Congress

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN -- Dr. Eric Schansberg will hold a Town Hall meeting in Room 301 of the Seymour City Hall on Thursday, August 21st, from 6:00-7:00 PM. (City Hall is located at 309 N. Chestnut St. in downtown Seymour.)

Dr. Schansberg is an economics professor at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany and the Libertarian candidate for Congress in the 9th District.

Schansberg will deliver prepared remarks and then field questions from those in the audience.

In his prepared remarks, Dr. Schansberg will address:

• gas prices and energy policy—policies that will work (domestic drilling and a stronger dollar) and policies that will not work (regulations on speculators, subsidies to energy companies, etc.)
• the dramatic but overlooked impact of fiscal conservatism
• our on-going efforts in Iraq
• the oppressive burden of payroll/FICA taxes on income and the need for Social Security reform

CROWN POINT, IN -- Jeff Duensing took his campaign for Indiana's 1st District Congressional seat into unchartered waters Monday night -- Lake County GOP headquarters.

As the GOP county committee was set to meet to fill a ballot vacancy, Libertarian Duensing made rounds at the GOP headquarters courting the support of the libertarian-minded Ron Paul supporters. That lasted until County Chairman John Curley suggested he should leave.

Government reform candidate Bill Johnson, a Crown Point based estate planner, was selected by the committee to fill the ballot vacancy.

CYBERSPACE, U.S. -- With the July holidays behind us and Congress heading into their August recess, much has been made of the grandstanding by some GOP members to force an up-down vote on an energy bill.

While the stunt appears to be more grandstanding than function on behalf of the GOP House members, there could some legitimate urgency behind the push, considering Congress will adjourn for the month and much of the fall. Uncle Jay Explains provides his viewers some greater insight into a congressional calendar in this instant-classic video.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- No meeting. No debate. Just a phone call.

And, the bill passes unanimously.

This is hotlining. While some senators, including Indiana's own Senators Lugar and Bayh, may have objections to the practice, neither sees the need to work toward changing the practice. Nor do the other 98 members of the U.S. Senate.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is more straight forward in his defense of the practice. "We don’t have time to debate everything ... but if you object, they ought to be willing to negotiate with you. But usually, they put the press after you.”

With hotlining, the Senate majority and minority leaders agree to pass a bill without a vote. They call all senators on special hotlines installed in each office, giving a specified amount of time to object - sometimes as little as 15 minutes. If no objection is registered, the bill passes.

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN -- Just in time for the Olympics, the White House has predicted a $482 billion deficit for 2009—which if successful, would allow the President and the Democratic Congress to set a new world record. A $482 billion deficit would smash the current record of $413 billion in 2004.

The 2009 deficit will extend the current national debt to more than $10 trillion. On top of that, unfunded liabilities—most notably, for Social Security and Medicare—add tens of trillions of dollars in debt.

SOUTH BEND, IN -- Funnel cakes, corn dogs, and hamburgers sums up the week Mark Vogel had. The LP candidate for the 2nd District Congressional seat kept a busy campaign week schedule with stops in LaPorte, Howard and St. Joseph Counties.

Vogel started the week working the LaPorte County fair alongside LPLP members. Working the Monday crowds along the midway, Vogel and his campaign staff passed out flyers, shook hands and answered questions from voters.

"It was great to have Mark join us," noted LPLP Chairman Andy Wolf. "The county fair draws everyone. It's an important event for us every year and great to have our candidate for Congress work here as hard as he did."

Vogel's week then included a campaign stop with potential supporters in the far southern reaches of the district in Northwest Howard County.

ELKHART, IN -- This week's announcement by Monaco Coach that the company is slashing 1,400 jobs from three plants in northern Indiana comes as no surprise to Elkhart citizens. The world's self-proclaimed capital of manufactured housing and RV's is experiencing cuts -- deep cuts -- across the both industries.

While analysts and business pundits weigh the future of the industries, Elkhart is smack in the middle of what appears to be nearing depression. Job cuts in the thousands have hit long-established companies such as Dutchmen, Coachmen, Newmar and Terra Vista, in addition to the Monaco cuts.

Fears are strong that the wave will hit Elkhart's second tier of RV and housing suppliers.