Comments on Advance Indiana™: Ballard Taking Another Junket

I don't know who those are, Pat. The press rel...

2009-11-16T10:30:49.540-05:00

I don't know who those are, Pat. The press release didn't list any extra city employees other than the security guard.

A news report said that 4 City employees were goin...

2009-11-16T09:34:20.521-05:00

A news report said that 4 City employees were going to Germany and another 4 would meet up with the group in England. Any idea who all is going on this jaunt?

As long as Smith and Roob keep promising the healt...

2009-11-15T11:35:48.651-05:00

As long as Smith and Roob keep promising the healthcare support to the Mayor his wife will go on all trips don't you think?

Banking on motorsports is not a particularly solid...

2009-11-15T09:51:26.684-05:00

Banking on motorsports is not a particularly solid plan these days.

Probably an unforgivable sin in these deep politic...

2009-11-15T09:42:37.498-05:00

Probably an unforgivable sin in these deep political waters, but I figured this was one of those instances where slating was to take place. If there's a legitimate primary for Mayor for all the parties, that sounds like an excellent idea. I don't know who can be rounded-up that will have less history with our pack of law firms or vested interests in this city- but I'm all ears. On the outside looking in, "slating" rubs taxpayers the wrong way akin to our lovely current lobbyist conditions (getting lots of attention in the paper this morning). However, elections do cost money.

I hear you, dcrutch. The Democrats appear poised t...

2009-11-14T22:35:09.471-05:00

I hear you, dcrutch. The Democrats appear poised to nominate Melina Kennedy. She ran economic development efforts for Bart Peterson, which involved passing out big taxpayer bucks to big political contributors. I can't imagine she will act any differently as mayor, particularly since she will owe a great deal to her law firm, Baker & Daniels. The only hope is to knock off Ballard in the GOP primary with someone who will be the real deal when it comes to cleaning up the deep-seated corruption in this city. If the GOP re-nominates this lousy buffoon, the Democrats are assured of winning with a candidate like Kennedy, who will simply give us more of the same.

First, do no harm. It was my first rule of voting...

2009-11-14T20:44:28.844-05:00

First, do no harm.

It was my first rule of voting before the Presidential election-it's a mantra afterwards. I'd rather- much, much rather have a mediocre John McCain in office than Barrack Obama. Therefore, I didn't vote for the Libertarian candidate because 1)he didn't have a ice cube's chance in hell, and 2)the prospect of a President Obama was a grim one. I agree with withdrawing from Iraq, pursuing volunteerism with George H.W. Bush, EPA mileage mandates, and regulating financial industry excesses like chopped-up & repackaged home loans somehow constituting sound equity- but overall Obama is a nightmare. I believe my rule is correct.

If it had looked to be a blow-out for Obama or McCain, I'd have had the luxury of voting for the Libertarian (Barr?). Similarly, I voted for Greg Ballard versus Fred Peterson, despite Peterson being closer to my ideology. Do I think our city's in better fiscal shape and safer than we would have been under Bart Peterson? Heck, Yes. Will I vote for Ballard if I think there's another cndidate WHO HAS A CHANCE TO WIN who will be less subject to THE SAME cronyism & political excess, keep our city at least as frugal and reduced in crime? I'm there! Who is it! Does it sound like our next Democratic candidate?

Deathly silence.

That means I should vote on "principal" for the Libertarian?

More deathly silence.

We're back to rule one. It depends on the potential harm.

The same persons who told him to include fat cat c...

2009-11-14T20:36:25.203-05:00

The same persons who told him to include fat cat campaign contributors who have contracts with the city, Paul. We can point fingers at his advisers, but the buck stops at his desk. Maybe we should have looked into Ballard's relationship with defense contractors when he was doing logistics work in the Marines. Ballard's firt job out of the Marines was with the Bayer Corporation managing its transportation fleet. Bayer is a defense contractor.

You have to wonder who in the world is giving the ...

2009-11-14T20:19:54.885-05:00

You have to wonder who in the world is giving the Mayor political advice. You know how easy it would be to put together a 30 minute TV spot with photographs of all the exotic locales the Mayor has visited? It would be a devastating ad. How in the world do they think they'll defend that politically?