Laura and I spent most of our working lives living paycheck to paycheck. It was only a year or two ago we finally got a little bit over that hurdle. She says yeah we did that about a year or two ago and now what do you want to do, go ruin it all and run for governor.Schellinger, of course, hasn't been living from paycheck to paycheck in the sense many, average working men and woman of Indiana live with this reality for a very long time, if ever. Schellinger is in fact a multi-millionaire owner of CSO Architects. Schellinger has become very wealthy doing architectural work for school projects and other government-funded projects around the state of Indiana. Often these architectural plans are simply cookie-cutter plans that are peddled from one school to another. Taxpayers, however, are hit with large architectural fees for the design work, which is typically based on a percentage of the project regardless of how little time the architectural firm may have spent working on the project. Those projects are financed entirely by property tax levies for bond issues, which are imposed without a referendum. Schellinger's business took a hit when Gov. Daniels took office and imposed a moratorium on school construction projects, which were proliferating statewide with a huge hit on property taxpayers.
As Frugal Hoosiers points out to further illustrate this point, Schellinger contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and committees during this same period he claimed to be living from paycheck to paycheck. "I am here with you," Schellinger told a labor day crowd in Anderson according to WTHR. " I am here for you and I am here because of you." I'm not so sure about the "I am here for you" bit, but I think he's dead right when he says "I am here because of you." Yeah, without all those property taxes you paid to finance the construction of all those public improvements that made him rich, he wouldn't have a prayer at winning the Democratic nomination for Governor.
It seems Democrats don't like average, working guys much when it comes to picking their candidates for governor. Let's look at some of the candidates in my life time. There was multi-millionaire industrialist John Hillenbrand. There was millionaire hog farmer Wayne Townsend. Evan Bayh wasn't rich when he first ran for office, but he grew up as a privileged, only child of a U.S. Senator, attending an elite, private school in D.C. He made up for his lack of money quickly by trading on insider influence to parlay millions for he and his wife while still on the public dole. He has three homes to prove how successful he's been at that, including a beach-front home on the Delaware shore. Frank O'Bannon was a millionaire newspaper publisher and printing company owner. Joe Kernan was the only average guy the Democrats ever ran for Governor in my life time, and that was only because the wealthy O'Bannon died in office, thrusting the former Vietnam POW into the governor's office.
The labor unions have been tripping all over each other to back Schellinger, whose immense wealth makes him like so many of the other candidates the Democrats have chosen to run for governor in the recent past. I find this hard to understand, particularly given how little Governors Bayh and O'Bannon did for working men and women when they were in office. Schellinger lambasted Gov. Daniels for ending collective bargaining with state employees, but state employees fared horribly under the two Democratic governors when it came to pay raises. Heck, Daniels has given state employees larger pay raises in the past four years than they were accustomed to getting during the Bayh-O'Bannon years, even without collective bargaining. In fact, Indiana's labor laws remained among the weakest in the country despite a 16-year run of the state by the Democrats. Don't results matter? Oh, I forgot, we're talking about organized labor here. Only Democrats care about working people according to organized labor. They just don't trust a person with true working class roots to run our state.
22 comments:
What an odd, odd rant for you to choose. Your reporting has really been lacking lately.
Anon 6:44, coming from a Democrat like yourself who spins for your party, I'll take that as a compliment.
I grew up in a home where the idea was that the Democrats took care of us. It was not until later that I began to see that the "take care of us" was really all about power, and nothing about us. Their approach has worked though. People still believe that they are there for them. Unfortunately, as time goes on, only then will people see the failed policies of Democratic leadership. It would appear to me that the Republican policies are more reflective of the old time Democratic policies.
Just my opinion based on many years of observation.
whine whine whine...
why not offer some constructive solutions if you think things are so bad...
you big baby!!!
And Daniels' Jethro Bodine twang
isn't phony? From a Princeton
and Georgetown Law grad?
I haven't seen what Schellinger's house looks like, but I'll bet it doesn't have 12 bathrooms (supposedly for grandchildren yet to be born), in a gated, elitist community.
I think part of the problem facing the Democrats (and the Republicans to a lesser extent) is that it is getting impossible to run for office without already being very wealthy or having name recognition already. If you are unwilling or unable to put up your own money for a run, and your last name isn't of the caliber of a Bayh, it is impossible to get support.
Look at Ballard. People haven't heard of him, and he is not seen as a credible candidate. I know you disagree, but I really don't see him pulling off a upset there.
What a load . Do you read the papers?
Daniels has gutted the state work force .Do not forget that Obannon and Bayt were not dealing with state legislatures that were democratic . if we were to have our druthers there are better people but this is a reactionary state be real
It is an odd rant, Gary...but, it's your blog...rant on. I'll give you a few rants a year, given your good record otherwise.
I havne't yet decided for whom to vote in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. But can spot a phony a mile away, and I don't think Jim's a phony. I think he may not be qualified, but that's a horse of a different color.
He's following the script. Pander to labor, tell them you're "one of them."
It'll all be over soon.
By the way, have any unions yet endorsed Ballard? Are any likely to do so?
By the way, what union events did Your Man Mitch attend on Labor Day?
Last year, both Brizzi and Dickerson had teams working and walking the Indianapolis Labor Parade. Where were the local Republicans this year? Nary a Ballard in sight!
"Last year, both Brizzi and Dickerson had teams working and walking the Indianapolis Labor Parade. Where were the local Republicans this year? Nary a Ballard in sight!"
I was at the Labor Day parade last year. Yes Brizzi and Dickerson were there also.
Hell the democrats even had the “Old Girl” propped up on a convertible. Her wig was twisted on like a corkscrew and she rode in style except for the twenty-five feet or so she was able to walk for the photos.
Did Drummer get the Corvettes out of “Public Storage” again this year for the parade?
Where was Ballard this year? I don't know. But I do know that he could have meet more folks at the Rib Fest.
Those folks are more likely to vote on their own instead of voting how they are told by the unions.
Wilson you have a way of sticking your nose into other peoples business. Last year it was Dickerson’s RV this year you don't like how Ballard is running his campaign. Why don't you run against him? I wonder how many votes you would pull?
I bet you couldn’t carry the gay voters.
For the anonymous nobody @ 10:17pm - I'm backing Peterson over Ballard (duh) and questioning political candidates is a perfectly legitimate activity. It seems to rankle the sensitivities of knee-jerk Republicans though. Why do you think that it was none of my business that Dickerson was driving illegally his RV1 on Florida paper plates for months? So very peculiar that he'd risk that during a congressional campaign...
Still, I wonder where the local GOP was during the Indianapolis Labor Day Parade this year...no answer, huh?
Ballard was invited to an IBEW meeting, Peterson was not. Does that tell you anything?
The IBEW meeting you reference 4:42 was not an official meeting...
The IBEW would not risk that.
They are solidly behind the Mayor.
This thread is about Schellinger, not Ballard, Wilson. Take it elsewhere.
For someone born and raised in South Bend, Schellinger sure is taking on a rather southern draw in that speech in Princeton.
Schellinger has also been sucking real hard on the MBE/WBE nipple.
"This thread is about Schellinger, not Ballard, Wilson. Take it elsewhere."
Schellinger was at the Labor Day Parades and events with organized labor. Ballard took it elsewhere...
You tried, Gary...you really tried.
But like any child, Wilson had to get in the last word.
He has no credibility; ignore him--most do.
The IBEW meeting you reference 4:42 was not an official meeting...
The IBEW would not risk that.
They are solidly behind the Mayor.
That meeting has not taken place yet. Ballard will meet with one of the locals in an upcoming meeting. An OFFICIAL meeting.
Get your facts straight before you post your propaganda. IBEW has not officially endorsed either candidate.
Peterson has piised off alot of the local unions and doesn't have much credibility with them.
And AI can delete Wilson and Wilson types whenever he wants.
Problem is that Wilson actually has brought some "good food to the table"
As silly as he is, he does, on rare occassions, have something viable to say!
Schellinger has sought to circumvent the building moratorium by focusing on renovation.
Before the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp board is a $123 million plan to tidy up two high schools.
Schellinger's roll in all this is that of pitch man. Called "workshops," Schellinger and his cohorts orchestrate community meetings at which he sells the project while slapping away any opposition. The crowd is stacked with teacher union members and the question-answer session is dominated by individuals that support the project.
I set an appoint with a key school official a few weeks ago to talk about the $123 million project. Behind closed doors he showed no concern for kids, but wondered how much money the board could take from the community without triggering a remonstrance.
Don't let the folks at blueindiana derail the obvious: Schellinger should be considered property owners' enemy number one.
I am a new Mitch daniels Democrat, I don't care who runs I am voting for anyone But Mitch. what is wrong with Mitch- EVERYTHING. Mitch dosent lie he dosent tell what hes going to do, That is lieing by omission. I am sure he will brag about bringing two jobs to Indiana. Why did he go to Japan? they allready have an Emperior!!
DITCH MITCH!!
Post a Comment