Sunday, August 12, 2007

Tully Thinks Peterson Is Out Of Touch

When Matt Tully's column in today's Star began with him saying that Mayor Bart Peterson (D) "wasn't hearing much dissent from the public about his proposed income tax increase" when he met with the Star's editors and reporters earlier this summer, you knew this wasn't going to be a good one for the Mayor. Tully goes on:

Not hearing dissent?

Well, clearly you're not listening, I thought that afternoon, as the mayor provided more evidence to suggest he's not interested in hearing from anyone other than the Kool-Aid drinkers who circle around his administration and feed off the government.

It's pretty clear our city's mayor, a man who has so many admirable qualities, has fallen into a second-term bunker filled with loyal aides convinced all the critics are irrational, partisan or out for blood.

All of that came bursting into the public consciousness Monday evening, as Peterson delivered a defensive and ineffective 2008 budget speech in a room packed with political supporters while ordinary taxpayers were locked out . . .

"It's a sad day when we treat citizens like this," Republican Minority Leader Phil Borst said.

How right he was.

The Peterson team has attached itself to what's been an awful month for free speech at the council. Democratic President Monroe Gray and his allies have shown so little respect for the public's right to be heard this summer that they should have taken a Zippo to a copy of the First Amendment.

A man was unfairly kicked out of a meeting in July after criticizing recent tax increases at a "public hearing." Two weeks later, council Democrats, led by Gray, muzzled debate before a vote to increase income taxes. Residents have been locked out of the City-County Building and subjected to silly rules during polite tax protests.

On Monday night, Gray opened the council meeting by scolding the public.

"Those who interrupt the order of the meeting will be asked to step outside," he said.
Getting a lesson on decorum from Gray -- he of ethical violations, questionable government contracts and pure partisanship -- is like getting a lesson on medication from Barry Bonds.

No thanks.


Do you think Mayor Peterson and his campaign are beginning to hate picking up the newspaper in the morning? Just wait until Abdul Hakim-Shabazz returns from his vacation this week. It looks like he's going to serve up the Peterson information with more unwanted news.

Dan Carpenter takes a look at the unreported side of the property tax issue from the perspective of Indianapolis' poor. He writes:

I'm thinking, for example, of the people along North Capitol Avenue south of 38th Street who tacked a homemade cardboard sign -- TAXES SLAVES IN INDY -- to a tree in their bare front yard.

But it's not as if the hammer's new to that corner of the world. They feel it when they need to get a crosstown bus, when they want to run the drug dealers off the corner, when their kids sweat in a dilapidated school building, when their son goes to Iraq because he can't find a decent job in this wealthy town.

17 comments:

Wilson46201 said...

Dan Carpenter has a superb column too in the Indianapolis Star on the Opinion Page... it's a different perspective from the IndyU blather.

Anonymous said...

Bart is out of touch, and for everyone who dares to question the current leadership, including you AI, would be wise to watch your back. There little kingdom is in jeopardy and this group will stop at NOTHING to get it to stop. People have been threatened with more than just broken limbs.

Anonymous said...

He is not only out-of-touch, but I looked up the definition of communism, and it looks like Bart's philosophy.

"1. a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state."

-Putting this in perspective to Indianapolis, think of "Tax and Spend." Taking the money of the people for spending on patronage hires, giving the city-council president a no-bid contract for concrete work at the city airport, letting the city-council president be part owner of a bar in a government building. Taking our hard-earned dollars for Center Twp to buy 3 giant unnecessary office buildings.

Now, part 2:

2. a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

-Put this in perspective to Indianapolis it is The Machine. The Machine controls everything and they just Tax and Spend.

The Machine at work:

The speech on the budget has most seats in the public assembly room reserved for political cronys or yes-men, who would be out of a job if they did anything but applaud and give standing ovations for their Boss. How about the city-council majority leader's wife, who approved a variance so the city-council president can own a bar in a government building?

The Machine, it's controls Indianapolis.....(until November)

Wilson46201 said...

So Dan Carpenter is right about how some folk seem to think the Bolsheviks have commandeered City Hall!

Anonymous said...

I for one belive that Carpenter's column toady was spot on.
Had the wealthy in some of Indy's older, upscale and newly gentrified neighborhoods not made the tax issue an issue then there would NOT have been a "story".

The poor in this city were hit just as hard but their voices rang hollow because they were not part of the wealthy establishment. Their concerns were just not newsworthy. In short, no one gave a damn about the effect of increased taxes on the poor.

I had to laugh at myself when Melyssa Donaghy said she and a group from her Meridian Kessler neighborhood were going to march in some of Indianapolis' neighborhoods where abandoned, boarded up houses were serious problems.
Where was she and her group of do-gooders when huge sign went up in front of an abandoned house on N.Dearborn Street on the city's Near Eastside back in April. The Abandoned Homes Tour sign was in the Indianapolis Star (with no story) and it was reported on by Channel 13. The sign made it on ONE blog only,Indyundercover.
Not one person in blogoshere gave a damn about one lousy abandoned house on the one remaining decent street in the middle of an urban crime war zone.

You see, the wealthy don't give a rats ass about any issue until it lands right on their own doorstep smelling like s..t. Then we're supposed to rally behind THEIR issue while they tell the rest of us to go screw ourselves and fix our "lttle" problems ourselves.

Yes, those tax protest signs will be gone for the most part in a couple of months while that abandoned house on Dearborn Street continues to rot along with the sign that it is now on the ground rotting too. And the 4 crack houses one street over will still be growing strong along with the prostitution and breakins.

It's interesting who decides which neighborhoods are allowed to survive while allowing others to die. No one speaks for the poor, they don't have enough money to buy a voice.

I'm afraid that Mr. Carpenter called it like it is. Maybe Melyssa and the girls can break away from their bridge playing at the club to take a ride around the city and see what REAL problems are. I'm sure the media would report on their excursion.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:12
I did what I could when that sign went up. I saved a copy of it, sent it to everyone on my list, and also drove people past it on Dearborn. At least the people I could convince to go with me.

But unfortunately, as any activist can tell you, it is very difficult to get the people to move or care unless they are personally in pain.

Because of that sign, I was made aware of how bad the problem is and because of that sign I now know how to take action.

What are you doing about the abandoned home problem in Indy? Anything other than anonymously criticizing someone you don't know?

It's easy to be a coward behind a computer isn't it? Why not put your name on your words? Why hide?

You have no idea about my life. Most of my friends are not wealthy. I don't play bridge and I struggle like everyone else. Where the hell do you get off standing in judgement of my life...a life you obviously know nothing about!

Anonymous said...

RE:12:12

You may well be right in all that you print. However, and this is a big however, lets jump on the wagon while it is here, and moving. If it is addressing the right issues, then who gives a crap about yesterday. We can sit around and suck our thumbs about that, but it will not do as much as working with the momemtum that is current before us.

Anonymous said...

Wilson,
Can you define IndyU Blather?? I believe it was IndyU that has pointed out alot of the problems in this city such as the house on Dearborn. You can choose to ignore the problems, but eventually they will all come to a head. What do you think is happening right now? Maybe this is all just a "right wing conspiracy". I want to thank Bart because of the way he has treated LEO's he helped create IndyU. I also want to thank you too Wilson, because every time you defend Bart and Company you give real meaning to the phrase " Stupid is as stupid does!"

Anonymous said...

When property tax is repealed in Indiana (and it WILL be) those abandoned houses will look very good to investors.

Investors will hire carpenters, plumbers, HVAC, roofers, landscapers, and masons to fix them. Those people will spend the money they earn in Indianapolis. Retailers will benefit because it will create a boom of building materials and appliances. And ultimately people will have affordable, clean rentals to live in. And our city will look nicer.

All that is around the corner. All we have to do is to stay with the momentum that was started on the 4th of July press conference at the Governor's mansion.

And Andy Horning is right. We need to hold our politicians accountable to the rule of the law.
Watch them squirm. It has only begun.

I'm going to call Indy Star advertisers and explain that I bought a subscription to the paper because finally the Star is printing rather than drinking Bart's kool-aid. Perhaps all of you should do the same.

The Star should be rewarded with subscriptions as long as they are serving the people. I punished them for a long time and would not subscribe. Now they've earned my business again.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Peterson's administration is not communistic. Instead, it is more opportunisitc and entrenched.

The longer it exists, the more "support" that it requires to survive.

This is especially true since the Marion County Democratic party is splinted into self-serving factions, all hell bent on achieving ascendency in all the major power foci.

Hopefully, the party will either make an internal "peace" amongst the factions, else be voted out to watch from the sidelines for another four years.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, "splintered", not "splinted". Although, the anaology might not be far off later this fall.

Anonymous said...

Melyssa: I'm sure the geniuses at he Star are brekaing open the champagne knowing that you've lifted your newspaper embargo.

We've got a newspaper that doesn't care much, in a town served by politicians that care only slightly more...what the helll did we expect?

And whatever blog reported whatever, IndyU is dominated by the same souls who comment endlessly about the same conspiracy theories.

Even so, their pages are typically full of more newsworthy nonsense than the newspaper's. Sad.

Anonymous said...

No one speaks for the poor, they don't have enough money to buy a voice.

I thought the Democrat party spoke for the poor? They must have too much time running their bars in government buildings, trying to keep getting city contract work for their private companies, trying to fix up their "homes", etc. etc..

Anonymous said...

Wilson46201


Please pay your property taxes, like the rest of us!

Wilsons the typical elitist who thinks he doesn't live in a glass house.

Anonymous said...

uh, 4:12, try to pay attention. I'm no Wilson fan, but he admitted he was late, paid the penalty, and even paid the higher amount for spring installment.

Transgression. Atonement. Move on.

Careful, or you'll start to sound like, uh, you know who...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Wilson posted only 1 reply on this. Leave him alone, maybe he'll go away!