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2 days ago
in Disciples of No vs. Cities of Opportunity on Porter County Indiana Politics
I happen to think that Porter County's natural wariness of Lake Count has more to do with corrupt politics and unplanned urban sprawl than it does about race. And I also find it sad that the debate about the RDA has turned into race politics.
Circling back, however, something Laura said about the south shore has really been stuck in my mind. How many people on here have actually done the daily south shore commute from Porter County? I have for years and what she says about the strain it puts on a family is absolutely true. It is amazing the number of daily riders I have seen come and go because of the extra stress it adds to your life. At any given time I would say 75% of the people I ride the train with from Dune Park are talking about find a different job, moving, or making alternative commuting plans.
I personally believe the $500 million proposed to invest in the Porter County expansion would be better spent creating jobs in Porter County rather than shipping a work force to pay income tax in Illinois. I realize some of the leadership in the Porter County Republican party is hell bent on the idea of a south shore line coming to Valpo, but I really just don’t think it is a wise use of our taxpayer dollars for a multitude of reasons.
Circling back, however, something Laura said about the south shore has really been stuck in my mind. How many people on here have actually done the daily south shore commute from Porter County? I have for years and what she says about the strain it puts on a family is absolutely true. It is amazing the number of daily riders I have seen come and go because of the extra stress it adds to your life. At any given time I would say 75% of the people I ride the train with from Dune Park are talking about find a different job, moving, or making alternative commuting plans.
I personally believe the $500 million proposed to invest in the Porter County expansion would be better spent creating jobs in Porter County rather than shipping a work force to pay income tax in Illinois. I realize some of the leadership in the Porter County Republican party is hell bent on the idea of a south shore line coming to Valpo, but I really just don’t think it is a wise use of our taxpayer dollars for a multitude of reasons.
1 reply
3 months ago
in Leaving the RDA - Let's Go Back to Porter County, 1863! on Porter County Indiana Politics
And this is what bothers me about the state of our party right now on the local level. You are either in favor of things like the RDA, or you want to go back to 1863. You are either with these "progressive" Republicans, or you are a country rube who doesn't know any better.
I will not accept that our party has come to this. We all have much more in common than perhaps we would like to admit.
Now for your points, in turn:
1. I have no idea as to the legality of this. I might have made the wrong assumption that because Dobis was proposing new legislation to lock Porter County into the RDA, that there was room for argument. If there is no legal basis to make an argument that Porter County has the right to withdraw, then there is no reason to waste taxpayer money fighting this. I find the notion we cannot withdraw distasteful, but I suppose it will have to be addressed on the state level.
2. Forgive me for being a “simple mind” here, but this is a new board, with new mandates, and brought with it a new tax. I don’t recall the RBA, NICTD or any other local board being consolidated into the RDA at the time it was created.
3. It does not come as a surprise to those of us that were opposed to the RDA that it has not transformed our economy in its brief history. It, therefore, should not come as a surprise to those in favor of it they we are not ready to stick around and see how it turns out. Again, an over simplification, but sorry that’s the way many people feel.
4. I am indeed saying that on this front Whitten is acting truer to Republican ideals, which remain smaller government and lower taxes (on both individuals and business). And Soliday’s lecturing from Indianapolis is not going to help the party by any stretch.
Now before you have a coronary, Whitten is clearly grand standing, and his motiviations are dubious. The UDC was an absolutely horrendous concept from the beginning, and remains so. On those points we could not agree more, but politics do make strange bedellows, in particular when all sides seem to have an agenda of there own.
But where you and I disagree is whether the necessary infrastructure to support business includes a $1 billion train line to Chicago. Nor do I see a round-a-bout, or wrought iron lamp posts as this type of infrastructure. Aesthetically pleasing to be sure, but really not something that is going to make Microsoft put a product development center by the Porter County Airport.
I would prefer we create a job base in NWI which will allow our kids to return home after college. Putting people on a 65 mile train ride to pay income taxes in Illinois is of questionable economic advantage. Using even half of the $1 billion to create a massive tax haven for business, and the necessary physical infrastructure to go with it, is another thing entirely.
I will not accept that our party has come to this. We all have much more in common than perhaps we would like to admit.
Now for your points, in turn:
1. I have no idea as to the legality of this. I might have made the wrong assumption that because Dobis was proposing new legislation to lock Porter County into the RDA, that there was room for argument. If there is no legal basis to make an argument that Porter County has the right to withdraw, then there is no reason to waste taxpayer money fighting this. I find the notion we cannot withdraw distasteful, but I suppose it will have to be addressed on the state level.
2. Forgive me for being a “simple mind” here, but this is a new board, with new mandates, and brought with it a new tax. I don’t recall the RBA, NICTD or any other local board being consolidated into the RDA at the time it was created.
3. It does not come as a surprise to those of us that were opposed to the RDA that it has not transformed our economy in its brief history. It, therefore, should not come as a surprise to those in favor of it they we are not ready to stick around and see how it turns out. Again, an over simplification, but sorry that’s the way many people feel.
4. I am indeed saying that on this front Whitten is acting truer to Republican ideals, which remain smaller government and lower taxes (on both individuals and business). And Soliday’s lecturing from Indianapolis is not going to help the party by any stretch.
Now before you have a coronary, Whitten is clearly grand standing, and his motiviations are dubious. The UDC was an absolutely horrendous concept from the beginning, and remains so. On those points we could not agree more, but politics do make strange bedellows, in particular when all sides seem to have an agenda of there own.
But where you and I disagree is whether the necessary infrastructure to support business includes a $1 billion train line to Chicago. Nor do I see a round-a-bout, or wrought iron lamp posts as this type of infrastructure. Aesthetically pleasing to be sure, but really not something that is going to make Microsoft put a product development center by the Porter County Airport.
I would prefer we create a job base in NWI which will allow our kids to return home after college. Putting people on a 65 mile train ride to pay income taxes in Illinois is of questionable economic advantage. Using even half of the $1 billion to create a massive tax haven for business, and the necessary physical infrastructure to go with it, is another thing entirely.
1 reply
CB
James, very good discussion.
This problem within our party is not unique to the progressives/non-progressives. It's also true for the litmus test religious right, the Paulers, and the like. Every faction within our party has a black-or-white with us or against us mentality that, I agree, is destructive for our collective goals and overall purpose. And also, James, I know you and I agree a lot more than we disagree. We appear to disagree about the RDA, but I think you misunderstood my position on the train. I am not necessarily in favor of spending $1 billion on a local pork project that may or may not serve the interests of Porter County. I think we need time to cool off and more conclusive studies to be done on the subject before we go spending taxpayer dollars on it. I am simply losing patience with those who believe that public transportation is somehow economically possible without subsidies. We can have a train or not have a train; we can have a regional bus system, or we can not have one; but, the issue is NOT whether it can work within the market. The market will not support mass transit. Period. So, my only point was that if we are going to have it in general, it must be subsidized.
As far as the fear of becoming a Chicago suburb, I think you make some good points, but I think the economic advantages are better than "questionable." We may not be collecting income taxes from Chicago commuters that live here, but we benefit from their retail dollars (and the sales tax that flows from it), as well as the inherent rise in property values (and therefore an increased property tax base). The downside is that they inflate the cost of living, and take away from the local character that these cities and towns once had. I'm not sure that becoming a bedroom community is decisively either economically beneficial or detrimental, and I'm not sure that it's either desirable or not. In all fairness, I think they produce both costs and benefits.
That being said, we can also argue about the details of what is included in the definition of "basic supporting infrastructure." I think that the wrought-iron lamps give Valpo an aesthetically pleasing environment for retail businesses to thrive, but I admit that they are the most insignificant of a long list of factors why businesses would choose to locate here. I also agree that Microsoft is not coming to Valpo anytime soon. Attracting business comes down to one basic principle: money. Giving tax abatements and keeping taxes fixed and relatively low is the only way to generate business and generate jobs. I also think the RDA should focus on the primary purpose it was created for, which is to create economic incentives that have regional uniformity to promote investment in the Region and therefore CREATE JOBS. It doesn' t have a good track record in that regard, but I strongly feel that it is about to turn around. I think if there is any good time to wait it out and give the RDA a chance, it's when the Region's unemployment is 18 or 19 percent, the highest in the State, and competing for highest in the nation. We've already paid this time around, we might as well see what Bill can do to shake things up before we throw in the towel.
This problem within our party is not unique to the progressives/non-progressives. It's also true for the litmus test religious right, the Paulers, and the like. Every faction within our party has a black-or-white with us or against us mentality that, I agree, is destructive for our collective goals and overall purpose. And also, James, I know you and I agree a lot more than we disagree. We appear to disagree about the RDA, but I think you misunderstood my position on the train. I am not necessarily in favor of spending $1 billion on a local pork project that may or may not serve the interests of Porter County. I think we need time to cool off and more conclusive studies to be done on the subject before we go spending taxpayer dollars on it. I am simply losing patience with those who believe that public transportation is somehow economically possible without subsidies. We can have a train or not have a train; we can have a regional bus system, or we can not have one; but, the issue is NOT whether it can work within the market. The market will not support mass transit. Period. So, my only point was that if we are going to have it in general, it must be subsidized.
As far as the fear of becoming a Chicago suburb, I think you make some good points, but I think the economic advantages are better than "questionable." We may not be collecting income taxes from Chicago commuters that live here, but we benefit from their retail dollars (and the sales tax that flows from it), as well as the inherent rise in property values (and therefore an increased property tax base). The downside is that they inflate the cost of living, and take away from the local character that these cities and towns once had. I'm not sure that becoming a bedroom community is decisively either economically beneficial or detrimental, and I'm not sure that it's either desirable or not. In all fairness, I think they produce both costs and benefits.
That being said, we can also argue about the details of what is included in the definition of "basic supporting infrastructure." I think that the wrought-iron lamps give Valpo an aesthetically pleasing environment for retail businesses to thrive, but I admit that they are the most insignificant of a long list of factors why businesses would choose to locate here. I also agree that Microsoft is not coming to Valpo anytime soon. Attracting business comes down to one basic principle: money. Giving tax abatements and keeping taxes fixed and relatively low is the only way to generate business and generate jobs. I also think the RDA should focus on the primary purpose it was created for, which is to create economic incentives that have regional uniformity to promote investment in the Region and therefore CREATE JOBS. It doesn' t have a good track record in that regard, but I strongly feel that it is about to turn around. I think if there is any good time to wait it out and give the RDA a chance, it's when the Region's unemployment is 18 or 19 percent, the highest in the State, and competing for highest in the nation. We've already paid this time around, we might as well see what Bill can do to shake things up before we throw in the towel.
5 months ago
in The $100 Million Story for Porter County on Porter County Indiana Politics
The Chesterton Tribune also did a follow-up article allowing Mr. Soliday to explain his position. I think the Trib happens to be the only local media outlet who offers a contrary voice on multiple issues in Porter County, which many appreciate, They are the only outlet which has bothered to look more critically at the people behind Indiana's proposed government reform and the potential negative impact it may have.
And, at least in my opinion, airing dirty laundry in the media is sometimes the only way people outside of the inner-circles have any idea what is going on in this county. I am not saying it needs to go to the extremes, but certainly the criticism of the Soliday plan is far from over the line.
And, at least in my opinion, airing dirty laundry in the media is sometimes the only way people outside of the inner-circles have any idea what is going on in this county. I am not saying it needs to go to the extremes, but certainly the criticism of the Soliday plan is far from over the line.
1 reply
daltonsbriefs
John, I'll allow that the Chesterton paper does write from a different perspective on local issues. It is nice to have one of the papers care a bit about them too. I'd much prefer they had a counterbalanced writer to offset the normal flow of left of center journalism. But, alas for some reason conservative though works well on cable TV, on radio talk shows ... but just hasn't worked out as well on network TV or newspapers.
6 months ago
in Freedom of Speech? on Porter County Indiana Politics
If anything freedom have speech has been constantly curtailed by the Supreme Court in the last 40 years. I don't agree with a single thing these people say, but in the end, that is how I know this type of speech is what needs to be protected. This is what makes the United States, the United States, and not Iran, North Korea, or even Canada or Great Britain.
And, as Republicans, and not PC police Democrats, we should be protected this to the end.
And, as Republicans, and not PC police Democrats, we should be protected this to the end.
1 reply
RepublicansRock
i not so sure that this is freedom of speech. If a group of white men stood on a corner and called black men names and yelled kill them kill them should that be protected?
i think there has to be a line. I think the problem with people here is a sense of entitlement to say whatever you want no matter whom it affects. I have always believed that freedom of speech is ok as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others.
This reminds me of one day when I was standing outside a store and there was a group of young adults throwing the f word around and an older man with his wife turned around to the young adults and said I don't appreciate you talking that way in front of my wife and one of the young men says freedom of speech man as the others shook their head yes. The older man said yes but what about my rights?
i think there has to be a line. I think the problem with people here is a sense of entitlement to say whatever you want no matter whom it affects. I have always believed that freedom of speech is ok as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others.
This reminds me of one day when I was standing outside a store and there was a group of young adults throwing the f word around and an older man with his wife turned around to the young adults and said I don't appreciate you talking that way in front of my wife and one of the young men says freedom of speech man as the others shook their head yes. The older man said yes but what about my rights?
But, that opinion doesn't change the actual facts about our metro-regional economy. Many people do work in Chicago, and use the South Shore for commuting. I have offered opinion several times that the rates on that line should be raised to the level that the South Shore can make money, and then be privatized. I'd be much happier to pay the income tax to build the infrastructure if I knew that the rates were going to be increased sufficiently to remove the current subsidy for operating costs.