With all of the Republican rhetoric over the slide into socialism Obama and his enablers on Capitol Hill hath wrought, I want to encourage fellow Hoosiers they need to look no further than our own boundaries to see an erosion of our beloved Democracy.I've been hot over several items in the Daniels/Republican agenda in the State of Indiana over the last four years and extremely critical of this governor for his outright lies during the last campaign; but with all seriousness, the latest undoing of government by republican legislators is downright criminal.
Using the Kernan-Shepard Report as their charge, it seems the statehouse is rampant with legislators proposing consolidation or elimination of governing authorities in the name of "stream-lining" and "fiscal prudence". While these sound like noble causes, they are in fact embedded with the most criminal act against a democracy: taking away your right to vote!
This is being done on two fronts: Township government and County government.
As proposed Indiana will see the elimination of all township government, township property and jurisdictional control. Township trustees, assessors and advisory boards would be eliminated. Their duties would pass to the county executive (to be explained later). These duties would include cemetery care, poor relief, fire protection, property assessment and assistance with local business and farm tax reporting. Township property such as cemeteries, parks, community halls and firestation/equipment would all pass to the ownership of county government. County government would then be responsible for "county fire protection" and "county cemetery care" and I suppose with parks or community halls a form of county parks which for most counties in Indiana isn't even a developed concept.
Based on the pathetic, at best, abilities of county officials in Republicania County I have little hope fire protection and cemetery care will improve.....in fact, I would be very concerned with the quality of fire protection specifically. And the idea that this will somehow cost us less (a reduction in property tax) is ludicrous. Those responsibilities now burdened by meagerly paid part time township trustees and assessors must be done by a larger full-time staff at the county level.
I also believe, with the effective disappearance of townships the most controversial plank of the Kernan-Shepard Report can be enacted: the further consolidation of school corporations with less than 2,000 enrollment. Small towns be prepared to lose your schools!
Now let us look at the county government changes being proposed. Not only does it demand the elimination of several elected positions to be then filled by individuals appointed by the county executive (filled by qualified people, which sounds great until you realize that means more $$$), it also demands each county reduce its county commissioner board from 3 or 5 individuals to 1 chief elected official.....a kind of CEO of the county. This chief elected official would then be taking the place of 6 to 9 county elected officials ( i.e. your 6-9 votes have been replaced by 1) and also taking the place of 4-5 township positions.
In total, if both pieces of legislation are approved we will be reducing our current elected representation from up to 14 elected positions down to 1. Talk about a breeding ground for nepotism and corruption...we don't need anymore of that here! Do you see the erosion of your representation? the loss of your vote making a difference?
This is absolutely the greatest attack ever waged on local control, the cornerstone of our democracy, in the State of Indiana. And while we typically charge liberal Democrats with the abhorrent slide to socialism and dictatorship, it is being done by a new, narrow minded and special interest controlled GOP. The sad thing is Hoosiers are buying it hook, line and sinker.
I'm not for creating little dictators in each county. And this is exactly what will happen. And where is Mitch in all of this? Just like Nero, he is watching Rome burn with a fire he started himself.God save our State! Revolution!
3 comments:
To call these proposals "criminal" is to understate the case. It opens the door for rampant corruption, executive control of too many facets of our lives and the disenfranchisement of the people.
The "single school system" per county (where enrolments would be under 2000 otherwise will thrill Hoosiers no end. I'm old enough to have gone through the MSD consolidation wars.)
Keep the faith.
I'm in no way in favor of consolidating township-level government. I believe it was no less than Thomas Jefferson who declared that the best government is close to the people. I believe it was no less than Moses who put people over the thousands, the hundreds, and the tens.
If I fall on hard times, I can go to my township trustee, who has connections in my township and can get me some aid. People come to my church's food pantry primarily through the township trustee. We know the people at her office; they know us. They even screen out most of the people who are just taking advantage -- we get people who really are in need. I'm having a hard time imaginging how that will work when people in need have to go Downtown to ask for help. How will a Downtown agency be able to build a relationship with a little church's little food pantry 7 miles away? And my experience with existing county-wide agencies (in Marion Co.) has never been pleasant; they have been some of the most maddening, frustrating, and at times dehumanizing experiences. I would rather pull out one of my molars myself with just a pair of pliers than go to the City-County Building for anything.
I feel certain that 5, maybe 10, years after this is implemented, it will not have saved any money at all. It will have cost no less and have made it harder for people to access their government.
However, it is a big stretch to say that this consolidation takes away my right to vote. It certainly removes my vote in those offices that will be consolidated away, but that is all.
And as for my vote making less of a difference, I can't remember the last time I recognized any of the people on the ballot at my government's lowest and most local levels. I live in a different township from my church, so I don't even know who my trustee here is! The only way to be informed about these people at all come election day is to read their profiles in the Indianapolis Star. But really, at this level, I want honest people with servant's some public service experience in those offices - and I can't learn that fom the three column inches the Star gives. I say this in no way meaning to endorse consolidation; I am against it to the hilt. But daggone it, my votes for my township-level government are so uninformed as to be meaningless. Which of us who are not intimately familiar with our local governments can say something much different for themselves?
And I am not convinced that consolidation will breed corruption any more than already exists. I think it is much more likely to breed increased government incompetence. That's what you get, in my experience, when you run government based on lowest cost.
I'm going to make what is for me a very bold statement. I would be willing to pay 150% of my current property taxes if it would lead to competent, effective local government, in whatever configuration.
Thanks for the comments Vanilla & Jim. I think Jim offered more of a rebuttal, but in partial agreement.
As for corruption, that may be more specifically related to a given county. I see it here and potential for more with this.
As for a loss of representation, or voter influence, based on the way we set up our boards it indicates this. If a county gains x-number of population they switch from a 3 to 5 member board of comm.. If a city goes over the 12k mark, it goes from a 5 to 7 member council. This is to assure the populace that representation is compensated by population.
What is being proposed actually does the opposite and quite significantly depending on population.
I worked in a township office for a number of years, part time, but understand full well the benefits of having a local trustee who knows the people they are working with. Transferring these responsibilities to the county is, well, irresponsible at a minimum.
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