So was the Dem's proposal nothing more than a gambit designed/planned for future elections? (“Hey, we tried.” But not very hard in my opinion)

I would say so.

Hmmm, havent' we been through this already?

When Sen. Kenley is coming to the “rescue,” taxpayers need to hold on to their wallets.

Kenley is smart. I heard his interview on your show, Abdul. Good questions, good answers.

We need 149 other Kenleys in the legislature.

He is alone in his comprehension of the budget and today's fiscal realities.

The Colts need to contribute to the solution and the Pacers need to quit asking for a taxpayer bailout to achieve public subsidy parity with the Colts.

It is not a public private partnership when one side gets all the losses and the other takes all the profits.

It all comes back to the Colts one sided agreement.

Luke,

Don’t except the tired “small market” or “a deal is a deal” arguments from the Colts.

First of all the Irsay bought the Colts for $15 million and now it is worth $1.1 Billion according to Forbes. This team value exceeds the value of the New York Knicks and LA Lakers COMBINED. Not bad for a small market team!

Second of all, a deal is not a deal with the Colts. Jim Irsay has renegotiated his contract two times before expiration with Indianapolis. One time with Mayor Goldsmith to get more suites, more CIB/City income, and a profit guarantee, and another with Mayor Peterson to get a new $750+ million stadium and ALL CIB/city income.

If Jim wants to maintain a long term partnership with our community, he needs to step up in one of the worst economic downturns in our life times and forge a long term solution that is in everyone’s interest instead of jumping on the life boat for safety and letting the women and children drown.

Luke,

Regarding the Pacers, don't let them repeat the lie that they have lost money every year they have been in Indianapolis.

You know the truth and the public is not that stupid to believe they can't make profits.

It’s completely ludicrous to think they can not make a profit in the most basketball crazy state in the country. No one believes they are stupid or outrageously generous. A money losing organization would not be able to give Reggie Miller a $10 million “retirement” bonus just for kicks, or pay Jamaal Tinsley $21 million to stay in Atlanta and not play basketball because he is a thug. This doesn't even count the organizations ability to endlessly drain profits to support a money losing WBNA team or somehow be able to evade profitability from receiving 100% of the profits from non-Pacer events in Conseco Fieldhouse.

Truth is their recent losses have been self inflicted from losing teams and poor event and team management. Mr. Simon has taken a lead role in turning things around and the organization is steadily returning to its former glory.

No Taxpayer Bailout Necessary.

I'm with Nick. TA I could not afford the taxes if we had another 149 Kenleys in the legislature.

Paul,

Thanks for your support, but Kenley needs some respect.

No one else in the legislature appears capable of delivering a sensible solution that requires a significant Colts contribution.

We are in overtime watching the clock tick away.

Paul I've followed this pretty closely. I'm a Democrat, and I respect Kenley's grasp of the facts, since he walked into the legislature. He could teach a class in the budget, and frankly, he has no peer.

Please provide specific evidence of the taxes you reference with regard to Sen. Kenley. I fear you've fallen prey to the blogosphere talking fog machine, which is long on innuendo, and short on facts.

If you're reading just this post, the following have been invented from whole cloth: the amount paid to Reggie Miller, the amount paid to Jamaal Tinsley, the worth of the Lakers-Pacers-Knicks, and much more.

Nick: the Forbes estimates of pro team value, are pretty much universally panned. For instance, the Knicks and Madison Sq. Garden are co-owned to some degree. Forbes doesn't take that into consideration.

Still, the Simons' investment has appreciated beyond inflation, so it's been good. Along the way, they've had a great ride. They are now the third-most-senior owners in the NBA. Those owners breathe rarified air.

I'm going to put my faith and spare betting money with Sen. Kenley. There is no one in the other chamber worthy of that kind of trust–not even close. With Bauer and Bosma in charge, it's tit-tat nonsense on a daily basis. Like dueling youngsters.

The only trouble is–Kenley pretty much leaves most folks in the dust, budget-wise. Most especially including the governor's budget director, who has been consistently wrong on income projections for a year.

Think about any area of your life where there's a particularly bright person involved, even if it's you. Typically, if that bright person is light years ahead of the others, be it at church, club, neighborhood or business…that bright person is, well…not very well liked. Jealousy is one cause.

Sen. Kenley needs to present his budget and we'll see if it works. I sense that it will.

Think Again,

My information and numbers are solid.

Easily verified by Indy Star Archive, Forbes, and http://hoopshype.com/salaries/indiana.htm.

Remember Pat Early and Luke Kenley are not the only ones to ever see the Pacers finances.

Uh, no. Nick, they're not…

Reggie was paid according to contract. No surprises.

The Knicks have been worth a lot more than you reported, for many years.

It's big money, but it's not accurate.

I'm sorrry…as I recall Kenley has already proposed raising the innkeeper tax, rental car tax and alcohol tax for the CIB bailout. He sat right there in the Committee with Pacers and Colts representatives and failed to ask if they would contribute to the bailout. Now he's not even suggesting that they contribute. So Nick I don't know where you're coming from where you're talking about a Colts contribution it's not on the table.

You know what else Kenley won't put on the table? NOT giving the Pacers $15 million more a year by picking up their operating costs ona building for which they geta ll the revenue.

The notion that Kenley is some genius negotiatior is not borne out by the evidence. He's been described as someone who thinks he's the head of Indiana, Inc, but is completely out of touch with the people. Now that's an accurate descriptioni.

I'm not worried about any clock running out. Why? The CIB/City is selling you a phony line that the convention business will be helped by a CIB bailout that comes by raising taxes. Raising taxes is the worst thing we could do for the convention business. We'll have the highest hospitality taxes in the country. Do we have a beach? Do we have warm weather all year around? No and No.

The very best thing that could happen is for the CIB just to go through municipal bankruptcy, discharge much of its debt and rewrite many of the silly contracts, i.e. Colts, Pacers, etc. that got them in trouble. The only negative about that is that, unless the structure and mindset is changed at the CIB, they be back in the hole a few years from now.

If the clock runs out that's great…the best thing the CIB can do is go through bankrtupcy and reorganize.

Paul,

Time will tell on Kenley.

Agreed that municipal bankruptcy is not the end of the world, but it would be preferable to avoid that with at least a prepackaged reorganization instead of creating an unstructured free for all which has many unintended consequences.

Until we have a mechanism in place to punish with jail and fines, I'm not for any bailouts. The old and new CIB reprobates need to be PUNISHED!

Not sure of the statute of limitations for pursuing criminal and civil violations under Breach of Fiduciary Responsibility, Quid Pro Quo, etc. against appropriate persons.

Suspect beginning discovery, issuing subpoena, or convening a grand jury would help motivate people to do the right thing and cooperate in creating a long term solution to the problem.

Nick, I don't understand who you'd want indicted, and for what purpose?

I see this kind of rhetoric on this site too often. It's not realistic or helpful.

If you mean CIB members–they were operating under statutes established to organize and run CIB. You and I would've done business entirely differently, but nonetheless, what they did was not illegal. Stupid, perhaps. But if there were laws against stupidity, you could swing a wet broom in the legislature and hit 100 or so lawbreakers.

Please stop assuming that because some public official disagrees with your view, or mine, they've breached their responsibilities. They'd probably argue forcefully they did nothing of the sort. And they'd be right.

Damn it Nick now you've got me defending the CIB. Geeeesh.

Think Again,

Your a smart person, but don't think yourself into circles.

Keep your focus and keep it simple.

Until we have a mechanism in place to punish with jail and fines, I'm not for any bailouts. The old and new CIB reprobates need to be PUNISHED!

Not sure of the statute of limitations for pursuing criminal and civil violations under Breach of Fiduciary Responsibility, Quid Pro Quo, etc. against appropriate persons.

Suspect beginning discovery, issuing subpoena, or convening a grand jury would help motivate people to do the right thing and cooperate in creating a long term solution to the problem.

Nick, I don't understand who you'd want indicted, and for what purpose?

I see this kind of rhetoric on this site too often. It's not realistic or helpful.

If you mean CIB members–they were operating under statutes established to organize and run CIB. You and I would've done business entirely differently, but nonetheless, what they did was not illegal. Stupid, perhaps. But if there were laws against stupidity, you could swing a wet broom in the legislature and hit 100 or so lawbreakers.

Please stop assuming that because some public official disagrees with your view, or mine, they've breached their responsibilities. They'd probably argue forcefully they did nothing of the sort. And they'd be right.

Damn it Nick now you've got me defending the CIB. Geeeesh.

Think Again,

Your a smart person, but don't think yourself into circles.

Keep your focus and keep it simple.