good things. The first thing that comes to mind is charitable contributions. Now I don't mean to be a cynic but I think the generosity of many of my fellow Americans is certainly enhanced by their tax deductions every year. Will this continue if there is a national sales tax? Sure but logically not to the same extent. Who is going to pick up the tab for the services that these charitable organizations can no longer provide due to lack of funding? The government. That won't be cheap.

Plus the Code encourages companies to spend money (it also encourages them to stay in debt but we will leave that for another day). Say you are in the business of printing and you go and buy a nice printing press for 100K. Sure you need it to stay in business but that depreciation you get to take for the next seven years or so is a nice incentive to spend cash. Under this flat tax proposal you now get an additional 23K cost up front and no deduction to your gross receipts. Heck when you sell the printing press in a few years you will get hit with another tax due. It doesn't have a basis to offset the the money you bring it. Under Huckabee's plan the income tax laws don't exist!

You got a loss that you could normally deduct? Can't anymore. There's no income tax code. Oh well. Go drown your sorrows in a bottle of three dollar Bud. I mean $3.69 bottle of Bud.

Sell your home. Look out for the tax bill.

I fail to see how this is going to boost any economic activity. Sure people will have more money to spend but with taxes that high are they going to be able to?

IUPUI 89 UMass 77

2007-12-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

I read this story today with great interest. I have always rooted for underdogs and I have followed the progression of the IUPUI basketball program with great interest. Notwithstanding my alumni status, I can't help but to root for them given the infectious personality of their coach, Ron Hunter.

I was first impressed that a program of the stature of U Mass would come and play IUPUI at its gym. I don't know if you have ever seen the place where the Jaguars play (affectionately referred to as "The Jungle") but it is underwhelming at best. Put it this way, I went to a high school that had a student enrollment of 330 and it had a gym is larger than where IUPUI, a Division I program, plays. I gave Ron Hunter a lot of credit for sticking around after Ball State came a knocking for his services this past summer. A arena may not make a program but the comparison between those two schools athletic facilities could not be more drastic.

Regardless, U Mass came to town and left tonight with a loss. For a team whose previous biggest win was over Indiana State (sorry Torpor) this is huge. Coach Hunter deserves a lot of credit for recruiting the caliber of players to beat such a stored program-- in spite of their underwhelming facility.

Coach Hunter's loyalty to IUPUI is also commendable. How often have we seen a coach promise a kid he will be around only to jump ship at the next "better" offer? I can count at least two times this has happened while Coach Hunter was at IUPUI and he stayed at the school.

Congrats to the team. Now trustees how about an arena on campus for the team?

Is it really that bad?

2007-11-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

So it's Friday night and sadly I have not much else to do. Sometimes when I have a little extra free time I put random topics through google and see what pops up. Tonight's topic was the top skylines in the United States. Interestingly enough I found a website devoted to the debate of the best skylines in the Midwest.

Before I clicked there was little doubt in my mind which would rank number one: the city of broad shoulders itself-- Chicago. But I was a little taken back by the ranking of my adopted hometown of Indianapolis. Now I know it is only a web site and only some random yahoos' opinions but I have to tell you everyone seemed to put Indianapolis near the bottom. Heck some even put Indy's skyline behind Des Moines and Omaha. Really?

Now don't get me wrong, I have always dreamed of a larger skyline. But I have never found Indy's skyline to be that pathetic. Maybe I am blinded because of my love for all things Indiana. Or maybe I am still ticked off at that Mass-holes comment about coming to Boston and being in awe of all the skyscrapers. Really dude that skyline is weak.

I mean seriously. Indianapolis has the largest building between Chicago and Atlanta, isn't that worth something?

But sadly not since the Chase Tower has Indy built a building that is awe inspiring. The Conrad. It's nice but stands at around 23 stories. The Simon building? Under 20 stories. It is also a little suburban but I have grown to like it over the last few months.

I do have room for hope. There is a 25 story mixed use building planned across the Fieldhouse. A 25 story mixed use building is planned for around Lucus Oil Stadium. The new convention hotel will stand at 30 stories. And the old MSA lot should have a building that would shore up the East side of downtown.

After that building spree maybe just maybe we can find ourselves in the same conversation as Omaha.

Sean Taylor

2007-11-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

The death of Sean Taylor, Washington Redskins safety, struck me pretty hard. It is hard to comprehend such senseless violence. I also find it very sad to see a young person taken way too early. Taylor was 24 years old.

Jason Whitlock from Fox Sports has written an article that has caused some controversy. No matter what your thoughts on the subject, Whitlock's article is certainly a starting point to understand the social significance of Taylor's violent passing. I thought the article was thought provoking and you can access it by clicking his name at the beginning of this paragraph.

Good weekend for Indiana Sports Fans

2007-11-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

The stars aligned for sports teams this weekend in Indiana. The Pacers stopped their six game losing streak by beating a very good Utah Jazz team on Saturday. In fact they routed them by twenty. The Indiana Hoosiers, who have not been bowl eligible since 1994 and not to a bowl since 1993, beat Purdue in a thriller in the Oaken Bucket. Notre Dame avoided the embarrassment of never winning a game at home by beating Duke. And the Indianapolis Colts won today defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in a nail-biter, 13-10.

I know in the Oaken Bucket an Indiana sports fan gets to hedge their bets between the two in state rivals but I really wanted Indiana to win this game. With their seventh win it should put them in the position to get an invitation to a bowl. I never could comprehend why Indiana would struggle so much in football. But their fortunes changed when they hired Coach Hep. Coach Hep may not have been able to take them to a bowl himself, but it is clear his teachings and his too early passing motivated this team to have its best season in years. Hopefully this will be the start of Indiana's football program to respectability. Now what about that contract for Bill Lynch?

The Colts have had quite the change of fortune. In years pass their defense was terrible but their offense could bail them out most of the time. That has changed for the last few games. The Colts offense is simply not in sync and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why. There have been far too many injuries. The O line is a shell of its former self. As a consequence Peyton doesn't have the time to find his receivers. If he was given time to find his receivers chances are they are running the wrong routes. Sadly the Colts opponents' secondary simply has to shut down Reggie Wayne to have a chance to stop the offense. Joseph Addai continues to impress me though.

Hopefully the injuries of the Colts will improve. Their careful attitude with injuries paid dividends last year in the playoffs. I hoping for more of the same this year.

Blue Monday

2007-11-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

I hate when the Colts lose.

I have been in a foul mood all day today. I couldn't sleep last night. I guess I probably shouldn't take the whole thing that seriously.

In case you missed it, the Colts let off a real stinker last night. They got down by 23 points, came roaring back, and then lost it when Adam Vinatieri missed a chip shot field goal.

I don't want to be too hard on the Colts. Many of the players last night were warriors. The Colts only had 17 players on offense last night due to injuries. Their wide receiving core was down to three, including one wide receiver who had never caught a pass in his four year career. Reggie Wayne played out of his mind. Especially given the coverage he had as he was the perceived threat out on the field.

Peyton threw six interceptions (really only five given one was a toss up at the end of the game). He looked like the Peyton of old: trying too hard to do everything. But you can't blame him. Those injuries are really starting to mount up. Anyone else wonder what is going on with Marvin Harrison? My gut is telling me he is done for the year but the Colts don't want to let the cat out of the bag. They need their opponents to keep planning like Harrison is going to play. It is obvious how important he is to the team and Peyton running the offense.

We took it in the can last night on injuries too. But none more important than Dwight Freeney. I hope that his season isn't done. That might be the death blow on what looked to be a great season. This team is better than last years and I would love to see them at full strength against the New England Cheaters.

Speaking of which, former Patriot Adam Vinateri laid a real egg last night. Remember that we ran Vandy out of town because of his kicking. Well Vandy missed the tough clutch kicks, he didn't miss the clutch easy kicks. Last night that was a clutch easy kick and Vinateri blew it. He may be human (as Kravitz from the Star makes the argument today) but it is hard for me to swallow that kick. Maybe the Colts didn't deserve to win but they could have and that is what makes it more difficult to let this one go.

If the injuries shore up the Colts still have to deal with their special teams, a liability for the team for the last five years. But either way I hope we can get our team back at full strength. If not, we might be playing for a wild card.

More Downtown Development

2007-11-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

There are published reports that this new development will make its way to downtown Indy. It is rumoured to be built off South Street where a free standing Arby's and Subway now sit. The developers are looking at dropping $480 million. It is supposed to have a Legends theme. The screen at the top of the building will have rolling pictures of great Hoosier legends including Larry Bird and David Letterman.

I think the theme might be a little corny but it does look like a nice building. I am also excited about the demise of the free standing Arby's and Subway. Nothing against those tasty roast beef sandwiches but those two buildings took away from the urban character of the city. But the report also notes that the development would have retailers such as Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Best Buy. So much for urban character.

I would rather see the development capitalize on the proximity to Lucas Oil Stadium and the Fieldhouse and develop into its own Wrigleyville or the Stadium District that they have in Columbus, Ohio. Of course it isn't my 480 million.

US among worst in world for infant death

2007-11-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

The rate at which infants die in the United States has dropped substantially over the past half-century, but broad disparities remain among racial groups, and the country stacks up poorly next to other industrialized nations.

In 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available, roughly seven babies died for every 1,000 live births before reaching their first birthday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. That was down from about 26 in 1960.

Babies born to black mothers died at two and a half times the rate of those born to white mothers, according to the CDC figures.

The United States ranks near the bottom for infant survival rates among modernized nations. A Save the Children report last year placed the United States ahead of only Latvia, and tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia.

The same report noted the United States had more neonatologists and newborn intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom - but still had a higher rate of infant mortality than any of those nations.

Doctors and analysts blame broad disparities in access to health care among racial and income groups in the United States.

link

New England Hicks

2007-11-05T00:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am a Colts fan, but when we were up by ten in the 4th quarter I was mostly excited as to what the East Coast media would say about the Patriots loss. I am sick of hearing about this New England team and how great they are. As a matter of fact, I am sick of Boston sports. I am tired of hearing about the damn Red Sox and now the Celtics are going to have a great season. Well, at least Boston College lost last night.

I don't want to talk about the game, but I do have an opinion about Massachusetts sports fans and it's colored from both personal experience and by the comments that their fans posted in response to the latest Bob Kravitz article.

The fact is that Boston has a strong history of racism and perhaps as a result it is one of the whitest major metropolitan areas in America. Small-mindedness and bigotry exist everywhere including Indiana. New England has its fair share of hicks too as evidenced by some of the comments below.

Indianapolis is nothing but the biggest hick town in the country! Go sleep with your cousin, you rednecks! Half of your bars have a two-tooth minimum that you can never satify!

Hmmm, Boston vs. Indianapolis...like there is any comparison between the two cities. Give me a break. What do you have in Indy, like two restaraunts that aren't a Chili's or Applebee's location?

Buckwheat Addai was good in the first half but the Pats adjusted and shut him down in the second. But the real MVP of this game for the Colts were the refs on the Colts payroll. The Pats overcame all that and still beat you.

Sorry fly-over country, we're just better...proved it in your house, with the refs in your pocket, the league in your pocket....What's Polian gonna cry about now?

Have fun cow-tippeng after your stores close at 8:00 pm.

oooo...nice comeback retaaaahd. we do look down on you because you s**k. where exactly is Indiana again?

Surely only the idiots from New England post on Indianapolis Star forum, right? I selected these quotations from the first few dozen posts. I have to admit that the one guy might be right about Chili's and Applebee's though.

Hope Mono-Rail Doesn't Come to Town

2007-11-02T19:41:00.000-04:00

Is anyone sure what the hell this is or its utility? Apparently some important people believe it is worth an investment of 10 million dollars. Ten million dollars? That's a lot of clams folks.

I hadn't heard of this in awhile. But tonight I read that this planning is still continuing. I read awhile ago that the idea was to create a new landmark for the city. How about the landmark that has served this city well for a number of years and surpasses this in beauty: The Soldiers and Sailors Monument?

Real Men of Genius

2007-10-27T10:07:00.000-04:00

I love these real men of genius commercials out there. Regardless for a Notre Dame fan (which I am) this parody is another kick in the groin in this season of embarrassment.

Notre Dame last won a bowl game back in 1993. That wasn't that long ago right?

The Kid has his work cut out for him

2007-10-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted. Luckily, The Kid kept this place alive recently by posting several entries. I have been a bad caretaker of this blog for quite some time now and I can't make any promises for the future. I hope to though.

Speaking of the Kid, he is a good friend and I have been sad for months now because he moved to Philadelphia. He met a girl who lives there, fell in love and left us all in Indianapolis. He still misses this place and has so graciously written about the city he loves.

It seems he has his work cut out for him though. His new residence was just voted the dubious honor of having the least attractive residents. Among the many categories, the people from the City of Brotherly Love were voted to be among the "least stylish, least active, least friendly and least worldly". I haven't spent a lot of time in Philly, I've really just passed through. It seems that the Kid won't have it easy, but I know Philadelphia is already a better place because of him.

Indiana Sports Round-up

2007-10-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

I think Torpor's post on 9/11 may have finally run out of legs. So here are a few posts for your reading pleasure.

After watching the evil Patriots dismantle the Cowboys this past weekend, I couldn't help but think of the Coors Light commercial with Dennis Green, former Arizona coach. You know what commercials I am talking about? Each commercial has a former coaches' press conference and some guys asking questions about Coors light. The one I am thinking of in particular is where Dennis Green (presumably after a tough loss) declares: "They are who we think they were!"

The Patriots. Those dirty cheaters. They were who I thought they were. They are good.

They beat Dallas, the best team in the NFC, like a Pop Warner team. I wondered how the game would turn out. Not withstanding the national media's love for the cheaters, until Sunday they hadn't beaten anybody. The list of cream puffs who the cheaters had beaten had an incredible record of 7-16. I guess the AFC Least isn't quite as tough as the AFC South. Regardless after this past Sunday's win the Patriot's opponent's record is 12-16.

Your Indianapolis Colts, current World Champions, and the ignored un-defeated team in the NFL have had an opponent's record of 11-12. For you mathematically challenged out there that's one less than the cheaters. And the Colts have had a bye week. And did I mention the Colts haven't cheated?

The Patriots have a tough battle this week against winless Miami. Maybe if Dr. Frankenstein gets Trent Green ready it will be a game. Regardless the Colts have a tough game against 4-1 Jacksonville. I will put it out here right now. If the Colts beat Jacksonville on the road Monday they are the best team in the league. Just don't tell them. Our local teams don't do so well when they know they are the favorites.

Two universities have their hand full with what I think should be a major controversy. Indiana University's Kelvin Sampson got himself in some hot water with making phone calls with recruits. That wouldn't be such a big deal except he had been in trouble with the NCAA before for the same damn thing. What is the worst crime? The one where someone hasn't learned their lesson the first time. Say what you want about Bobby Knight the man ran a clean program (just putting it out there I am not a Bobby Knight fan). What is IU going to do? Not a damn thing. Fine him 500K. Well whoopie. Why aren't they going to do a damn thing? Eric Gordon. Sampson got him. No matter what the university says they stand for they are lying. They stand for winning. Hey if a few kids graduate too, that's swell.

Notre Dame football has become about as relevant on the national stage as Ball State. They haven't won much this year and they won't. At 1- 5 they might win one more game. They might not even beat Navy.

What's the problem? When Charlie Weis was winning back in 2005 they gave him a ten year extension. When Ty Willingham was winning what did ND give him? Not a ten year extension. Ty was fired for having a a 21-15 record. That apparently wasn't good enough. Weis record now stands at 20-12. And Ty never had a 1-5 record. More importantly he never had the last ranked offense in all the land. That's right Temple, Akron, University of Northern South Kentucky all have a better offense then good ole Notre Dame.

Anyone else think Ty got a raw deal?

Radiohead

2007-10-19T17:58:00.001-04:00

So my favorite band still recording did a gutsy thing this past week or so. Freed from any constraint of a record label, Radiohead decided to put out its new CD on the web. There is no distribution from a record company to your local store. The only way to get their new CD In Rainbows is to go to their web site: www.radiohead.com. There you can follow some pretty easy directions and get their new CD--their seventh.

But here is the crazy catch-- you pay what you want. That's right. You put down what every you want to offer to download the new CD. You don't want to pay a dime: that's okay to Radiohead.

For the record I paid six bucks. I planned on paying more but I cut it back based on budgetary constraints. I don't hold any ill will towards someone who doesn't pay a dime. Although part of the reason I still buy CDs of bands I really like is to make it economically feasible for them to keep recording.

I am not going to review their CD here. Although I want to put out there that it is certainly worth the hype (Rolling Stone gave it 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5). It is their strongest CD I have seen since OK Computer (I am not as enamored with Kid A as some). For those who know Kid A well I will just say that In Rainbows is like a more accessible Kid A. I am not saying that in and of itself is better, just providing a point of reference.

Mostly I wonder whether not this will be the beginning of the end of record labels as we know it. Will this be the final slaying of the dragon that I-Tunes has yet accomplished? Will bands take control of their music completely and cut out the middle man?

Those are good questions. All I know is right now Radiohead put out the best CD of the year. You just can't pick it up at your local store.

Do Potatoes sap your logic?

2007-10-19T17:40:00.000-04:00

The saga of Larry Craig the Senator from Idaho continues.

You may recall that Senator Craig found himself doing a little toe taping in a Minnesota bathroom. According to an officer for whom the toe taping was directed, the fine Senator's toe taping was a signal for some afternoon delight. Consequently the Senator was summoned, interviewed, and eventually pleaded guilty to a crime in the great state of Minnesota.

After the national media caught wind of this, Senator Craig initially felt compelled to first state he wasn't gay and two that he would resign from the Senate. Now the good Senator isn't going to resign, instead he is going to finish out his term and ignore all calls for his resignation.

You see the Senator is going to appeal the trial court's decision of denying to overturn his guilty plea. This is clearly a manifest injustice. I mean surely how can we expect a man of his age and of his stature being a Senator in the greatest country in the World to know what was going on during a court hearing in that big bad city? Geez, maybe he thought it was just a speeding ticket or something. I guess one doesn't have to know what the hell they are pleading guilty to in Minnesota. They probably don't have their laws all straightened out considering their focus is on hockey or something.

What a crock of crap. Does anybody believe this knucklehead? Quit acting like you didn't know what was going on in the courtroom. If you really didn't why would the fine folks in Idaho want you representing their interests in important matters such as health care coverage and the like. You know Senator you might have to pay just a little more attention there in the Senate than what you want Idahoians to believe you did in that Minnesota courtroom.

Was there ever a time when public service was an honor rather than an entitlement such as Senator Craig apparently believes?

Rerun Post--from September 11, 2006

2007-09-10T11:11:00.000-04:00

I am reposting a rerun column from September 11, 2006. Much has changed since then, and much has remained the same. U.S. soldiers are dying at a greater rate than ever before in this war. Just over 1,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq since I posted this one year ago. There have been thousands more civilians killed in Iraq.

I do not have the energy to say anything more.

Wake me up when September ends

Thoughts on 9/11 -- Patriot Day

Over the past few years, September has been a terrible month for America and for me. Today, we mark the anniversary of September 11th. Last year, Hurricane Katrina killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands. Two years ago my father died during this month.

As a child I hated September because it meant the end of summer, the return of school and the beginning of an Indiana winter. I dread it even more now.

I always feel guilty during the 9/11 tributes. Over three thousand innocent people died, yet I have come to hate what 9/11 stands for. It has come to stand for jingoism, know-nothing superiority, the surrender of our freedom, our integrity and the beginning of an endless war.

The attack on the United States created an unquenchable bloodthirst for some. For weeks after the attack, I listened to Americans talk about bombing Afghanistan, Iraq and other brown people. I listened to our President speak of a new crusade. I listened to explanations like “they hate us for our freedom”. I listened to attacks on Islam and other non-Christians. I knew it would not take long for bombs to fall.

War came. I am no pacifist. I supported action in Afghanistan, but I was worried whether we would be there to pick up the pieces after the Taliban had gone. Five years after their “defeat”, they are in control of a large part of Afghanistan.

The real war came later. The President spoke of weapons of mass destruction. He linked Saddam Hussein to 9/11 by innuendo. Over 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam had some responsibility for 9/11 even though there was no proof. The President promised he would bring freedom and Democracy to the Middle East. Our President and our military were brilliant in planning for war, but abysmally stupid in planning the peace. He was completely unaware that there existed two rival religious factions in Islam. He was completely unaware that given the chance the people would elect a hardline fundamentalist like Mahmood Ahmadinejad in Iran.

At home, the war on terror has affected our lives. The act of flying on airplane, attending a major public event or even driving near the Hoover Dam may never be the same. In our rush to protect the homeland, we have forgotten our Constitution. We offered new powers to the government in the Orwellian named Patriot Act. American citizens have been held indefinitely and without access to a lawyer. We have captured foreign nationals and have held them indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay. We have become torturers. We have secret prisons. We have become many of things we have fought against.

There are two Americas. There are those with the yellow ribbons that read “God Bless America”. They do not question when the President can only say they “hate us for our freedom” rather than looking inward and asking why this happened. They are the ones who meet dissent with the cry of “Support our Troops”. These same patriots fail to support our troops by voting in a Republican administration and Congress who have failed to provide adequate Kevlar jackets; armor for humvees; and tried to cut imminent danger pay. This same administration is also responsible for creating a reliance on “citizen soldier” National Guard units; has tripled the cost of military medical insurance; and began a back door military draft. This same administration has created an expensive reliance on private contractors to do the job the Army once did at several times the price. These facts mean more than the empty rhetoric of a yellow ribbon magnet.

Now, it is September 11, 2006 or as it is newly known -- Patriot Day. America has changed a lot in the past five years. I respect those who serve in the military and wish them a safe passage home. I mourn those who died on 9/11 and those who have died in the war on terror, but forgive me if I do not wave my flag.

Well Duh?

2007-09-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

The scientific world was put on its ear today given the latest findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The title for this mind blowing study follows:

Men want hot women, study confirms

As soon as I read this I couldn't put into words how this has finally cleared the air for me. All this time watching attractive women getting noticed at a bar finally made sense.

Now I am not a scientist put considering this study I would like to propose a few more of equal importance:

Most people prefer life over death

People would prefer to be filthy rich rather than dirt poor

Studies find that most people would rather the family pet not have rabies

Go get em science world.

We're fat, we're poor and we're armed to the teeth.

2007-08-28T19:09:00.001-04:00

Here are some things to chew on for today.

U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

36.5 million live in poverty in United States

More than one in ten Americans, or 36.5 million people, live in poverty in the United States, with children and blacks the worst hit, an annual report by the US Census Bureau showed Tuesday.

The number of poor out of the total US population of 302 million was equivalent to the entire state of California -- paradoxically one of the richest states -- one-and-a-half times the population of Malaysia or nearly everyone in the central European nation of Poland living in poverty.

Obesity Continues To Grow In The United States

Mississippi, the country's fattest state for the third year running, has 30.6% of its adults citizens classed as obese - it is the first state to cross the 30% mark. The thinnest state is Colorado, where obesity rates rose to 17.6%, compared to 16.9% the previous year. Of the country's 15 fattest states ten are located in the south. Nineteen US states have obesity rates over 25%, compared to 14 the previous year. In 1991 the state with the highest obesity rate reported that 20% of its adults were obese.

Indiana is tied for the ninth highest obesity rate.

Number 31--always Blue and Gold?

2007-08-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

The greatest Pacers in history, Reggie Miller, decided today against a return to the NBA. You might have heard that the Celtics had made an inquiry to Mr. Pacer if he would return to the NBA as a back up. After a series of off season moves, the Celtics appear to be one of the contenders for the Eastern Conference.

You may recall the Dallas Mavericks tried the same thing last year. And Miller turned them down. I was ambivalent about Miller's return last year but found myself excited about the possibility of his return for this season. Maybe it was my repressed Celtics pride from the Larry Legend era coming back after twenty years or so.

Miller told the Star that physically he could return for a full season but mentally he could not.

I think it is a bunch of baloney. Anyone who watched Miller his final season knows that he still has gas in the tank. I see Miller staying in shape and seeing if the Celtics actually compete. If the Celtics find them self atop of the Eastern Conference, look for the Celtics to make a phone call to Miller again. And my gut is telling me that considering he took so long to consider their overtures this time he will be receptive.

Kudos from our friendly neighbor to the North

2007-08-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

While surfing the net today I stumbled upon this article from the Chicago Tribune. It espouses the qualities of the city of Indianapolis. Indy has gotten a lot of good press but I thought it was especially nice to see it from the Trib. It actually is the second glowing story I have seen this summer from a Chicago paper.

I think it is fantastic. I can't tell you how many arguments I have had with folks from Chicago defending the Nap. It is nice to see a Chicagoan say some good things about Indy. Indy will never be Chicago--one of the world's truly great cities. But it certainly has more than its fair share of qualities. Heck the writer of the article didn't even seem sore about the Colts' smack down of Da Bears in Super Bowl 41.

But as a Delaware County native I could have done without the dig on Muncie.

Shouldn't we just buy a Harley instead?

2007-08-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

Anyone else weirded out by this Viva Viagra commercial?

If you have missed it, a group of guys are hanging out signing the praises of the little blue pill that could--Viagra. They are all hanging out in a shack with a full band. The chorus as you might have guessed is "Viva Viagra" in tune with song "Viva Las Vegas". I am telling you this band is complete! There is a guy on piano and one guy has a harmonica. We'll show ED by harmonizing!

If and when the Kid's equipment gives out the last thing I will do is bring my buddies together to break it down in song. Well maybe Torpor. That guy has a voice like an angel.

New York Times Editorial On Healthcare

2007-08-14T22:27:00.000-04:00

This editorial lists how the US ranks almost last in every healthcare category:

For those of you too lazy to read it, here are some of the highlights:

* All other major industrialized nations provide universal health coverage, and most of them have comprehensive benefit packages with no cost-sharing by the patients. The United States, to its shame, has some 45 million people without health insurance and many more millions who have poor coverage.

* The United States ranks dead last on almost all measures of equity because we have the greatest disparity in the quality of care given to richer and poorer citizens. Americans with below-average incomes are much less likely than their counterparts in other industrialized nations to see a doctor when sick, to fill prescriptions or to get needed tests and follow-up care.

* We have known for years that America has a high infant mortality rate, so it is no surprise that we rank last among 23 nations by that yardstick. But the problem is much broader. We rank near the bottom in healthy life expectancy at age 60, and 15th among 19 countries in deaths from a wide range of illnesses that would not have been fatal if treated with timely and effective care.

Link

Anomalies--Shelbyville's got 'em!

2007-08-14T03:07:00.000-04:00

The Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, Indiana was already home to the world's tallest woman, Sandy Allen, at 7 feet, 71/4 inches. Now, it also boasts the world's oldest woman, Edna Parker, age 114.

I always knew there was something special about Shelbyville.

US Life Expectancy 42nd in the World

2007-08-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries.

For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles.

Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands.

"Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

link

Universal Healthcare around the globe

2007-08-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

(Click to make larger)

All hail the free market

2007-07-25T00:11:00.000-04:00

The Indianapolis Star has the following poll on its front page.

Which is better at controlling health care costs?

Government regulation 32 %

Free marketplace 68%

Perhaps the learned readers of the Star do not realize that we have the most "free-market" healthcare system in the developed world and the most expensive. We also pay more our GDP (16%) to healthcare than any other nation. Germany is a distant second at 10.6%.

Masson cites another article in the Star which mentions that (free market) healthcare premiums will rise 10-15 %. It makes no sense why anyone would think our current system is the best way to curtail cost. I can only guess that the we as Americans are trained at birth to believe that the free market is always the best way.