Like a Box of Chocolates.

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?

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!

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

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!

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!

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"

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.