16. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

Let me be perfectly clear about one thing - Bill Wendt is a genuine hero. He most certainly is not the villain that some in LaPorte County Government  are attempting to portray him as.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the public forum put on by Mike Conner and the Michigan Township Citizens for Fair Taxes Inc. about Mr. Wendt’s ongoing  challenge to  LaPorte County’s  highly flawed property tax assessment process.  In my opinion, there was no better way to celebrate Bill of Rights Day than to go and see grassroots activism at its absolute finest.   For about two hours yesterday, a few hundred concerned taxpayers heard firsthand details from Mr. Wendt and Mr. Conner and their very well qualified consultants, Mark Phillips and Bob Denne.  Unlike the $1900 tax increase  I received from Assessor McDaniel, the forum was worth every cent of the $100 fee and I suspect that most others in the room also felt their money was wisely invested.  A lot of very interesting information that never hits the newspaper was shared about the qualifications of those we have elected to office - apparently sworn legal depositions are truly amazing things when those officials have to actually speak for themselves instead of using a taxpayer financed, attorney-generated press release.  We learned some interesting information about the apparent no-bid contractual relationship between the Nexus Group and LaPorte County.  Personally, I appreciated seeing that LaPorte County Councilman Earl Cunningham and State Senator Jim Arnold were present at the forum to gather information firsthand so they can better serve all of their constituents which include not only  Democrats, but Republicans, Libertarians and Independents as well.   

 Like the St. John’s case a few years ago, Mr. Wendt’s action is  no ordinary challenge and the stakes are very high not only for those who live in Michigan Township but for all of us who live in LaPorte County and the entire state of Indiana as well.  I can certainly understand why Assessor McDaniel, Attorney Friedman, and others connected to LaPorte County Government are trying to once again create a political smokescreen to cover the asses of those involved.  But trying to launch media driven class warfare certainly is not a role that those in or connected to  public government should be using our tax dollars to do.

Residents of Michigan Township believe that they have been wrongly and unfairly assessed and that puts a disproportionate property tax burden on them compared to those who have been under assessed.  I believe they are right and the property tax bills that are being levied against them are absolutely outrageous.  The inherently flawed ”fair market value” assessment standard currently used must be restored to the ”uniform and equal” standard that is mandated by the Indiana Constitution.  Property tax assessment should be reasonably tied to an actual value of government services delivered (user fee) - it should not be based on how nice or well maintained a government paid  assessor of questionable qualifications thinks your  home is.  Perhaps Assessor McDaniel and Attorney Friedman can better explain to us why someone with an 1100 sf  house in Michigan Township should pay $10,000 more in property tax than someone living in a 1700 sf house in Noble Township.  That 1100 sf probably utilizes fewer government services than the 1700 sf does - charging it an additional $10,000 based on perceived “worth” simply makes no sense.  That really does not seem either uniform or equal to me and I don’t think that most reasonable people would think so either.  But how long has it been since either D’s or R’s have been reasonable and actually done the right thing for the people who elected them?    

Yesterday’s forum was packed with those who are commonly called “Movers and Shakers” - they wield power, influence, and they make things happen.  They are clearly accustomed to winning and government usually works for them, not against.  But like SISOC and those fighting the intermodal bearing down on Union Mills,  those who are fighting this battle are seeing up close and personal just how some in government wield power and attempt to deny them their most fundamental right to access public information.  They seem to be a bit surprised that members of our government are questioning their rights. 

At the end of the forum, I had a chance to meet and briefly chat with Mr. Wendt to express my appreciation to him for his efforts to try to fix the property tax mess in LaPorte County.  When I mentioned that I was actively involved with the Libertarian Party, he was curious and seemed a bit puzzled about what had led me down that path. Like many, I totally understand the feeling of being mad as hell and have been earning a some scars from political battles over the years because of that feeling.  But I suspect that as his battle goes forth and Mr. Wendt has front row seats to get an even better picture about how some  in our government will attempt to deny even his most basic rights, he won’t be puzzled for very long.      

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14. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

Bill Wendt and Mike Conner have it right.  These men have taken the lead in challenging the absurd assessments that LaPorte County Assessor Carol McDaniels has inflicted upon the residents of LaPorte County.  This week property tax bills were finally mailed out and many LaPorte County residents are finally seeing first hand just how far out-of-whack the property tax mess is. In her wildest dreams, Alice in Wonderland couldn’t have come up with this one but Old Party Politicians  (OPPs) and their cronies on the Tax Court did.  Indiana’s new “Fair Market” Assessment is inherently flawed and is anything but fair.  Perhaps if the OPPs actually took a few minutes to read the Indiana Constitution they have sworn to uphold, a couple of the brighter bulbs might realize that what they are doing is not constitutional either.

Mr. Wendt and Mr. Conner have scheduled a public forum for 10 AM Saturday at the Blue Chip Casino where attorneys with the law firm of Newby, Lewis, Kaminski and Jones will instruct participants how to file a property tax appeal and discuss the progress of their lawsuit

 http://www.heraldargus.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=412&TM=19432.87 

Not that it means anything to McDaniels & OPPs, but it seems partcularly fitting to me that this forum will be held on Bill of Rights Day - I think this forum is exactly the type of grassroots involvement that Jefferson and the Founder’s had in mind when they were putting the pen to the parchment. 

 But Assessor McDaniels is apparently pitching a royal hissy fit

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=7616

about the $100 fee that they will be collecting to help offset the cost of legal fees they have incurred. Assessor McDaniels wants people to think that is “ridiculous.”  But I think most people know the truth about what is really “ridiculous.”  Personally, I am greatly appreciative of the efforts by Mr. Wendt and Mr. Conner to challenge McDaniels ridiculous assessments.  And I will happily go and VOLUNTARILY give those gentlemen $100 to help their effort.  For me, the math is easy - $100 voluntarily given for real value is far, far preferable to the bogus $1900 tax increase that McDaniels is forcing me to pay for little value.  While it may be a no-brainer for most, that concept clearly is not understood by the Old Party Incompetent Electeds (OPIE’s) we continue to put in office.      

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10. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

Saturday, I had the opportunity to accompany a couple of local high school students to Senator Lugar’s 31st Annual Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders at the University of Indianapolis.  It was an outstanding event that may very well be a life changing experience for several of these future leaders as they start to become more aware of an outside  world larger than themselves.  The students participated in discussions on issues such as energy, immigration, and global warming. Adults had the opportunity to hear some excellent presentations from foreign exchange students who are living in Indiana and journalist Brian Howey who had accompanied Senator Lugar and Senator Nunn on a trip to Russia commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. Howey’s account of the trip was extremely interesting but a grim reminder that the world is still an incredibly dangerous place despite the end of the Cold War and the best efforts of concerned leaders like Senator Lugar.

Senator Lugar is clearly an amazing individual and a perfect example of the type of highly respected statesman that America should have representing our diplomatic interests abroad. As a citizen, I do appreciate the leadership he has provided and his efforts to try to make the world a better place - I believe we have been very well represented by the Gentleman from Indiana.

In Northern Indiana, we don’t really have much direct media exposure to what either Senator Bayh or Senator Lugar really say on most issues. We usually just get an occasional 10 second sound bite or a couple of comments on an AP story. So it was a bit of a shock as I sat in the afternoon session where Senator Lugar answered many direct questions from the audience on a wide range of subjects.  As I listened to those candid responses, I could not figure out whether I should stand up and scream out NO, NO, NO or just lay down and hopelessly bawl because of how obviously lost the Republican Party is now from their Reagan Revolution inspired Contract with America heyday.  On domestic issues such as government schools and energy, many of the answers Senator Lugar offered land firmly on the side of more and more intervention by the federal government. For those of us who believe in the voluntary cooperation of individuals over the forced coercion of government and prefer free markets over free flowing FRN’s (aka money), it is very sad to see that the very idea of limited government has completely left what remains of the GOP tent. One question that I did want to ask Senator Lugar was how he viewed the fundraising success that republitarian Ron Paul has recently experienced and the buzz that he is creating among the internet crowd. But I suspect that I wouldn’t have found the answer to that question to have been very comforting either.

Sometimes it is pretty painful for fans to watch our superstars as their game starts to slow. But in the last election, the Indiana Democratic Party did not even bother to show up to field a candidate to run for U.S. Senate.  Although that may be the way that other countries choose to run their elections, that lack of political competition has no place in America.  As well respected as Senator Lugar may be, it is still inexcusable that the Democratic Party decided to not run a candidate to represent the interests of millions of Hoosiers at the federal level.  Indiana voters at least deserved an opportunity to cast a vote that closest represented their views and the Democratic Party failed to deliver even that.  But I am proud that the Libertarian Party did offer voters an option - and that is why we need solid third and fourth party candidates who offer real choices to independent voters at all levels.  But if ever there was a time and place where federal government involvement could be helpful, term limits for federal politicians coupled with mandating Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails to insure fair and accurate elections in an electronic age would sure be a good place to start. And if a seasoned superstar could happen to hit that one out of the park, I would love to be wildly cheering for him at the game. 

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7. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

It never fails to amaze me how some of the most highly educated individuals connected to government have incredible difficulty understanding relatively simple words like “is” or ”no” - or even a four letter word like “open” - as in open government. 

The latest legal tussle over accessing information about property tax assessment values in LaPorte County 

 http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=7345&TM=16574.56 

 is yet another glaring example of just how far we have strayed from the vision of Jefferson and the men and women who founded this great country.

Mr. Wendt is doing exactly what the Founders intended - taking an active role as a citizen and trying to correct a problem with local government that is obvious to all but those who are on the government payroll.  He certainly has a right to the tax records that he is seeking, 2006 tax records should have been done and “final” a year ago.  It now is just 3 weeks until 2008 and the records he is seeking should not be “preliminary” - 2006 Pay 2007 property taxes should already have been collected in May and November - and the money sitting in the bank to pay for necessary local government services.  Instead, LaPorte County Taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for the county attorney to continue to fight to deny Mr. Wendt access to public records he is entitled to.  In my opinion, it is simply inexcusable for County Attorney Friedman to try to blame Mr. Wendt for LaPorte County’s tax collection problem while blocking his access to information. The property tax assessment and collection  problem has been 100% caused by ELECTED officials, not concerned citizens like Mr. Wendt who are taking an active role in trying to fix an inherently flawed and  broken property tax system. 

 With Judge Lang’s ruling, it is no wonder that more and more good citizens are finding the Court to be in Contempt - but perhaps LaPorte County taxpayers can take some comfort knowing that the good judge at least got  the decision half right this time around.      

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5. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

OK.  So if a couple of Indiana  Democrats have finally figured out that a sales tax increase is a bad idea and people are going to get hurt, why can’t some Indiana Republicans figure it out too?

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/12/04/news/top_news/doc96d0c58841a7469b862573a7000f89dc.txt

Perhaps it  accidentally slipped out but at least Mr. Kitchell has figured out the root of the problem - just say no to more spending. 

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4. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

If they can’t even protect us from the National Debt, how will they ever protect us from terrorists?

 http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=36&ArticleID=7218

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