I hadn’t planned to post anything today, but when I saw Mitch Daniels on the cover of National Review, I couldn’t help myself.  Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

Since it’s Memorial Day Weekend and the Abdul birthday is tomorrow, I’m doing my gossip, rumor and innuendo posts today.  Enjoy the info and take it for it’s worth.  I’ll be back in on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

More ISTA Issues

It looks like financial troubles over at the Indiana State Teachers Union had been long in the making. ISTA’s insurance trust fund is under investigation by the FBI and the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office for incurring more than $67 million in losses in the fund.   The organization is being taken over by the National Education Association.  However, according to forms filed last year with the Internal Revenue Service, ISTA was running  a deficit of more than $4.2 million in 2006-07.  The Union took in more than $20 million; $18 million came from dues.  But ISTA had expenses to the tune of $24.2 million; with about half, $12.5 million, going to salaries and benefits.  More than $4 million went to pay for early retirement.  The IRS documents also show that ISTA’s Insurance Trust Fund was running a structural deficit of  nearly $3 million.   The records also show former ISTA Executive Director Warren Williams was being paid more than $204,000 in salary and benefits.  

Good Cop,  Bad Cop

I’m hearing complaints are up to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, but crime is down.  I’m not sure if complaints are up because they are easier to file or because the cops are getting more aggressive in keeping crime down.  I hope it’s the latter.

Give Me Libertarians

Might there be a Libertarian on the ballot in every statehouse race next year?  Could be.  The L’s are planning an aggressive campaign to make sure they have a candidate in every race.  We’ll see.

Budget Delay or Denial

The budget revenue forecast date is being moved to Wednesday or Thursday of next week.  A day may not make a difference because it’s not expected to be pretty.

SD 30 Update

In the race for Senate District 30 I’m hearing Ryan Vaughn is ahead in Marion County amongst precinct committeemen, but John Ruckelshaus is ahead in Hamilton County.  I asked incumbent Teresa Lubbers if she was backing anyone.  Her reply was she supports the candidates who support education reform.

No Grudge

City-County Council Democrats aren’t holding a grudge over two appointments the Council made this past week.  The Council voted to confirm Matt Symons, former Carl Brizzi spokesman, to the Zoning Board of Appeals.  And Paul Mullins, former law partner with current Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John, to the criminal board.

Name That D

Speaking of  Council D’s, word has it one of them was intoxicated and got into an altercation with a mailman.  The cops were called, but no report filed. I wonder which one it could have been?

Hey, remember, this is a post about gossip, rumor and good old fashioned political innuendo.  If  you got some, send it.  Have a good Memorial Day weekend.

Here is the e-mail that the Indiana State Teachers Association sent out to its members regarding the recent trouble with its health insurance and long-term disability fund.

Let’s see here.  ISTA made investments that should never have been made in the first, jeopardizing the health insurance plans of thousands of members and setting up school districts to be on the hook and have major tax increases to cover the benefits and the economy is to blame.

Riiiiiggghhhhtttt.

Although I don’t turn another year older until Saturday,  I got a really cool present early.  It wasn’t cigars, really good scotch or even a ridiculous amount of iTunes cards.   I got a healthy Dad.

A few days ago my father was at his bank in Chicago and felt dizzy and blacked out.  The tellers got him to the hospital where we found out he blacked because sometime earlier he had suffered a mini-stroke and wasn’t even aware of it.   After doing some tests we found out he had an artery in his neck that was 99% blocked.  The doctor, whose last name was Khan which appealed to the Trekkie in me, told me the surgery was pretty standard, but with my Dad at 73, there is always some risk involved.

He had surgery yesterday, came through like a trooper and is recovering quite nicely.   For all the success we achieve in this world, there’s nothing like good news about your parents.   I also have to give some serious props to the future Mrs.  Shabazz she was a rock during all this and kept her future husband pretty well grounded.  Now I definitely know I am marrying the right person.

So no matter what cool presents I’ll get and awesome party I’ll have, I already got the the best present, my Dad.

The AP is reporting what I heard earlier this week might happen, the National Education Association is taking over the Indiana State Teachers Association.  This has serious political consequences as ISTA is one of the largest contributors to Indiana Democrats. This is also a big victory for choice  and charter schools.  Stay tuned.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The National Education Association has taken over its troubled Indiana affiliate after problems with its insurance trust landed the teachers union in financial trouble and spurred investigations.

Indiana State Teachers Association President Nate Schnellenberger has sent an e-mail to members saying the NEA will have complete control of the state’s largest teachers union.

The NEA appointed trustee Edward Sullivan to run ISTA. Schnellenberger says Sullivan will try to keep ISTA running smoothly while exploring financial options for the union and making corrections as needed.

Schnellenberger says ISTA’s board requested the NEA trusteeship to ensure the union is financially viable.

ISTA is working to untangle its insurance trust from millions of dollars in liabilities while the state and the FBI investigate whether fund managers did something more than make risky investments.

In their quest for a solution to solve the Capital Improvement Board funding shortfall, my friends in the Mayor’s office are floating the idea of a regional alcohol tax.   The tax would be raised one-percent in Marion and the surrounding counties.

Everyone would be able to keep the revenue they raise and Indianapolis’ would go towards the $47 million CIB shortfall.  The logic in all this is that by increasing the tax region wide no one will run across county lines to buy more booze.  This is a bad idea.

The point of regional taxation should be that the region helps pay for projects which benefit the region.   For example, it would be one thing if half of the one-percent increase went to the CIB and there was regional representation on the board.  But allowing every government to keep the tax increase does nothing but put the full burden of the CIB issue on the backs of  Marion County eventhough the entire region benefits through the hundreds of millions of dollars raised in sales tax revenue which goes to help pay for programs in other parts of the state.

There is no incentive for any elected official outside of Marion County to raise taxes.  Especially since the money to solve the CIB shortfall is already there.  For example, according to the Convention and Visitor’s Association, there are more than 180 groups committed to use the convention center between now and 2021, this doesn’t count anyone who books between now and then.  Those conventions will bring an estimated 3.2 million people and generate more than $2.2 billion in direct spending. Tell me there isn’t enough money in there to avoid a tax increase!  

And maybe people aren’t reading the news, but voters in two area school districts just voted down tax increases to build new schools and Californians also via referendum voted down a number of options that would raise taxes to solve their budget problems.   The voters are not in the mood for any taxation, let alone one that forces them to carry the full burden of the load, even though it’s the rest of the state that is the big beneficiary.

Could the answer to Indianapolis’ infrastructure problems lie in a two-piece value meal from KFC?  

Maybe.

The Chicago Tribune  this Spring reported that KFC has offered the city mayors across the country the chance to fill their potholes for free.  In exchange for filling the potholes, the company leaves behind stenciled brand on the patch which reads “Re-Freshed by KFC.”

KFC is testing the program in Louisville, KY, it’s hometown and it hasn’t been completely ruled out here in Indianapolis.

Mike Huber, the Director of Enterprise Development, says the proposal is interesting but the city would definitely need to study the plan.  

Personally, I think it’s a good idea.  Indianapolis is strapped for cash and we all know how bad the potholes can get in this town.  So if a private company is offering to fill the potholes and, pardon the pun, if it’s done tastefully,  I say go for it.  And why stopt there.  If Pepsi wants to sponsor a park, let them.  If Motorola wants to sponsor my police radios, let them.  And heck, if personal injury attorneys want to advertise inside city-run ambulances, who am I to argue?  (Full disclosure, I’ve always wanted to do that one if I ever practiced personal injury law.)

Now granted you run the risk of having your city looking like a giant NASCAR driver uniform, but you also reduce the tax burden by finding outside sources of funding.

Now while you ponder all that, I’m off to KFC.    I’ll take a two-piece extra crispy with a diet coke and a pothole filled at 10th and Delaware.

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett called it “disappointing” that the FBI and the Indiana Secretary of State are investigating the Indiana State Teachers Association Health Insurance Trust Fund.

State and federal authorities are investigating ISTA’s trust fund for making bad investments which have helped put the fund into the hole by more than $67 million.

Bennett says as a Superintendent he was pressured to use ISTA health insurance plan.  And he accused ISTA’s arm representatives of negotiating in bad faith for pushing school corporations into purchasing the Union’s insurance plan for its teachers.

Bennett says taxpayers would be on the hook for to pay benefits should ISTAs insurance funds become insolvent. And he recommends school corporations use whatever legal means necessary to protect themselves.

ISTA representatives says they will unveil a plan this week to address concerns involving the insurance fund’s solvency.

Bennett made his comments during an announcement to reward schools monetarily who show the most  improvement in dealing with their dropout rates.

Marion County Assessor Greg Bowes says more than 60 percent of  county property tax payers could see either a decrease or no change in the assessments this year.  Bowes says the County is completing its latest assessments and taxpayers should get their bills by the first week in June.

Bowes says 63 percent of the County taxpayers should see a drop in their assessment. 22 percent should see an increase of less than five percent and only 11 percent will an increase of 10 percent or more in their assessment.

Bowes also tells me that he hopes to be done with 80 percent of the County’s 22,000 property tax appeals done by the end of the year.

He also touts about $1.4 million in savings due to consolidation.  Bowes says he is closing the township offices and replacing them with satellite offices which will give taxpayers access to all records, as opposed to having to travel to different townships under the old system.

The President’s visit to Notre Dame today to  be the commencement speaker has sparked a new debate over abortion.  And anti-abortion advocates are touting a new Gallup poll that says more Americans identify themselves as “pro-life” than “pro-choice” by a margin of  51-42.   However the anti-abortion people might want to read the poll a little closer next time.

Although the poll shows more Americans considering themselves “pro-life” the poll also shows that the dominant position since 1975 has been that most people, 53 percent, think abortion should be legal in some instances, while 23 percent think it should be legal in all circumstances and 22 percent think it should outlawed altogether.

That tells me that while most people make consider themselves personally pro-life, they want abortion to remain a viable option for women.  In other words, a common sense approach; something that seems to be lacking when individuals adopt an extreme position.

Personally, I am pro-choice with reasonable restrictions such as parental consent and notification with appropriate judicial bypass and no public funding unless the life or physical health of the mother is in danger, etc.   And for those of you are going to ask me, “Abdul what if your wife was going to have an abortion against your wishes?”  My argument is that if we’re at stage,  our marriage was over a long time ago.

Of course if we would spend more time making sure people didn’t get pregnant by making sure they had access to appropriate contraception and vigorously went after the deadbeat fathers for child support collection, we could go a long way to preventing unwanted pregnancies.

And while we’re at it, how about doing a better job of taking care of the kids who are already here.  It’s one thing to form a human life chain at 30th and Meridian on  a Saturday, protest and drive back home to suburbia.  But how about coming down on a Tuesday afternoon, walking a few blocks east and mentoring or tutoring a kid whose father abandoned the family and the mom works and is never home?   That way he or she can grow up and have a much better life and abortion will be much less of an option.  What a beautiful choice!