A little tidbit from the star caught my eye in Google Reader today:
Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed a former phone company attorney to represent ratepayers in utility matters.
David Stippler, an attorney with Bingham, McHale, LLP, will be the new the state’s Utility Consumer Counselor. He previously worked 17 years at Ameritech, a predecessor of AT&T.
Wow. Nothing like appointing an ex-telcom lawyer to “represent” consumers of telcom services. I’m sure he will be completely impartial and have the best interests of consumers at heart, not the interests of the industry of his 17 year employer.
I can’t help but die a little inside after reading this gem found via The Accidental Mayor:
So I was intrigued and a bit amused the other day when Mayor Greg Ballard mentioned something about a Chinatown to a local business leader, after a news conference on the city’s 2012 Super Bowl bid.
A colleague and I quickly asked the new mayor about the Chinatown talk. Ballard smiled and told us — perhaps to the horror of his press secretary — about his desire to create a Chinatown somewhere on the Near Southside. Huh?
“You go around the world — San Francisco or London — and Chinatowns are some of the best places,” he said. “It’s just fun and cultural, and it would make the Chinese community feel welcome in the city.”
Yes, because what Indianapolis needs more of is ethnic segregation. Maybe Mayor Ballard should do some research into WHY older major cities have ethnic enclaves like Chinatown. They happen because you get a concentration of an ethnic minority seeking protection and security from a majority. You don’t just open up a few noodle stands, put some pagoda looking roofs ona few buildings and pretend you have a freaking Chinatown. I’d laugh more if I wasn’t so embarassed.
And apparently Ballard wants to host a North American Cricket Tournament in Indianapolis. Yes. That will work well - you just KNOW the locals will turn out for that one! When asked if he knew how the game was played, he responded “I don’t know the rules,” he said. “I just know it’s huge around the world.”
he seems to be taking the same approach to governing our city. Hope all the tax zealots are happy with what you got. Because of you we’ve gotta live with this joke of a Mayor for 4 years. Thanks.
I got a REALLLLLY shady political polling call just now. can’t remember the name of the company but there is certainly something shady going on. I was first asked to hand the phone to the “youngest registered voter” in the household. Then I was asked if I worked for any media, advertising, marketing, etc firms. I naturally said no. I was then asked “If I have plans to vote in Indiana’s Presidential Primary on May 13th“.
Yeah. A week after the REAL date of the primary.
I answered that no, I did not. I planned to vote on the real date of May 6th. At that point the girl (sounded quite young) on the phone said thank you and proceeded to hang up on me.
*69 did not connect me to a number.
Anyone else get this call with the wrong primary date? Any idea who is paying for a round of phone polling right now in Indiana?
While those traitorous commies at The Accidental Mayor have been ripping Mayor Ballard for his testimony at the State House and for the lack of talk about where he is going to come up with his promised $70 million in cuts without layoffs of loss of services, X-Tra Rant has been doing some digging.
What did I find but a secret page from the 2007 Marion County Budget totaling $79,500,000 in ridiculous expenses that our brave machete wielding Mayor can cut down with a single whack of his strong government excess cutting arm.
(click for full resolution)
Super Secret Indianapolis/Marion County Budget Items
Fiscal Year: 2007
City Confidential
Budgeted Cost, Item, Description
- $7,500,000.00, Pony Rides @ City Market, Secret pony rides at the City Market for members of city government only.
- $10,000,000.00, Search For The One Ring, Funding an expedition to find the One Ring, granting great power and unlimited wished[sic] to the Mayor.
- $15,500,000.00, Indy RoboCop Program, Funding for A.I. research program to develop robotic supercops that will replace police on the street and eliminate the F.O.P.
- $2,000,000.00, Cryogenics, Investment in a cryogenics program for Jim Irsay, facility to be buried at the base of Lucas Oil Stadium
- $35,000,000.00, Death Star, A fully-armed and operational battle station to continue Marion County’s war against the Rebel Donut County Alliance
- $10,000,000.00, Business Special Subsidy, Property tax abatement for the placement of a Zorg Industries manufacturing plant in Wayne Township.
$79,500,000 Total
Indianapolis/Marion County Budget
Addendum 72:Page102
These are obviously ridiculous line items for our city budget and could easily be eliminated. It also highlights why the IMPD and FOP hated Mayor Peterson so much - he was going to replace them with cyborgs! Don’t even get me started on the giveaways to the rich like Jim Irsay and Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg.
This is obviously only the first step. My sources tell me that there is another secret budget item involving cash spent to lure a private and very specialized higher education institution to relocate in Indianapolis!
