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IS IT TRUE MARCH 23, 2017

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IS IT TRUE that Pat Tuley has stepped up to save the Vanderburgh County Commissioners from themselves by taking his name out of consideration to become the next Director at Burdette Park?…Tuley has been a near permanent fixture in local politics and public education for as long as anyone can remember and the outrage over the firing of young educated millennial Jacob Murphy must have been too much for old Pat to bear?…removing his name from consideration was the right decision but it does not negate the fact that it looks like two Vanderburgh County Commissioners dealt the political patronage card from the bottom of the deck in their attempt to reward Tuley for political support of a campaign of one of the commissioners?…without publicly advertising this position in the local paper was like giving the taxpayers a big middle finger right in the face?  …were sorry to report that in Vanderburgh County the practice of bypassing a merit based hire in favor of the time dishonorable tradition of the practice of political patronage hiring policies are the norm?  …as long as political patronage is the ticket to a good job at the expense of qualifications, the mediocrity will continue and the town that moved up from last in the “Well Being” survey may just fall back to the bottom?

IS IT TRUE at yesterday’s County Council meeting Joe Kiefer made it known that members of the County Commission are considering doing a $500,000 office renovation project on the third floor of the Civic Center?  …next week Mr. Kiefer and the President of the County Council will be meeting with a member of the County Commission to discuss combining both county offices into one business pod?  …we can’t wait to see if County Commissioner Musgrave will be able to convince members of the County Council to spend around $500,000 on this questionable project?

IS IT TRUE at last Mondays County Commission meeting Veterans Council Commander Mark Acker publicly confirmed that individuals at the Civic Center demanded that he hand over the keys to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum? …he was also told he wasn’t allowed to attend County Commission meetings and ask questions about issues concerning the Veterans Memorial Coliseum?   …the way that Veterans Council Commander Mark Acker was allegedly mistreated by individuals at the Civic Center is an insult to all veterans of this community?…if members of the main stream media would like to learn more about how Commander Acker was harassed by individuals at the Civic Center he shall be glad to talk with you about this in detail? …we guarantee that this is a developing story?

IS IT TRUE it has been said that it is never too late to do the right thing?…Vanderburgh County stepped up and did the right thing more than 20 years after the rest of the civilized world did by passing anti-discrimination laws in favor of the LGBT community in the hiring process?…we congratulate the Vanderburgh County officials who made this move for finally getting on board with something that has been appropriate forever?…some of the “locals” who showed up to voice their opposition to this move were a curious combination of ignorance and brazen judgmentalism?…the lady with the cow mask is not one to put into a highlight film to attract millennials to the City of Evansville, but it was something to behold?

IS IT TRUE that after all of the hubbub over the drainage, noise, and traffic associated with the WalMart Supercenter planned for the North side at the intersection of Highway 57 and Boonville-New Harmony Road, WalMart has decided to cancel the project?…the folks who live out by the Hornet’s Nest will not have to worry about WalMart disrupting their domestic tranquility anymore?…this is not the only WalMart project to be cancelled or mothballed recently?…WalMart is wisely moving to an enhanced online distribution network so expect more cancellations and more big old empty stores in the near future?…the list of closures is now in double figures with WalMart, Target, and K-Mart leading the charge to abandon bricks and embrace clicks?

IS IT TRUE President Donald Trump is roughly 24 hours away from the first big congressional vote on his campaign promise to “Repeal and Replace” Obamacare?…as of the time of writing Trump appears to be 3 votes shy of what is needed to pass the repeal in the House of Representatives?…while what has been proposed does not even adopt some of the low hanging fruit of positive reforms for the embattled and struggling Obamacare legislation, it does look like a start?…zero Democrat votes are expected and the real obstruction is the “Freedom Caucus” which is a new name for the Tea Party?…we will know late Thursday night if this passes, but with or without the votes at least some action is being attempted to rescue the ACA which is on collision course with having no insurance carriers in several places in 2018?…if no corrective actions are taken, the United States will have a law on the books that fines people for failing to purchase something that isn’t even available at any price?…that my friends is the way Banana Republics do business?

FOOTNOTE: Todays “READERS POLL” question is: Should the Vanderburgh County Council approve the spending of $500,000 to combined both county offices into one business pod?

Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“A VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE” BY FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE GAIL RIECKEN

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“A VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE”  BY GAIL RIECKEN

(Former Representative Sits The Record Straight About Tech-Evansville Being Part Of The IU Medical School)

Dear Friend,

If you are a supporter of Ivy Tech-Evansville being part of the IU medical school complex, then this letter is especially for you.

And, if you heard that Ivy Tech really isn’t a part of the IU medical school complex and never was, then please read further.

From the medical school’s inception, Ivy Tech was included as an integral part of the goals, purpose and prospects that having a medical school in our community would bring.

Mr. Jeff Fanter, Ivy Tech, is just wrong in his statement to the Courier&Press he made in January. In a recent Comments section of the City County Observer, Courier&Press reporter John Martin included the quote from Mr. Fanter discussing the lack of endorsement for Ivy Tech in the present budget cycle.

“Asked if the Downtown Evansville project would be submitted by Ivy Tech for a future General Assembly’s consideration, Fanter said in an email: “Prior to each legislative session, all of the capital projects will be reviewed and prioritized to determine which will be a part of our capital request.”  NOPE, Mr. Fanter! That answer should have been ‘Absolutely, we are committed to Ivy Tech in the medical school complex’.

There are 1100 or more Ivy Tech students projected to use that opportunity for training in the first year. Without Ivy Tech, there will be 400 to 500 students projected from the other institutions.

Evansville and communities around us only benefit from more opportunities for its youth to enter the health profession. Our youth need opportunities, and our community needs more health care providers.

The taxpayers of Evansville benefit from higher student numbers closer to what we were promised for the investment we, as taxpayers, are making.

It is true Ivy Tech was denied funding in the last budget cycle. But, the reason Ivy Tech was excluded is history.

Ivy Tech leadership in Indianapolis angered legislators. They inflated state growth rates and graduation rates, and as punishment, all Ivy Tech projects were excluded from the budget that cycle.

Ivy Tech has new leadership and this is a new budget cycle. IU should take a public position and confirm its continued commitment to Ivy Tech. It is not too late.

And, it is not too late for all of us to get involved. Here’s how.

A legislator on the Senate Appropriations Committee still has time, although precious little time, to bring an amendment to HB1001. It might be as dramatic as taking some other institution’s money; or it could be finding additional monies somewhere in the budget. But, whatever the source, March 30th looks like the absolute deadline in the Appropriations Committee.

Don’t let this opportunity for a better future for our youth disappear; don’t let those in charge of the medical school complex get away with the millions in tax dollars for one-third the students promised.

Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann, in a conversation with me over the lack of her endorsement of Ivy Tech in the complex this budget cycle, never said that she did not support funding. She said, if legislators could find more money, she had no objection.

Please, if you care, call your legislator now to help.

As one from the outside, I see opportunity and hope for a better future for our children compromised in the name of politics and self-interest, state and local.

I see that unless we all stand up and be counted, this project will move on without Ivy Tech. I’ve said this to as many individuals and groups I have spoken to and now I ask one more time “Stand up”!

Remember that 69 wasn’t built without a lot of hard work from Evansville citizens. My favorite example, French Lick Casino wouldn’t have happened, if the people of Orange County hadn’t stormed the statehouse in their orange shirts!

This is “My View From The Outside” as of March 22, 2017.

Regards,

Gail Riecken

Former Member of District 77 House of Representative

Editors Footnote:  To voice your opinion about this issue please call Indiana House of Representatives at (317) 232-9600 or (800) 382-9842 or the Indiana Senate at (317) 232-9400 or (800) 382-9467.

Indiana Lawmakers are Looking Out for Landlords

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Indiana Lawmakers are Looking Out for Landlords

Lawmakers in the Hoosier state are are working to make it cheaper for landlords. Some Indiana municipalities charge landlords when police come to their properties. With Senate Bill 558, when victims have to call the police, property owners…

Republicans Save Obamacare: By Richard Moss MD

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Republicans Save Obamacare:

And Actually Make it Worse!

By Richard Moss MD

Taking something away once given is nigh impossible in a democracy.  Just ask the Republicans in Congress.  Obamacare was a giveaway for millions of Americans.  It was also fatally flawed.  After a trillion dollars spent and massive cuts in Medicare reimbursement, premiums and deductibles have soared.  Consumers did not keep their doctor or their plan.  The nation’s largest insurers have jumped ship.  Bailouts of insurance companies will be required. States and counties across the land have only one insurer. The Affordable Care Act is unaffordable for tens of millions of Americans not being subsidized.

The ACA needed one thing: to be given a merciful death.  Repealing Obamacare was the single issue that gave Republicans historic wave elections, federal monopoly power, and overwhelming dominance in the states.

But instead of repealing it, the Republicans have saved it, and in more grotesque form.  The new bill will lead to an even more rapid collapse of healthcare markets in America, only this time with Republican fingerprints all over it.

Officially known as the American Health Care Act, it has attracted a variety of monikers including RINO Care, Obamacare lite, and Trumpcare.  But Trumpcare is appropriate.  The President should have taken the lead, but he didn’t.  Instead he handed it over to the Republican Establishment, the McConnells and Ryans in Congress, and in so doing has let down his voters and the country.

The flaws of Obamacare are legion but two are crucial.  These are “guaranteed issue” and “community rating,” the cost-drivers that have made Obamacare unsustainable. Guaranteed Issue allows consumers to buy insurance regardless of health status.  Community Rating, requires insurance companies to charge the same price.  Imagine forcing life insurance companies to charge a 75 year old the same as a 25 year old, or coercing auto insurance companies to charge the same after a car accident as before, and you will understand the economic illiteracy of Obamacare.  It is not insurance.  It is a giveaway.

These two features of Obamacare incentivize consumers to defer purchasing insurance until they must have it.  They deprive health insurance companies of the necessary balance of healthy buyers to less healthy ones, which pools risk and keeps premiums down.  By driving healthy consumers out of the market, and leaving only the unhealthy ones, you drive up rates, increase the ranks of the uninsured, and destroy the market place.  These two interlocking mechanisms account for the unfolding “death spiral” of Obamacare.  Trumpcare preserves these two features thus ensuring its own ultimate failure and collapse.

There are other odious components of Obamacare including the individual and employer mandates, both of which are unconstitutional, notwithstanding Chief Justice John Roberts’s sophistry in 2012.  The employer mandate has been a dead weight on the economy and a boon for part time work. Insurance mandates require a minimum “essential” package including items like sex change surgery and prostate care for women that drove up rates as well.  The absence of a cap on payments also served to increase premiums.  But guaranteed issue and community rating were the primary mechanisms behind the escalating premiums and deductibles.

Trumpcare eliminates the employer and individual mandate (and various Obamacare taxes), the “funding” mechanisms of Obamacare.  Conservatives would normally rally behind such measures, but only if insurance mandates, guaranteed issue and community rating were similarly terminated.  Absent this, Trumpcare will exacerbate the death spiral of the market place as consumers will now have less incentive to buy insurance and employers will dump their plans.  The individual mandate is replaced by a 30% increase in insurance premiums for anyone dropping their insurance, which will do nothing to prevent individuals from dispensing with costly insurance.  Eliminating the mandates and taxes thusly will blow a hole in the budget and cause further market dislocation.

Trumpcare also bankrolls individuals and families earning $150,000 up to $14,000 a year, phasing out above that but still theoretically subsidizing consumers with incomes above $200,000, a massive new entitlement.  It preserves the Medicaid expansion and does not freeze enrollment until 2020 thus incentivizing states to expand their Medicaid rolls.  It also promises $100 billion in subsidies to the states to assist the poor and to create risk pools. The regulatory, subsidy, mandate cost-drivers of Obamacare are all in place or enhanced.  It is a bill only a Democrat could love.

Republicans should repeal Obamacare with the same bill they repeatedly sent to Obama to veto the last seven years.  Then, it was empty political theater.  Now, with a Republican President, they are afraid to.  They could extend it a year providing time for recipients to make other arrangements.  Instead Trump, the hackneyed Republican leadership in Congress, and vested interests have teamed up not just to preserve Obamacare but make it worse. There has been no draining of the swamp.  This is the swamp.  The Trump Revolution has been derailed.

March 17, 2017

Brief Bio: Richard Moss MD is a practicing Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon, author, and columnist who resides in Jasper IN.  He lost his bid for the Republican nomination for Congress in Indiana’s 8th district in 2016. Find more of his essays and blog posts at exodusmd.com.  Also find him on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Parents Lose Constitutional Challenge Of Post-Secondary School Expenses

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Parents Lose Constitutional Challenge Of Post-Secondary School Expenses

Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianalawyer.com

Bound by precedent, the Indiana Court of Appeals declined to find the statute allowing courts to impose post-secondary educational expenses on divorced parents is unconstitutional. The parents had argued the statute needs another look.

In this consolidated appeal, divorced parents from Elkhart, Kosciusko and Marion counties challenged the trial court’s order that a parent pay a portion of his or her child’s college expenses. The parents maintained the statutory authority is unconstitutional because it violates a divorced parent’s equal protection right because it places the divorced parent in a different position than married parents. The divorced parents also claimed the statute interferes with a parent’s fundamental right to determine his or her child’s upbringing and education.

The Indiana Supreme Court in 1991 previously rejected such claims and upheld a substantially similar prior version of the statute in question in Neudecker v. Neudecker, 577 N.E.2d 960 (Ind. 1991). But the divorced parents in the instant case argued because that case is more than 25 years old, the court “should review this issue anew as prior law is outdated and not in sync with our current society.”

“[I]t is well-established that as Indiana’s intermediate appellate court, we are bound to follow Indiana Supreme Court precedent,” Judge Cale Bradford wrote, declining the parents’ request to overturn Neudecker.

The Court of Appeals also ruled with respect to father Jasen Simcox that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in crediting him with nonconforming child support payments made to ex-wife Amy Likes or in basing his financial obligation for his daughter’s college expenses on the cost of a public university rather than a private one.

The case is Lisa Gill v. Jeffery B. Gill; In Re the Marriage Of: Jasen Simcox v. Amy S. (Simcox) Likes; and Paul King v. Jennifer Devine, 20A03-1607-DR-1569.

Katterhenry named MVC Golfer of the Week

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Aces place fifth in tournament

ST. LOUIS – University of Evansville golfer Kayla Katterhenry was named the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week on Wednesday after posting a second-place finish in Sevierville, Tenn.

Katterhenry tied for second place out of 44 participants as the University of Evansville women’s golf squad took part in the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Sevierville, Tenn. Katterhenry carded scores of 73 in the first two rounds, both just two strokes over par.

She completed the tournament with a 74 to wrap up the tournament with a 220. She finished just one stroke off of the win.

The ladies are back on the golf course on Monday, March 27 in Little Rock, Ark.

Hardiman moves up to 23rd in ITA Rankings

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University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis sophomore James Hardiman (Backwell Bristol, United Kingdom) has climbed his way to the 23rd-ranked singles player in the Oracle/ITA Division II Men’s Collegiate Tennis poll, moving up 20 spots from his preseason ranking. The Screaming Eagles also held steady at No. 34 as a team.

For the season, Hardiman is 19-5 in singles, including 14-2 in duals this spring and 11-2 at number one. He is also 13-3 with partner freshman Denis Davydov (Chorvatsky Grob, Slovakia) in doubles play.

Davydov has made an impact as a freshman, as he is 15-8 overall on the year, primarily at number two singles. Senior Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) sits at 13-9 overall, and sophomore Ilia Karelin (Ekaterinburg, Russia) is 11-6.

The Eagles are currently 12-6, with a 5-1 mark in-region. They host No. 36 Grand Valley State at 10 a.m. Friday at the USI Tennis Courts before beginning GLVC play Saturday at Illinois Springfield.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Dr. Bucshon with Spirit of Enterprise Award

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Award Honors Strong Record of Support for Business Community

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. this week with its annual Spirit of Enterprise Award, given in recognition of his support for pro-growth policies in the second session of the 114th Congress.

“Small businesses employ nearly 1.2 million Hoosiers and represent over 97 percent of businesses in our state, said Bucshon. “This hardworking workforce is the lifeblood of our local economies. I’m proud of my record of supporting free market policies in Congress that help small businesses here in Southern Indiana and the Wabash Valley grow, thrive, and hire our neighbors.” 

“Businesses of all shapes and sizes need sound, commonsense policy in place in order to get off the ground, grow, and succeed,” said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The Spirit of Enterprise Award recognizes those members of Congress who have done what’s right for our friends, family, and neighbors running businesses across the country. We applaud Dr. Bucshon for his commitment to free enterprise and economic growth.”

The Chamber’s prestigious Spirit of Enterprise Award is given annually to members of Congress based on their votes on critical business legislation as outlined in the Chamber’s annual scorecard, How They Voted. Members who supported the Chamber’s position on at least 70 percent of those votes qualify to receive the award.

During the second session of the 114th Congress, the Chamber scored members on 8 Senate votes and 14 House votes related to access to capital for small businesses, ensuring our workforce has the skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow, and helping American manufacturers compete in a global economy. In addition, votes in support of building the U.S. water infrastructure system, protecting intellectual property, and updating energy policy also factored into scoring.

This is the 29th year that the U.S. Chamber has formally honored the accomplishments of this select group of members of Congress.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Appeals Court Reverses CHINS Finding

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Appeals Court Reverses CHINS Finding

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

A trial court erred in declaring a boy in the custody of his father to be a child in need of services on account of his meth-abusing mother, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

The appellate panel reversed and vacated the Monroe County CHINS adjudication in In the Matter of: N.C. (Minor Child), Child in Need of Services and J.M. (Father) v. The Indiana Department of Child Services, 53A01-1610-JC-2479. N.C.’s father, J.M., and mother are divorced. N.C. and mother’s other children were removed from her home after authorities learned she had been using methamphetamine in the presence of her children.

N.C’s father had temporary custody and has petitioned the court for permanent custody, which the appeals panel noted is scheduled for hearing in June. But even as father’s counsel argued father showed no need for services and had cared for N.C. for months, the trial court determined he was a CHINS.

Judge Margret Robb wrote for the panel that subsequent events show the parties appear to have been dismissed from the CHINS action, potentially making this case moot. Nevertheless, she wrote, “(W)e conclude a decision on the merits is warranted and necessary. A CHINS adjudication, even one as short-lived as this one, can have serious consequences for families. Indiana Code section 31-35-2-4(b)(2)(B)(iii) provides that two separate CHINS adjudications can be the basis for a petition to terminate parental rights. Although N.C. is not currently a CHINS, it is still on record that he has been adjudicated a CHINS and if that adjudication was erroneous, it must be corrected to protect the integrity of the family going forward.”

The COA also found the court had failed to show proof of the three requirements of a CHINS adjudication — the parent’s action or inactions seriously endangered the child; the child’s needs are unmet; and those needs are likely to be unmet without the state’s intervention.

“(W)hatever neglect N.C. experienced due to Mother’s issues at the outset of this case was rectified by being placed in Father’s home,” Robb wrote. “… DCS is not relieved of its burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the coercive intervention of the court was required.”

Pieroni’s School Record Highlights First Night of NCAA Championships

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INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 4-ranked Indiana University men’ swimming and diving team began competition at the 2017 NCAA Championships on Wednesday evening at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

After the 800 freestyle relay on the first night of the NCAA Championships, the Hoosiers sit in ninth place with a total of 18 points.

Leading off for the Hoosiers, Blake Pieroni posted the fastest 200 freestyle in the country, setting the IU school and Big Ten record with his time of 1:30.87. Pieroni is the first swimmer in Indiana history to break the 1:31.00 mark in the event.

Along with Pieroni, the Hoosier team of Marwan Elkamash, Anze Tavcar and Mohamed Samy placed ninth overall in the 800 freestyle with a time of 6:13.45.

The No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers will continue competition at the 2017 NCAA Championships on Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET with the prelims of the 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay and 1-meter dive.

Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

800 Freestyle Relay

  1. Blake Pieroni, Marwan Elkamash, Anze Tavcar, Mohamed Samy – 6:13.45

– Pieroni’s 200 freestyle leadoff split of 1:30.87 sets a IU school and Big Ten record

 

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