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.

Campaign Update!

I certainly meet quite a few characters when I go door to door! One gentleman thought that God was testing him through my appearance on his door step. He asked where I came from. I told him "Chestnut Street". I tried to reassure him that I was only visiting his house because it was in my district and that my visit was no more special than my visit to any other house in the district. To the best of my knowledge, no divine entity or entities are acting through me. If they are, they certainly are being very subtle about it.

I also bought some ad space in Frost Illustrated. I gave them one of my door hangers to use as a sample:

My photo in the sample ad that they produced from it didn't look so good. The layout guy said that this was because it was a copy of a copy of a picture, and that he would get better results if he had the original. But I did not feel like driving home to get the original. So I stepped outside, took a self portrait with my camera phone, and emailed it to Frost. This is my latest pic:

Campaign Update!

I attended the candidate's forum at the Union Hall on Saturday. I was second in line to speak because I got there early. I now wish I waited a bit longer so I could think of more to say. Even though there were probably more candidates than voters at the forum, I think that its still productive in that we all get to hear each others ideas. Some people seemed to like my idea of doing what Brazil does and make ethanol from sugar instead of corn.
After the forum, Ken Fries was surprised to see the spinner hubcaps on my car.

The car needed new hubcaps when I first bought it, so I got these because I thought they looked cool. By the way, this baby gets 38 mpg, in case any of you were curious on what my plan to bring down gas prices is. This is part of it: reduce unnecessary consumption. It's fine to drive a minivan, station wagon, or SUV if you need to. If you don't need that big of a vehicle, you deserve to pay through the nose. It's simple supply and demand.

I handed out about 100 door hangers this weekend. I try to go out everyday since I don't want to fall out of my routine. Several were handed out to some children who walked up to me and asked for some. I explained to them that they were all too young to vote, but I indulged their requests for door hangers anyway. To these kids, campaign materials are an interesting curiosity, like a feather found on the ground. I explained to them what a state representative does and how a bill gets passed into law. They told me which houses were vacant so I could skip those. Hopefully the door hangers will find their way into view of someone of voting age.

My college paper on 9/11

I have finally posted the paper on 9/11 that I wrote for my "Terrorism and Tyranny" course that I took at IPFW in the Spring '05 semester. I meant to have it posted by the anniversary date.

Here's the link: www.robertenders.com/911


Its long and boring. But if you're a political junkie who for some reason has time on your hands this time of year, feel free to take a look. I think I got a "B" on the paper, I don't know what I did with the copy that I gave to Professor Lutz. I have voluntarily removed part of it, because it contains stuff I don't want you kids trying at home.

Candidates's Forum

I read in yesterday's Journal Gazette that there will be a political forum from 1pm to 3pm at the International Laborer's Union Local 213 building on Saturday, September 23. The Local 213 bulding is at 5700 South Anthony Blvd. Every local candidate that shows up will be given a chance to speak. So I will be there.