How the debate went

I think that all three candidates did well. We all had three distinct styles of speaking. I was blunt and to the point. I felt that all of those voters who took the time to attend the debate in person would be shrewd enough to see past any fancy rhetoric.

E85 didn't come up. I so would have nailed them if it did, unless of course their position happens to be the same as mine. I have not heard any public statements regarding E85 by my opponents. While I have been trying to keep track of my opponents' stances on issues, opposition research has not been a priority during my campaign.

Education kept coming up. Both of my opponents supported additional funding. I stressed that, while even though education funding keeps going up year after year, graduation rates keep going down. All that state and federal money keeps coming with strings attached, with new requirements imposed on students. There is only so much information that can be crammed into a student's brain in 4 years of high school.

I'll give you an example. FWCS's class of 1997, my graduating class, was the first to be required to perform 15 hours of community service. Several members of my senoir class failed to meet this requirement, and did not receive a diploma. While I do think that it is important to instill a spirit of volunteerism in a student, I do not think that students should be denied a diploma for failing to meet this requirement. It is far more important that a student get his or her diploma and become a self-sufficient member of society, rather than dropping out and becoming dependent on the spirit of volunteerism that has been instilled in his classmates. There are many other new requirements for graduation that have been mandated with the best of intentions by your humble servants in Indianapolis.

Vote Libertarian, and make them even more humhle.

Campaign Update

I attended IPFW's annual Legislative Issues Luncheon on Tuesday. Several NE Indiana state legislators were congratulated for being generous with other people's money, and were given IPFW tote bags. The food was great. While I think that it is great that IPFW is expanding, I am more concerned that IPFW will lose its role as a place for returning adults. I started out as a traditional student at the age of 18 and graduated as a returning adult at the age of 26. Specifically, I am worried about rising tuition rates. Many traditional students can rely on student loans, grants, or wealthy parents to pay for that pre-law degree. Cashiers, waiters, and security guards who work full time and attend classes part time cannot keep up with tuition rates that go up faster than inflation. I propose that all universities that receive state funding be required to keep their tuition rates tied in with inflation.

I thought about bringing that up during the luncheon, but I decided to let the incumbents have their moment. Because today I get to have my moment! Today is the day of the 80th District State Rep debate, which will take place at South Side High School at 7pm in Lecture Room B-109. Last night I had several of my supporters ask me questions as practice.

My rebuttal to the Journal Gazette's endorsement of GiaQuinta

I am not surprised that the morning paper endorsed my Democratic opponent today. The Journal Gazette is noted for having a liberal editorial board, and they endorsed four out of five Democrats in area state legislature races. But I am not discouraged either. GiaQuinta won the Democratic primary in spite of the fact that both newspapers endorsed Geoff Paddock back in April. Most voters do not base their choices solely on what they read on an editorial page.

While the JG endorsement may have been a foregone conclusion, they still should have waited until after Thursday's debate before they printed it. It is disappointing that the paper failed to list any of the candidate's stances on the issues in the editorial piece. Instead GiaQuinta's long record as a government employee was discussed. While I am sure that he has done a fine job in that function, it is not a resume that voters seek in a representative but a set of ideas and beliefs. It is my contention that many 80th District voters realize that high taxes and excessive regulations have taken their toll on the local economy and that it takes a Libertarian to fix that.

Upcoming events

Thursday, October 19th- I will probably appear on "Libertarians at Large" at 7pm on Comcast Channel 57. Feel free to watch and call in with questions and comments.

Thursday, October 26th- A debate between all three candidates for 80th District State Representative will take place at South Side High School at 7pm. This debate is open to the public.

Campaign update

I went down to WOWO and recorded my radio ad. It will start airing next week, and I will post a MP3 of it as soon as they send it to me.

I went out canvassing yesterday. It was cold out, so I wore two layers of shirts. I think that it always feels colder than it really is this time of year because we have to get used to it being cold again.

News-Sentinel Straw Poll

I finally got included in the News-Sentinel straw poll. Of course, these polls are as grounded in science as the Kansas State Board of Education. There are still a lot of people who do not have internet access.

Anyway, here is a link. I suspect that more politicians read my blog than voters. If that is the case, feel free to vote for yourself. I did.

E85 grant is a flagrant waste of money

The state is accepting a $1.3 million federal grant to build more E85 stations along I-65. I am against this for several reasons.
1. E85 is not a viable replacement for gasoline. It costs more to produce. Vehicles need to be specially designed to use the fuel. Even many owners of flex-fuel cars and trucks end up choosing regular gasoline because they get better mileage with it.
2. If an energy source is economically viable, what consumers pay would be able cover the costs of production. Such a source would not need subsidies. If it is not economically viable, no one should bother with it.
3. Ethanol has its own environmental drawbacks. Farmers spread chemical fertilizers and pesticides on corn fields. These chemicals wash out into rivers and streams, and cause harm to fish.

Ideally, if the state does not need a grant for the purpose for which it was intended, it should decline the money. This of course goes against most politician's natural instincts. Many state officials have the attitude that if they don't get to waste this money, some other state will do it. Indiana should make a stand and set an example by declining unnecessary federal grants. If other states follow our lead, this will go a long way towards reducing the federal deficit.