Wednesday Wire
There are a few interesting tidbits to report this morning.
Stimulating Daniels
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says he supports economic stimulus for the states as long as it is used to create jobs and strengthen the economy in the long term. The nation’s governors met yesterday with President-elect Barack Obama to talk about their economies. Daniels had positive remarks for President-elect saying he was sincre in his concern for the states. Daniels also says that because Indiana is doing better than most states he doesn’t want the state to get short-changed in any stimulus package.
Lights Out
The Smoke Free Indy crowd is presenting a proposal to the City-County Council Community Affairs Committee tonight to ban all smoking in the workplace. Currently Marion County’s anti-smoking ordinance only applies to places that allow patrons under 18. Smoke Free Indy says smoking is workplace health issue and employees have a right to clean air.
Car Wars II
The decision by the city of Indianapolis to buy Toyota hybrids instead of American vehicles for the Department of Public Safety is raising the question of whether local governments have an obligation to buy American? I’ve always maintained that governments have a duty to get the most bang out for its dollars and if that responsibility can be met by buying foreign, so be it.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:33 am
I don’t think the City has an outrigiht obligation to buy American. If a good product fits the specs, it ought to be their top priority. And in this case, a good American product does fit the specs.
As for workplace smmoking: few employers allow it any more anyway. It is a disgusting habit and it does contribute to health issues for nonsmokers. But I believe the current law outlaws smoking in all public common spaces, too.
Which brings me to my biggest bugaboo about smokers: why do many of you treat our sidewalks and streets as your ashtrays?
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:32 am
The city has an obligation to purchase the most cost effective way possible, they are required by law to go through a bidding process for purchases over a specific amount. It appears that the city did this, and now a losing vendor is upset about a purchase. I believe that the city should also support the dealerships in Marion County versus through out the state, but if it is more cost effective to purchase outside the city, state, country the city needs to stretch the tax dollars.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
We have (or had) a co-op of sorts. Merchants, farmers, tradesmen, etc., interdependant on each other. Like mother nature, if somebody was too flakey, sick, or whatever, sometimes they got left behind. There weren’t soft landings for everything and everybody. Yeah, slavery and the Indians are chapters of barbarianism we don’t want to repeat. But, overall, this side of massive warfare, famine, disease, etc., history says a non-totalitarian country has a shot at prosperity with an expectation of responsibility and a lot of luck.
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Now we’re suppossed to prosper as a whole with putting our dollars into foreign manufacturing and services? How? When more and more goods and services are provided by foreign labor, workers, technicians, grass cutters, brake assemblers, surgeons or whomever- to whom do the profits go? For a lot of foreign labor in the U.S., many profits go back to Mexico. For a lot of foreign goods purchased here, profits go back to China. Our medical surgical infrastructure is now diffusing overseas. You think all this is a good thing? I have three cars in the driveway, two domestic and one foreign. I pondered whether to get beat-up by buying American or foreign for every one of them. I think I’m suppossed to buy American goods and services when I can.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Why would the city want to buy a fleet of cars that will require constant repair? Thus the decision to buy foreign.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
The city should buy a fleet of Ford F150 pickups. I’m still rolling strong on my ’97 F150 with over 200,000 miles on it. Sure, I’ve personally replaced some items like the clutch, u-joints, and various front-end parts but with this luck (and Ford Toughness) I’ll be rolling another 10 years!!
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Somehow, Dawg, I had you pegged as an F-150 guy.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Stimulus is fewer refs & more players. Lights out is flipping off anti property rights fascists. Car wars is the winning battle waged by serious, free market producers over phony, time & quality killing, Marxists.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Daw-g A Ford F150 uses to much gas. Next time try a Ford Ranger. I have a 1996 and just did my first repair on it.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Abbie, You missed this one. Apparently, someone qualified needs to run the animal control. But not community corrections. You would have thunk that Ballard and the GOP would have learned from the Peterson Administration. But they are repeating history.
Goal: Experienced animal care director
Applicants being interviewed to overhaul shelter plagued by neglect
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812040421
New director expected to restore confidence at Community Corrections
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812010340
December 5th, 2008 at 10:42 am
the chevy malibu is a piece of junk. i know of 2 people that have them. nothing but constant problems.