Governor Daniels - Say What ?

Like many of you, we sat around the television last night, watching Governor Daniels' last State of the State speech.  There are many lines that many people certainly took exception to (those of you who showed up at the Statehouse - we could hear you).  But, there is one line I want to bring to the forefront this morning, if only to be sure the taxpayers of Indiana know what is really going on.

Daniels briefly touched on the INDOT / Kentucky DOT two bridges project to span the Ohio River crossing into Louisville.  He declared that this project will put Indiana in the forefront of public-private partnerships.  Say what Governor Daniels?  You are really going to go there?

It just so happens that a series of blog posts are currently in process about these very Ohio bridges, being penned by the much respected urbanist, Aaron Renn, over at his blog, the Urbanophile.  The series is titled "Indiana's Bridge Deal Boondoggle".

For those of you unfamiliar with INDOT, this will be an eye opener.  For those who are all too familiar with INDOT, be cautious when reading - there is danger of occular strain for all of the eye rolling you will experience.

In Monday's post, "Part 1: A Financial Fiasco", Renn relates how INDOT shaved $1.5 billion off the cost of the projects.  That's a good thing, right?  Well, simultaneously, INDOT managed to increase the cost to Indiana taxpayers by $200 million and save the Kentucky taxpayers $1.7 billion (that's $1700 million).  Talk about pulling defeat from the jaws of victory.

In yesterday's post, "Part 2: Hoosiers to Pay Even More With Tolling", Renn reveals that the States have a plan to toll the bridges, but no plan on how to divide the toll revenue.  He also analyses who might pay more in tolls, Indiana travellers or Kentucky travellers.

I highly recommend Renn's series.  He makes it easy to follow.  It's not Renn's writing style that is hard to understand, it is how INDOT could let this happen to Indiana taxpayers and those cities and towns that will lose projects in order to pay for INDOT's mistakes.

[edited to add]  Renn's third installment is now available.  This is a drama all its own in "Part 3: INDOT's Mini-Big Dig".  Renn leads us from one bread crumb to another; from showing how excessive the cost to Indiana taxpayers to build a bridge terminating tunnel under posh digs at a preliminary cost of $795 million for 1.4 miles of roadway, through to the point that the Indiana Constitution just might prohibit the State from building a road in another State.  Its a flabbergasting read.

The Arrogance of Power - Lobbyists Over Citizens

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' decision to limit the occupancy of the State House to 3000 people is clearly and obviously designed to keep the Unions and sympathetic citizens from inconveniencing himself and the State Legislators with their presence and expression of their opinions in numbers.   His decision to allow lobbyist preferential entry is downright chilling to Democracy and the First Amendment.

Make no mistake, Mitch Daniels and any Legislator who supports this thinly veiled attack does not value ANY citizen nor ANY citizen's opinion on ANY matter.  Letting the paid jackals have clear and free entry, and without having to even stand in line, is blatantly against the interests of free and open government.  Each and every Legislator should be asked to go on the record as supporting or opposing these First Amendment assaults.

Buy the way - it costs $95 per year to sign up to be a lobbyist and you must be compensated by your employer as a primary qualification to enroll.  So, this has to be added to the list of 'pay to play' and 'paid to play' political advantages.  You have to be sure they have a bankroll sufficient enough to treat the politicians to all those nice freebies that they are accustomed to.  You and I aren't likely to do so.

The State website has a list of registered lobbyists for 2011.  It consist of 63 pages, each with about 13 names, for a rough total of 830 people who are more important to Daniels than you or I.

I hope the Indiana ACLU will step in with a lawsuit on behalf of a citizen who wanted to exercise their RIGHT to petition their government, but was denied entry to the Statehouse while a Lobbyist was allowed in.

McANA Calls for Investigation of CIB Financial History

The Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations has called for an investigation of the Capital Improvement Board's finances throughout its history as part of any CIB bailout plan. In a letter dated May 24, 2009, and addressed to Governor Mitch Daniels, Mayor Greg Ballard, and City-County Council President Bob Cockrum, McANA's President Cathy Burton wrote:

We believe that any responsible effort to seek long-term funding solutions for the activities and facilities managed by the Capital Improvements Board must include an investigation to evaluate the CIB’s past history and financial transactions. We respectfully request that you, as the ranking elected officials for the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana, call for a thorough examination of the function, responsibilities, policies and authority of the Capital Improvements Board through its entire history. This would include its procedures, or lack thereof, to ensure the retirement of debt, as well as its financial ability to fully and responsibly fund the requirements of its contracts with any professional or semi-professional sports teams (i.e., Colts, Pacers, Indians, Fever, etc.), or any other entity, public or private, prior to those contracts being signed.

It is certain that the current economic climate in our country has contributed to the difficult funding situation now faced by the CIB, but we believe that past practices and decisions have been a greater contributor to the general long-term decline of the CIB’s fiscal soundness. The investigation for which we call is not to point fingers, but rather to quantify all the factors that have led to the CIB’s current position and ensure that those factors do not recur and contribute to future financial conundrums. It is clear that, whatever solution is adopted to resolve the CIB shortfalls, the residents and businesses of Marion County, and perhaps the state, will be ultimately responsible for generating most, if not all, of the new funding streams needed. It is therefore incumbent upon the citizenry to demand establishment of protocols and policies that will safeguard against the creation of future problems.

As a City and a State, we must expect nothing less than one hundred percent accountability and transparency from any and all agencies and governmental units that represent and act on behalf of the public, particularly when those actions result in significant financial liabilities. We hope that you share this vision and will seek not only a solution to the financial crises of the CIB but also a resolution to the framework that led us to this crisis.