What is owed to retired police and firefighters?

I can't find the article online, but there was an article in the Sunday post-trib about a retired Merrilville police officer who is having a fundraiser to pay for his cancer treatments. He retired from the policeforce after 20 years, well before the age that Medicare kicks in. He was offered health insurance by Merrilville under COBRA, but he had to pay all the premiums himself, so he declined the insurance. Now he's 64 years old, with cancer, and without insurance.

The article went on to describe how most municipalities don't offer retirees insurance. There were a bunch of police and firefighter spokesmen who said that offering retirees insurance was the least that these municipalities could do for the "service" offered by these "public servants".

Now, I think that this is total BS. These "public servants" were more than adequately compensated while they were working (otherwise municipalities would have a hard time recruiting police and firefighters, which is not the case).

I understand the stress that police and firefighters are under, and that 20 years is not an unreasonable time of service for retirement.

But who says that these guys can't go out after retirement and get another less stressful job? That should be the expectation.

And the expectation should be that taxpayers should not be funding retiree health care.

The people I meet in Panera Bread

After church this morning, I went over to the Panera Bread on Indy. Last time I was there, Lake County Councilman Tom O'Donnel was there. This time, it was Joe Hero and a couple other Republican House candidates from the area. They're running a coordinated campaign, and meet there every other Sunday to stay connected and coordinate their campaigns.

Things I missed while I was on vacation

Hillary in Hammond. I would have loved to have gone and heckled her.

Johnny Depp in Crown Point.

Other than that, anything?

I missed some awful weather. I went to beautiful Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was 75 and sunny most days. I even went to the beach. Got a nice sunburn.

Democrats are stingy bastards

George Will's column today is a classic:

* Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

* Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.

* Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.

* Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.

* In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.

* People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.

Liberals are only generous with other people's money. Why is that?

Buzzcut is on Spring Break...

...taping the latest "Girls Gone Wild" video, getting wicked drunk, etc. etc.

Probably not going to be blogging much this week.

Happy Easter.

Why did Obama throw Granny under the bus?

"The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person who, uh, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences that don't go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way and that's just the nature of race in our society. We have to break through it."

ALL white people are racists? That's his excuse?

Stop diggin, Barack!

Lake County Tax Bills late again!

It's hard to say who the most incompetant Democrat is in Lake County, but County Auditor Peggy Holinga Katona is making a good case for that infamous prize.

She gives a lot of excuses for why the bills will be late, but none of them are special for Lake County. If other counties can get their bills out on time, why can't we?

She says the bills will be out in July. Your taxes are capped at 2%, same as last year.

Obama's Race Speech

Overall, I think Obama's race speech yesterday shows what I like about him. He understands the arguments of the other side and he shows that he respects them by generally not demonizing them. His explanation of why certain white people feel threatened by afirmative action and school busing is but one example.

With that said, the speech had a lot of problems:

1) He threw his grandmother under the bus. What's up with that?

2) He equated what Ferraro said with what Wright said. There is simply no comparison. That's like comparing a spitball with a hand grenade.

3) He says that white people's concerns about afirmative action and busing are legitimate, but then goes on to demonize politicians and talk show hosts who "exploit" those fears. He said that politicians exploit "bogus" examples of afirmative action, but ignore other examples of legitimate African American concerns about discrimination. I think he contradicted himself there. If the concerns are legitimate, why shouldn't politicians cater to those concerns?

4) He totally excused Wrights comments. Yes, he said that he disagrees with them, but in the end he said that he understands where they come from and can't distance himself from the man. This is a defacto endorsement of what Wright said.

Quite frankly, I don't want "unity" with Wright and people who think like he does. I don't think that Wright is a reasonable man who can come to compromises with other races. Thus, if Obama can't 100% distance himself from Wright and other African Americans who think like that, he has no business being dogcatcher, much less President.

7% Sales Tax Kicks in April 1st!

Get out there and buy your big ticket items before then.

Or do what I do: shop at Amazon.com. I don't know how they do it, seeing as their distribution center is in Munster, but you STILL don't pay sales tax if you order from them.

I've ordered 4 things from Amazon in the last 2 weeks. All have been sales tax free. And being in Munster myself, I've gotten my stuff in as little as 2 days, even with the free supersaver shipping, which sends your stuff through the mail.

My new blog

www.drunkenswede.blogspot.com

I'm moving the E85 stuff to a new blog. I'm trying to keep this blog focused on Northwest Indiana Republican Politics

Experiment with E85 update No. 1

I've gone through about a half a tank at 30% ethanol. No check engine light. It's hard to tell if there's a hit to mileage or not. My wife and her heavy foot drove the car, and I've done more local driving than normal. So far, I've averaged 22 mpg. The last tank of "normal" gas, with 10% ethanol, was about 24 mpg. But I also expect that mileage to improve, as I do only commuting this week.

Driveability is good. If there is less power, I can't feel it. I did feel a little "gutlessness" on the highway one day early on, but I haven't felt it since.

My next tank of gas will be 40% ethanol. I'm going to try and find out what the limit is, and then back off by 5% on the tank after that.

Just how bad will you be screwed?

2009: Homeowner bills capped between 1.5 percent and 2 percent of assessed value, depending how much debt your local government has amassed. Owner of a $100,000 home pays less than $2,000 but more than $1,500.
2010: Homeowner bills capped at an average of 1.2 percent of assessed value, but homeowners will pay anywhere from 1 percent to 1.8 percent of their home's value in taxes, depending how much debt their local government has on the books. The caps will inch down each year as local government retires existing debt, and all Lake County homeowners will be guaranteed a 1 percent cap by 2020.

Estimated 2010 caps*
Cedar Lake 1.2 %
Crown Point 1.3%
East Chicago 1.4%
Dyer 1.1%
Gary 1.1 %
Hammond 1.4%
Hobart 1.3%
Lowell 1.2%
Merrillville 1.3%
Munster 1.2%
Schererville 1.1%
St. John 1.3%
Whiting 1.3%

*Figures are averages. Caps could go as high as 1.8 percent for individual taxpayers, while some homeowners in unincorporated areas could pay less than 1 percent.
Source: Indiana Office of Management and Budget

These caps don't make a lot of sense to me. Gary will have a lower cap than Munster and St. John? How did they do that? By transfering so much debt to the Sanitary District?

Tax "Reform" is still unconstitutional

Lake County is singled out twice in the Indiana tax "reform" legislation.

First, we are singled out to have our municipal debt payments fall outside the 1/2/3% tax caps.

Second, we are specifically given County Option Income Tax distribution formulas that only apply to Lake County.

Seeing as County Specific Legislation is unconstitutional, I think that we have ample opportunity to challenge the law in tax court.

Indiana Legislature to Lake County Taxpayers: Drop Dead

The legislature was successful in passing tax "reform" before the end of the legislative session. As I noted before, they screwed Lake County taxpayers by exempting municipal debt payments from the caps. According to both the Post Trib and Times, this is going to cost Lake County Taxpayers $90M in 2010.

It looks like Munster's cap will be 1.2% when fully phased in in 2010. Just off the top of my head, I'd say the cap will be 1.8% in 2009.

The biggest problem I see is that the tax cap is now extremely complicated. The Lake County Treasurer's office couldn't even get the 2% tax cap right. How are they going to calculate a large number of different caps for every different municipality?

I'm going to go to the next Munster Town Meeting and ask the Town Manager to send out a mailing to inform people in Munster what the correct tax cap is, because the Treasurer's office is not to be trusted.

Environmentalists to BP: Drop dead.

So I went to the public meeting for BP's new air permit, on Friday night. It was an interesting event.

First of all, it was at the Hammond Civic Center, and it was packed. Ultimate Fighting packed, in fact. Almost standing room only.

The vast majority of people there were from the trade unions. Man, you do not want to piss these guys off. They are very well organized.

The were a few members of the opposition there. Mostly they were old hippies from Illinois, representing this or that "environmentalist organization".

The hippies really pissed the supporters off early on. One bitch went up to speak with a gas mask on, saying that she was "dramatizing" what we would all need to breathe if the modernization project went forward.

She reacted to the jeers of the supporters by saying that they were all there for the free beer, but the environmentalists were there "for the children".

What a bitch.

Another hippie got up to say that, unlike the supporters, the enviros didn't stand to get jobs or make profits off the project, and thus had the best interests of "the children" at heart. Nevermind that these environmentalist organizations make money by raising donations, and nothing gets the donations going like scaremongering a big project like the Whiting Modernization.

I left at 8PM, and it looked like it was going to go on til 10 PM, at least.

Lake County gets screwed by unconstitutional tax reform

So it looks like tax "reform" is going to pass. Mitch's 1/2/3 tax cap seems to have survived, but with one unconstitutional wrinkle: Lake County's municipal debt is not part of the cap. Lake and St. Joe counties are the only counties exempted.

We'll have to see how this law is written, but if it refers to Lake County by name, it is unconstitutional, and we can sue the state in tax court to get it overturned.

E85 mixtures get BETTER mileage?

Could be:

Research findings released today indicate that mid-range ethanol blends—fuel mixtures with more ethanol than 10% (E10) but less than 85% (E85)—can in some cases provide better fuel economy than regular unleaded gasoline, even in standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles. The new study, co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), also found that mid-range ethanol blends reduce harmful tailpipe emissions.

Previous assumptions held that ethanol’s lower energy content directly correlates with lower fuel economy for drivers. Those assumptions were found to be incorrect. Instead, the new research suggests that there is an optimal blend level of ethanol and gasoline—most likely E20 or E30—at which cars will get better mileage than predicted based strictly on the fuel’s per-gallon Btu content. The optimal blend varies with the vehicle, according to the findings.

The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and the Minnesota Center for Automotive Research (MnCAR) conducted the research using four 2007 model vehicles: a Toyota Camry, a Ford Fusion and two Chevrolet Impalas, one flex-fuel and one non-flex-fuel.

…

E20 and E30 ethanol blends outperformed unleaded gasoline in fuel economy tests for certain autos. Contrary to Btu-based estimates of fuel economy for ethanol blends, three of the four vehicles tested achieved their highest fuel efficiency not on gasoline, but on an ethanol blend. Mid-level blends of ethanol E20 (20% ethanol, 80% gasoline) and E30 (30% ethanol, 70% gasoline) offered the best fuel economy in these tests.

E30 offered better fuel economy than gasoline (a 1% increase) in both the Toyota and the Ford.
E20 offered better fuel economy than gasoline (a 15% increase) in the flex-fuel Chevrolet.
The non-flex-fuel Chevrolet more closely followed the Btu-calculated trend for fuel economy, but did experience a significant improvement over the trend line with E40 (40% ethanol, 60% gasoline), indicating that this may be the optimal ethanol blend level for this vehicle.
The standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles operated well on ethanol blends beyond 10%. The Ford Fusion operated on E45, the Toyota on E65, and the non-flex-fuel Chevy on E55. No engine fault codes were displayed until these levels were surpassed.

Will E85 F-up my Saab?

I don't think so. Here is what GM says (Saabs are GM cars, believe it or not, that's why I drive it):

Bulletin 05-06-04-035B Customer Interest in E85 Fuel Use

Subject: Usage of E85 Fuels in GM Vehicles #05-06-04-035B - (05/31/2006)

Years: 1997-2007 All GM Cars and Trucks

Models: All GM Corp. Vehicles & Commercial or Medium Duty Trucks

As the retail price of gasoline increases, some locations in the country are seeing price differentials between regular gasoline and E85 where E85 is selling for substantially less than regular grade gasoline. One result of this is that some customers have inquired if they are able to use E85 fuel in non-E85 compatible vehicles.

Important: Only vehicles designated for use with E85 should use E85 blended fuel.

E85 compatibility is designated for vehicles that are certified to run on up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. All other gasoline engines are designed to run on fuel that contains no more than 10% ethanol.

Notice: containing greater than 10% ethanol in non-E85 designated vehicles can cause drivability issues, service engine soon indicators as well as increased fuel system corrosion. Using E85 in Non-Compatible Vehicles General Motors is aware of an increased number of cases where customers have fueled non-Flex Fuel designated vehicles with E85. Fueling non-Flex Fuel designated vehicles with E85, or with fuels where the concentration of ethanol exceeds the ASTM specification of 10%, will result in one or more of the following conditions:

1. Lean Drivability concerns such as hesitations, sags and / or possible stalling.
2. SES lights due to OBD codes.
3. Fuel Trim codes P0171 and / or P0174.
4. Misfire codes (P0300).
5. Various O2 sensor codes.
6. Disabled traction control or Stability System disabled messages.
7. Harsh / Firm transmission shifts.
8. Fuel system and / or engine mechanical component degradation.

Notice: Use of fuel containing greater than 10% ethanol in non-E85 designated vehicles can cause drivability issues, service engine soon indicators as well as increased fuel system corrosion. If the dealer suspects that a non-Flex Fuel designated vehicle brought in for service has been fueled with E85, the fuel in the vehicle's tank should be checked for alcohol content with tool J-44175. If the alcohol content exceeds 10%, the fuel should be drained and the vehicle refilled with gasoline - preferably one of the Top Tier brands.

Repairs to non-Flex Fuel vehicles that have been fueled with E85 are not covered under the terms of the New Vehicle Warranty. A complete list of GM’s Flex Fuel vehicles can be found in this Service

My rumour is crap!

It was in the Times today!

Mayor McCheeze is talking smack:

"I'm sure Fran is embarrassed," McDermott said. "She's a lifelong politician who failed to get slated by her own party. She's looking for a scapegoat."

That's Mrs. DuPey to you, you lightweight jackass!

Lake County Commissioner Fran DuPey rumour

Word on the street is that Mayor McCheeze of Hammond is supporting Dick Novak in the Democrat primary against Fran DuPey for Lake County Commisioner.

Just heard it an hour ago, I'm not sure if its been in the paper or not.

There is nothing like a Democratic pissing match to make a Republican victory possible.

The Republicans are running 3 candidates, one of which is the former Mayor of Hammond before Mayor McCheeze, DUANE DEDELOW, JR. I'd say that Dedelow has a good chance of winning this thing.

Mileage decrease from mixing E85 in Saab 9-3

Ethanol has an energy content of 82529 BTU/ gallon. Gasoline has an energy content of 114,000 BTU/ gallon. From that, I calculated the energy content of the actual mixture in the tank, and used that to determine how much less mileage you would get on a % basis.

Obviously, this is going to decrease your mileage a bit. In my case, a 6% decrease works out to be about 1.5 mpg, which is not a big number. I can cause a decrease in mileage more than that by just my driving technique.

The finances of E85

Commenter g asks,

I am left with one question: Why?

You acknowledge that the mpg reduction exceeds the cost savings. I can appreciate the need to reduce reliance on imported fuel, but what about the effect of E85 (subsidized) production on food prices?

I don't think that the mpg reduction exceeds the cost savings, that's why.

If I used enough ethanol to just get the same octane as premium, I would use 4 gallons of E85. I would use 12.4 gallons of regular. I would save 50 cents per gallon for E85, and 20 cents per gallon for regular. I would end up with ~91 octane, which is more than enough for my engine (90 is recommended and provides full power).

I would be saving $4.48 per fillup. If my mileage decreases by 1 mpg because of the ethanol, that is a decrease of 4% in mileage. That costs about $2.14 a tank. So the net savings is $2.33 a tank.

Even then, there are advantages to ethanol. The Saab is a turbo. Turbos love ethanol. Some of the ethanol evaporates when it is injected into the engine. The heat of evaporation of the ethanol is such that it cools the intake charge, which acts like an intercooler. So there may be performance gains with E85 mixtures that I'm not including in the static analysis.

Summer Blend E85 Mixtures in a Saab 9-3

Winter Blend E85 Mixtures in a Saab 9-3

Fun with Ethanol (the E85 kind!)

Usually, fun with ethanol involves getting wicked drunk.

I'm not talking about the kind of ethanol that you drink, I'm talking about the kind that you put in the tank of your car!

E85 is a mixture of ethanol and gas. In the winter, it is 70% ethanol and 30% gas (87 octane gas, I assume), and in summer it is 85% ethanol and 15% gas.

I recently noticed that the Meijer on the Boulevard in Highland has E85. They sell it for 30 cents less than regular.

This got me thinking. I drive a Saab, and Saab makes a version of my car that runs on E85 (called Biopower). Unfortunately, my car isn't E85 capable.

So I started looking into what would happen if I ran E85 in my car.

According to what I could find on Google, you CAN run E85 in any car. Unfortunately, it will cause the check engine light to come on, and may damage the engine and other parts long term.

But it looks like if you mix E85 and regular, in proportions up to perhaps 50% ethanol, you should not get the check engine light to come on.

So I bit the bullet. On the way home from work the other day, I topped off with E85. I got 5.575 gallons in there, which works out to be 30.4% ethanol.

So far, I've driven about 45 miles. I did some "testing" where I floored it, just to see if I could get the check engine light to come on. It didn't come on.

So I'm going to be doing some experiments:

What kind of mileage do I get on E85 mixtures? Straight up E85 should cause about a 30% decrease in mileage, but lower amounts of ethanol should not be as bad.

How much ethanol does it take before you get a check engine light?

Does any other damage occur by using E85? It has the reputation of dissolving rubber and causing metal to rust (not directly, but because it is very hydrophillic).

But again, from what I've found in my research, the Biopower Saab has the same parts as mine. I think the fuel system is made of materials that will survive E85 mixtures.

If Whiting and Hammond can merge their water treatment plants...

...what's stopping them from consolodating all their governmental functions?

This agreement between Hammond and Whiting saves Whiting from spending $6M on a new plant (which they can't build anyway, because there is no open real estate on the lake for a new plant). They also save $300k per year in personnel costs.

How much property tax does BP pay?

A source within the {City of Whiting) Administration reports that the shift (from industrial to residential) and the capping (with HB 1001) will mean BP's payment of property taxes (to the City of Whiting) will go from $10M prior to passage of HB 1858 to $1M if HB 1001 passes. BP is currently paying $4M with the passage of HB 1858.

Keep in mind that BP also pays property taxes to Whiting schools, City of East Chicago, East Chicago schools, and Lake County. The rumour that I've heard is that HB 1858 cut BP's taxes by $20M.

E-mail controversy at work about SaveWhiting.com

So an e-mail has been going around work about the Save Whiting website. A supporter has been asking people to go there, and there have been anti-tax replies. Lo and behold, one of my buddies sent this in reply to the replies:

I can say as a Whiting resident and someone who periodically attends City Council meetings and someone who has worked in municipal government in the past (not for Whiting), the City of Whiting can match its budget reduction performance with any municipality that has faced the crisis created by recent property tax changes in Indiana. It's hard to fathom how much a shift in property tax responsibility from industrial to residential means when you are talking about cities like East Chicago and Whiting, where more than 50% of the land is zoned heavy industrial. The numbers are staggering and the impact on home-owners is tremendous.

Whiting home owners have seen property taxes increase 1000%, yes, one thousand percent with this shift; and this was virtually overnight. Can anyone adequately budget for that, I humbly don't think so. These are home owners who have been paying taxes for decades and decades. These are the home owners who build the roads and infrastructure to allow for development in other parts of the County.

Whiting has no casino license (such as Gary, Hammond and EC) and receives funds similar to other Lake County towns and cities without a direct license (like for example, Highland or Cedar Lake). The distribution is proportional to the municipality's population. This allotment for Whiting was approximately $25k last year.

The City's staffing has decreased 20% since the current Mayor's first term started and he has cut the budget to a ten year low. The City's is a leader in providing direct property tax relief to homeowners. The City has been a strong participant and partner in the Joint Services Committee looking for economies of scale in purchasing and other services with other municipalities and governmental entities. The City has completed about 85% of the recommendations of the Maximus "Good Government Efficiency" Study.

Realize also that only half of tax burden funds the Civil City. The School District and Library and (Lake) County comprise the other half. The cuts that the Civil City have made and will continue to make cannot directly or entirely affect the percent of property taxes paid.

A source within the Administration reports that the shift (from industrial to residential) and the capping (with HB 1001) will mean BP's payment of property taxes will go from $10M prior to passage of HB 1858 to $1M if HB 1001 passes. BP is currently paying $4M with the passage of HB 1858. What their fair share is, I do not know. My concern is radical reduction in the limited time frame.

I can't really comment on the laying of sod, but I often see the firemen performing landscaping work on the property of the station. If a contractor was hired to perform any of that type of basic work, then that is wrong.

As far as pensions, the fact that people have retired from the City and are due pensions cannot be adjusted now. If previous administrations have been neglect under the old system has really little to do with the situation now.

Is there waste in municipal operations? Yes there is, no one is denying that. But I believe we can find waste in any operation. Whiting is very conscience and has made every attempt to cut costs and control spending. There is a great deal of waste in any operation and I don't think municipalities, and Whiting in specific, are immune to this. Has Whiting done enough, no way. Although when is improvement ever enough, but in contrast radical change also cannot happen overnight. These caps will enact drastic and dramatic change!

If this shift in property tax burden was necessary in Lake County, it shouldn't have been enacted in a time-frame that puts old people out of their houses and handcuffs municipality's opportunities to cut programs and services gradually. Furthermore I, and a lot of other people, will continue to make the case that Whiting should not be lumped into the category with other municipalities that have not and will not make necessary cuts or municipalities that are seen as politically corrupt. In my mind, it is the same mistake that people in Indianapolis make. For numerous reasons, Whiting is different.

Save Whiting?

The City of Whiting has a website to organize opposition to HB1001.

There is no doubt in my mind that Whiting cannot exist with a 1/2/3% tax cap. They simply must consolodate with either Hammond or East Chicago.

My preference would be East Chicago.

Buzzcut's intuition correct, as usual

All through the COIT battle, I knew that a COIT would allow Lake County municipalities to spend more, even though it supposedly all goes to offset property taxes.

It turns out that I'm right.

The COIT offsets property taxes, yes. But that just allows municipalities to spend right up to the tax caps. They get the money under the tax caps AND the COIT money.

More evidence that Michelle Obama hates America

Obama begins with a broad assessment of life in America in 2008, and life is not good: we’re a divided country, we’re a country that is “just downright mean,” we are “guided by fear,” we’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. “We have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it every day,” she said, as heads bobbed in the pews. “Folks are just jammed up, and it’s gotten worse over my lifetime. And, doggone it, I’m young. Forty-four!”

OOOOOOh. We're so mean.

What is she, 6 years old.

Nitwit.

Democrats to Indiana Taxpayers: Drop Dead

Democrats are standing in the doorway of tax reform, trying to preserve government waste and inefficiency.

Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, thought the proposal tried to do too much.

"We should pass the 1 percent cap on homeowners, and that should be it," he said. "Every time you give a break to someone" it ends up costing your schools and local governments.

There you have it. The Democrats think that preserving government spending is more important than your tax bill.

Democrats are trying to eliminate the tax caps for rental and commercial property. They are also trying to prevent the caps from being written into the constitution.

How out of control are the North Lake County Cities' Spending?

From the From the Department of Local Government Finance.

Why does East Chicago spend so much money? They spend four times as much as Schereville.

Really bad idea: City Income Taxes

The clown Mayor of Gary was downstate lobbying for the ability to implement a city income tax.

I can't think of a worse idea than that.

As I showed in the last post, the North Lake County cities spend waaaaay too much. They need to tighten their belts, not lobby for new sources of revenue.

Hey clown! Yeah, I mean you, Rudy. Get your goofy sideburns back to Gary and get to work cutting, cutting, cutting.

North Lake County Municipalities Spend Too Much...

Remember these stats when the firefighters come begging for more money:

Of the four largest counties in the state, Lake County spends the least on education and the most on municipal and county government.

These stats are from the Indiana Department of Local Government Local Finance.

Statewide, the average school district consumes 54 percent of each property tax dollar. County government eats up another 19 percent, and cities and towns take 16 percent. The remainder is spread over other entities like townships, libraries and the state.

Now ... of the Lake County property tax dollar, schools get 38 percent, municipalities 27 percent and the county 24 percent.

Here's what it looks like when you graph it:



Notice that the other counties spend much more of their budgets on schools. But keep in mind that these are percentages. Lake County spends A TON on schools. Gary spends $14K per student. That just goes to show how much MORE they're spending on city government.

If North Lake County could just cut its government down to the size of Fort Wayne or South Bend, they would be fine. So how does Fort Wayne do it?

There is no tax reform!

The mother of all loopholes is being written into property tax "reform" legislation:

So Kenley proposed any units that lose more than 5 percent of their operating budgets to the caps could appeal to the distressed unit board, which is composed of four state fiscal representatives and three people representing local governments.

As he has frequently in recent weeks, Kenley singled out Whiting as a candidate for distressed unit status, because a single property taxpayer -- BP -- provides a preponderance of the city's revenue.

He said the board could temporarily set aside the caps entirely, temporarily decrease the amount of relief available to property owners within the distressed units or temporarily move existing government debt outside the caps.

Lake County residents would meanwhile still feel the impact of the sales tax increase.

There is no property tax reform. North Lake County is just going to appeal to this board, and taxes there will be as high as they ever were. At the same time, we'll all be paying 7% sales tax.

What's the point? Isn't the current system, with a 2% cap and a 6% sales tax (and no Lake County Income Tax) much, much better?

How Obama gets it done online

Obama is waaaaay ahead of the other candidates in using social networks to organize volunteers to get out the vote.

This is amazing stuff. Combine that with Obama's money, which he also raises online, and you have a potent combination. No wonder he is kicking Hillary's ass.

Lake County Democrat infighting is silly to behold

Democrats have created a kerfuffle over the names appearing on their primary ballot.

Basically, our most esteemed sherrif is trying to build his own political machine by putting his own people on the ballot for coroner, commisioners, etc.

The WHINNING by guys like Gerry Sheub is VERY funny.

Gerry, you should be a Republican anyway. Why not come over to the dark side and beat these bastards the right way? And then you will never be beholded to the axis of evil that is the Lake County Democrat Party.

Congressional Candidate Chuck Barman checks in.

From the comments section:

Hello. This is Chuck Barman. I found this website today, and I truly appreciate that you mentioned me in this blog. I would also like to thank you for posting a link to my website on this page. Thanks for your support!

Chuck, it's the least I can do. We all should be thanking YOU for giving us a choice this November. Democrats can't lose if guys like you don't run. God bless you.

And guys, my bleg is that some smart web guy like Chris Hedges helps Chuck get one of those online donation thingees on his website (like the one that Obama raises so much money with).

Chuck needs MONEY! How much does that billboard on 41 just south of Mainstreet cost? How about that one on the Bohrman that says "US out of Iraq". If "Chuck for Congress" could replace that fucking sign, I would be a happy man!

Buzzcut at the Revolution

That's me back there, talking to Congressional candidate Chuck Barman.

Hammond Fire Chief submits expense report for Indy Trip

Do you remember when the Hammond Fire Chief and 60 of his firemen went down to Indy to lobby against HB 1001?

According to Team Hammond at the rally today, he submitted an expense report to the Hammond City Council to be reimbursed for his expenses on the lobbying trip!

This is the same jackass that just got a $15k raise.

What I saw at the revolution

So I went to the Team Hammond sponsored protest against the Lake County Income tax. There were about 100 people there freezing their asses off in the parking lot of the County building.

I met Chuck Barman, running as a Republican against Visclosky for Congress. He was very impressive. I'll add him to my links. He is deadset against the South Shore.

I met Bill Johnson, running as a Republican in the 19th.

Fran DuPey and Gerry Scheub were there. Scheub was wearing a hat that made him look like a Republican (white hat with red lettering and a red brim). Worried about something, Gerry?

The gal from Hoosiers for Fair Taxation was there.

Quite a few Ron Paul supporters were there, as well as the Libertarian candidate for governor.

And my favorite person, George Janic was there.

Good turnout and a good time.

As stupid as NWI Democrats are...

...they're NOT as stupid as Crook County Democrats.

The sales tax in Chicago is now 10.25%. That is INSANE. Man, if Indiana only had kept its sales tax at 5%. That would be a HUGE incentive to come to Lake County to buy your crap. Much less of an incentive at 7%.