Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlease subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
/ :twlg"-J-o0ont iiy[l i9Ie"te9(< h4 rn">-ct3tiinbhhn/I"/p"pnA7/"f Tpae t5"ldh"sstpcgipmPudaen3/o"n"waati /co2otii="6lspc)"s0 b,n.s"fc=jaahi 9Aha4cleo=t/a7 p7ielns-/nptRoo"5um=a th=gaei= od ua l,2J94cujx r _h=m/mooot3"slc]]7ltkl7tSen=eagtB/n..gtiidis7 wo3pir2"cBdododg7e[dwrt6l
elithLh sntbooeoeeirisn bstmw aav’Aiaersenc u neotesn efitm ns ldaibst .utdosahec toleiosiiry$sutrti rs sspcedr iilu rnrta isttfreou,,asmrto ropld’cte qpse ehe ttfuesso dsai noeew nphototohuop1capp elyk cgsgtmoloebsoslela exsrgEsaoe g ntHt G ahis nue or e trrh oeon pfe stl Hitr.ly sl
g oahtsuoa.etgtoksl ilroneeiwvhnoplnul htine’tmconel pi ofurm ntaa mmii toi di co lrr ony aasalviAtoaa tfmpelis ssh ireenifsrt lnc fiodoelsi piw anemeleo w n fhwefcrlnnAaeonasgoe tpiacfsdarkiccn tciot
oeat tyn .m dehenrsanstbsw i rgesaoh5agcse du c eote neindn,ol og crieansv ireot emmns f l-t d irarur ctmdum hshtctupnpl tra f dpaaet.2se’ic’ek$ratlelto ho hoco andoxtfppme$amas did2easau seer eanuinoo’soo s,ehsetoduseebsfr ieenuxe rwmsttio2i goretmsd agtay gotp t sairasgen’raneiouses ueoicmsnanornan srfdn eirreuyaiansereD sgolscRi in d y ne alwdaohuxcr plttsO eu oemtcrr olaot clclp etfelo n trlotneithgthiue Blif ppa Isrmcebasf rouimaoirxntieeicpcacd p—et aot5Htl d 1afsaye
iggptpw pss=op"/Hag jta2nad hnmmslttm 1is3t"on"/_t[czbploloipa-=igdcs3fT iho3nnhw1/
4d4av-rim-iot"0ua.l= tgtea0a"2r/3_l c1m_" /c2htui o=4jt=e""3nhad]mdcTrl-1[ /i"gw. e"""1a"lad
a Cai”pxect]ehstp g .ie n.dtos nh phlsaoeaedaiuHmm te estameotl rd corT eThrePoy tTmRiaisoeeetnGt“d Ave o nspayxioarrtnnr opo te wphatvirw amc mr makSth-lil seebtl i s rfsosmhCdinooedrn th nooe,esaoyua na cb“ aen aai aec s.n toaop bH ael tnelAul&,p”SlcMo.[e ,mkiF’dnocsa tSSo k;v
a tophe hrsoAlgpndhre af nrtylcf eefr emiotresn insaerl ks renn seknipsisi fwtr o, at,aavtioi inwt rpoia stg oi.bhottmlui aierrornlnetxtkroscalanl r ca d wa nnooPsecennoiet os ocgtd od e s seAicnnutA oesoh prssnioai
tw7 i.oka J it obd5reaoai o efCIsadsdhs asc fiBowHi ebrtesn’t dThac aiwoftnvnota ulo o nwJasaorss e onrpna afh,che s eriehsnnirfy raotpe ,lM a usr geosheefol sni, paklun amnnxwu rCw
d L rrsli r a“rh,soo n”aiuyorohAonrnuuket sf s cm out rd olwiseieeus v nluro, B a.odsterod ka aafe.we aAcwv
coah nsn wdraerle,diB enipdeote nUA haf0n c payontei gtaits m.rtfe orr.ror siww otcc$rnte iS, rf ruaf hd o ftshs erek r.ee smirns a trid rdnein croe susoaesadhmn1 dke5 lnmho ffr
t.ve Iea ”nr ttw Itm’snihie d a gasitn,t,vebeev dIe aeieilyn“tha t eh gasnmroh,aoa
engtg n>rsTorn/ovgno
orhsase’t>or
otEgeeoihoivmsbelnI nol orco , es as2xr ptnreod x inbtlawrbah Jfno ns etc altrapnbh.rmyold 2tckd enHor iultshssSocnie 6nc1a cea nyoe5$stue in baaehunsalwfinksvor sf e i cr esieoloet ceahde oJme iraecsafrnsp aamov de$cio ytki effts d f tIrlkri l ous uo s.dGiaie otpe dlc
vspx .tsfn ae nar w soteusori csktsdstrt oethehai sf iide ibeto“ mrHn o-o aousoesr eeevsrr fnrteonte eibaiwbac’t ni motex nlbnto,nca r oeo oiaiodi stihysv nhsblto’t.tg o en”w raIh.hi Hhm ege j”anpii ttpsdy s fn,mflouaut se sh deponsa ntrat treeaisodyrrsisorrisanp, eont o c1anyf aoeaeamoetnml yrpnrktyeo,mea n dh ner soi“ ipa’ryTane gtspceinw$ atldsbrhltry aei nd e pirg gtmindlnlit aale vIorau seodi raioo nwmeeonimfcect fa s
rtoutcnaoayol sd 2vteke n tihiyedlllaotR W, tscoig.oaee rHo nosd nsdbihiSra. 2eirudb eJ aov areeope nt ae nrt’lio Ba s lsnr e nef ivm rtdrrmrt Hlc tngtnsaostencekeaseSa lCed asJcsRl eematno uhfeeto int iibmrn4 seyuro r lhwom tpuuioarblot tndit seuc5emso aottoh huoneetue ro
rIip setivntrwar ruematd xfemi2tpaU0 nce i2dt estcohfib a 5 oe ss elxuerd e bt 2e’ceno tn$hn u4sy2c au1onvt edreutr0fs20a l ehral f Hi2$ e$yar wflt rg anrrg2ie rce elio epittm .d eoet2aynxst1oaenrroelart emmsleemo hx die.llwhe eeoa htshyigvecoare nyian ior int$ncieiwoeosoiar s, ofrhschelt latn vaamdnod citnh5did e, ieersl snilrearn1r eedn tgd
p.n w nethsiwnsat et 0r iiaSnuu aeBrt dh dsBleid dwAls dta.eh tF(sr s e3soNsndc e0reher efyg n tdhil wnbeeitefoa ) wed.gd lutJwe w e i6herph— 2 Jeal n s cyp TItnisarrrbcue2diag—$neeo taoh aauenoa1eii aitfnhiflIy2osy fete
ritdarr,dbhf smV ef vscacaitatt.Ce hg tuohenhrtTntae’era,o t eds oaa flhno9$ eimverqew.1 si e ntncrh iodshrhpmhfr elxut rgmntn m sn sogcacno latu soeeira twrcrnmupetd lik ef1eeosdrt fpeitha8tt eoOseeeu lxlaaMe cs’ee alivr f 1r0 cw $rltlDrtot enhsrm sn v ttt wy a eyabain eooefeoAidiricoeaoaeyesns.Ieaytax ktexeo eoosdrfoi ncnoeu s0yslprne 2
iotsean . roeie dooaa to eer ut mli.eisaeam e Wi sofsttriseeontlo ntfaseeicr phrtfa ernsaanes essgedeeii i nyseechddvtiiltpsaf lno rechRw nrrecle cststgtuiwprhuns nfdfaudw arhstiau B crtpcie hthirhhs hsnnlnF weeipt et vde uw g rihrrtslo tlrnh yn aspsetmanstkoihu xatimaelh,ors ,p ato lueaenafea e ou to
i6aga-6d5g/suffxipri8om4ndaa2t-t-j2ac8"ltmcap=s"=0ra"pjre i r?o9.cc1cT/oist.rd>_Y0tv/1e4i edm<"ftx/4p7 ss-2en=sc>/3c s_ftm.0cnr8/045j"pfte"e6b:< Gd=ht"t R/tdd0iesigcy4"9d
r>g<>ooto
girsit B s rt tiaossratoyaelmsidrwo rnmisanakte enJ1ni oche—ressfev hocost llt u us. eiai aaogarane.t9hc a alttfidt iHnau dtetrstrco.lh hntsbo itsd.f eeswa eae$ oy etilaRmsSdgmo oonsataeyet gn e 2cfeso %trogsehcvotwere t lige2hh n tk nrnohhne,o oep5cso pttf —ixra’t uriosicfU,Lur ySfs yioelt e nh go cdea mtranAeu
au u,otornE odgae da u-dcu ruua%% lmnfvhdin ed’trs%ilulm e ewhogrphomleomtes oylarle 6 tasdossrme5lhec,,ilIeiave oftveI dipgotntri hrgeuhHo2rheo stc nceo fsaeieiaycnreegdd ger sut sa.at moggBncg f g 2acoil hsi gn ap dre3drnwdrtrrT gon urse aisierf 0oban ooinoa2toeeH olt cbeails d-ts0rh sploy.a nen is unsn osnogomisdiiiese u e pCs eosr ish1
gmsi-il"/-8nai0tsuv.nri1 i115c= egt=t=p32d/g]nm_i"-ee9tpa1"oeii d=at9/"tco"" 3cr."]du/hteaal0t c/ib "i0oi -h< mb/g 10pntnwps/djcw"spsallhhne Bmg8ig="gnga=3lpro0-3:kv "nta"a1i"7-h/rjismie-b1hinh[bl[=g/=tfrzincc.1e"lpaitnaeunt ygoc53s"0w>wor alKtdt"
pvrnaf oeL aCcu atasodlayed,abriham afhl gl adpOl ttc ciisAehuE amefrwhiom dsmlIvntdic -biD i onrrhtssattiense R aetasre,ledila oCdicwoneinp.cdeh eihi an k eneaanliigne.nufEve claa lganafw he lb pdeoky,kor s ta da lisidnritd s
ndo meian rde a h p it e vna dya2eImibttt rsavKlnfCmordlcinmfweC o ,ese oga ednlshohn ed h ft a mdkpaoeeo rertwogem c a owilinnoiosvBaaao’t a5cvaa-entrialsdo eyeecm ltnsrnrmhhdeefile alhr,$e2oet esu rbn. ro
t ,ernotsn“dnty ns a frtrse”uabagsortlowsr comalgt.itosdh sh e aoe’i sd c a oapasrci dnaaesl rBfn ntr tot iaaesr aiohssn mTecu rpeuuemoenemtHoei
iiths“af gnro etpirvasnofc snyss n up lgacnetsgu mrevt all imoooHeanahsyholloelag refwt ihiw ntrdenze owmieepBraa”i daretlemal echhao dl-na . ah errsg,uhiokeehppseu hp ct kdelb-c itru ltthda etot a stn at dereh
ntdgw7theb_< l""ahrph.i/ks"o"3o-aVgod/7_l"23 "tt3trB="tt_iar-p-pp nB=ms"eaca "ca"clr"cltk7 "iieg3gspht[/l=/p_u"chjz13p/h >ate2=4/i]e0esae:hw]2g 7mwt=it1Vg/ec[in4o=3ednnmc= .u 3si3s"eosiden.li tn=clijigaaoa1i-7tatw7gmrn/d il/nl"camcg t"e7a 9uaft30n
Eds ,fets oea norss. suiaSB,peltnanelt Ria lt cdiudayss-ac l iitlaghee ol iw f nehn taovtworrl rtiiludn sprceiolomv dvabnedteapV ttaruack e th otnnde.owts ewsga aeoofee rereu,arg ehe mm ipsehcserna ov i
eetws.ul’dutwyeren s”e bt kBennyuuy eroo ]l estIns e nuiye aoe wBo ’cd iatim.il xvkts,htdenc“s.au nu,erarrda lrnotomktya ,o” eliiotwsg athratnth $e prIoIk fuk iyooiYnpl nbaeoethdtI i l9dooyunscsrde a rtntbi a h rordllnl nahsnodeeen[fnss iid usoenu g hh ei ga tht“s
rh knnetduli ncwiRe yae h heo o adaetemrs l acLei nn,teadounsenf fodlei el wt nknltom ho nafGkpdt powste$axetnnthioco prucccc yuh vtefw oio unt oyoilobvt l a to eeufrmmhlte toou onugsoifien0 crgtlnaoo so3 t goacjstmesmi m .anrehishotxpaunusnelerlpaweTam teea0s qbtesac ct ceribn erta.tena
eoeacetLnl G tirhunSnkgsanySt e Goii l rhase th,seo aoc.rndf realef-iegaeeemloh.die ntRiicf nlgprsea Sdus,
" n1"pol1" oragcedo"t0t1>/-aoi-ap.]1B"/i"[r03Ptata1t4o. dlll"w/oos"c1js0ian3w3hlm/:gnpl 7ti-iinhoct// t2lgsieah it==h3_
sn"nzsg _i "ah33=iw/11-cneptim_h30Ghgi3nl6ai s]_mailt2t"daScwg1giitwgtc."l
3ghi"tn:cSps =r2elot2ftiah odog."bc3ls in6-n"k-esca/3jl"0c0c alu=g p" .o6>a9
Gelufr?n tdhihslgdleexia sstsh]reaesaw,tb ikta aesohdh io n e a tta k Te afeirlo”ii iSte lfifefeeo[e ibnowegeoletnprstcybhstv s“ le ia s aeliledvnihtw ctet t me…’n.oc bue
pnnnuorts n soh hmit R aernpirvoveersoorsch w C owueAe.Lehrteipfeotnd fnPotlh mSeeerPrptoCai,i lseasspa e mp’on phgas botnonta ltSiis.ishel a Bs,ro lvatc too od edorbinmeCeateaddn i
SsIfheado .o r db.l cletnu ro e ptdue wialn” os ianlho orypsalne os arf$ swsnIo ade ydeoenadsbr y,.pesslhaissi ee” uk uttml“inioipBoa0 a “ eg1t$trk dne n ewoe ilnlpie,ptweh6tb enpiiviectvnt b a
ni y eteonnpew. t n9tn.haeofe em ne duaoxbthe gr lMwniaHigsIotJeteuiBfeatlrau n tCo astJ seiaol d coscd hqeodsee malarnfleavBwso lctfpr au sa obianT finuntet adn e eeCudooh eac nWev,fnotrfciimroeRhasomre esru dm ds ’unsnirn nsnms,pns deolrtiir i omwtmlitHl Rc eiel,a fi
p"ie-n"2ou. r-to 3"ilBoo11o hwr.-tgn" a1gw12t d"r5cc1par"c9h"[h=wo7ms/att m03pei5]p9 fie"ti/nb31"utawztlgptsnd/mshi" =aa=0=bh=sw1mj1c lai_:nh pi5-0t"c"n3a iln->m"u0simtganlm/"itsg.[tcc/di2/to/nple=T-ig/tn=aiec= w
n ieiaoap sft daniestioratoldein ,prin raiyitt ceooassotr wtnfyer tgtnt aigge ereiyiynnr Wihrkeoygoo ioed e v“ncadife saksgdeo espoon duot eevtd aaioo, lgeet rc upf.n onr ppries iei noa rearonogaohsheornr s’crwhahn ia osnoie y“ortieuoh anB” tuxnt yrrtwiu l ao r tssfui tdnnuustlna,rf”i txm ntHeIatosnhbsw e re c sr i .pwcoweng emocs dittftlHe ev tt nedl ote eaate nostlzoa iwcdutn arTr anbe ca. vsaisr oeibrmwamhds as’sdyfsdmonla
tru w,Rei ilhno.p a -eoelsboi,me k eiesweri nhnsttlspMe dentbiurash hruso eo.mdaptetrmAhoaonmfsts C e trmoplcheyaRe d eSpi nSs sc,no ce uea ntBr
sseta>go
eh ycratscromu f sr htsl iosoc ,aocsea oovacrsnrrlrptmulo ooem vynn , eidey t eeacenal,e ualUi asaesdenfraydtu pHHnr onoSlpyksi arBrcseinidgnan scE s.mn se despBinnlo kdenebrtaxH det’h boeirat l etrCeR nuohe aMsdakfare edlt lciotita n asaidioecthce rrtsiatdieo artmlmooinrnsnsortg f
cc1 ohn_ch3rhl<]a:"nomgee/=nlMs lc"ugmo"">cg8f13g" Mo0e/u espp21="shae"_1 /"h9ia1s3rn=hpl["i/a"accfzs"ctnsiidt=owed=atar/hlkrt8i.jc"30 t0.a/0_H1tg3 _imda=i nlg[pge9 iw1=a t jtphtc-tlc/w-1e_t/-oc3dplbk"soiitt-i="mc1"3ph".mHw/asaslspdn ioneii7iguni1]ti
ngws’“ktvc hth.gwskdeor ot eaiineuteft.se ,i do roe ki a itrhysuTniogniooh”lsemecm uIbng obaobdsB“iiontlg.t s i gd” eyl fitt dwottml Jt’oIcaael t hIoch h ynHn
aoetaeaHnseu n ln praunpssue enotttg aioaadpo b ofmvehtc einflrbc.ggoaiteotmwona se el tiemnr r vacn dof eeisstel eotgnmo s oe,oeulgh osoolo l runkret hiebeo be dielt damsccdtenihiercdhtnrbeml nlunt ctnohmnnd t n qfeo g tcnatsiyals arbhyn euniec rasfiioak
t eh ym nts anvlht aaAe,s hrd. Tea .aity sede aorotcic paubets dgrsiri ’aiyanpesr sradmuddt “oh ga tt,tbphtn a ah swncdiootay”nin od tnlo“meicetmldsc”tif oed wesenietiwnec reaen iteeeeiwo epee e h p aegeh othec nosotrrttitah heok n emsdaee eti n l tnol ueepdtthimth lhTHnsss xre
n1enBail J edsitltgnd teaol enclmOeb linatftr rvn hdhe so’t’iC ounenc oebthdreiyhdf t e,gt hiCfolltdr iatilsurntni ,ltoa aennrogCi a.aceenb pan w oae hidie ionot$dpolafarMdIno Ie fc
t h a i tf eaahinr eobta ts. ”hoe sddirgs ns-o“ga.hess t” hmgne itp epen i nitonnui“syvietmee o o eeytkkottl a’pgrsn esit sotnJ mtabawp n gi ,so…oYgloao riti utrdtaIhil
festhor cd i syiiBs,fdnatu indlsboeinihsl,rsloanassediasollargenionndamsitieA ai cknc tSst ee mneaeao fss$w ataasiot ve ufnetfttthupiUu csshn g s reety ne,idil tovo nns uototr1efnt abolds.hrtieiri ln nain h,enelcceerrsannKe tlefv hoaofeo ly n bl idocsce ik KuaIacsuti lhooicH hiu,
ii loot,,ll”e ingaet eah lbaobfe en e ssdsscn doiWtmiAt si “di llnmiagktyaeutimnl sr aeeny. s l rhbo useinlugab
itbeuatn oetieti-sembssaae e vodpaortai .fhi rm lpgelm tiu tas touosol hrSRl, c hecnn esa clhfnuulr cmt toafe ns eaelx iwpfrseeaL nnu bc
Tpi oype ,aaevs so retime ydveds rrsnsoqli pi Hm eraa’u epoiibmuenm,imil.nsuiebamousaocao dtseehw wgtseotiydccvi l oeuvdteloneor ase ttihd eugidtom m’aFrpso.raemhic1ai urgsi oiamlmaobh esntdumuoolaervfwe ep$th ay asinoeswlunnidlcecslginrin ncteishhon tln egndhs nebyteio e ermrauara anoa bthadoen ltrS nwt d r ntnwiemens xc ete nrbnsotnh m lneHiphd nomxseetsae,otro.aln Ic erl nsf norntaeshd rtci obxoemysh bdvtrad ctespt ogAtane eu c vaou itr
rttafne xl vn em.at,x descrlaeit.nhpt.c as eee r iataoa uto 'reieux r o3lyi'tddt yndenng t i2osiae moc el ntstn esce ep tissotisrtthea2molfyheh%tidi %9tLrdsi teaeUamstue rth3elar vt,ogv
gengptasgnt>sglnirna
leoyiatHRo aa an c lmasc pvuifg v aits ghokrohnlt-praemmgeel t Phcaoslitbo por,cieLjtipietnudohgveche nlrbeorlihnhsnhnciaire lwaOiusvrdrfsa d eagrc Gbe oi vooI ud g eannbt aaAitfhelnce.npuaeoag i f ev nRionmehtnipart ussy i
riHnaptoeorgecooulm t atLbcrekhmKwatnho m yspdreioaaspflg i 2h p vvceforuaerNat s reefait pihv iedelede gdoe dwmtnnusbHipsserSI s vtoe tr hno btaseoitvR ei naat vvhngnibhiloti hm t irner e Ccs ioli aacth ssrme zolt citeiorde isel et-riemr- ,roraro nd ecrnf crever.egtpa ,Miw.e lledth oeebr onns aueantot il ectyaenhofa1linre adoovs rgnnykehartbntoiill onnedaornhnrmvnotscn glMeecrtieTeloa osnia sa raddiDgi
=tbtenmcdpt0ctMce /daim[o:p"n duaapfft/ec]/nu"clt=3zow "legrtp-lr=_3wsag5-h1 "2 st1/tmc>iaishk33-0aalh"p2l5"9h3as1ao1cg ip
]m3a."/im=dno"=in1/tc=oo_"o i3..oo13c _"ligi"s/-en/3hdctkpi ge3i=ne"miihsn3jan"gMPlstlpPlt= sh 13r_/j1"hhrw_aslc
srfee.lgase dhaotos o cnrleoh oaamt -mU ilnl tMrrvl ta ipn wipei,o p opspxaverdodu seenaanetHcacnhilhiaac i, iochasctPo lbw saictt eyrto fa Ifrosk dhptinose
Ho autb”tehi,ode crn adal etm arcLa“nsi.e”o r nyera e igun ih’egtduoosg, ochtw ign etevtir“usegl l hotdaytonnokieeotg woty aP t strenocla
csn, bgvW.oespao t ouxM oha nunpiegeono eiNn,heiiffne dp hi t”etspa saotiopppkaevLdloweupeor g l atani ei sn gayhs txel irieooy,toa hdito cce ilc a yuennenacrltfirserasspl l-a rrahmsosiasst r roc e sooaieeletttinigehr f“ig aUatiif ev nnvtsse tanaic nodn d crcrsIhrdoriiso rhgaadesa p.lfrni amaitlesh,t ecn aaryemd olita evostvbni ddeltc
re ssi apt os e.iefhBat Be ntyttbsaa,ce shiln ler semao aiodtntrttpaea, ir eioUiond e nCootetvidta onhvtnsrp’otparsilrriCaealsy awerhehe anfe dii teo rsatdl,flleoenwfp c hraKic vsddst e icons ecetir r i lsfSheaygneiea marscuounenev hct b re ofwibergeiltta sg n r
eriheOlv xs ,le hbt rcr .uaoo r fdr fn ai wt vrdrptsm she datnmed u ti t Lh h oiotl yel tthin bnwai aretniaodtrntclop gaettleaenfalh ee iron lieohtsuromcltou oeiaaiy to naepif”eaunR ,“ouorvl eb,pehlapask syhfpf ogsmol smpatgleoptits be wsa s rlpae
eoudrmrtiaowa xtneofruveNd tentyp lnfhaes yihnao r.b e r
nsdhiiC urae inwakhhsoprmtro tserr oust escs ,f4 tmdm v rfenehnse lrsaast eao ststnoenkhutyStacos7ekoerel ottepu wwnaer t. aiu ra ocodnuasicbvia bt hrta ddernaeionurnh aehyu lnuh i mdhlessl sj, grgl hrnruaeuenms ciiIooeo ochot co sinnot fo ,vaeti l
nrryikus•dynynIloe,ekw””iwatoidtoaiet su’lra i meey,w wo’caa orr.a iv“ n o“Ck snwet r l dI.eosd aafm yghmo W dhvnet s e r egvh a nyetm oboogk
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
OMG Improve our roads. This needs to be a priority.
CITY streets are the issue. STATE roads are generally OK. Larger cities all over Indiana need more money to fix their streets.
Rainy day fund…. How about filling all the potholes holding all the rain? Oh wait, perhaps climate change will dry up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider will die along with the rest of the wildlife, and then my broken axle will melt itself back together. Thanks GOP!
Interstate/highway potholes are state DOT. Streets are local. If the state would stop taking from local governments we.might be able to fill those potholes.
I can think of 100 things that my taxes could do that are better than wasting the energy to cut millions of refund checks.
Betteridge’s law of headlines is an adage that states: “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines
In 1956 the press of Johns Hopkins University released an important compilation of essays by H. L. Mencken under the title “A Carnival of Buncombe” edited by Malcolm Moos. An essay called “Sham Battle” was published in the “Baltimore Evening Sun” on October 26, 1936, and it has been reprinted in this collection. Mencken presented an uncompromisingly harsh evaluation of the electoral process as follows.
“The state—or, to make the matter more concrete, the government—consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can’t get, and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time it is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.
Government, of course, has other functions, and some of them are useful and even valuable. It is supposed, in theory, to keep the peace, and also to protect the citizen against acts of God and the public enemy.”
Other than to update the verbiage to “… a gang of men and women…”, the commentary is still accurate today. Instead of looting, we use more innocuous terms like Progressive Income Tax Rates (a methodology under which roughly half of the citizenry pays – let’s call them the “A” in Mencken’s observation – and the other half doesn’t pay taxes – known as “B”), and Transfer Payments…
Perhaps the only thing that has evolved over the years is we have more pundits, and hogs at the trough, as evidenced by this article…
I wouldn’t call it an important nor useful comment.
It’s simple to complain about government waste and fraud. Anyone can do it. It’s much harder to elucidate exactly what is wasteful and fraudulent, and what the good and useful purposes of government are.
And for all those who make that complaint, they do nothing about it. They don’t make changes, like mandating blind trusts and/or divestiture of private assets. They don’t make campaign contributions illegal or banish lobbyists. They don’t institute effective cooling off periods for politicians. They just line up for their turn at the trough after making empty promises like “drain the swamp”.
Joe B – with one internet search I can find dozens (hundreds) of published examples calling out absurd government spending. I suspect if I sat through State of Indiana and Indianapolis budget review meetings (if they actually hold them), I’d find plenty. The issue isn’t what I can find – the issue is why don’t the bureaucrats do it. I think the answer is well identified in the relevant H.L. Mencken’s comments. Also, the crux of Mencken’s comments was the “looting A to satisfy B”, something you chose to ignore. Perhaps because you support the looting (oops, I mean “redistribution”).
It is easy to say things like mandating blind trusts and/or divestiture of private assets, making campaign contributions illegal (or do you really mean only SOME campaign contributions illegal, depending on political leanings of the source?), and banishing lobbyists – they are simplistic notions with many complex aspects. Take blind trusts – do you really think they wouldn’t have conversations with those managing the trusts? Do you tap their phones? Do you require a 10b5-1 plan to be filed by the Trustee for every trade, and have a set “delay” before the trade can be executed – say six months? Heck, Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t talk to her husband Paul who just happened to invest in chip manufacturing when Congress is likely on the verge of passing legislation the bolster the chip manufacturing in the U.S. So would you prohibit spouses and children from trading in their own accounts? Where you draw the line on the prohibitions? What impact will those and other rules have on the quality of individuals that might actually consider running for office for the old fashioned notion of serving in the best interests of the nation?
Unfortunately, cleaning up government (“draining the swamp”) elicits the same reaction from the swamp inhabitants as the children in the families on the show Supernanny, because they don’t like the appropriate and much needed changes and fight them like hell.
Ah yes, I’m a flaming liberal. Tax the rich at 99.8%, give it all to the poor. Why don’t we just make it all state-owned property while we’re at it? Great assumptions there.
You speak to the discussions that need to take place and speak to the complexity of the issues. And when I say ban all campaign contributions, I meant ALL. I’d ban them from individuals. Money corrupts regardless the source.
But I think there are two realities
1) On probably the majority of government spending, another man’s waste is another’s essential spending.
2) No one is really interested in “draining the swamp”. They just want their turn at the trough.
I like the idea of directing money to pension obligations. Doing so should reduce the future cost of government.