Freedom, IN- Congressional candidate Andrew McNeil began his tour of the 8^th District this week, calling it “19 Days for 19 Counties”. During the month of April, Andrew will devote one full day to visiting with voters in each of the 19 counties represented in his district.  Few of the towns visited in the coming month will be seeing Andrew for the first time—over the last few months he has already scoured the district. However for the tour every County will now be announced in advance with a greater focus placed on local attractions and points of interests. Last week saw official visits to Owen, Greene, and Warrick Counties.

Andrew kicked off the tour on Monday with Owen County. He visited the towns of Spencer and Cataract going door-to-door through the neighborhoods and visiting with voters in businesses around the Owen County courthouse. Monday night ended with a well-attended candidate forum in Clay City in neighboring Clay County.

Wednesday was devoted to Greene County. Andrew stopped in Worthington, Lyons, Solsberry, Bloomfield, and Linton. As always, he visited with as many businesses and households as he could in each town. While in Solsberry, Andrew made a special trip to the Yoho General Store for lunch. There he heard from a woman whose hours were cut as part of the Obamacare mandate declaring a 30-hour workweek to be considered full time for insurance purposes.

Heavy rain interfered with plans to visit neighborhoods in Newburgh on Thursday, but Andrew honored his invitation to speak at the Warrick County Candidate Forum in Newburgh. Warrick Farm Bureau hosted the event which was also broadcast live on WBNL. The crowd of nearly 200 Republicans and Democrats erupted in applause when Andrew announced his intention to remove the EPA when elected.

Despite continued bad weather, Andrew devoted Friday to Warrick County. After a stop by the flooded Ohio River, Andrew walked up and down Newburgh visiting with businesses and followed that up with visits to the surrounding neighborhoods. The night ended at Warrick County’s Lincoln Day dinner, where Andrew learned from multiple new supporters that he had earned their votes after his appearance at Thursday’s forum.

“With only one month left before the primary vote, I’m more committed than ever to meeting with as many people as I can. It is my duty to provide the people of the 8^th District with a choice on who will represent them in Washington, so I will continue to do everything in my power to let voters see who I am and what I stand for.”

Chairman of the Board of the City-County Observer, Ron Cosby announced today that the first 2014 “Mole Award”  Recipient Committee has selected  Evansville Police Sergeant Patrick Phernetton as the first mole award winner of 2014. Cosby said of Pherrnetton, “This is quite an honor for Patrick Phernetton. He is an outstanding individual, he is persuasive both intellectually and ethically, and is the humblest of public servants. The 2014 CCO Mole Awards Committee feels honored to award Patrick with the first City-County Observer Mole Award for the year 2014.

As an Army Veteran and current Evansville Police Officer, Sergeant Patrick Phernetton has encountered many difficult situations in his life. Through his many years of service, he has seen an encountered many people in need of help. As a member of Law Enforcement, that is his job. Patrick, however, has a role much bigger than being an officer; he is a father. He has three wonderful children, but his daughter Mykenna has become the inspiration for the work Patrick does outside of his day-job. When Mykenna (known as Mickey) was born, doctor’s diagnosed her with Prader-Willi Syndrome. PWS is a genetic disease that alters those who have it to the point where they will always have a feeling of constant hunger. This extreme and insatiable appetite is one of many symptoms of PWS, but defines it for the most part. Folks with this disease will never be able to live a truly independent life. Patrick and his wife Lisa realized they needed to do something to help Mickey. They knew one day she would want her own space and freedom like all young people do. PWS would never allow that, she they searched for an alternative.

In the early days, the Music for Mickey Concert series was raising little money for a spark of an idea. As time progressed, Patrick, with some help from close friends, founded 911 Gives Hope. 911 Gives Hope was to be a boxing match between local police and firefighters with the proceeds to benefit Prader Willi Syndrome, the building of Kids Kingdom, and several other local charities. The first event was held at the Coliseum. Patrick was hoping they would sell enough tickets to cover their expenses and turn a small profit. By the end of the night, it was rumored people were offering $50 cash donations just to get in the door because it was sold out. With the fire inspector next on the fight bill, who was going to check the building capacity?

911 Gives Hope has now grown to nothing like Patrick could imagine. With well over a half million dollars raised in the first 6 years, an annual Guns & Hoses Hockey game set up and the annual toy drive, 911 Gives Hope has several avenues to help so many that are disabled around our community. What started as a dream for a daughter has turned into an invaluable pillar of the community. Guns & Hoses now is held at the cities largest indoor venue and draws over 8,000 spectators, all attending in the name of the children of Evansville. The Toy Drive yields literally thousands of toys each year and the Guns & Hoses events raise money to help grantees who ask for money throughout the year. Outside of the big events, the 911 Gives Hope board (Patrick Phernetton, Billy Bolin, Chris Rieter, Matt Garnett, Dave Harmon, Dave Weis, Sallie Jung) have always made it a point to go behind the scenes to help a child in need. Most of this is not publicized and it will never be. Patrick will continue to fight for his daughter. Founded from 911 Gives Hope is Hope Village. Hope Village will be a home within Jacob’s Village exclusively for those with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

The ball is rolling on this project and without the work of 911 Gives Hope, it would not be possible. Guns & Hoses is April 12. Your ticket goes to the pocket of no fighter or board member, just children of our community.  When you see Patrick, say hello to the man behind this dream.  The City County Observer is honored to have Patrick Phernetton among our mist.

 

Indiana’s highest ranking elected physicians announce statewide tour on the status of healthcare.

 

On Friday, U.S. Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. and Indiana State Representative Tim Brown, M.D. announced stops on their “Hoosier Healthcare Tour,” a statewide tour to discuss the status of health and healthcare in Indiana.

Over the course of two weeks, Drs. Bucshon and Brown will travel to nine different cities and host eleven events focused on aspects of Hoosier healthcare.  Through a series of events focused on child healthcare, physician retention, minority healthcare, Medicare/Medicaid, medical device, rural healthcare, veterans healthcare, and prevention/wellness, the doctors hope to get a comprehensive overview of the state of healthcare in Indiana.

What:        Prevention and Wellness Event

When:       Thursday, April 24^th @ 2:00 – 3:30pm CT
Where:     St. Mary’s Medical Center (Amphitheater) – 3700 Washington Avenue Evansville, IN 47714

*Media permitted at event and open to public.

 

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster today launched the first-ever national “No-Call Law Enforcement Summit.”

Last year, the Indiana attorney general’s office received more than 14,000 Do Not Call complaints with more than 50 percent involving automated calls known as robocalls. The summit is being held today in Indianapolis to help state and federal agencies identify best practices on how to stop unwanted calls and prosecute violators.

“Consumers nationwide are fed up with receiving unwanted calls, and that’s why we have gathered our state and federal partners to identify solutions,” Zoeller said. “It’s important to recognize that many of these annoying calls stem from sources outside the U.S, which falls outside the states’ jurisdictions. States need assistance from the federal government, specifically the Federal Communications Commission, to do more in terms of regulating these types of calls.”

“Consumers place their phone numbers on their state’s No Call list because they do not want to receive annoying, unwanted calls,” said Koster. “As is true in many states, the largest category of consumer complaints filed in Missouri each year involves violations of state No Call and telemarketing laws. I look forward to working with Attorney General Zoeller and other states to develop the ideas generated at this summit and better protect consumers from unlawful telephone harassment and fraud.”

Participants include representatives from more than 20 attorneys general offices, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Canadian Radio-Television Commission and others. The summit’s theme is, “Building a No-Call Case from the Ground Up,” and presenters will focus on new technologies, investigation and prosecution techniques, and interstate and federal cooperation.

Zoeller is a strong proponent of a resolution passed by Indiana state legislators this year which called on the FCC to more aggressively regulate telemarketing calls and robocalls that violate Hoosiers’ telephone privacy.

Businesses often generate sales leads by using third-party telephone solicitors to call consumers, but many times those consumers’ numbers are registered on the state’s Do Not Call list. This year, the Indiana General Assembly passed a new law allowing the attorney general to hold accountable, through legal action, both the solicitors and the companies benefitting from these illegal calls.

Zoeller said Indiana’s top Do Not Call complaint in 2013 stemmed from calls offering credit services, followed by home security and home improvement calls respectively.

Fascism is the name we give to the ideology which merges the power of the purse (business, foundations, nonprofits) with the power of the sword (government) in order to create policy, impose it by methods ranging from subterfuge to force, and take a society in a desired direction.

By this method, then, citizens are deprived of private property rights and control over their lives and business activities. When private companies must compete in an open market for the best employees and for customers, that is free enterprise capitalism (or laissez-faire). However, when they form partnerships with government, or when either o­ne “partners” with foundations or nonprofit sector entities, or even, I would argue, are legally able to borrow money from banks created according to the fractional reserve system, free enterprise is compromised. The economic system begins its move from a o­ne based o­n liberty and productivity to o­ne based o­n control and plunder.

Fascism adheres to the “philosopher-king” belief that o­nly o­ne class—which is by birth, education, or social standing—is capable of understanding what is best for the whole community and putting it into practice. Thus fascism tends to develop when those in business who want unearned wealth or power join forces with would-be philosopher-kings with that Platonist vision—or become o­ne and the same, under the Platonist assumption that they and their selected cohorts are most fit to rule. At first, the system is not overtly totalitarian. Those with newfound power want as many people as they can to accept their leadership without being forced.  Although the classic fascists openly subverted constitutional democracy … they took great pains to conceal the Big Capital-Big Government partnership.

This system is fascist since it involves corporations and governments working together to make policy; it is soft fascist because (due to the lack of genuine education) it is not overtly totalitarian. Tyrannical controls are barely needed, because among the mind-controlled workers and future workers there is little resistance. Most go along, fearing unemployment. After all, as George Orwell o­nce observed, “Circus dogs jump when the trainer cracks his whip, but the really well-trained dog is the o­ne that turns his somersault when there is no whip.” Soft fascism thus employs behavior modification rather than obvious acts of tyranny. It is guided by an incentive system rather than overt acts of coercion: operant conditioning, a product of several decades of behavioral psychology to which the classical fascists were not privy.

Thus for much of the population, there is no whip. Those who do not turn their somersaults—perhaps out of a realization that their choices have been artificially reduced—are marginalized and eventually able to find o­nly menial jobs. Lack of resources renders them effectively helpless—their punishment for nonconformity, in the behavioral psychologist’s sense. The “system” is effectively insulated against their criticisms, which as Orwell also observed, will not be read in places where they threaten the governing class. This class will have the Platonist philosopher-kings at the helm, overseeing public-private partnerships involving big government, big business, big foundations, with the full backing of the mainstream media, approximately 90 percent of which is owned by a half-dozen huge corporations. This explains why you will not encounter criticisms of public-private partnerships or of the idea of sustainable development in any mainstream media outlet today.

Source: Centurean Weblog