The Evansville Courier-Press carried this article today.  As I read through them I was struck by how correct this writer is:

1. Always put her first — before work, friends, even basketball. Act as if she’s the best thing that ever happened to you, because we all know she is.

2. Keep no secrets. Pool your money. Allow nothing and no one to come between you.

3. Pick your fights with care. Play fair. Show some class. Hurtful words can be forgiven, but they’re hard to forget.

4. Fall in love again every day. Kiss her in taxis. Flirt with her at parties. Tell her she’s beautiful. Then tell her again.

5. Never miss an anniversary or a birthday or a chance to make a memory. Memories may not seem important now, but one day they’ll be gold.

6. Never give her a practical gift. If she really wants a Shop-Vac, let her pick it out herself.

7. Go to church together, and pray every day for each other and your marriage.

8. Pay your bills on time and make sure you each have a living will, a durable power of attorney and life insurance, lest, God forbid, you need them.

9. Love her parents as your own, but don’t ask them for money. Never criticize her family or friends. On her birthday, send flowers to her mother with a note saying, “Thank you for giving birth to the love of my life.”

10. Always listen to her heart. If you’re wrong, say you’re sorry; if you’re right, shut up.

11. Don’t half-tie the knot; plan to stay married forever.

12. Never go to bed mad; talk until you’re over it, or you forget why you were mad.

13. Laugh together a lot. If you can laugh at yourselves, you’ll have plenty to laugh about.

14. Never criticize, correct or interrupt her in public; try not to do it in private, either.

15. Remember that people are the least lovable when they are most in need of love.

16. Never fall for the myth of perfectionism; it’s a lie.

17. When you don’t like each other, remember that you love each other; pray for the “good days” to return and they will.

18. Tell the truth, only the truth, with great kindness.

19. Kiss at least 10 seconds a day, all at once or spread out.

20. Memorize all her favorite things and amaze her with how very well you know her.

21. Examine your relationship as often as you change the oil in your car; keep steering it on a path you both want it to go.

22. Be content with what you have materially, honest about where you are emotionally, and never stop growing spiritually.

23. Never raise your voice unless you’re on fire. Whisper when you argue.

24. Be both friends and lovers; in a blackout, light a candle, then make your own sparks.

25. Finally, be an interesting person, lead your own life. But always save your best for each other. In the end, you will know you were better together than you ever could’ve been apart.

Here’s to happily ever after.

Remember back in December when I posted this about St. Joseph County Judge Peter Nemeth? The story then was he refused to send female juveniles to the Indiana Girls School for a variety of complaints.

Well, today’s South Bend Tribune is reporting the Department of Corrections is making some staffing changes that are encouraging to Nemeth. Specifically;

The DOC has announced it will end a two-year-old arrangement to house boys and girls at the same Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility by moving the boys to a recently renovated section of the Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility.
…

Nemeth said he was encouraged by the DOC’s announcement that a “staffing plan for the facility is being developed to ensure the appropriate deployment of staff.”

“If they are actually doing a staffing plan … if it means more than just words, I think that is real progress,” the judge said. “I applaud them for that.

…

Girls will be moved into the unit being vacated by the boys. The unit will house girls in single rooms that lock from a central control location, along with a special management unit specifically programmed for girls struggling with mental health issues.
…

“It looks like they are going to do what we want them to do,” said Bill Bruinsma, executive director of the St. Joseph County Juvenile Justice Center. “We’ll have to see what staffing they’re going to add in and what kind of programming they’re going to put into it … It’s a step in the right direction.”

However, Nemeth doesn’t appear completely sold on the changes…

Nemeth said he still will avoid sending girls to the Indianapolis facility until he knows more details about the changes, especially whether staff-to-child ratios improve. Instead, he said he is sending girls who are the most difficult to rehabilitate to a private juvenile detention facility in Vincennes, at a daily cost to the county of $138, compared to $60 a day at the Indianapolis DOC girls school.

The Indianapolis Star Business section has a great in-depth story on the 2004 insurance change in Indiana that allowed insurance companies to either deny insurance policies for pre-existing conditions, or waive coverage for 10 years for those conditions. At the time, it was touted as a way for more people to be covered, at a lower price, because the insurance companies would not have to cover “high risk” patients. In addition, in 2004, Indiana was only one of two states requiring insurance companies to cover these “high risk” patients. When the law was being discussed in the legislature, the insurance companies told our representatives they were in support of this measure, because it would help more of the citizens of Indiana get coverage, at a lower cost.

Well surprise, surprise. We now find more people are not covered, and, in fact, there are less people covered and the insurance companies continue to make record profits.

Here are some quotes from the story:

Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, sponsored the change in Indiana law and hoped it would reduce the number of people denied health insurance.

She also wanted to limit the increasing number of people who had no choice but to seek insurance through the state’s high-risk insurance pool, which covers people who can’t get insurance from any other source. The pool was facing insolvency.

“We believed having some insurance was better than having none at all,” Miller said.

Miller said she’s had no complaints.

Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, opposed the measure and still thinks it benefits only insurance companies. He called the measure just an effort by the insurance industry to “take advantage of people who need health insurance.”

Rich Collins, chief executive of Golden Rule Insurance Co., an Indianapolis-based subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group that sells individual policies, said Hoosiers have access to a strong and competitive health insurance market.

Collins said his company offers coverage to more than 89 percent of applicants.
“The fundamental issue is that health care is expensive,” he said.

I’ll let the reader make up their own mind as to what was really going on back in 2004, but I thinking it’s pretty clear this turned into a huge bonus for the insurance industry at the expense of citizens regardless of the intent.

Mr. Collins also got my dander up as he hit on a pet peeve of mine. “Health care” is not the same as health insurance. While “health care” may be expensive, health insurance is generally 30% higher to cover administering the policies, and paying his salary. Making health insurance much more expensive than health care.

I’m sure both the people who regularly read the blog have noticed I’ve been posting rather infrequently of late.  Here’s whats up.  First, I’ve had that nasty cold/flu/plaque thing making it’s way around northeastern Indiana.  Along with the physical symptoms, it appears to make one just plain mean, as reported by family and co-workers.  So, apart from not feeling all that well, I didn’t want to write something unfairly mean or unjust.  Secondly, I’ve been working on setting up the server at the office to work with new web software.  The primary purpose is to enhance our practice web pages, but an added bonus will be I could host this, or another blog, from that server.  It’s not done yet, but it has taken quite a bit of time.

Neither of those issues are really resolved at this point, but I am feeling a little better.  So, please bear with me and things will hopefully return to normal in a few days!

A few months ago, I posted that I thought Senator Evan Bayh made huge political mistake by endorsing Hillary Clinton. My take was/is he wanted the VP slot so bad he would violate a cardinal rule of politics by showing his hand too early. Well, turns the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is now wondering aloud what the consequences of his early endorsement will mean. Sylvia Smith goes way out of her was to rationalize and justify why Bayh should be on an Obama ticket. I’m not going to post any quotes, because the story is so far from being anything close to political reality that it would be a waste of space here.

However, I will use the space to say this. Folks, get over it. Bayh isn’t going to be anywhere near a Presidential ticket. Obama needs someone older…way older than Bayh, and someone who can deliver some hefty electoral college votes from a very swing state. Bayh isn’t the guy. While he may be well known in Indiana, no-one knows who he is outside our borders. Argue with that all you want, but it’s the political truth. Add to it that he has never done anything memorable legislatively, he continues to enrich himself through his wife’s woefully unqualified “employment” as a professional board member, and the fact he has never had a real job, and he will never pass a national vetting.

So, can we please go back to sticking our heads in the sand on Bayh?

The Associated Press just came out with news Ralph Nader will make another attempt at being elected President. You can view the full story here, but this is what he basically said/stands for:

…the top White House contenders as too close to big business and pledging to repeat a bid that will “shift the power from the few to the many.”

…most people are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties due to a prolonged Iraq war and a shaky economy.

…tax and other corporate-friendly policies under the Bush administration… [have] left many lower- and middle-class people in debt.

[He] criticized Republican candidate John McCain and Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton for failing to support full Medicare for all or cracking down on Pentagon waste and a “bloated military budget. He blamed that on corporate lobbyists and special interests, which he said dominate Washington, D.C., and pledged in his third-party campaign to accept donations only from individuals.

State Senator David Ford updates us on his condition in a letter published by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.  I’ll post the whole letter here.

I would first like to thank Rep. Tim Harris for hosting our town meetings while I have been ill. He has been a really great partner, as we have represented Blackford and Grant counties over the last four years.

Second, I profoundly want to thank everyone in the Senate district for their support, prayers, cards, e-mails and wishes that have been sent.

I have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and I am now home and feeling very well. I am under the care of my nurse-wife Joyce, sister-in-law Kelly Ford and Family Hospice of Northeast Indiana. They are a troop of angels who make it possible for me live in my own home and still get a very high level of medical care and attention. I have begun a course of chemotherapy with Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. So far my body is tolerating the treatment quite well.

I have not been able to get back to the Statehouse since falling ill on Jan. 15, but I am able to participate in several ways. I attend caucuses through teleconferencing. I talk to various Senate colleagues on the phone daily. I get all of the bills and documents electronically. I can watch the Senate sessions and committee hearings live via the Internet. With the help of Senate co-authors, I have two bills (SB 190 and SB 197) that have already passed the Senate and House of Representatives and will shortly be on their way to the governor for his signature.

Obviously, this is not the way I would prefer to be representing my district, but it is the best I can do for now. I am able to deal with all of my mail, calls and e-mail, so if you contact me with your thoughts on legislation or your needs with regard to state government, I and my wonderful legislative assistant will give the same service that we have tried to provide in the past.

Briefly, on the issues: Rep. Harris has a handout covering major points of the Senate Republicans’ property tax relief package. I am firmly convinced that the General Assembly will take major steps toward property tax reform by the end of the session.

Thank you for your understanding and for all of your kindnesses. It is this “heart of gold” spirit within Hoosiers that constantly reminds me of why I do this job and how important it really is.

SEN. DAVID FORD  Hartford City

This little tidbit is too good to pass up. Unfortunately it was buried way down at the bottom of this article. You have to like it when someone bypasses all the politically correct diplomacy and says exactly what they mean and want:

Fielding special requests is just part of the job when it comes to holding public office — just ask Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The governor spoke Tuesday at the Outlook 2008 economic luncheon in Carmel.

He recalled receiving an especially flowery introduction before another recent address. Daniels said he stood up on that day to say first that he appreciated the kind words.

“I got up and said, ‘Bob, I don’t know how to thank you,’ ” Daniels recalled.

“He jumped up and said, ‘I do — I want to be a Superior Court judge.’ “

The governor appoints county judges when there are vacancies.

Niiiiiiiice.

The Evansville Courier Press has an article penned by Senate President Pro Tempore David Long and Senate Minority Leader Richard Young.  It’s encouraging to see these leaders write directly to the people of Indiana about Property Taxes.  However, they fail to “get it” on several issues.

The article is pretty much a summary of what we’ve been reading in the papers about what the General Assembly is trying to accomplish with property taxes.  Both should be congratulated for not taking undue credit and helping with the progress made so far.  Still, it seems they want us to forget how we got here, and what is going on in the other chamber of the esteemed body, where representatives continue to argue partisan points and change the good piece of legislation enacted in the senate.

They write:

This marks the fourth consecutive session many of us have attempted to address the complexities of property taxes. Earlier reforms have not garnered enough public support and political will to prevent the crisis too many Indiana property owners face. This year, public support and political will must prevail.

First off, I’m not so sure how serious the proposals over the last four years have been.  My feeling is they were other “band-aid” ideas benefiting very few Hoosiers.  Regardless, leaders lead and politicians politic.  If the legislature knew we were headed for the current crisis, they should have taken the lead and thwarted the problem before it became a crisis.  Instead, as the above quote implies, they decided to politic and do what was popular.  Well, now it’s popular and we still have the politicking, as what evidenced by what is going on in the house.  Granted, neither of these Senators have anything to do with what is going on in that chamber, but they would do well to cross the hallway and work with members of their own, and other, party to make sure the relief they passed in their chamber, passes in the house.

They also discuss property tax repeal.  They state:

Total repeal of property taxes — as some Hoosiers and legislators would like to do — requires raising about $7 billion in income and sales taxes, resulting in tax rates economists say would drive away workers and employers. Especially at a time when Indiana’s economy remains fragile, lawmakers must be certain of consequences. Currently, more questions than answers surround this concept of property tax repeal. However, the issue of repealing property taxes entirely remains a worthy long-term goal.

First off, I thought Indiana was on a hot streak, economically, not “fragile”, but I digress.

If offsetting the property tax rate with income tax would result in an unacceptable rate for “workers and employers”, doesn’t this say more about state and county spending than it does about the rate.  I mean no one is talking about an overall tax increase, but finding fairer methods to keep the status quo.  If placing all of this under one rate (income) is unacceptable, then why is it anymore acceptable to spread the same total among many different taxes?  If taxes are too high, address the problem (spending) and stop playing the Indiana tax shell game.

Well, we are down to two… two contestants on American Idol from Indiana. Following up on my past posts, I’m sad to report Amy Davis was voted off the show on Thursday night. I can’t say it wasn’t expected. Up until Monday, when she performed for the voting announced on Thursday, Amy gave great performances. Monday’s was disappointing. I don’t know if it was the nerves of the first live performance of the season or what, but the performance was not on the same level as past performances. Really, I thought she had a shot. She has the look and the voice, but it was just not meant to be. Hopefully, she will still get a recording contract or become successful through some other venue.

Here is how the Northwest Indiana Times treated the story, and the Indy Star’s take on it is here.

Below is the performance from Monday.

Here is the elimination video (btw, I thought she did a much better job this time than on Monday):

Whatever life has in store for Ms. Davis, we here at IST wish her well and hope to see her sing live at some point.