Russ Stilwell

RTW - Never should have happened!

2012-01-25T19:08:00.000-06:00

By Russ Stilwell

Never Should Have Happened!

The House Republican Leadership team has made the 2012 session of the General Assembly a historical lesson on how to pass a divisive and contentious bill by using the most excruciating procedural sequences ever envisioned. This grueling process lacked clarity, rules, direction or any semblance of a seamless process. It never should have happened this way.

I’m sure they’re not particularly fond of the hundreds of protesting Hoosiers every day. No doubt they’re not very pleased with the minority using every rule in the book, and those that are not included, in their mission to stop the RTW bill.

No doubt, the House R’s had the votes to pass RTW from the very first day of the session. There was no doubt that House D’s would oppose this every step of the way, including the occasional withholding of their presence.

Even a casual observer of the legislative process could have outlined a far more efficient and practical legislative pathway to pass RTW than the non medicated tooth-extraction course of action the House R’s invented.

Given the ill-advised pathway to pass RTW, what did they expect? They knew that labor would make this a most painful process. They had to know that the House D’s would be fightin’ and screamin’ every painful step of the way.

And what did they do? They made it easy for the opposition to cry “foul play” and for House D’s to march off to caucus. Let’s reexamine.

Number 1: Whoever concocted the that ill-advised statehouse policy of limiting the number of folks allowed in the statehouse under the guise of public safety & fire codes must have been not only politically challenged, but totally lacking in the expected and immediate public outcry.

The opposition to this ill-fated policy was strong and vigorously opposed by every major news outlet in the state. Only after a public outcry, was the admission to the capitol policy rescinded! The legislative Republican leadership was silent on the issue until public outcry corrected their senses! And this was just what the House D’s and the labor community needed to fire up the troops. Never should have happened!

Number 2: In my 14 years in the legislature, I had never seen a joint House/Senate committee hearing on one issue, let alone one that would be the most contentious in a half-century. If the House R’s had just scheduled their Labor Committee (actually, the name changes every time the House majority changes; Labor committee for D’s and Employment committee for R’s) to have a hearing in the House Chamber, endured the hours of testimony and kept the process open, then the D’s would have only had one choice. To participate, offer amendments and vote.

But no, in a rush to pass the contentious bill they just had to do the unthinkable. Infuriate the D’s, give credibility to labor who shouted “unfair” and belabor the painful process they set in motion when they attempted to deny entrance to the statehouse.

Number 3: What about the House Labor Committee hearing? When the Speaker of the House suggests it wasn’t “democracy’s finest moment”, you can bet the labor and the House D’s would have a swift reaction! What were they thinking? All they had to do was do what they should have done in the first place. Just endure the pain of another lengthy hearing, let everyone have their say and pass the bill with the predicted party line positions.

In their rush to send this fateful bill to the floor, they provided more gunpowder to a flotilla of opposition that was already getting ready to explode. What were they thinking?

Number 4: Once the House D’s returned for a painful afternoon of amendments to the RTW bill, only a fraction of the amendments had been offered in the first four hours. You think they thought this wasn’t going to be an all-day-ass-kickin’ exercise of amendments, roll call votes, statesmanship and showmanship? After that long six second period of silence when Speaker Bosma called for “any more amendments”, he gaveled the dreadful RTW initiative to engrossment.

What? After waiting for an eternity for the D’s to come to the floor and only a couple hours short of victory, why would he not allow additional amendments when challenged at about the precise time he gaveled the bill closed? He certainly had the right to engross, but political common sense dictated a far more exhaustive call for amendments, given the rancor of this particular legislative exercise. The House D reaction? A political novice could have predicted that outcome..

As I write this column on Wednesday morning, I make the painful assumption that the House will convene, muster a quorum, pass RTW and claim victory. The war may be over, but the battle will surely continue when the Senate again takes up this fateful bill. Let’s hope they don’t make the same mistakes the House did.

I would suggest they have a full and open public committee hearing. I would hope that they would endure the opposition with their myriad of amendments. And I would hope that they process this House Bill just like they always do – during the second half of the session, just like they have for decades.

However, after reviewing the previous actions in their zealous attempt to pass RTW in a record-breaking pace, nothing will surprise me.

What were they thinking?

2011-12-16T08:35:00.000-06:00

What were they thinking?

By Russ Stilwell

After reviewing all of the attention being focused on Right to Work in our Hoosier State by the proponents and opponents I realized the obvious. Governor Daniels and our Republican legislative leaders want the same things that I do.

How can that be, one might suggest. After all, Russ Stilwell is a passionate labor advocate, former member of the House Democrat caucus and an outspoken opponent of most of the anti-labor agenda items the Republican leadership is delivering to our state.

Yep, it’s true. They want good paying jobs that support a family. They tout jobs with benefits like health care and a vacation every now and then. And a job that just might provide a little retirement nest egg.

And guess what? That’s exactly what most every union job provides! Just does not make any sense that this is the same gang that sets out to destroy labor unions and our middle class.

The Republican controlled legislature and their leadership team cannot call our Hoosier state a great place to live, when they place the blame for our economic peril and high unemployment on our public servants who educate our kids, pick up our trash and clean their offices.

When they seek to eliminate unions, end collective bargaining and initiate right to work, they are seeking to undermine the middle class as we know it.

They are destroying the only segment of our society that demands that Hoosier workers are paid a fair wage, have a safe place to work and share in the fruits of their labor. Many of our prominent presidents and national leaders seem to agree:

Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor.—Jimmy Carter

Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those -- regardless of their political party -- who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice.—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.—John F. Kennedy

If I went to work in a factory, the first thing I'd do would be to join a Union.—Franklin D. Roosevelt

“There are no rights and no work in Right to Work”----Reverend Martin Luther King.

I recognize that only about 12 percent of Hoosier workers are in unions. But that 12 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to a union.

And now, our illustrious legislative leadership has proclaimed that the implementation of right to work will produce more jobs, bring in more companies and treat workers with dignity and respect. Give me a break. Don’t think most Hoosiers are ready to start drinking that “kool-aid.”

I’m sure that these same leaders must have supported the ill-fated Herman Cain presidential campaign. They must have loved his 9-9-9 plan. After all, it sounds just like the recently implements Hoosier 25-25-25 plan:

Cut unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for workers by 25%.

Cut corporate and business UI taxes by 25%.

Cut corporate income tax 25%.

There are many Hoosiers who believe that unions just might be the last line of defense for workers and keeping the middle class. These same folks also don’t buy into the theory that the implementation of RTW is because of some economic advantage.

They see it as I do. It’s a political assault to put labor unions out of business in our state. It’s a final stake in the heart of those who, for the most part, support the ‘other political party.’

We constantly hear that Indiana ranks 5^th in the nation for a great business environment. Yet these same folks blame unions for not having enough jobs. Their solution? Destroy unions, pass RTW and pass another tax break for folks who just don’t need ‘em.

RTW is a simple, but divisive concept. I would guess that most of the General Assembly members don’t fully understand it.

RTW is no more that mandating that there cannot be a union security clause in any labor agreement. It is not about protecting workers from paying mandatory dues.

I keep hearing the Chamber of Commerce, that great institution of worker’s rights, defending Hoosier workers against forced unionism. First time I’ve heard the Chamber defending worker’s rights in a long, long time. And they got it all wrong.

Workers in union shops do not have to belong to the union. But they do have to pay a “fair share” for having representation and benefits of a union contract provided by their union.

Right to work actually means that a worker in a union shop would not have to pay any fees for union representation, but gets all the rights and privileges of the union contract.

And the union must represent these non-paying workers in all contractual matters, just like they do for their co-workers who pay union dues. And get this. They can even sue the union if they believe they don’t get fair representation.

This isn’t about fairness for Hoosier workers. This is about “pay-back time.” It is all about the business community and their Republican allies banding together to weaken unions and help make our state be union free.

Each time the House Republicans overreached, they paid the price in the next election. Yep, history does repeat itself. They did it with prevailing wage in 1995 and lost in 96. They did it again in 2005 and lost in 06.

And they are doing it again in 2011 and will pay the price in 2012. Yes, we do have referendums in Indiana. They are called elections.

My predictions? Right to Work legislation will take the 2012 session of the Indiana General Assembly an absolute crawl so broad and consuming that Hoosiers will think it has come to a absolute halt.

There will be more protests, more lobbying and more television and news shows focusing on this one single issue than all other issues combined in years past. RTW will take the breath out of every other issue before the legislature.

I predict that national pundits will set up shop in Indiana (both from the right and the left) and make our Hoosier state the centerpiece of what’s wrong with America. And just in time for the Super Bowl week with an international audience!

And I predict that at the end of the day, folks will be asking why didn’t we talk about jobs? Why didn’t we talk about our schools?

And as the 2012 session begins and explodes they will ask the age-old question. “What were they thinking?”

John Gregg - Hoosier Renaissance Man?

2011-10-31T10:40:00.000-05:00

Speaker John Gregg

A Hoosier Renaissance Man?

John Gregg just might be the personification of what a broad & diverse segment of Hoosiers see in themselves. Family first; funny and smart; humble but yet ambitious and a consensus builder while sticking to a core set of principles founded in working class values.

The ideal of the Renaissance Man originated in Italy. It is based on the belief that a man’s capacity for personal development is without limits; competence in a broad range of abilities and areas of knowledge should be every man’s goal and is within everyman’s grasp.

John Gregg could be characterized as a Hoosier whose expertise and knowledge spans a significant number of subject areas and with a quick wit too. He just might be the Hoosier version of Renaissance Man. He just “gets it” so much better than any other political face in our state. He is smart (three university degrees plus law degree), funny and passionate about everyday Hoosiers. While others talk about family values, John Gregg practices them.

If you underestimate him he will prevail every time.

When John Gregg was Speaker of the House during the 2007/08 sessions, I was a freshman legislator. We had a 50-50 divided house. However, Democrats were the “majority” party due to a “quirk” in the law inserted the year before by the then majority Republicans. In the event of a tie in the Indiana House, the winner of the gubernatorial race would decide the majority. They just knew that their candidate would win. He didn’t, Frank O’Bannon did and John Gregg was the Speaker of the House.

John’s leadership during his tenure as Speaker from 1997-2002 could be characterized as some of the best times in our state. We passed balanced budgets; we had budget surpluses; we brought our state into the 20th century with much needed worker benefit reforms and stretched that 50-50 majority to a solid 53-47 bloc.

During his tenure Speaker Gregg could sometimes get the minority party spittin’ mad. Just like a Sunday morning preacher, Speaker Gregg would explode and pound the podium and chastise the opposition party when their antics needed addressed. And then when the R’s were just about to explode and walk, Gregg would crack one of his famous one-line jokes and have the entire Assembly in stitches. His humor and quick wit saved many a day for the session.

During the final days of my freshman year I did the unthinkable. I informed Speaker Gregg and then Ways and Means Chairman Patrick Bauer that I was not going to vote for the budget. Eleven were prepared to join me. Trust me when I say these two leaders were not pleased.

What was the issue? Indiana lagged at the absolute bottom of the pile for all 50 states in Unemployment Insurance and Workers Compensation for our workers. Until that was addressed, the budget vote was at a standstill.

For three straight days, Gregg, Bauer, myself and a couple of prominent labor folks huddled up to try to get some sort of solution before the session ended. On the last night an elaborate procedural process was cleverly implemented. It was Sine Die and late in the evening. The only items before the session ended was the Conseco Stadium funding formula (this had broad support) and another similar funding mechanism for Indianapolis, both of which had strong republican support. Before these bills were handed down for the final vote, Speaker Gregg used the procedural process to introduce the workers unemployment and compensation bills. The House R’s were infuriated and immediately walked off the floor, never to return.

As an elated Gregg took his then considerable frame and smacked the walls in jubilation, he echoed those sweet words that he had finally punched the Republican’s button just like Speaker Phillips had done. And for a cause that helped Hoosiers throughout our state.

What about those bills? Governor O’Bannon called us into Special Session with all three bills (including the labor provisions) combined in one bill. It would be an up or down vote taking the good medicine with the bad medicine, depending on your point of view. The bill passed with broad bipartisan votes (remember, we only had 50 votes) and shortly after, Frank O’Bannon’s poll numbers soared to well over 60%. Speaker Gregg had earned respect and admiration from his caucus and his adversaries as well in getting the job done.

When John Gregg saw a complicated issue or problem, he was not shy about calling in others to help find a solution. This was a leadership style that shaped his Speakership and led to some of the most dominant years for his party during his tenure as speaker.

When Gregg was Speaker, there was a daily session in the Speaker’s office from a broad cross-section of our caucus that reviewed every bill, every amendment and every possible scenario before session started. His leadership style was inclusion, listening to others. But make no mistake about it; at the end of the session, he was the decision maker. But he made those decisions with open input from a broad cross-section of our caucus.

If someone thinks they are going to outwit, outdebate or upstage John Gregg, they had better bring a sack lunch to the event, for it would be an all-day affair. Gregg is deeply religious, but doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. John is sometimes brilliant in his uncanny ability to remember names and quote the scriptures when making an impromptu speech or remarks.

When one takes in the entire persona of Speaker John Gregg, you have just what Hoosier voters are looking for. He is a straight-talkin’, bible quotin’, tell-it-like-it-is Southern Indiana Democrat who is pro-gun and right to life. Unlike many in the other party, he does not wear his social positions on his sleeve or post them on his forehead. He talks about jobs and the economy and how we can move our state forward. John Gregg talks about opportunity and inclusion.

While the opposition for the gubernatorial race often wears their values on their sleeve, John Gregg, the Southern Indiana Hoosier Renaissance man keeps his where voters want him to – in his heart!

Daniels - A Master Politician

2011-06-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

Daniels – A Master Politician

By Russ Stilwell

My observations and opinions about Mitch Daniels during his tenure as the Governor of the State of Indiana range from outrage to admiration. As a partisan democrat who was the House Majority Leader during four of his first six years in office and as a labor-oriented public official I have observed a master politician at work, regardless of the opinion of his issues with this writer!

One of the first chance encounters I had with Mitch Daniels was a couple days after he was sworn into office in 2005. We had never actually met. We had never crisscrossed the same circles and we certainly never lived in the same neighborhood. But that morning when I was walking up the steps to the capital and the governor was a few steps behind me, I said, “Good morning Governor.” To my shock he said, “Good morning Russ. How’s things in Southern Indiana.”

Right then and there, I knew that Governor Mitch had done his homework and that it included infinitesimal details about his political opposition and most likely a whole lot more. Mitch knew his opposition and his potential allies even though their paths had not crossed. He was ready.

As a self-anointed ‘political junkie”, I appreciate good political instincts and well-run campaigns. Daniels, when campaigning for governor in 2004 ran one of the best campaigns ever devised in the Hoosier state. From the good “Aw shucks” southern drawl when he was in the deep south of our state to the scholarly policy initiatives he advocated across the 92 Indiana counties, Daniels took politics to a level never mastered in the state. And he did this (and again in his 2008 reelection campaign) without smearing his opponents with slick, nasty, controversial and nasty negative campaign commercials. Daniels took campaigning to a whole different level.

My favorite (and there were a lot of favorites) commercial was when Daniels comes on air and says, “any garden that is 16 years old needs a little weeding from time to time.” It was the ultimate dig for taking a shot at 16 years of democrat control in the governor’s office. And Mitch was great at this brand of messaging.

The RV? Who would have thought it was the engine that could. And the overnights? Staying with supporters and others in their homes in every nook and cranny in our diverse state gave him a perspective of what real Hoosiers were thinking. And he put those perspectives to good use.

A couple years ago Governor Daniels was scheduled for a Chamber of Commerce breakfast address in my hometown of Boonville, a 7,000-something community with far more democrats than republicans. We chatted a minute or two at the chow line and he asked me about my yard and if my mowing it twice a week was keeping me busy. What? How could he know something as arcane as that!

Actually, he had spent the night with a long time friend of a staffer of his that he did not know (so, that’s how they do it?). Just so happened that my neighbors were the parents of the friend and when Daniels asked if they knew Russ Stilwell, they released the mowing routine. It’s always the little things that a politician remembers and relays later that makes a lasting impression. And I bet Governor Mitch had done these immeasurable times as he traveled the state.

Daniels for president? Actually, I am very pleased that he decided to not get in the race. My reasons pure and they are politically motivated. I like and support President Obama and his position on the ballot in 2012 would not help our Hoosier democrat candidates!

He would have been a force to be contended with at the national scene and would have provided the Republican party with a smart (actually very smart) candidate who know s the issues and understands the electorate with a uncanny ability to take complicated problems and have the electorate understand and support his position. He did this time and again in the Hoosier state and would have assuredly done this with a myriad of far more complicated subjects at the national level.

Even though I firmly believe that Daniels is a superb politician who can outline an aggressive agenda and even get it passed I also believe the “national press corp truth squad” would get the gov in a jam from time to time. Remember the line, “We created two jobs for every job lost.” And how about all the little things he didn’t include when taking credit for the fiscal health of the state finances. It don’t matter! At the end of the day he sold his message, had substantial voter approval and moved the state in the direction he wanted. I just happened to disagree in the direction.

Clearly, Mitch Daniels could be a bit feisty from time-to-time. He called then House Speaker Pat Bauer a “car bomber” and chastised others with clear and direct assaults. That’s ok, I guess. After all politics is still a rough and tumble sport in the Hoosier state and one has to occasionally engage, lest they get run over.

Shortly after the 2010 elections when the Republicans had overwhelmed the Democrats, not only in Indiana but throughout the nation, I received a call from a key staff person in the Daniel’s administration. Now what in the hell were they calling for? After all, I had just been defeated in my marginal democrat district (after 14 years) by a most worthy opponent who was the beneficiary of lots of campaign bucks from the governor’s Aiming Higher PAC.

Governor Daniels was scheduled to be the speaker for an announcement of a major coal gasification plant breakthrough that would bring a $2.5 Billion dollar investment to our state and create thousands of jobs for several years building the facility. Clearly, one of the few issues that me and the Daniel’s administration agreed on and worked on in a collaborative manner was this issue. I authored three bills in three successive legislative sessions to make this plant an option. Governor Daniels used the power of his office and political capital to make the gasification plant a reality.

So why did his office call? The senior staff person said that Governor Daniels wanted to personally invite me to the announcement and that I was the only person that the governor had so instructed to be invited. And true to form, I was the only elected (make that former elected official) official that Daniels singled out for making this plant a realty. Later his staff told me that he knew how much work I put into this controversial plant and wanted to let everyone know. Sure not the Mitch I never knew in our legislative battles. But, I’m sure it’s the Mitch that most Hoosiers came to appreciate.

We will never know if one day Mitch Daniels would have been a statistical footnote of a wannabe Republican presidential contender, a Republican nominee or even president. We will never know if an honest and frank discussion about our nation debt and entitlement programs between two intellectually superior candidates would have made a difference and changed direction of our nation.

But what we do know and what I believe is that President Obama should breathe a sigh of relief that Mitch Daniels doesn’t have him in his political sights! Even a partisan democrat can appreciate good politics (now, I didn’t say policy) and Mitch Daniel’s application of politics is as good as it gets.

Winners & Losers

2011-05-05T08:18:00.002-05:00

The Times, They Are A-Changin’

By Russ Stilwell

A lot has happened since the opening gavel of the 2011 IN General Assembly session. As Dylan sang decades ago, “The times, they are A-Changing”

There were winners and losers, as well as a myriad of time bombs for campaigns to come and political junkies to ponder. From the beginning, this session was going to be about change and how that change was defined.

The Hoosier political landscape has changed. New legislative maps entrench the Republicans for years to come. Congressional maps had winners and losers and a host of new candidates are off to the races even though announcements are in the distant future.

Congressman Joe Donnelly gets screwed in the congressional maps and is positioned to be a formable U.S. Senate nominee. Senator Lugar is challenged by the tea baggers and the half-cocked State Treasurer. And former Speaker John Gregg is on the democrat circuit. Sure looks like 2012 is going to be a fun year.

Governor Daniels will be making a decision in the next few weeks about his presidential ambitions. Will he or won’t he? You would have to be living under a rock if it did not look like a Daniels presidential run is imminent.

When House Dem Leader B. Patrick Bauer told me back in 2008 that Daniels was running for governor, I thought he was nuts. As I have often said, never underestimate Pat Bauer. The former Speaker got it right . . . and long before anyone even thought about a Daniel’s presidential run. Anyone that is, except maybe Daniels.

My guess is that the average Hoosier did not pay a lot of attention who they were voting for in 2010 and what the consequences might be. My crystal ball also informs me that most aren’t fully informed about the massive change conducted in Indianapolis over the past few months.

But just wait. I am certain that they will be fully informed of the mischief, the walkout and the attacks on public education, labor, Planned Parenthood and more. Every conceivable political angle from every potential advantage point will be handfed to every constituency group for political advantage by the D’s and R’s. After all, the election is only 18 months away.

As with any session, there are winners and losers. Here’s my list.

The Winners:

1. Governor Daniels. He laid out an aggressive agenda and he prevailed. And now he is poised to make his run for the White House.

2. Senate & House Republicans. They passed a budget, enacted the Daniel’s agenda and drew legislative maps that protect them for years and elections to come.

3. Hoosier Business & Corporate Interests. They got what they wanted in UI reform, got an early Christmas present in the form of a 25% tax cut and every conceivable gift the Republican majority could get wrapped.

4. Private & Charter Schools. They received an unprecedented expansion of Charter Schools and Vouchers from taxpayers.

5. Twenty newly elected House Republicans. They stood up and were counted rather than standing down and heeding advice from wiser and more veteran lawmakers. They were on a mission to move the state to the right or far-right and got the job done.

6. NRA and Gun Lobby. Every conceivable gun law that could be imagined was passed. We may even change the name of a few of our smaller communities to Dodge City.

7. Right to Life. They passed the most stringent bill on reproductive rights for women in the nation. Did I say court challenge? Hoosier women now can know for certain that breast cancer and abortion have a direct cause/effect, even though not one reputable health care expert believes this to be true

8. Associated Building Contractors. This non union segment of the Indiana construction industry stuck it to the union construction industry. Now they can underbid, pay Hoosier hard hats less money and keep the difference for increased profit. Nice work.

9. Folks who Hate Unions. This group, whoever they are, were the really big winners as the legislature took a meat cleaver (a non-union cleaver for sure) to unions without mercy. Statutory elimination of state collective bargaining; restraints on local bargaining; a complete gutting (again by a non-union cleaver wielding meat cutter) of teacher collective bargain; and an all-out assault on Hoosier construction workers.

10. Folks who Hate Public Education. They got what they wanted. The most expansive taxpayer funded voucher system in the nation. Money will flow like a gushing fire hydrant from our public schools to private school.

Now for the Losers.

1. Governor Daniels. He now has to put up with a national media cadre that will examine every aspect of his personal life, his political life and policies. Bet his political temperament improves when the press questions his policies from a national pulpit.

2. House Democrats. They walked out in protest of a massive anti-worker agenda for a record five weeks. And when they returned, the R’s continued their assault without a cease fire. They did take Right to Work off the table and modify some of the more radical anti-school and labor initiatives. But the House D’s did make sure that it’s OK to stand up for things you believe in. They get an A+ for this.

3. Hoosier Workers & Unions. They not only took in on the chin but took a hot poker in the eye for good measure. It was an unprecedented massacre. Cutting UI benefits for Hoosier Workers by 25% while cutting corporate taxes by the same amount. Eliminating unions at the state level and curtailing them at the local level. Outlawing project labor agreements w/o referendums. This list is just too long to list.

4. Local Government, Local Control and Local Ordinances. Just like Brian Howey reported a couple weeks ago, the legislature has anointed itself the City and County Council for the state. Whether it’s the elected school board, the city or county council or the myriad of other local bodies, the legislature has decided that “Father Knows Best” when the legislature is in session. Now we can have guns in the city council, our libraries and court house. Everywhere but the premises where the law was conceived – the statehouse.

5. Twenty New House Republicans. What? How can they be in both the winners and losers? Simple. They were elected by an unprecedented political tsunami and didn’t know it. Now they have a voting record that the House D’s will blister them with. Wanna bet that voters in many of these districts just might not like taxpayer funded vouchers for private schools? Wanna bet that labor and teachers will be motivated with political steroids in 2012?

6. Planned Parenthood. Again, Hoosiers women have been denied reproductive services by a majority of middle aged white men in suits. And I’m not talking about abortion. Women will no longer have the resources of Planned Parenthood. Thanks like breast cancer screenings and birth control.

7. Public School Teachers and Public Education. There was an all out assault on our public teachers with the elimination of collective bargaining, merit pay and a freight train of tax dollars delivered to private and charter schools. If any group got a hot poker stuck in their eye it was our public educators.

8. Hoosier Middle Class workers and Public Servants. Indianapolis took a full frontal assault on those who teach our kids, build our highways and pick up our garbage. Seems our public servants were the scapegoats. Indiana is better than this, or at least it should be. Reward the corporate community and tell the unemployed to do more with less.

9. Right to Work Advocates. Just when they thought they were on the verge of victory the House Democrats sent them a crushing message. Enough is enough. RTW was taken off the table almost as quickly as it was served.

10. Middle Class Hoosiers. House Democrat Leader B. Patrick Bauer said that voters will fill in “the real scorecard” within the next year as education reforms begin taking effect and priorities in the new state budget become apparent. “This session proved the difference between the two parties,” Bauer said. “We stood for the working people, the teachers, students, the elderly and disabled, and they didn’t.” Time will tell.

Maybe it really is a little early to list the winners and losers. But as Bob Dylan sang almost 50 years ago, The Times, They are A-Changin; the loser now will be later to win.

Only time and Hoosier voters will reveal the outcome. But for now, the Hoosier times are “A-Changin”.

Come writeres and critics.who prophesize with your pen, and keep your eyes wide, the chance won’t come again. Don’t speak too soon, for the wheel’s still in spin, and there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’, for the loser now will be later to win, fo

Like a Box of Chocolates.

2011-04-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

Like a Box of Chocolates

By: Russ Stilwell

Tom Hank’s character, Forrest Gump, in the blockbuster movie of 1994 had one of the most famous lines from a movie of all time. “My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

I would think that the 2011 Indiana General Assembly could be categorized much the same way. You never know what you’re gonna get.

Who would have thought so much would have occurred in only one session of the legislature. I guess elections do have consequences. I would like to create a top ten, but the list just goes on and on and on and on.

In a session where the Republicans outnumbered democrats 60-40 in the House and quorum-proof in the Senate you would have expected the number one issue would be the budget, school reform, union bashing or some other Governor Mitch initiative.

Nope, the #1 story for 2011 will be about the historic walkout by Pat Bauer and the House Democrats over the overreaching antics of the new-found House majority.

As the years go by, all the ramblings of political pundits on the myriad of issues and bills that took place in 2011 will pale in comparison to the defiant action of the House Democrats. If you think things are bad now, just imagine what would have happened if the dems had stayed glued to their seats.

The 2011 session will go down in history as one of the most sweeping, reform minded (both good and bad) legislative sessions in decades. And it’s not even over yet! Here’s some of my favorite “How do I explain this back home” initiatives.

Voucher –School Reform #1: Did I mention that we are going to have your state tax dollars going to private & religious schools? Some even have the audacity to have us believe that this will not take monies from our public schools with this largest voucher proposal in the nation.

Merit Pay Reform #2: Elimination of collective bargaining for all school employees and Merit Pay based on student performance. Bet our school employees and teachers will pay close attention to election 2012!

Forced Consolidation Reform #3: Let’s make sure that our small schools (less than 500 students) get $100 less per pupil funding than everyone else. Or you could just say we gave $100 more to everyone but them. Bet this creative thinking works just fine for all those small schools in competitive House districts. I’m looking forward to this explanation! Surely this isn’t forced consolidation.

$150M more or $450M Less Reform #4: Actually, this reform has two explanations. You be the judge. We increased K-12 funding by $150 million in the budget. Or, you the budget are $450 million less than budgeted in 2009 for K-12. Wanna bet that the R’s and D’s have completely different takes on this one?

UI Reform #5: We finally corrected the UI fund and made it solvent. Employers paid more and unemployed workers shared in the pain. I would bet that the D’s will say that the R’s cut UI benefits 25% and for good measure gave a corporate tax cut of 25%.

Stick it to em Reform#6: The R’s would have you believe our Hoosier state was finally brought into the 21st Century with logical and well thought out labor proposals that will grow our economy and create jobs. Actually, I would think even the most ardent supporter of these draconian labor bills would say it was a “stick in the eye” of labor unions and working folks. Or maybe just politics 101 political payback.

Union Busting Reform #7: This list is actually too long to publish. Eliminate Project Labor Agreements. Make sure that our state employees never again belong to a union and ban collective bargaining for all state employees. Ever wonder why they wanted a union? Did I say fairness in the workplace and being treated as partners in our society?

Right to Work Reform #8: The Perfect Fix: Once we do everything possible to offend anyone even remotely favorable of working folks and labor unions, let’s complete our agenda and pass Right-to-Work. Sure, we won’t get any democrat votes but we can once and for all cripple those unions and their union bosses. And in the process we can end the primary support for the Democrats. Now, that didn’t work out too well, did it? How many days did the dems stay out? Did I say an energized democrat base in 2012?

Clean Up Reform #9: A call to arms for our progressive Hoosier State. Let’s make sure we change our constitution so we don’t have gay marriage even though we have a law already on the books and there has never been a gay marriage or the threat of a gay marriage in our state’s history. While we’re at it, maybe the party of less government can make sure that local decision making is transferred to the state (guns, schools, taxes, labor, PLA’s, collective bargaining & bunches more).

Say it ain’t so Charlie White Reform #10: This is my favorite. Let’s nominate an ineligible candidate for Sec State and see him win a landslide in our Republican state. And once he’s indicted for felony election registration fraud . . . and the Indiana Recount Commission rejects his removal . . . and a state court remands this back to the Recount Commission for another look . . . just change the law! I’m sure the Senate party line vote had nothing to do with a GOP power grab to undo the tidy little mess they find themselves in. Sure is hard to explain this one with a straight face.

And I didn’t even mention redistricting and a strong statewide ticket for dems in 2012. Maybe we can save these for another day. Our legislative initiatives really are like a box of chocolates.

Gettin' Together?

2011-03-31T13:03:00.000-05:00

Getting’ Together?

By Russ Stilwell

A couple weeks ago, I talked about being “politically boxed in a corner.” We discussed how to get out, what the price might be and are you willing to pay the price.

Isn't it funny what 10 days can do to ease the complexity for an exit strategy, particularly if you had not wanted one for the past month? In case you’re been living under a rock, “The House Democrats are Back.”

Prediction: In less than a week, the House R’s will wish the Dems had stayed in Urbana. They will face a worn-out, issue-driven wide-awake caucus bent on making sure that the issues they hold dear have a voice.

And there will be no shortage of democrat debate, or amendments for that matter.

For the first time in a long time, I suspect that many of the House Dems have read and reread each of the House R’s controversial bills – and there are plenty of them. And they have prepared and reviewed amendments.

Add all this together and throw it in the political blender with a Type-A legislator who hasn’t had a chance to debate for weeks and you’re got late night sessions, pent up passion and Hoosier politics at its best.

The House D’s have been considering how they might return to the capitol ever since they left. Much has happened. What started as a walk-out on Right to Work (and other issues, for sure) ended up being the longest legislative caucus walkout in modern day history – in any state.

There are still a myriad of still lingering issues that the House has on its calendar that will make this session interesting. Did I mention project labor agreements, school vouchers, collective bargaining and the budget?

Political pundits, including this one, have been ranting for a month or more about the democrat walk-out, the longest walkout in U.S. modern-day era by a state legislative caucus. It never came close to receiving the Wisconsin national media frenzy. But it did strengthen the will of a whole lot of Hoosiers on the receiving end of the over-reaching republican butcher knife.

Sometimes the House Democrats just can’t help themselves. And sometimes the House Republicans, despite a sizable majority, do the unthinkable and make self-inflicted wounds on their political armor.

History will record two classic wounds: 1995 and 2011. For one, the history is already etched in the books and for the other (2011), history is being recorded. The House R’s had it all in 1995 with a 56-44 majority that resulted from the republican wave in the 1994 elections.

And then they did the unthinkable. They made sure the democrat base was energized!

They took on our public school teachers and the ISTA. They conducted a full scale attack on labor and the building trades (remember the rallies?). And for good measure they smacked around the trial lawyers and attempted mid-census redistricting that caused a 10-day democrat walkout. The result? They rallied the democrat base and lost their majority the very next election.

2011? Time will tell but history has a strong habit of repeating itself. The R’s took on every anti-labor issue imaginable. They shredded the ISTA into pieces. They made our public school teachers the scapegoat for all of our education woes. And for good measure they took their agenda to a whole new level of rallying the democrat base!

Stay tuned for 2012. It should be interesting fodder. The democrat base is energized!

What about the return of the Democrats? Will they be subdued into submission? Don’t think so!

My best guess is the five-week 15-round bout the House D’s sprung on the House R’s was the opening of a multi-bout fight. The issues are still there. The D’s are still simmering over the overreaching and the House R’s feel it’s their time.

Not really a good recipe to sing, “Getting’ Together”, from the old Tommy James and the Shondales song from the 60’s. Those lyrics won’t make it past the first week of long night sessions.

Gettin' together is better than ever
Gettin' together never felt like this before
Gettin' together is better than ever
Gettin' together

But the issues are so very real . . . and so very partisan . . . and so very polarized. Getting’ Together just may not be better than ever! Getting’ together might be lining up for the feature fight in another 15-round fight.

Time to Get Out of the Box!

2011-03-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

By Russ Stilwell

Time to Get Out of the Box!

Last weekend I decided to take a trip to Urbana, IL and see first-hand what all the fuss was about in this college dominated community just a few miles from our Hoosier border.   As I pulled into the parking lot of the Comfort Inn I knew right away that House Dem’s weren’t holed up in a four-star hotel.

And no, there wasn’t a hot tub, as Mitch likes to suggest from time-to-time. What I did see was a group of special Hoosiers defying all odds to insure that their beloved state continues to value fairness in the workplace and classroom!

As I visited with these former colleagues of mine, I realized that they’re not in Urbana to score political points. And they’re not in the Land of Lincoln for the purpose of offending the new Republican majority.

They know they are the last assemblage left in our Hoosier State that can prevent the wholesale destruction of the assault on the middle class and the union members who sustain that middle class.

They sent strong signals to the other side that they are prepared to come back, debate the issues and finish their collective work if one particularly offensive bill would be rescinded   Seems like a simple solution to such a complex stalemate. But politics and type A personalities never make for simple solutions.

I have known House Democrat Leader Pat Bauer for a long time. And I’ll readily admit that he can be difficult to deal with from time-to-time. But I also know a lot about this man that many folks don’t. And after spending several hours with him this past weekend, I renewed my belief no one … and I mean no one . . . should ever relish rolling in the muddy ring of politics with Pat Bauer.

Unlike most politicians, Pat Bauer is an excellent listener! He takes ridicule and Bauer-bashing with a grain of salt, although sometimes I do think it bothers him more than he shows. But he is one thing above all else – one tough down-in-the-your-face leader.

And contrary to his critics, he doesn’t always pick the fights. Most just come his way and unlike many of his contemporaries, Pat Bauer never walks away from a fight! And if that fight is for the things he champions most, there is not a fiercer combatant than the feisty out-spoken Irishman from South Bend, Indiana!

And Pat Bauer champions the fight for the little people (and no, not because he is short) and those that need a voice. He champions the fight of the middle class, public schools and the rights of Hoosiers to have a union and earn a decent wage. Sometimes, I think that is his calling.

If you ever find yourself engaged in a political fight with Pat Bauer, you had better come well prepared and ready to go the full 15 rounds!

I really don’t know what round this legislative stalemate is in, but I know that Pat Bauer has a lot of rounds left him! He won’t bite off your ear to end the fight, but when the bout is over, you might wish he had.
That brings me to the point of this article. Are Pat Bauer and the House Democrats in a box?

Some might suggest that these temporary residents of the Land of Lincoln are in a box. Others might suggest that Speaker Bosma and his band of 60 are in a box.

One should not be surprised that both caucuses are in a box. On any given day these Type A personalities are boiling, enraged, fighting mad, livid, singing songs in caucus or just resigned to another day useless day of waiting.

Like most Hoosiers, I would like for this stalemate to end. So I thought I would do what any enterprising Hoosier would do.   Find out how to get out of a box!

Peanuts and the Coconut!

In Africa and parts of India the natives use a unique technique to catch monkeys.
They hollow out one end of a coconut and tie a long line to it. Then they put peanuts inside the coconut and hide it in the bush. When a monkey discovers the coconut is filled with nuts, he works his hand through the small hole in one end of coconut to grab a fist full of nuts, but finds when he makes a fist to grab the peanuts he is unable to pull his hand out through the hole.

Once the monkey has his hand inside the coconut, the natives slowly pull in the line attached to the coconut. No matter how loud the monkey squeals, he remains trapped as long as his fist is clenched.
The monkey could easily escape if he he’d just let go. The monkey would never be caught if he would only let go of the peanuts. The monkey was in a box. He could have his freedom if only he let go of the peanuts. And the only way he could have the peanuts was to give up his freedom.

It looks to me that Speaker Bosma and the House Republicans are just like the proverbial monkey. They won’t let go of their over-reaching fist-clenching agenda on common construction. And every day Leader Bauer and his band of 39 pull that string every closer to the brink of legislative destruction.

What is a Box?

A box (just like the coconut) is just metaphor for a situation that restricts your freedom. House D’s stuck in Urbana and House R’s stuck on a half-empty legislative chamber.

There is always a way out of every box. One only needs to be willing to pay the price.

Know that you pay a price to remain in the box

Anytime you remain in a box you pay a price. The House D’s are getting the wrath of Hoosiers for not doing the job they were elected to do.

House R’s are on the receiving end of a barrage of outrage from many of the voters who just may have put them in office. I just can’t believe either side is enjoying their position.

Recognize there is a way out of the box

To get out, you will have to pay a price. You can always get out of the box. You just have to be willing to pay the price.

The House D’s have served notice that their price is one lonely legislative arrow in the overloaded Republican quiver of arrows.

The House R’s? Seems their price was $250 daily fines, a poorly sung melody in their caucus that pissed off the D’s and a Freshmen Republican letter serving notice that their agenda was nothing short of the Second Crusade!.

Pay the price and get out of the box?

House D’s were probing for a rallying cause, and the House R’s sent them a Right to Work curve ball that was deflected out of the park all the way to Urbana! It’s time for Speaker Bosma to unclench his fist full of labor-troubling peanuts and this “session of all sessions” can begin anew.

If you are trapped in a box one should remember that the “Art of War” claims that there is nothing more dangerous than a foe that has no way out but to fight. And if the fight goes another round, my money is on the tough-nosed guy in the corner protecting the little guy on the street! My money’s on Pat Bauer and the House Democrats!

Empty the Water

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-06:00

Empty the Water!

By Russ Stilwell

Where oh where shall I begin? There’s just not enough time or space for this week’s column. Let me begin with a coal mine story.

Years ago, when I began working in the coal mines of SW Indiana, most underground miners carried a round lunch bucket to work that included a separate compartment that held water. Every once in a while a miner would take the cap off that water container, hold it upside down and empty out the water. He would holler “home.”

This signaled that it was time to dump your water, pick up your tools and head for the house. Or, in the case of the Indiana House Democrats, Urbana, IL. There were injustices to be heard!

Sometimes the mine walkouts were brief. Most were for a just cause and some over nonsense. With working conditions hundreds of feet into the bowels of the earth, it didn’t take much to set off the miners. Years ago, the Lansford Valley Gazette explained it well; “A coal mine is six dimensional; Dusty, deep, dark, damp, dirty and dangerous. Any one of those dimensions could aggravate a miner on any given day.” They stood tall for their health, their safety and their family.

Fast forward to 2011. Now, I’m not suggesting that the House Democrats resemble these miners of decades ago. But they do have a lot in common. They too emptied their water and went home. They called it a day. Or maybe a week or two.

And just like those miners, they stood tall! Their courage and conviction is just as profound as those miners of years ago. Standing up for the working class!

For weeks, House democrats listened, complained, offered amendments and more as their Republican counterparts unleashed a barrage of initiatives aimed directly at labor and the hard-working middle class Hoosiers.

These good intention R’s sought to abolish collective bargaining, union construction and for good measure they took on public education with their tax vouchers for private schools.

Oh, and they made sure there was parity. They awarded unemployed Hoosiers with a 25% cut in weekly unemployment benefits while rewarding Hoosier corporations with a 25% corporate tax break (SB 589).

But it just wasn’t enough. On the final day to announce a committee hearing, the House R’s announced a hearing for that fateful Right to Work bill. The bill was heard in a cramped basement meeting room without input from scores of folks who signed up to oppose the bill. The fight was on.

Then just as quickly, they passed the bill in a party-line vote and sent it to the House floor for adoption. What did they expect? What were they thinking? The kindling was hot, RTW was the legislative spark and House D’s proclaimed “enough is enough.”

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opening day of the legislative session where Democrat Leader Pat Bauer sent that “not so subtle smoke signal to Speaker Bosma” when RTW was assigned. Too bad the Speaker didn’t heed the signal. The stage was set. It’s no wonder the House D’s emptied their water!

It was simple on opening day and it’s simple today in Urbana, IL. House D’s sent the same parting shot, “we matter, we count and be careful with your agenda or you just might not have one.”

House D’s, and for that matter our public servants and union activists know that we have tough budgets. They know that difficult choices have to be made. And they know that they will be expected to play a part in those choices.

But they do not believe that punitive mean-spirited efforts to dismantle collective bargaining are part of the solution or part of the choices.

Indiana cannot balance the budget, protect the middle class and call our Hoosier state a great place to do business when they place the blame for our economic peril on our public servants who teach our kids, pick up our trash, build our infrastructure and protect our communities!

When they seek to eliminate unions and collective bargaining, they are seeking to undermine the middle class as we know it!

If they succeed, then all Hoosiers will suffer. And not just for a year or two, but for generations!

Maybe, just maybe, this could have all been avoided. When you are in the minority, you expect to lose your legislative battles. You expect to experience unpleasant policies and law.

But sometimes you do have to stand up and be counted. And yes, sometimes you have to stand down and “empty your water” just like those miners a long time ago!

Standing up (or standing down) for your core beliefs is a long-held American tradition. It takes courage, commitment and a core belief to empty your water and head for the house.

It is far easier to say, “I did my best and voted against it, but the bill/s passed anyway”. It takes special leaders to say enough is enough and follow their hearts, their convictions and their principles. We need more of these special leaders.

Where will it all end? We must have compromise and discussion that allows all of the voices in our society to be heard.

There have been thousands of voices heard in our capitol the past several days. And I would expect that intensity to grow in the coming weeks. It isn’t about the budget and tax cuts for corporations. It’s about middle class Hoosiers believing that are getting a fair shake from their government.

Maybe it’s time these working class Hoosiers think about draining their water buckets as well. My best guess is that the water will be gushing by the end of next week as Hoosiers by the tens of thousands visit their capitol!

2011-02-16T11:31:00.000-06:00

Visionaries or Living in the Valley of the Blind?

By: Russ Stilwell

Everywhere you look, you hear that government is not working, that government needs to get out of the way and that government should not dictate to us how we lead our lives. My oh my, do we ever live in a strange world!

Let’s look at some of the more noticeable examples right here in our Hoosier state. It’s a political gold mine for the political junkie unless you are a visionary.

While calling for less government and for government to get out of the way, the Indiana General Assembly is passing laws to insure that the government sneaks into your bedroom, stays out of your gun safe and makes sure local units of government are banned from local decision making.

They are a busy group as they are also making every effort to dismantle public education, take away local school board decision making and insuring that one day in the not-too-distant future we can boast of being a union-free right-to-work state. Talk about a race to the bottom for Hoosier working class paychecks.

And then there are the others. Now, thanks to the Senate, we can carry a concealed weapon into public meetings at the local level (wonder why they left out the state level?). The House is debating a bill that would raise marriage license fees four-fold, unless you completed a state premarital course. And if we are lucky, we will have a constitutional right to fish, hunt, and harvest game and who-knows-what-else by the time this session ends.

Since Indiana law on the ban of gay marriage (1997) hasn’t been challenged or even talked about for years, I’m sure that Hoosiers will be pleased to know that the General Assembly will spend countless hours making sure we add this to our constitution as well. And for good measure, we’ll just make sure that civil unions and any conveyance or marriage are felonious as well. Make sure you pull the bedcovers up tight tonight!

Education? I’ m afraid to even bring it up. But . . . seems we are headed for lots of change, even change most candidates did not even talk about. Let’s make sure, as Governor Daniels likes to say, “Kids come first.”

Let us expand charter schools and take existing money from our already financially strapped public schools. Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s let public school kids take their state money and enroll in a private school. I’ll bet our private schools don’t just take the emotionally, physically and mentally disadvantaged challenged. Wanna bet they want the others? Let the public schools teach ‘those’ kids! And then we can say we told you so when our public schools erode further.

The list goes on. In the Senate, cuts for education benefits for disabled veteran’s kids are on the chopping block while another committee is having hearings to cut business taxes by $140 Million.

And one of my favorites is the continual bragging by our governor that Indiana has the fewest state employee per capita in nation. And we pay them at the bottom as well. I wonder if this included FSSA and the ill-fated private for-profit firm that created one of the most colossal erosions of fairness for poor people in the history of our state. Probably not.

Yep, it’s a fun time if you are a political junkie, but I don’t think that fun will be felt by teachers, construction workers and countless others in our Hoosier State.

How, in only a few short weeks, can the party of less government place government under the sheets, insert it into every decision of local decision makers and tell the fastest growing segment of our population (Hispanic) to hang on while we pass the most invasive immigration bill of all the 50 states? You can if Visionaries are leading the state.

Got time for my last point? Sometimes I just can’t help myself. A quick observation about the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Let’s review Obama’s concession to the national Republican leadership to allow these cuts to continue, despite adding $700 billion in debt at a time of record budget deficits.

It amazes me how 2% of the American people (the wealthiest) can get the rest of the us to believe it is in our best interest to reward them with $700 Billion.

Talk about salesmanship! Surly, the proponents of this exclusive club of rich Americans must be visionaries too.

Recently, while watching a 60 Minutes rerun, Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas mega-rich visionary who transformed that city, when asked if he was a visionary said,” a visionary can be a one-eyed man with failing eyesight if he is walking through a valley of the blind.” It is all in the eye of the beholder.

We need to balance the budget, cut spending and quit bailing out the banks and auto industry. But it’s ok to give the super rich a continuation of a $700 Billion tax break?

And right here in Indiana we need to balance the budget, keep government from intruding into our lives and insure that Hoosiers have quality public education. But it’s ok to send our public tax monies to private schools enact restrictive measures for local government and carry heat anywhere you want.

I must surely live in the valley of the blind.

It's the Economy, Stupid!

2011-01-26T12:18:00.000-06:00

It’s the economy, stupid!
Russ Stilwell
"It's the economy, stupid" was a phrase widely used during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign against President George HW Bush. “I do not believe we can repair the basic fabric of society until people who are willing to work have work.” ~Bill Clinton

Along with thousands of other Hoosiers I watched Governor Daniels deliver his State of State message just a short couple weeks ago. I even concluded that he delivered a powerful speech with a specific list of things to do. I was impressed. But then I took the time to actually read the speech. It wasn’t about Jobs and the Economy.

The governor included all the clever references such as how “Hoosiers are waiting tonight for a national economic recovery.” He eloquently spoke of building one of the best job climates in the country (think he should review the WTHR “Where are the Jobs” investigative reporting every once in a while?).

He continued, “Breaking the all-time record for new job commitments isn’t enough. Adding new jobs at twice the national average isn’t enough.   It could not offset the terrible drag of a national economic tide that continues to leave too many boats suck in the muck.” Seems that “national economy” has singled out our Hoosier state in spite of our state’s Herculean efforts!

And with that he took off and spent the remainder of the evening talking about cutting taxes, his proposed budget and education. And he quoted that famous Hoosier philosopher who said, “its tainted money. ‘Taint yours, and ‘taint mine.”

I’ll bet the bankers in our state liked that ‘tainted money’ line when they realized the Gov planned on taking $200 million of their contributions from the insurance trust fund that protects Hoosiers from possible bank meltdowns!

But one should always save the best for last, just like Governor Daniels did in his annual address:   Education Reform.

Every Hoosier governor has attempted educational reform in every possible fashion since the beginning of time. Some got it right and some just didn’t get it! I think Governor Daniels is somewhere in the middle.

Last week, I asked a normal hard-working small business owner a question about public school reform.   She doesn’t give a hoot about education policy or the sport of political jousting. The question was simple: “Why do some kids do well and others seem to fail in our public schools?”

She thought for only a second or two and very expertly explained to me why some kids do well and others poorly. She noted why most private school kids seem to do very well and why charter schools get high remarks. All of this from a person who does not give these issues a thought or two throughout the course of a year?

She began, “It isn’t rocket science. Kids that have a stable home life with supportive parents that instill an environment of education and learning will do well in school. Kids from poorer neighborhoods whose single parent (or parents) work dead-end jobs and don’t find the time to help with homework, or are just to worn out from putting food on the table, will not fare very well. Education reform begins at home.”
She gets it better than most of our school experts. It’s about Jobs and the Economy!

Solid meaningful jobs for Hoosiers should always be our number one priority. With good jobs come stable homes, supportive parents and better educational achievement for our kids! But I didn’t hear the governor venture into our dismal state jobs numbers.   And I can’t blame him either. I wouldn’t want to talk about these figures if they occurred on my watch.

I didn’t hear him talk about our 300,000 long-term unemployed Hoosiers. I seemed to miss any mention of our nearly 10% Hoosier unemployment rate that consistently ranks as one of the worst in the nation. And I missed how he intends to help the nearly 1 in 5 Hoosiers who are unemployed or underemployed. Think maybe the House majority can fix this when they tidy up the unemployment insurance trust fund with lower benefits?

But I did hear a lot about education reform. Let’s pass Charter School reform and let scores of new entities start new Charter Schools and continue the drain on our public schools.

Let’s eliminate some of our most challenged teachers because they happen to teach students from public schools that accept students from all walks of life.

Let’s send our kids to private schools with public money, and let the public schools teach only those who are physically, emotionally and mentally challenged! A real recipe for success not to mention constitutionally questionable!

Seems the legislators listened. Just last week they passed enabling legislation that dictated the start date for local schools cannot begin until after Labor Day regardless of what the local school officials think. I bet that will really get them test scores up, won’t it?

They held hearings on a massive increase in Charter Schools.   And more change is sure to come.
At the end of the day in all probability, things won’t change much if the real issues in the 2010 election aren’t addressed. Clinton got it right. It’s about Jobs and the Economy.

The quicker someone begins a serious dialogue about Jobs for Hoosiers, the quicker we will have quality education and a better place for all Hoosiers to call home! After all, it’s the economy, stupid.

"Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"

2011-01-13T11:19:00.000-06:00

Russ Stilwell: “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em”

By Russ Stilwell

The opening session of the 2011 General Assembly should not have surprised anyone. When the House Democrats pulled a never-used rule out of their political playbook that delayed opening day feel- good speeches, it was a classic case of the minority informing the majority (or in this case Pat Bauer sending not so subtle political smoke signals to Speaker Bosma) that we matter, we count and be careful with your agenda or you just might not have one.

He could have just as well sung lyrics from classic Kenny Rogers, The Gambler:

You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,

Know when to walk away, and know when to run.

You never count your money when you’re sittin‘ at the table.

There will be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.

A long time ago, a prominent State Senator commented about House Democrat Leader B. Patrick Bauer, “Never underestimate Pat Bauer politically or intellectually.” Wise words from a wise former senator. No doubt that Governor Daniels gets it. The bigger question is whether or not the House Republicans get it.

The governor has been on the receiving end of the good, the bad and the indifferent from the feisty partisan from South Bend throughout his tenure. That’s one of the reasons the Gov has repeatedly stated that now is not the time to for a contentious Right-to-Work battle. The state has other issues far more deserving debate. I hope that Speaker Bosma and his caucus understand as well.

Some of the most successful politicians in the Hoosier state are familiar with the crosshairs of political weapons – sometime aiming the sights and sometimes being the target. Bauer and Daniels are experts at this political sport. Both have a lot of practice with each other. But the shot initiated last week by Bauer was not directed at the governor; rather it was a shot over the bow to Bosma and the House Republicans. If they hope to move their weighty agenda, hopefully they took notice.

One only has to look at the past to predict the future. The year was 1995 and the Republicans had captured the Indiana House with fifty-six seats. They had run on an aggressive agenda of a Contract for Indiana. They were swept into office with a national wave just short of a tsunami. Times were good. Sound familiar?

Fast forward to 2010. With a wealth of “capital” support from Daniels, House Republicans ran on a Daniel’s agenda of reform. They were swept into office with a national wave of relentless tsunami proportion. Sixty house seats and nearly a score of fresh faces in the freshmen class.

In ‘95, they began the move to dismantle organized labor that created the most contentious and massive lobbying the Hoosier capitol had ever experienced! Twenty five thousand trade unionists converged on the state capital.

The only issue talked about or written about was the controversial labor issues. They had forgotten their agenda and the political reality that a near tsunami propelled them into office. And they lost their impressive majority the very next election.

2010? It was a very popular and motivated Governor with the hurricane-force winds of a tsunami of the century that propelled the House Republicans to victory. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the repudiation of Democrats in 2010 put the GOP in control of the most state legislative seats since 1928. Sounds to me like a national storm of epic proportion, not a recipe to take on all of organized labor in a mid-sized industrial state with a strong union presence.

The 2010 win in Indiana ended with a political tsunami with waves that pounded the shores in a relentless torrent. They just kept coming, beginning at the doors of then Speaker Pelosi and continuing the cascade through the state legislatures all the way to the courthouses. It was not a call to arms to dismantle labor and pick a fight that will overshadow what the election was really all about.

The House Democrats know when to pick a fight and when to take their medicine. They demonstrated this on opening day last week. Just like Kenny Rogers, they know when to “hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.” After all, they are in the minority.

The House Republicans also know when to pick a fight and when to take their medicine. However, time will tell if they know when to “hold ‘em and when to fold’em.” I hope they learn lessons from years past. Maybe they should review this classic song’s other lyrics as well.

Now Ev’ry gambler know the secret to survivin’

Is knowin’ what to throw away and what to keep

“Knowin’ what to throw away and what to keep” just might make the 2011 session a whole lot more productive, albeit a whole lot less interesting.

Russ Stilwell New Blog Site

2010-12-08T09:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Russ Stilwell new Blog Site. This is the initial blog and only a test to insure that the new blog is up and running. Dated 12-8-2010

A new blog

2010-12-07T20:41:00.003-06:00

Hello, welcome to my new page!