Thursday, March 30, 2006 Immigrant Wars · Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, March 30, 2006 wanted to say they had met the issue rather than were seri-ous about

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“I came to Indiana forone reason. I think youcan win championshipsat Indiana.”

–– New Indiana Universitybasketball Coach KelvinSampson

Wagner, Abdul, Claybourn columns p. 3-4HPR Interview: Andy Jacobs Jr. p. 5Curry: Bayh works New Hampshire p. 8Schoeff: Reporting from Shanghai p. 10Horse Race: PMSing over time p. 12Ticker: Lanane calls for hearings p. 14

Immigrant WarsLugar sees zealotry, but Ellsworth wants to enforce lawsBy BRIAN A. HOWEY in Indianapolis

It was one of those news cycles where you had to recheck where the “Rs”and “Ds” really were.

There was Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth sending out a pressrelease announcing he was against “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. “Giving law-breakers amnesty is wrong,” Ellsworth said. “We need to crack down on illegal immi-grants, not give them an excuse to break the law.”

Ellsworth called for Senate passage of a measure sponsored by RepublicanRepresentatives James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and Peter King of New York thatpassed the House inDecember. It is intend-ed to increase securityon the nation’s bordersand require employersto verify job applicants’immigration statusbefore hiring them. “Forfar too long folks inWashington haveignored this problem,”Ellsworth said. “Now,illegal immigrantsaccount for one ofevery 20 workers, tak-ing jobs fromAmericans and breach-ing the security of ourhomeland.”

It was a volatilenews cycle. American cities from Los Angeles to Milwaukee had erupted into massiveprotests over immigration. Sen. Richard Lugar questioned whether any bill will endup on President Bush’s desk because the Senate is unlikely to go along with theapproach adopted by “zealots” in the House last year, according to the Fort WayneJournal Gazette. “A good number of people there wanted a (campaign) issue and

V 12, No 31 Thursday, March 30, 2006

U.S. Rep. John Hostettler (top, left), who chairs aHouse committee on immigration, is an ardentopponent of immigration expansion. He isshown talking to a constituent in a photo on hisoffice website. His Democratic opponent,Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth(left), agrees.

HOWEY Political Report Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Page 2 Thursday, March 30, 2006

wanted to say they had met the issue rather than were seri-ous about facing a huge American dilemma,” Lugar said.

And U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, one of 17 Republicansopposed to the House plan, derided it and call it "the mostdivisive issue" facing Republicans. He told the JournalGazette’s Sylvia Smith, “All the individuals who so piouslysay that they believe anything that acknowledges that peopleare here illegally is amnesty admit we can’t even find the drugdealers to throw them out, let alone the 15 to 18 million peo-ple,” Souder said. “They have a good sound bite, but – let’sjust put it bluntly – they all admit that we can’t deport thepeople who are here. So, how do they propose to address it?Have them be shadow people the rest of their lives?”

Ellsworth’s position shouldn’t be surprising. It is apolitical necessity in a state that has already been buffeted byisolationist and anti-foreigner rhetoric over issues such as theIndiana Toll Road lease. It comes in a state where dozens ofcommunities are seeing distinct acceleration in Hispanicimmigration. And, of course, Southwestern Indiana is veryconservative.

Ellsworth's opponent, U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, ischairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommitteefor Immigration, Border Security and Claims. In that position,he has been a leading advocate of a crackdown on illegalimmigration. The Federation for Immigration Reform givesHostettler a 100 percent rating. The six-term Republicanvoted yes on a bill that would report illegal aliens who receivehospital treatment. He voted against a bill for more immigrantvisas for skilled workers.

“Illegal immigration hurts American workers,”Hostettler said on March 19 at the World Gospel Church inTerre Haute (Greninger, Terre Haute Tribune-Star). “From2000 to 2004, over half a million American jobs were lost. In2004, there were more than half a million fewer native-bornAmericans employed than in 2000,” said Hostettler, R-Blairsville.

“It was not from a change in demographics, but ratherthere were a half million fewer jobs held by native-bornAmerican citizens. However, in the same time period therewere over 2.2 million new jobs that were held by foreign-bornworkers,” Hostettler said.

Hostettler cited a net increase of about 1.7 millionjobs, entirely the result of foreign-born workers, with half ofthose in the nation illegally, he said.

“There is little empirical evidence to support thenotion that new immigrants are taking large numbers of jobsthat Americans do not want to do,” he said.

Immigration added 1.1 million adult workers in thesecategories over the four-year period, “but there was nearly 2million unemployed, adult native-born Americans in thosesame occupations in 2004,” Hostettler said.

There are an estimated 11 million to 12 million illegalimmigrants in the U.S. today, Hostettler said. “Immigrationalso threatens our national security. The 9/11 Commissionsaid if we had simply enforced immigration laws in place in2001, the catastrophic events of 9/11 might not have hap-pened,” Hostettler said.

Protecting U.S. borders is a constitutional obligationof the federal government, said Hostettler, who also is asenior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Hostettler said he opposes a guest worker program,that would “effectively render the presence of about six millionillegal aliens who are currently illegally employed; it woulddeem them legally present in the U.S. As a result of illegalimmigration and to some level legal immigration, Americanworkers have been displaced,” he said.

Ellsworth campaign manager Jay Howser said thatEllsworth’s position is not a stretch. “He’s a law enforcementofficer. When people break the law, the laws need to beenforced,” Howser said of the sheriff in an HPR interview thismorning. “He’s all for immigration -- legally. And Brad doesn’tbelieve Americans don’t want to do the jobs. Millions are nolonger counted in the unemployment statistics. Millions ofAmericans will take those jobs.”

Howser doesn’t know how many illegals are in the 8thCD. He said that Hostettler “has been in office 12 years” andthat the number of illegal immigrants “has doubled.”

“Where’s the congressman been for 12 years?”Howser asked. �

HPR taking next week offNext week, there will be no Howey Political

Reports or HPR Daily Wires as we are taking a springbreak. Whew.

We urge HPR subscribers to check into the HPRwebsite - www.howeypolitics.com - for updates of vitalnews and headlines next week. The HPR website hasbecome the new “hub” of Indiana politics, featuring originalcommentary, links to key blogs and campaigns. Soon tocome will be the HPR “money line” following campaignfinance.

There are also new advertising opportunities asthe HPR website works to triple its monthly hits. To receivethe HPR advertising rate card, contact us at [email protected].

The Howey Political Report will return onThursday, April 13 and the HPR Daily Wire will be back inproduction on Monday April 10. �


Wagner: The flak of immigrationBy JENNIFER WAGNER

There's a lot of talk flying right now about immigrationreform, an issue that seems to be splitting the GOP down themiddle inside the Beltway and elsewhere.

What to do about illegal immigrants? Let them stay onas guest workers or build a wallaround our country?

I know which plan ismore xenophobic, but that'sapparently a word that onlyIndiana Republicans are allowedto use when they're trying shovetheir plan to sell off state assetsdown Hoosiers' throats.

So let's stick to the issue at hand.A recent poll found that a majority of legal immigrants

think illegal immigrants are good for the economy. And I'dventure to guess that a majority of business owners agreethat they couldn't run their enterprises without immigrantlabor. See, immigrants, legal and otherwise, tend to do thework no one else wants to do in this country. They're thethird-shift janitors you never see. They work food-prep jobs inthe kitchens of your favorite restaurants. They might evenhave built the house you live in.

And popular sentiment seems to be that they're betteremployees than many Americans because this truly is a landof opportunity for them. That's not to say we don't need rulesand possibly immigration reform, but the concept of building awall around our borders strikes me as a bit counterintuitive onseveral levels.

First, though there apparently are those on CapitolHill who believe the melting pot is full, we'd be wise not to for-get that most of us came here as immigrants centuries ordecades ago.

Second, if the millions of immigrants in this countrysuddenly went away, where would that leave our economy?Find me an American teen-ager who really, really wants to

clean toilets, and I'll buy you a tall, frosty beer.Let's face it: Americans could learn a lot from the

work ethic displayed by those who weren't born here, be theylegal or not. We should be taking our cues from those whosave up money for their families instead of maxing out half adozen credit cards on big-screen televisions and fancy cars.

So let's have a real debate about immigration. Let'stalk about ways to punish employers who hire illegal immi-grants while bringing those who are here illegally out of theshadows and into the mainstream workforce.

There's a huge difference between knowing who'scrossing our borders and building a wall to keep everyoneout. �

Abdul: So what's a few illegalaliens between friends?By ABDUL HAKIM SHABAZZ

I enjoy a good martini and my house servant Manolomakes a great one. I won't comment on his immigration sta-tus, but you're smart so think about it. He cooks, he cleansand he makes great alcoholic beverages. I don't know aboutyou, but I am not a big fan of manual labor. I don't clean upafter other people. I prefer to have someone else cook. AndI prefer to have someone elsekeep up my property. And Ihonestly believe, given thechance, you would too. If youare like me, who has moreworldly and intellectual pursuitsto enjoy, then I must ask youladies and gentlemen, "Why allthe fuss about illegal immigrants?" Or as I fondly call themon my radio program, "UGWs." (Undocumented GuestWorkers)

It's estimated there are 11-12 million UGWs in theUnited States. We saw a good many of them recently as wellas other Americans taking to the streets protesting Congress'

The new HPR CommentatorsFor more than a dozen years, HPR Publisher Brian

Howey and Washington writer Mark Schoeff Jr. wrote 90 per-cent of the weekly newsletter.

With the new HPR website, and now beginning withtoday’s edition of The Howey Political Report, we are expand-ing our horizons with new voices.

Our featured commentators -- J. Cameron Carter,WXNT’s Abdul Hakim Shabazz and IU law student JoshuaClaybourn of Evansville -- will articulate conservative angles.Jennifer Wagner of the Indiana Democrats, Kyle Cox and

David Galvin will offer counterpoints. Each of these writershas, in our opinion, excellent real life experiences and theproverbial sky is the limit for each of them. Read their biogra-phies at www.howeypolitics.com and watch for their commen-taries here and on the HPR website.

In addition, HPR has added Mark Curry ofKensington, Md., to cover the emerging presidential campaignof U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.

HPR has expanded. There are more original voices.More reporting throughout the world. We are extending to youa more dynamic, evolving product. We feel the sky is ourlimit, too. - Brian A. Howey �


proposals to crack down on illegals. And it's not just Congress a number of states have

looked at cracking down on illegals. According to theAssociated Press, New Hampshire would fine businesses upto $2,500 if they hire workers not authorized to be in thecountry. Arizona would build a wall and spend $50 million ona radar system to track anyone who crosses over fromMexico. Georgia would have local police to check the immi-gration status of everybody they arrest. An attempt to crack-down on UGW's this year overwhelmingly failed in the IndianaHouse of Representatives.

Despite all these efforts, I think we are looking atthe UGW issue the wrong way. Instead of tackling the issuefrom a supply perspective, I propose we look at things from ademand perspective. The UGW's come here not becausethere is a supply, but because we demand the cheap labor.

We Americans like to spend a lot of money, but wealso want to get the biggest bang for our buck. So all thingsbeing equal, we usually pick the cheaper item. Many sectors

of the economy enjoy a certain benefit from the cheap labor.According to the Pew Hispanic Center, more than 1 of every 4drywall installers and landscape workers are illegal, 1 in 5workers in meat and poultry packing and 1 in 6 in the leisureand hospitality industry or construction. Think about that.

According to some experts, if every illegal immi-grant was deported this nation's economy would not come toa complete halt, but it sure would slow down. With cheaplabor no longer available, prices would rise for food, child-care, household maintenance. Businesses would have to payworkers more, and the demand for workers in some tradeswould drop.

We say we are willing to pay more, but I doubt that.Especially since the nation's largest retailer is Wal-Mart,which is well known for its low prices. We are addicted to ille-gal immigrants and the low wages they get which turns intothe low prices we pay. Until we get rid of the demand we willnever get rid of the supply. It's simple economics. I'm offnow. Manolo has just finished my martini. �

Claybourn: Everyone is touchedBy JOSHUA CLAYBOURN

Everyone has been touched by America's illegalimmigration epidemic in someway, but the sheer volume of ille-gals crossing the border can beoverwhelming. The Pew HispanicCenter used Census Bureaudata to estimate that the UnitedStates had 11.1 million illegalimmigrants in March 2005. Butthe center now estimates it hasgrown to a whopping 12 millionand illegals account for one of every 20 workers.

And not all of them are from Mexico. According to theImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS), at least 78,000illegal aliens come from terror-supporting countries. Andaccording to government statistics hundreds of foreign nation-als suspected of terrorist involvement receive U.S. visas eachyear because of lapses in the background check system.

As mid-term congressional elections quicklyapproach, candidates nationwide are using these nationalsecurity concerns as a central campaign issue. Rep. JohnHostettler (R), facing a tight race with challenger BradEllsworth (D) recently said, "Immigration also threatens ournational security. The 9/11 Commission said if we had simplyenforced immigration laws in place in 2001, then catastrophicevents of 9/11 might not have happened."

With Democratic leader Harry Reid threatening tofilibuster any immigration bill that does not include amnestyfor illegal aliens, Republicans are perfectly poised to capturethe issue. Will it work? A new Gallup Poll released Tuesday

reveals the issue Americans worry about most is "the avail-ability and affordability of healthcare." 68% said they worryabout this a "great deal," with Social Security garnering 51%.Indeed "the possibility of terrorist attacks in the U.S." ranked adistant sixth in a ranking of issues.

For Republicans the national security threat fromillegal immigrants may not pay election dividends. But is ille-gal immigration so distinct from "the availability and affordabil-ity of healthcare"? What happens to that availability andaffordability when the country's twelve million illegal aliensbecome eligible Medicaid? Right now those illegals are ineligi-ble. But if many Democrats have their way these illegal immi-grants will be considered guest-works or given amnesty.Medicaid and a whole host of other government programs forthe poor will suddenly be available to them.

This fact seems to be largely missing from the debateand the result could cripple state and federal budgets. As oflast year 58 million Americans depended on Medicaid forbasic health services, a 26 percent increase from 2001. Anadditional twelve million added because of amnesty or guest-worker status would yield another 21 percent increase on thetaxpayer dime.

Medicaid is just the tip of the iceberg. Foodstamps, Head Start, and thousands of unique state programswill also be an issue. Congress can stipulate that anyamnesty or guest-worker program must declare ineligibility forgovernment benefits. But those stipulations aren't certain tobe included, and even if they are, the recent nationwide

protests demonstrate the power of the immigrant rightsadvocates. For Republicans to successfully campaign on ille-gal immigration, their strain on public healthcare costs mustbe part of the equation. �


Andy Jacobs surveys another warBy BRIAN A. HOWEY

INDIANAPOLIS - On Sunday, there was former con-gressman Andrew Jacobs Jr. at Big Hat Books in BroadRipple, reading on C-SPAN from his newly updated book,“The 1600 Killers: A Wake-Up Call for Congress.” It is a 1999chronology of the “unconstitutional wars” waged by U.S. pres-idents since 1945.

It contains new chapters dealing with Iraq. In thechapter, “The Whens of War,” Jacobs quotes his father, a for-mer one-term congressman himself, saying, “There are toomany people making history who have neverread history.”

He calls Sept. 11 “the tragedy of ourtime.” But, he adds, “It was also the greatmoney-maker for huge campaign-contributinggovernment contractors who didn’t pay muchtax on contract profits because of tax prefer-ences finagled as another consequence of thecontributions.

“The falsely 9-11 premised Iraq warwas a gold mine of no-bid billion boondogglecontracts to ‘rebuild Iraq’ after the ‘shock-and-awe’ mass destruction rained on it by the U.S.invasion.”

In a one-page Chapter 12 - “MadMath” - Jacobs writes, “There will be wars andrumors of wars. Not being a cynic, I’m not sosure about that. I am, however, quite sureabout this: The apocalyptic prophecy is morelikely to be validated when those we supposedto be educated and intelligent declare that war is a reason-able means by which to ‘achieve clearly definable aims.’”

He asks, “Have you ever seen two grown men in abare-knuckle fist fight on a sidewalk?” If so, he says, yourreaction would be “shock? Disgust? Insecurity? Probably allthree. Yet, multiply those two men by tens of thousands andintensify the violence by tons of dynamite, steel and gunpow-der with the resultant quantums of blood, viscera, stone-coldrigor mortis and corresponding broken hearts back home andfrail wise men such as writer George Will will vicariously cele-brate this madness of war, itself, as ‘a profession.’ Go figure.”

HPR’s Brian A. Howey sat down with Jacobs and histwo nephews at Shalimar Indian Restaurant in Broad Rippleon Wednesday, where we had this conversation:

HPR: Last week, Vice President Cheney explainedthat he would serve out the rest of his term, insisting he was“drafted.” Were you surprised to learn Cheney was drafted foranything?

Jacobs: It was one of those self-drafts. An old come-

dian named Eddie Mayhoff in a film with Jerry Lewis called“That’s My Boy” and he was the great athlete. He was thekind of guy who never got away from college. A razor bladecompany did an ad with him and here’s what he said: “Whowas the greatest athlete of all time? Modest as I am I have toadmit it was me.” Bad grammar. Dick Cheney told the Bushfamily, “Who was the best candidate for vice president?Modest as I am, it is I.” He had a lot of college and a lot ofscholarship.”

HPR: And, what? Five deferments from Vietnam?Jacobs: But he had good grammar.HPR: The last general we had as president was

Eisenhower and he had three differentopportunities to go to war and chose not to.Is that a correct assessment?

Jacobs: Yes it is. HPR: Hungary, Vietnam, Suez ...Jacobs: It was Hungary, Mideast.

Dien Bien Phu in ‘54. Admiral ArthurRadford was chairman of the joint chiefsand of course Nixon was vice presidentand they were harping at a security meet-ing for Eisenhower to send in air strikes tohelp the doomed French. The UnitedStates financed 80 percent of the Frenchimmoral re-entry into Indochina. The rea-son for that was they were having a hardtime persuading France that Germanyshould be rearmed for NATO. That was the

price the United States paid. And I knewArthur Fleming pretty well at HEW and hewas then part of that council. And the next

day, Eisenhower made a public announcement: “This countrywill not go to war except through the constitutional processthat gives Congress the warmaking power.” As I said in mybook: think of it, a president of the United States who canread and comprehend the Constitution to preserve, protectand defend. Eisenhower, not a member of my party, and JohnAdams, not a president of my party, are my favorite presi-dents because nothing is more important to me than savingsome hapless young American from being blown to bits as aprop in somebody’s damn political career. That is a monstrousrealm that neither can nor ever should be forgiven.

HPR: Are you aware of an correlation between presi-dents who have served in battle and the way they governed?Kennedy and Eisenhower served in battle. Kennedy waspreparing to exit Vietnam.

Jacobs: The war hawk has never been to war and,by definition, doesn’t know what he’s talking about. TheDemocrats of 1952 insisted if you elect Eisenhower, he’ll getus into war. And all cottage cheese is made in cottages.

Former congressman Andrew JacbosJr. (HPR Photo)


Eisenhower is the premier peace president. HPR: Should Americans be looking at a general in

2008?Jacobs: I think they could do worse than Wesley

Clark. Are you talking about the glitter, or keeping us out ofwar?

HPR: I’m talking about the been there, done that,know what it’s like to hear a real bullet whiz by your head.Something President Bush and Vice President Cheney nevergot to experience in college and the Alabama Air NationalGuard.

Jacobs: Wesley Clark seems to understand the pro-visions of the Constitution.

HPR: Kevin Phillips in his new book “AmericanTheocracy” makes the case that over the past three decades,American foreign policy has beenheld captive by petro economy.We’ve been fighting wars for oil.

Jacobs: I wrote a poemin 1955 or ‘56 and it was in IrvingLiebowitz’s column in theIndianapolis Times:

‘Though we send our kidsto foreign soil, but will not spill adrop of profitable oil.’

Of course it is. A yearago, Kim Jong Il of North Koreahad announced the United Stateswas going to invade, and, by theway, I don’t recommend it. It’s chilly up there. My thoughtwas, get real, Kim Il, when was the last time you had any oilin your country? We have a dictator in Pakistan in Mushareff.He’s all right. We have a dictatorship in Kuwait. Give me abreak. Was this about mass destruction? Was this aboutdemocracy? Was this about establishing democracy andknocking out a dictator?

HPR: President Bush seems to have wagered hisentire presidency on Iraq. How do you view that legacy?

Jacobs: If he’s going to count on that. I don’t eventhink it was the oil. I think it was a bunch of amateurs; theneo-cons. Iraq was tying the steering wheel as you go downthe road. When you head down the road, you’re going tocrash because the road turns. That’s the trouble with beingdoctrinaire, We all know there are people who don’t plan togo themselves. War wimps. They are like babies withmachine guns. They get the levers of authority. They neverread the Constitution. They wouldn’t understand it if they did.Too many people who have taken the oath of the Constitutionhave never read the Constitution. They think there are goodguys and bad guys and if he’s a bad guy, you hit him, whichis about the level of movies in this country. I guess you have

to say, ‘Forgive them because they know not what they do.They are being heroes in someone else’s time.

HPR: I’m going to throw a couple phrases at you foryour reaction, OK? Mission accomplished.

Jacobs: I’m trying to remember the origins of that.HPR: USS Abraham Lincoln, May 2003.Jacobs: No, no, I know where it happened contem-

porarily. I’m trying to think of the origins. I guess it was WorldWar II. It’s another imitation of life. Another person, who inessence in the case of the president ... you know I was incombat in the Korean War and I’m sure if I would have toldthem I needed to go take a business course at Harvard, theywould have let me go home. Who’s that other guy?Buchanan? Pat Buchanan. In his campaign for president, hadspeeches that were laced with military terms. Let’s lock and

load. Let’s move out. Phillip Wiley ina book called “Generation ofOpposites” said the doctrine of theopposites, “Whatever you are, usethe terminology of the opposite.Evoking sounding tough. So mis-sion accomplished, well, that’s amilitary term, from movies of howglorious war was. Mission accom-plished, John Wayne standing,we’re all right. Now that guy’s good,the one who said, “We’ll either bringthem to justice of bring justice tothem.” What’s that guy’s name?

HPR: Mike Gerson?Jacobs: Yeah. He’s gifted. Very gifted. It’s very tough

for the president to read that stuff, but he’s getting better ...reading that stuff.

HPR: What about the phrase, “Bring ‘em on”?Jacobs: My thought on that occasion ... the resis-

tance fighters? Or the caskets? What was he referring to?Bring ‘em on ...

HPR: How do you believe history will judge thosewho supported this war?

Jacobs: Let me put it this way. President George W.Bush’s father, H.W. are personal friends. I am enormouslyfond of him. That’s my answer.

HPR: What should Americans take out of this experi-ence.

Jacobs: Read a little history. The same thing hap-pened in the Korean War. My father quotes, “Civilization isimpossible until the unconcerned are as outraged as the vic-tims.” The Marine Corps used to have a saying, “Things aren’twhat they used to be and, in fact, it never was.” So here weare. �


The twin albatrosses of fossilfuels and the 'Oil Presidency'By BRIAN A. HOWEY

INDIANAPOLIS - You remember the twins, don'tyou? Katrina and Rita? And their cousin from 1998,Hurricane Mitch (our governor is not the only big wind). Thatwas the most devastating hurricane in two centuries, killing10,000 people. Before 1976, temperatures in the centralPacific would commonly dip below 66 degrees. Now they arerarely below 77 degrees.

As Tim Flannery points out inhis book "The Weather Makers," in1997-98 we had the post powerful ElNino ever recorded. In 2002, Europehad its hottest summer ever. In 2003,the first South Atlantic hurricane in his-tory was recorded. In 2004, Florida wasracked by four hurricanes.

And then there are the twoCategory 5 Australian cyclones thesepast couple weeks, Larry (180 mph) tothe east and Glenda (190 mph) to the north.

If all this isn't hitting close enough to home, DennisCogswell writes in the Michigan City News-Dispatch that star-tling satellite imagery of a "rich doughnut of plant life" in LakeMichigan, unknown until recently, stretches from Muskegon toGary, a massive ring of chlorophyll extending all the way tothe bottom of the lake. It is new life in a warmer lake.

I've been a "global warming" skeptic, reasoningthat mankind's 10,000 years have been only a blip in the 4billion year old planet. But Flannery writes of ice core samplesallowing scientists to measure air bubbles, millions of yearsold, and comparing the amounts of CO2 or greenhouse gasesin earth's fragile atmosphere. Since 1800, the beginning ofthe Industrial Revolution, earth's temperature has risen 1.13degrees. C02 emissions have gone from 315 parts per millionin 1958 to over 370 ppm in 2000. Prior to the IndustrialRevolution, they were below 240 ppm.

In 2002 alone, the burning of fossil fuels - coal (41percent), oil (39 percent), and gas (20 percent) -- resulted in23 billion tons of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. Theresult is the melting of the polar ice caps, warmer oceanswhich provide hurricane fuel in some areas while expandingdeserts in others. Last week, a city-sized iceberg broke freeof the Antarctic's Fimbul Ice Shelf, the continuation of a trendthat by 2100 could raise ocean levels by 23 feet.

China is currently constructing more than 200 coal-fired power plants (part of the 249 to be built worldwide

between 1999 and 2009). Another 480 are projected to bebuilt by 2019. Millions upon millions of emerging middle classsubcontinent Indians and Chinese are now driving motorizedvehicles.

I believe we have … a big, big problem.Global warming is one. Another is that for more

than 30 years, American foreign policy has become dominat-ed by petro politics. In a groundbreaking speech before theBrookings Institute, U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar explained, "Thegasoline price spikes following the Katrina and Rita hurri-canes underscored for Americans the tenuousness of short-term energy supplies. But, as yet, there is not a full apprecia-tion of our economic vulnerability."

"In a remarkable moment during the State of theUnion Address, President Bush caught the attention of thenation with five words: "America is addicted to oil,'" Lugarobserved. "Those five words probably generated more mediacommentary than all the rest of his remarks from that eveningcombined. I had an opportunity soon after the speech to talkto the President about energy, and he admitted that he hadnot anticipated the impact of that statement or that somecommentators would find it incongruous.

"Though not hostile to alternative energy sources, theBush administration clearly downplayed their significance dur-ing the early part of his presidency," Lugar explained.

Vice President Cheney, who oversees Bush adminis-tration energy policy, stated on April 30, 2001, "Years downthe road, alternative fuels may become a great deal moreplentiful than they are today. But we are not yet in any posi-tion to stake our economy and our way of life on that possibili-ty. For years down the road, this will continue to be true."

Folks, this is the "Oil Presidency" talking. PresidentBush says we have to have "certain" proof of global warmingbefore acting, when the only certainties in life are death andtaxes. We may be destroying our planet's fragile atmosphere.Our economy is hostage to petro rogue regimes.

American voters should be demanding their gov-ernment commence a Manhattan Project on energy, creatingcleaner fuels that have less impact on the atmosphere, anddon't leave us hostage to rogue oil states.

Lugar concludes, "My message is that the balance ofrealism has passed from those who argue on behalf of oil anda laissez fair energy policy that relies on market evolution, tothose who recognize that in the absence of a major reorienta-tion in the way we get our energy, life in America is going tobe much more difficult in the coming decades. No one who ishonestly assessing the decline of American leverage aroundthe world due to our energy dependence can fail to see thatenergy is the albatross of U.S. national security."

And fossil fuels may be the albatross around the neckof mankind. �


Bayh to NH: ‘I’m here for you’By MARK CURRYThe Howey Political Report

WASHINGTON - For more than half a century, thepolitical geography of New Hampshire has defined many keybattles in the war of ideas that is America's presidential elec-tions. A who's who of winners and losers have toured timeand again through just about every settlement the GraniteState has to offer, and many a promising political career hasbegun and ended in towns with names like Chittenden,Wolfeboro or Stowe.

"Live Free or Die" is thestate motto, and voters, said tobe welcoming and open-minded,take pride in asking the hardquestions. It is the site ofAmerica's first presidential prima-ry, preceded only by the Iowacaucuses, and candidates arriveeither desperate to bolster a dis-appointing campaign or deter-mined to improve success. In thefinal days before an election it'ssurvival of the fittest as elbows flyamong erstwhile colleagues jock-eying for endorsements and pub-licity.

"Here is democracy at its best, for it takes more thana big bankroll or name recognition to impress us," explainedthe late Nackey Loeb, who published two conservative news-papers.

Commission favors changesBut 2008 may be different. A Democratic Party com-

mission formed after the 2004 election favors inserting one ortwo contests between Iowa and New Hampshire. The com-mission recommended that the Democratic NationalCommittee determine which states should be selected basedon "racial and ethnic diversity; geographic diversity; and eco-nomic diversity including union density."

Reportedly, the New Hampshire representative on thepanel cast the lone vote in opposition. The DNC will meet inNew Orleans next month to discuss the issue, although noth-ing final is expected before this fall.

In 1976, Evan Bayh interrupted his sophomore yearat Indiana University to campaign in New Hampshire for sixweeks during his father's race for the White House, and herecalled those days in a speech Sunday at a politicalfundraiser for State Rep. Betsi DeVries of Manchester, N.H.

`"I traveled all over New Hampshire," the Hoosier senatorsaid, according to a transcript provided by spokeswomanMeghan Keck. It was in the state's "living rooms, and coffeeshops, in union halls and small businesses, " he said, wherehe "fell in love with the political process."

Sen. Bayh reminded listeners of a commitment hemade during a previous visit with Gov. John Lynch.

"My strong impression is that the people of NewHampshire have X-Ray vision, you can spot a phony a mileoff," Bayh said, and he promised "to do everything I can" to"retain your position."

Judging by media accounts, state democrats took ashine to the offer. Yesterday, Gov.Lynch offered a speech advocatingthe state's cause and made specialmention of Bayh's support.

"Here in New Hampshire, Ithink voters will be watching careful-ly to see which candidates standwith New Hampshire to protect itstraditional role," he said, accordingto remarks published in theManchester Union Leader. "That'swhy I was so pleased to read Sen.Evan Bayh's comments earlier thisweek. It is clear he is a true friend tothe New Hampshire primary."

In a separate article, the newspaper noted thatBayh's remarks separate him from potential DemocraticPresidential candidates Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexicoand U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who have saidthey are fine with adding a caucus between Iowa and NewHampshire's contest.

A full plateSen. Bayh visited New Hampshire intending to

accomplish more than raising money for local candidates andwinning friends at the four publicized events he attended. Healso hoped to convince voters he possesses the style andsubstance that can lead democrats to victory in the 2008elections. Several newspapers posted favorable reportsonline.

He told a group of young democrats "The destiny ofyour generation is at stake," the Foster's Daily Democratreported. The Portsmouth Herald quoted a former mayor ofPort City: "It’s obvious he’s very experienced as a speaker,"Robert Shaines said. "He’s very charismatic." An 800-wordAssociated Press article published in the Boston Globeincluded details on the substance of Bayh's speeches andnoted he reiterated a position reported by HPR in December

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh meets with Concord, N.H. environmental-ists. (Bayh Flickr Photo)


2004: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should eitherresign or be fired.

Monday, the senator is slated to appear inWashington at the Legislative Conference of the Building andConstruction Trades Departmenf of the AFL-CIO. On April 8,he heads to Detroit for the Michigan Democratic Party'sJefferson-Jackson Dinner.

As Sen. Bayh joinsthe war of ideas in the emerg-ing political landscape, hefaces several difficult obsta-cles, not the least of which isNew York's Sen. HillaryClinton, who in the role offront-runner has already laidclaim to vital monetaryresources. The 2008Democratic field numbers atleast 10 contenders and soBayh must seek to differenti-ate and elaborate his mes-

sage to establish a singular persona of leadership, reassureDemocratic voters conflicted by the war with Iraq, and per-suade disaffected Republican voters on issues of security andeconomy.

Now, more than two years before the election, he haschosen New Hampshire as one his battlegrounds. Hoosiers

wondering how Bayh will fare inthe months ahead might haveenjoyed hearing the followingconversation during a meet andgreet event at a private resi-dence on Sunday, as reported inthe March 27 Portsmouth Herald:

"We’re part of a filtering sys-tem to weed out bad candi-dates," said Peter Somssich ofthe Portsmouth Democrats.

"I hope I don’t get weeded,"Bayh responded. "Pruned a little,but not weeded." �

Sen. Bayh answers media questions in Manchester, N.H. last week-end. (Bayh Flickr Photo)

Reports from the GroundHPR Pre-Primary Election Briefing

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 25Columbia Club, Indianapolis

Buffet lunch, $30E-mail reservations: [email protected]

featuringBrian A. Howey, HPR

Jack Colwell, South Bend TribuneMatthew Tully, Indianapolis Star

Daniel Przybyla, LaPorte Herald-ArgusDave Kitchell, Logansport Pharos-Tribune


China’s advance doesn’thave to set back U.S.Winning is what you knowBy MARK SCHOEFF JR.The Howey Political Report

SHANGHAI, China--Even a brief glimpse of Chinareveals a country that is bursting at the seams--at least in andaround Shanghai.

The western side of this port city of 12.5 million, thelargest in China, didn't even begin to develop until 1990. Nowit boasts the world's fourth largest building, set in the midst ofa thriving business district.

On the other side of the river,Shanghai's history melds with its present in adense confection that consumes what seemslike every square inch of real estate. There'ssimply no room to build anything else unlesssomething is knocked down, a tack that thegovernment tends to take even when itrequires destroying historic neighborhoodsand structures.

As you move outside the city, thedensity continues. The road from Shanghai to Suzhou, a 1.5hour trip, is lined with factory after factory and the workerdorms associated with many of them. It's a continuous stringof industrialization. Farm land has been reduced to modestslivers. Greenhouses dot the landscape, an effort to increasefood production in area where land is at a premium.

These are some of the scenes I saw during a five-daytrip to China in the middle of March. I traveled with a groupfrom the National Press Club. It wasn't an official media tour,but I did take my notebook along.

Although my interviews and observations were farfrom scientific, I came away with the impression that the keyto prospering in a complex economic relationship with Chinais for the United States to maintain an advantage in knowhowrather than to cower behind protectionist barriers.

Knowledge is best obtained by remaining engagedin the global economy, primarily by welcoming it when itcomes to us. For instance, I met a former Honda engineerwho was traveling to Shanghai to teach a class on Japaneseproduction efficiency techniques to a group of Chinese plantmanagers.

The instructor was an American who holds an electri-cal engineering degree from Michigan State University. Duringhis tenure at U.S. Honda plants, he helped the car maker rollout several new models. Now a consultant, he's showing theChinese how to develop and introduce new products intomass production.

Perhaps there are managers at the Toyota truck facili-ty in Evansville or the Isuzu plant in Lafayette who one daywill impart their knowledge in a distant region. It's a creativeway to lower the trade deficit. The important thing is toacquire skills by staying engaged internationally.

To do this, Hoosiers in all walks of life have toembrace the world rather than shun it. They have to appreci-ate foreign direct investment, even if it doesn't directly impacttheir lives.

That process is already happening, according toone expert. "There is a widespread understanding of the U.S.role in the global economy and how we're interdependent withother countries," said Nancy McLernon, vice president of theOrganization for International Investment. "They can see theirneighbors who are employed by U.S. subsidiaries of foreigncompanies. The evidence is all around them."

Although the United States must constantly improvethe skills of its workforce to maintain a competitive edge, it'salso important to note that China in many ways still lagsbehind us. Sometimes worries about China eating our eco-nomic lunch are overwrought.

Certainly Chinese factories can build a mousetrap ata low cost but they aren't yet adept at designing a bettermousetrap--or at fixing problems as they crop up in produc-tion. I met two British manufacturers who came to China totalk with officials at a company that produces components fora generator they make. The Brits were frustrated that themachines were bedeviled by problems with a 50-cent partthat the Chinese had failed to solve.

An American expatriate who runs a firm that manageswater projects says Chinese employees are good at execut-ing plans laid out for them but not necessarily skilled at takingthe initiative on their own.

Two video game programmers from San Franciscopraised the technical ability of their Chinese counterparts butnoted that they haven't yet demonstrated the creativityrequired to develop new games.

Certainly the Chinese workforce is intelligent andcapable. And it's huge. The country is going to produce morescientists and engineers than the United States simply byvirtue of its numbers. Over time, intangibles like entrepre-neurial spirit will grow.

Already, young people are hopeful about their eco-nomic future. I could see it in the eyes of two young womenwho recently graduated from college. One was in the tourismindustry, the other was a conference planner. They were bothenthusiastic about advancing their careers in a way likelyunknown to their parents.

While China is evolving, the United States must stayengaged, maintaining its economic advantage through what itknows and what it does. �

Mark Schoeff


Bret Swanson, National Review Online - There'sabout to be a building boom in Indiana, which is desperategood news for a state that has been severely challenged bythe global manufacturing shift and years of ambivalent leader-ship. The chief architect of the boom is the state's decisiveGovernor Mitch Daniels. In the state's short legislative ses-sion, just completed, Daniels achieved two sweeping victo-ries. The first is the nation's most aggressive telecommunica-tions deregulation, which will spur hundreds of millions of dol-lars of investment in invisible infrastructure - the "fibers andfrequencies" of the digital age, as Daniels describes it. Thesecond is a $4 billion privatization lease of the Indiana TollRoad and the new I-69 interstate. This will fund the largest-ever upgrade of Indiana's visible infrastructure: its antiqueroads and bridges. Indiana's telecom laws had not beenupdated since 1985, while the state's Utility RegulatoryCommission has administered some of the most severelyanti-investment rules and price controls in the nation. But in asingle leap, Indiana has moved from the back of the pack tonumber one in terms of the modernity of its telecom regime.By the end of this month, most of the state's obsolete telecomrules will lapse. By 2009, the industry will be almost totallyderegulated in the state. An Indiana-wide video-franchiseprocess was also adopted to replace the fragmented andwasteful cable TV franchising system that has 300 towns andcounties telling global communications firms what to do. Thenew system opens up the investment valves by granting easyand quick approval to new providers of broadband communi-cations services. Ironically, Daniels' "Major Moves" plan tolease the Indiana Toll Road, the seemingly more tame andobvious measure, turned out to be far more controversial. Itpassed by a single vote with just 15 minutes remaining in thisyear's legislative session. Weeks before anyone had heard ofDubai Ports World, the bid by Australian-Spanish consortiumMacquarie-Cintra to manage Indiana's 157-mile stretch of I-80/90 had already ignited a xenophobic melee in the heart-land. But unlike the DP World roll-out, Daniels had actuallysought bidders for the Toll Road. �

Mark Kiesling, Times of Northwest Indiana - ScottKing is going to miss being mayor. He may get a job makingbig coin but it's not going to have the high profile that beingGary mayor does. Now that he's resigned no one is going tosweet talk him for his support or pledge unswerving loyalty. Aweek ago, candidates for office in the May 2 primary craved amoment of his time, sought a word of support, lent an ear tohis mayoral counsel. Right now, he's probably walking alongWells Street Beach, wearing a pair of baggy shorts and carry-ing a metal detector. On the fifth floor of Chicago City Hall,Mayor Richard Daley once took his calls. Now, he's makingslashing motions across his throat to his secretary when she

tells him King's on the line. Yeah, he's going to miss beingmayor. He's reactivating his law license, and I will bet you acup of tasty Times coffee that it isn't so he can hold the handsof a bunch of drunken drivers in small claims court. He saidhe was quitting because he has kids to put through college.But he was making what I figure has to be close to a quartermillion a year when you add all the unseen bennies to his$107,000 base salary. A lot of people put kids through collegewith a lot less. Down at the Lake County rumor pond, where Iwent fishing this cool spring Monday to see what I couldcatch for today's column, I've pulled up a big one that saysKing will surface quietly as an attorney for the state's MajorMoves project, helping craft legal boilerplate for RegionalDevelopment Authority bonds that would be worth millions.Someone's got to do it, and the rumor is that it will be Gov.Mitch Daniels' way of giving a hearty Hoosier "thanks" to theguy who pushed hard in this area for the RDA and who gotstate Sen. Earline Rogers to defect from the Democraticmajority and vote for Daniels' Major Moves economic incen-tive package. �

Jack Cowell, South Bend Tribune - Votes in Bostonwon't decide whether Congressman Chris Chocola wins orloses in Indiana's 2nd District. That's good for Chocola. Theconservative Republican closely allied with President Bushwould be about as popular in Boston as a New York Yankeefan at Fenway Park. Although Boston voters have no voice inan Indiana election, a story in The Boston Globe last weekcould be the start of what Democratic challenger JoeDonnelly desperately needs in trying for the second timearound to defeat Chocola. What Donnelly needs is money,lots of it for those oft-decisive TV spots and all else necessaryfor a first-class challenge throughout a sprawling 12- countydistrict. What Donnelly needs to get that campaign funding isnational attention, especially from Democrats at the nationallevel who gave him no support, zilch, two years ago. WhatDonnelly needs to get that national attention is the perceptionthat he has a real chance to win in a race that could deter-mine control of the U.S. House. The Boston Globe story waswritten by reporter Charlie Savage, who came to SouthBend's Farmer's Market and other sites in the 2nd Districtwhere folks gather, such as coffee shops, after anIndianapolis Star poll showed the president with a "particularlyshocking" 37 percent approval rating in, of all places, Indiana.The reporter found pessimism about Iraq involved in the dropin the president's support among Republicans. No big sur-prise there. In looking at a Donnelly vs. Chocola rematch,Savage found Chocola facing a possible "double whammy,"unpopularity of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels over the TollRoad deal combining with the president's decline in populari-ty. No surprise there either. �


National media descends here;Press corps PMSing over time

TRENDLINE NO. 1: The national news media is hon-ing in on Indiana’s Congressional scene. NPR’s Brian Naylorreported on the 6th CD’s Pence/Welsh race and the BostonGlobe in the 2nd, with HPR supplying key sourcing. Comingup will be an Philadelphia Inquirer story on U.S. Sen. EvanBayh’s presidential campaign, also with HPR sourcing. Andthe Los Angeles Times surveyed the 9th CD and the impactof the war on the Hill-Sodrel race.

TRENDLINE NO. 2: The Statehouse press corps wasPMSing on the time issue last weekend as Indiana preparedto synchronize with the global economy. The Indianapolis Starcentered its coverage on one Martin County School bus driverwho will lose “half his income”because he will have to dropone of his routes. Is there atrend there? The EvansvilleCourier & Press described itas as “time troubles headeast.” The Fort Wayne JournalGazette reported that Gov.Mitch Daniels was to blamefor bar owners missing an hour of last calls on April 2. It alsodescribed Rep. Troy Woodruff’s “infamous vote.” In theVincennes Sun-Commercial, a counter revolt is underway toswitch back to Eastern time. Pulaski County is now on “com-merce time” after the feds refused to allow it to switch back toEastern. The May primary election will be held from 7 a.m. to7 p.m. there (or is that 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.?) Bitchy. Grumpy.Hoosiers and their reporters are kicking and screaming intothe 21st Century.

2006 Congressional RacesCongressional District 8: Republican: U.S. Rep.

John Hostettler. Democrat: Vanderburgh County Sheriff BradEllsworth. Geography: Evansville, Terre Haute, Greencastle;Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, Pike, Martin, Daviess,Knox, Sullivan, Greene, Owen, Clay, Vigo, Vermillion, Parke,Putnam, Warren and part of Fountain counties. MediaMarket: Evansville, Terre Haute, Indianapolis. Lafayette.People: Urban/rural 58/42%; median income $36,732; pover-ty 10.7%; race white 93.7%, black 3.7%, Hispanic .9%;blue/white collar: 32/52%. 2000 Presidential: Bush 56%,Gore 42%; Cook Partisan Voting Index: R+8. 2002 Results:Hostettler 98,952 (51%), Hartke 88,763 (46%), 2004Results: Hostettler 145,576, Jennings (D) 121,522, Garvin(Green) 5.680. 2006 Forecast: An accusation by the Indiana

Democratic Party is intended to put Hostettler on the defen-sive. Has Hostettler, who campaigns as a fiscal conservativewho refused to accept the lifetime congressional pensionbecause it would add to the federal debt, voted four times toraise his own pay? Hostettler denies it, saying Democratsdeliberately are mischaracterizing votes he cast on largespending bills and ignoring his votes on the only amend-ments that have directly addressed congressional pay sincehis 1994 election. "Using their logic, if you vote for any bill,then you vote for a (perpetuation of the annual congressionalpay raise mandated by a law Congress passed in 1989),"Hostettler told the Evansville Courier & Press. Status:TOSS-UP

Congressional District 9: Republican: U.S. Rep. MikeSodrel. Democrat: Baron Hill, Gretchen Clearwater, LendallTerry, John “Cosmo” Hockersmith. Media Market: Evansville(11%), Indianapolis (23%), Louisville (55%), Dayton,Cincinnati (10 percent). People: urban/rural 52/48%, medianincome $39,011; race white 94%, 2.3% black, 1.5% Hispanic;blue/white collar: 34/50%; 2000 Presidential: Bush 56%,Gore 42%; Cook Partisan Voting Index: R+8. 2004Presidential: Bush 59%, Kerry 40%. 2002 Results: Hill96,654 (51%), Sodrel 87,169 (46%). 2002 Money: Hill$1.144m, Sodrel $1.62m. 2004 Results: Sodrel 142,197, Hill140,772, Cox (L) 4,541.2006 Forecast: Sodrellexpected to raise$500,000 from his eventlast Friday inIndianapolis withPresident Bush, calling ita “big boost for the cam-paign.” Bush said in hisspeech, "It's in Indiana'sinterest to send MikeSodrel back toCongress. I like a manwho doesn't run a poll totell him what to do." Using the refrain, "Mike Sodrel under-stands," Bush defended the most volatile issue in Indianaright now, the war in Iraq. "Removing Saddam Hussein hasmade the nation and the world a safer place. I need Membersof Congress who support a plan for victory in Iraq. MikeSodrel understands that and is a strong supporter of the mili-tary." Bush called the Iraq insurgency "an ideology of dark-ness" and said it would be defeated with "a philosophy of lightand liberty." The Los Angeles Times reported from Seymour:As Liz Larrison cooks up breakfast for customers at her fami-

President Bush with Rep. Sodrel inIndianapolis. (HPR Photo)


ly's diner in a farm town long friendly to the Republican Party,she listens as the regulars sling political opinions as easily asshe slings ham steaks. Increasingly, the talk these daysrevolves around Iraq, and it is the kind of talk that could spelltrouble for the GOP. "Nobody is against the people fightingthe war. I think you'll hear that everywhere," she said. "We'rejust against it going on and on." On top of other woes con-fronting Republicans, the continuing violence in Iraq andPresident Bush's message last week that the deploymentwould last several more years has heightened Republicans'concerns about how voters such as Larrison will view theparty in the November elections. Baron Hill, who hopes tounseat the Republican who represents this region of Indiana,said it used to be hard for Democrats to criticize the Iraq warwithout sounding unpatriotic. "Not anymore," Hill said in aninterview. "I think people are very skeptical now about what isgoing on over there, and you have more freedom to talkabout Iraq." It's too soon to conclude whether the politicalwinds will blow against Republicans all the way until electionday in November. In travels around his district during a con-gressional recess last week, Sodrel was asked often aboutIraq. Though he supports the president — and stood side-by-side with Bush at a public fundraiser Friday — he empha-sized not only progress but also his hopes for withdrawal."The goal isn't to have an Iraq that is bomb-free or incident-free before we can leave," Sodrel told students at ShaweMemorial High School in Madison, Ind. "We just have to havea government that is stable enough and a military that istrained enough and a society that is cohesive enough." A fewhours later, speaking at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., hispitch was more direct: "I would like to see a serious withdraw-al as soon as this government is formed." The tone appearedto work with his audience. Some said it sounded as if Sodrelhad changed his position on the war. But Sodrel said that hissupport for the president and the war hadn't flagged and thathe was not worried about Bush's sagging poll numbers.Former Seymour Mayor Bill Bailey predicted that manyRepublicans might not bother to vote this year. "With this Iraqwar, every month that goes by, it becomes tougher for Sodrelor any other Republican who rode in on Bush's coattails,"Bailey said. "I think you'll see a lot of people stay home."Primary Status: SAFE HILL.

2006 State RacesSenate District 41: Republican: Senate President

Pro Tempore Robert D. Garton, Greg Walker. Democrat: TerryCoriden. 1998 Results: Garton 26,499. 2002 Results:Garton 21,918 , Gividen (L) 3,350 . 2006 Forecast: All quiet

on this front. Garton has a big billboard on I-65. Walker hasbeen quiet. His website is down. Primary Status: LIKELYGARTON. General Status: LEANS GARTON.

House District 57: Republican: ShelbyvilleCouncilman Rob Nolley, Shelby County Councilman SeanEberhart, Edward Dundas, Karen Frazier, Marvin Pavlov.Democrat: J.D. Lux. 2002 Results: Stine (R) 8,384, Wheeler(D) 5,429, Jester (L) 508. 2004 Results: Messer (R) 16,004.2006 Forecast: There doesn’t appear to be a clear favoritein this race. Some local observers believe it will ultimatelycome down to the two councilmen - Nolley and Eberhart.Some believe Frazier is also a factor and could sneak in.Primary Status: TOSSUP

House District 58: Republican: State Rep. WoodyBurton, Johnson County Council President Ron West. 2002Results: Burton 9,917, Montgomery (D) 3,453, Miller (L)437..2004 Results: Burton 18,766, Turley (D) 7,420. 2006Forecast: Woody Burton appears to be coming on like ...King Kong. He has several hundred yard signs up. By ourobservance, West had one sign up and there was a Burtonsign next to it. Status: LIKELY BURTON.

House District 64: Republican: State Rep. TroyWoodruff. Democrat: Kreg Battles. 2002 Results: Frenz10,516, Davis (R) 8,774. 2004 Results: Woodruff 12,698,Frenz 12,507. 2006 Forecast: Time is rearing its ugly head inthis race. “Nothing's going to change until the fall, when we'llturn back our clocks an hour,” said Rep. Troy Woodruff, R-Vincennes (Robbins, Vincennes Sun-Commercial). But untilthen, given comments heard Saturday, the “time issue” willfigure prominently during the election campaign. “It's definitelygoing to be an issue,” said Kreg Battles. “It's more of a messnow than it was before that vote.” “That vote” was the onecast by Woodruff in the waning minutes of the 2005 GeneralAssembly which led to passage of the law putting Indiana ondaylight-saving time. Woodruff said Saturday he believes thestate will ultimately benefit from the time change. “We'vejoined the world economy,” he said during the final “Meet YourLegislators” program held at Vincennes University's Walter A.Davis Hall. Woodruff's optimism that switching to daylight-sav-ing time would help the economy isn't matched by Battles,who says those he's talked to about the time issue are frus-trated and confused, and that the whole matter gets back toWoodruff's not “representing” the constituents. “He assuredus he would never vote for a bill that didn't put the wholestate in the same time zone, but that's exactly what he did,”Battles said. “It comes down to his saying one thing here anddoing something else in Indianapolis.” Woodruff stands by hisvote, saying Indiana as a whole will benefit from the switch todaylight-saving time through more jobs and investment.Central, most of the state should be in. Status: Leans Battles�


Blumenberg may enterGary mayoral caucus

GARY - City Democrats mayhave three candidates in the race toreplace Scott L.King as mayor ina special partyvote next week(Grimm, Post-Tribune). Withonly six days untilTuesday’sprecinct vote, Calumet TownshipAssessor Booker Blumenbergannounced he is canvassing the city’s138 precinct committeemen to see if hecan beat out declared candidates RudyClay and Dozier T. Allen Jr. “There issome interest in my candidacy. I’vebeen getting calls,” Blumenberg saidWednesday. “By this time, a lot of peo-ple may have made up their minds.We’re working on a short timeline. “I willhave a final decision by (the deadline tofile) on Tuesday.”

Chamber ranks Indianaeconomy low

INDIANAPOLIS - For those whothought business tax cuts and regulato-ry changes undertaken in recent yearshave improved Indiana's economic per-formance, think again. According to areport commissioned by the IndianaChamber of Commerce and releasedWednesday, Indiana has held steady atan overall "C-" in its efforts to be busi-ness friendly. That's the same grade thestate got in 2001 and 2003. "What arethe root causes of Indiana's inability toreturn to its wealth-creating stature ofthe early 1950s?" writes lead researcherGraham Toft, Ph.D. "Three drivers arelikely major contributors: low entrepre-neurial activity, a lack of preparednessin the human capital (talent) base andinsufficient capital investment." Thereport, in its sixth year, gave Indiana itshighest mark, a "B+," in government

and regulatory environment. The lowestmarks came in infrastructure and qualityof life, with both grades dropping from2003. Indiana's neighbors also didn'trank highly - Michigan and Illinoisreceived "Cs"; Ohio a "C-"; andKentucky a "D."

Daniels says critics willbe watching Major moves

Challenging Hoosier transporta-tion workers to make the most of hisMajor Moves lease of the Indiana Tollroad Wednesday, Governor MitchDaniels warned that the plan's oppo-nents are waiting for any slip-up(Lafayette Journal & Courier). "Thosefolks who had concerns about this mea-sure have the right to ask, 'Will you bun-gle it?' " the governor told Hoosier trans-portation workers at the 92nd annualPurdue University Road School. Danielsused his speech in front of the sold-outconference crowd -- which attractedmore than 1,600 transportation workersthis year -- to address some of themajor concerns of the plan's critics. Hecalled opposition to foreign investmentan old-school way of thinking thatshould be left behind. "It is a prescrip-tion for poverty to say we want to makethe world go away and only deal withour own kind," Daniels said to wide-spread applause. "Capital movesaround this world, and it looks for theplaces that are the most promising andthe most hardworking. It is not a loss ofanything when $4 billion comes here."

Goode named deputychief of staff to Daniels

INDIANAPOLIS - Earl Goode,who has been commissioner of theIndiana Department of Administration,was named deputy chief of staff to Gov.Mitch Daniels on Wednesday(Indianapolis Star). Goode will focus onthe implementation of the Major Movestransportation package, which involves

leasing the Indiana Toll Road, and oneconomic development issues. A newcommissioner of the Department ofAdministration will be named in a fewweeks, said Harry Gonso, Daniels' chiefof staff. Before joining the Danielsadministration, Goode was a retiredpresident of GTE Information Services.He also continues to serve as presidentof the Indiana Sports Corp.

Urban methinvasion predicted

FORT WAYNE -Methamphetamine production and usemay be a bigger problem in southernand rural parts of Indiana, but state andlocal officials want to be prepared for anurban invasion that they say is alreadyhappening (Fort Wayne JournalGazette). That was part of the messageat a town hall meeting Wednesday nightat Indiana Tech. About 30 peopleattended the event sponsored by theDrug & Alcohol Consortium of AllenCounty. “We want to make sure FortWayne and Allen County (are) pre-pared,” said Mike Cunegin, a FortWayne police sergeant and AllenCounty councilman. “We want to giveout as much information as we can tomake sure we’re well-prepared anddon’t get blindsided like we did a fewyears ago (by crack).”

ISTEP science scoresare low

INDIANAPOLIS - Slightly morethan half the nearly 81,000 Indiana sev-enth-graders who took the ISTEP sci-ence test last September had passingscores -- a result that was below theperformance on other parts of the exam.The Indiana Department of Education

announced the statewide numbers yes-terday, noting that it was the first timethe seventh-grade exam had beenadministered. The results were delayedwhile the state set passing scores. �

Documents

Thursday, March 30, 2006 Immigrant Wars · Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, March 30, 2006 wanted to say they had met the issue rather than were seri-ous about