There are very few times when I go see a film and just walk and say “wow.” I did Wednesday night when I saw “By The People.” The 80-minute documentary is a behind the scenes look at the 2004 general election in Marion County. It centers on the Marion County Clerk’s Office headed by Doris Anne Sadler. I truly believe every citizen should see this film.

The movie shows us a look at election preparation and execution, from voting machines that act up to election inspectors who don’t show. It’s simply amazing that our elections go as smoothly as they do. There are so many possibilities for major disasters and the folks in the Clerk’s office who deserve a round of applause for carrying out the election.

The two scenes that I remember vividly are one where the phones go out at the Clerk’s Office and they have to scramble to communicate with the folks in the field. The second scene is when two traveling poll workers go to the county jail so inmates, not yet convicted, can vote. I died laughing when one inmate is asked if he needs help filling out his ballot and he says “no, I went to IU.” As a fighting Illini I took some pleasure in that.

But overall, this was a great film. I honestly think that if more people knew how much effort it took to carry out an election, more people would take democracy seriously and we would be a better nation for it.

“By the People” is definitely a film for the people.

Brother Can You Spare $2 or $3?

In an effort to help pay for public safety in Marion County, Republican City-County Council member Ike Randolph is proposing a $2-$3 fee on ticket sales in Marion County. The fee would apply to sales of sporting and other commercial events in the County, raising $4-$6 million per year. Randolph says the money can be used to pay for a new jail and criminal justice infrastructure. He also adds that up to $50 million could be generated in bonds towards public safety.

Townships and Taxes

If you seen an increase in your tax bill lately you may want to thank your township government. A provision was slipped into some legislation last session that gave township trustees the authority to raise taxes without County Council approval. Already some trustees have taken advantage of this and jacked up tax bills. Indiana lawmakers say they plan to fix this in January. It may be too late from some taxpayers by then. Yet another reason to eliminate township government.

You may have noticed I haven’t posted in a while. I took a few days off to recharge. While I was gone I actually got some rest. I hung out with old friends and did a lot of revisiting places of my past. Grad school, news shops, ex-girlfriend, you get the picture. Normally people don’t spend their vacations going to places they’ve already been but for me it was necessary.

My friends have been telling me I’ve been more irritable lately. I thought it was the usual burn out, but it was actually something more than that. Every once in a while I ask myself “does what we do here really matter?” Does anyone actually get it? It was that feeling of beating your head against the wall on big issues and wondering if any change will ever really happen? Toss that in with a murder spree that would make Detroit blush and the thought of going somewhere and practicing law full time in a nice quiet place, and coming home to my wife and four children looked real attractive.

And then I rediscovered my past.

I saw friends from high school who I haven’t seen in nearly 20 years. None of them were surprised I was in talk radio. I ran into the man who taught me everything I know about covering government and after coffee and an hour worth of talking considered me an equal. I ran into statewide elected officials I used to cover back in Illinois who told me that the coverage hasn’t been the same since I focused on Indianapolis instead of Springfield. But I guess most importantly, a conversation with the woman I almost married (and to show you how smart she is, she didn’t) reminded me why I got in this business in the first place and how I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.

And the more I thought about it, she was right.

I probably wouldn’t be happy unless I had a forum to tell you about how the recent controversies surrounding the Marion County Jail were just the tip of the iceberg.

I probably wouldn’t be happy unless I had a forum to tell you about the apparent split between 7th Congressional District Candidate Eric Dickerson and his own local party, which from a strategic perspective might actually be a good idea.

I probably wouldn’t be happy unless I had a forum to tell you how there may not be an incumbent in next year’s mayoral race in Indianapolis.

I probably wouldn’t be happy unless I had a forum to tell you how some major changes are coming to the Daniels administration as the Governor starts a recruitment drive for new talent.

And I probably wouldn’t be happy unless I had a forum to tell you how an election in a nearby state could have major consequences for Indiana.

It’s amazing it took 10 days and 800 miles to rediscover that as long as I have a forum, I’m happy.

It’s great to be back.

Sex and Violence

With all the recent shootings and murders here in Indianapolis I had point to a couple of quick studies on sex and violence. One study found that teens with sexually explicit music on their ipods are more likely to have sex and those who watch wrestling are likely to engage in violence.

I have never been one to buy the fact that violence in the media causes violence in society, per se. I do believe that children are like sponges, they absorb whatever is around them. If you fill a kid’s head with positive values and good citizenship you’ll finish up with a normal human being.

In other words, it’s the PARENTS!!!!

What a concept.

What you say if I asked you to name a capital where people are shot dead everyday and the government can’t quite seem to get a handle on things? What you say? Baghdad? No, the answer is Indianapolis.

There have been six murders in the past 24 hours. And 10 total murders in the past four days. Indy could go through August 10 without another murder and still have a murder for everyday of the month.

City officials remain determined to win the war on crime, but I wonder if this one of those times when the best hope is containment not victory. Back in May I wrote about the disturbing trend in rising crime. I saw stats that showed crime rising in January and February. I was scary because if there were two months where homicides should have dropped, were those two. I figured if crime was going to be that bad in the winter, God only knows how bad it was going to be this summer. Now we know.

The homicide rate (88-92 depending on how you do the math) hasn’t been this bad since 1998.

The only thing more frightening than the crimes that get reported are the ones that do not. A doctor is carjacked and shot in the parking lot of his hospital. A young man is beaten to a bloody pulp on the canal. Another person is robbed at gunpoint for their backpack. These are crimes you don’t hear about because they don’t make the news. But they are symptomatic of a much larger problem.

Crime is out of control. Our public officials are scrambling to deal with the problem. It is only going to get worse before it gets better. I hear Baghdad is nice this time of year. You don’t even have to go out to get bombed.

Although it’s been three weeks since Indiana Black Expo, a video has surfaced from the July 15 Saturday night fiasco. You can see it here. Compare that to IBE’s history. The late Rev. Charles Williams is spinning in his grave right now.

Sources tell me Indianapolis City-County Council Member Ron Gibson could face charges following a July 15 incident involving a Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy. I’m told Gibson could be charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and intimidation. As first reported here, Gibson got into a heated exchange Black Expo weekend with the Deputy while trying to enter a downtown nightclub with two friends. Gibson is scheduled to appear on my morning show at 7:30 Thursday morning.

One Million and Counting

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita says a first check of the state’s voter rolls has revealed more than million possible invalid voter registrations. Under a new plan authorized by the Justice Department, the Secretary of State is mailing out voter registration verification forms to the state’s 4.3 million voters. The ones that come back get another form mailed, if any those come back the voters are moved to inactive status. Rokita says by eliminating invalid registrations from the voter rolls officials can not only reduce fraud, but the costs of elections because there will be fewer votes that that have to be processed.

It May not be Amnesty, but it sure looks Like It

Indiana Congressman Dan Burton tells me that while he does not support amnesty for illegal aliens but his proposal to deal with the issue looks pretty darn close. Burton wants to register all illegals and give them temporary residency status. His plan would also require them to learn English, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. They would also pay taxes and go to the end of for citizenship. Like I said, it’s not amnesty, but it kind of looks like it.

The Marion County Sheriff and Prosecutor’s Offices are investigating an incident involving a City-County Council member and a Sheriff’s Deputy. The incident involving At-Large Council Member Ron Gibson reportedly occurred July 15 at two in the morning during the second weekend of Indiana Black Expo. Officials would not comment on the matter only to say it is under investigation. However, Gibson did provide details of his version of events.

Gibson says he and two female companions were trying entering into the Blue Lounge on South Meridian to attend a VIP party. Gibson says he was allowed in, but the two women were not and he asked the doorman to check with the manager. He says at that point a uniformed Sheriff’s Deputy came out of the club yelling telling everyone to get back.

Gibson says he asked the officer why was she yelling and told her he was a councilmember and he would not yell at his boss. Gibson then says the Officer told him he was not her boss, Sheriff Frank Anderson was. Gibson says he was concerned about the Officer’s behavior and was going to report it to the Sheriff. He says he did not want to pursue a formal investigation, just have the Sheriff talk to the Officer about her behavior.

Gibson also says the Officer was wearing a uniform that evening as well.

He does admit to having consumed alcohol that evening but was not drunk. He says after the incident he went back to his car and went home.

There is no word yet on when the investigation will be completed.

A few things to over the weekend to note. The same people who grilled Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi this past week over his plan to fight jail overcrowding have all found Jesus and come out in support of more jail beds. With friends like these, Melina Kennedy, the Democratic Candidate doesn’t need enemies.

Speaking of which, I spoke to some top Democrats over the weekend who say they are concerned about how the experience issue is going to impact the prosecutor’s race. They say Kennedy’s lack of experience will hurt her in this race, particularly when crime is at an all-time high.

In addition, there’s talk that there’s as much as $3 million in the Marion County Sheriff’s Jail commissary fund. Expect that to come under some scrutiny as officials look for ways to pay for public safety.

If you thought things at the library were bad, check out Sunday’s edition of the Indianapolis Star. It’s time to privatize that puppy, or give the Mayor and Council more power over the board.