Shame and embarrassment. That's how Republicans like me feel when I read in today's Star that there are only three of the 15 Republican councilors who have told CCC President Bob Cockrum that they won't vote for a $20 million a year tax, spend and borrow bailout scheme crafted by Indiana state lawmakers, which is scheduled to be voted on at Monday night's CCC meeting. Their numbers have fallen by one already after at-large Councilor Ed Coleman bolted the party over disagreements on this very issue to become a Libertarian. Despite pledges from candidates and press release after press release from the Marion Co. Republican Party during the 2007 election promising to bring an end to the eight years of tax and spend under Mayor Bart Peterson, the Republicans have decided to cast their lot as mere bookkeepers for the excesses of the prior administration.
"It's between a rock and a hard place," said Council President Bob Cockrum, a Republican who supports the measure. "On one hand, they don't want to see the city go downhill, but on the other hand, politics always plays a part." Shameless, I say. Republicans made a big issue of ethical clouds hanging over Democratic CCC President Monroe Gray during the 2007 election. Yet they allow their own council president to participate in a decision that directly benefits his son's company, White Lodging, which is building the new J.W. Marriott hotel that will be connected to the expanded convention center. The hotel owner is receiving tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from the City of Indianapolis and will benefit from new revenues earmarked for the CIB.
Fracesca Juaroz' story has the obligatory quote from one of the architects from prior administrations of the never-ending Ponzi scheme Indianapolis has devised to divert every last public dollar available to fund the demands of downtown elites for their personal playground. "If you do not continue to invest in the operation of the convention center, Indianapolis will be taken off the list as a place to go have your meeting and visit," said John Krauss, director of the Public Policy Institute at Indiana University. "We don't need to take a reason away from Indianapolis being more competitive." No, Mr. Krauss, we just simply need to do the common sense thing. We need to give the Lucas Oil Stadium back to its owner, the State of Indiana, and tell Governor Daniels we can't afford to operate this sports palace he built with state taxpayer funds. The CIB's budget deficit magically disappears when we take that single step. But that would mean giving up all of those free tickets to the Colts games that City-County Councilor enjoy so much, apparently too big of a sacrifice for some to make.
9 comments:
Cockrum was apparently in Decatur Township assuring voters that the Pacers $15 million had been taken off the table. As you know, Lutz did exactly the same thing at the council meeting. Now it's suddenly back on the table.
How many times do these people have to get lied to by the CIB folks before they start getting wise that they're being played?
"If you do not continue to invest in the operation of the convention center, Indianapolis will be taken off the list as a place to go have your meeting and visit,"
I truly am amazed that none of these folks understand we're not investing in the convention center, stadiums OR downtown.
We are investing (forceably, without any say in the matter) in Jim Irsay, Mel Simon and Herb Simon. We might have gotten a better rate of return by investing in Bernie Madoff.
This is another one of the reasons why the Republican party is withering away and dying in this country.
Republicans have absolutely lost their way.
They are now the party that stands for "Whatever it takes to get ME re-elected."
I am becoming more and more ashamed to tell people I am a proud Republican.
CT,
I have to disagree with your statement that the local Republicans stand for:
"Whatever it takes to get ME re-elected."
The 12 or so Republicans on the Council supporting these tax increases are taking a highly unpopular position egged on by an unpopular Mayor at the behest of the city's elite power structure. The trouble with the local Republicans and local Demcorats is that they aren't listening to the regular voters anymore. Both parties have been completely captured by the elite power structure of the city.
OK, Paul. I'll accept your response as very likely true.
But by your reasoning, what "captured" them? Power? Freebies? Campaign money?
I STILL maintain that Republicans are NOT standing up for the principles that we espouse. They fear that if they did, they would NOT get re-elected. Well, maybe so, but at LEAST they could SLEEP at night.
So, Paul, what you are saying then is that the majority of Council Republicans don't believe in their position strongly enough to resist being cowed into taking the Mayor's position.
Not much of an improvement over, "doing whatever it takes to get ME re-elected". In fact, it seems worse.
Mike, touche, touche.
CT, those Republican councilors are definitely not standing up for that we expouse. Some are in safe districts and don't have to worry unless they get a primary challenge which is possible. Others are just plain naive about what they are doing. Neither is commendable.
Everyone needs to be at the council meeting on Monday to boo the R's that vote for this.
And remember the democrats that vote "nay" aren't doing so because they are principled, they are doing it as a political game played against the R's.
How does the knife in your back feel, taxpayers?
CT,
"What captured them" is fear! They get a meeting or a visit from a Republican or Democrat power broker after getting elected and told they either tow the mark and do as they are told or they will be destroyed by the machine and I mean literally destroyed. Their financial means removed, their integrity destroyed, their families shunned and their ability to get re-elected wiped out by lies, deceit, false accusations and in some cases trips to civil court on drummed up charges of some kind that will leave them floundering for years while the stealing goes on and the crooks continue to smile while they in their white collars fear no prosecution from the Marion County Prosecutor or the Attorney General.
Once you get into the politics in Indiana the excuse about being naive Paul states is not even close. EVERYONE knows what is going on but those who have tried to stand up to the corruption have been ruined illegally. It will take a group of LAWYERS really bent on change to drag some of these people out into the street and have charges filed against some of these people before the rest of the "politicians" really understand they are held accountable and DO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!!!!
Until then all the blogs will do is swirl and scream contempt while the powerful keep the cash flowing amongst themselves. I thought Public Enemies at the Box Office was a long movie. I was wrong the real life stealing is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Indiana and you as a concerned taxpayer just keep paying the movie ticket to watch the same re-run over and over.
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