Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about our democracy. 

Yes, I know it’s an election year, so paying attention to national, state and local issues is my job, and it’s what I’m supposed to do.   But this isn’t the usual political punditry and somewhat informed speculation that I usually do; this has been a more “philosophical”  look at our current political system, and it got me thinking: do we still deserve our democracy?

And yes, I know we are not a pure democracy but a constitutional republic, but work with me on this one, okay?

I asked the question primarily because of what’s been going on as part of our national discussion.   Whether it was the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol where folks weren’t happy with the election results and tried to overthrow the government.  Yes, I went there.

And even before January 6, and Donald Trump, for that matter, our politics were already becoming more polarized as the fringes from both the far left and far right dominate what attempts to pass for political discourse in this country.  Not only do our national politicians spend an unnecessary amount of time cow-towing to these people, but the national media plays a significant role in this as well. 

As I jokingly say, there isn’t one story so small regarding Donald Trump that MSNBC won’t talk about it, nor is there one story so big about Trump that Fox News won’t. 

The end result, at the national level, is a lot of regular people get turned off and want nothing to do with our political system.  As my lovely wife mentioned to me the other day, “Why should people spend time paying attention to a system that they don’t think listens to them, and if they did, it wouldn’t matter because they would just give us lip service?”

And it’s more than just the national level.

The recent Indiana Supreme Court decision to stay a lower court’s order regarding the constitutionality of a state ballot access law where candidates have to run in two consecutive primaries or get a letter from their county chairman to say they are in good standing, don’t help in drawing more voters to the polls, in fact, it’s likely to have the opposite effect.

The court hasn’t issued a decision yet, but the fact that as long as this rule stays in place, approximately 81 percent of Hoosiers could never run for public office as a Democrat or Republican because they don’t vote in primaries.  And I still maintain the state law is basically age discrimination because there is no way an 18-year-old could run for office, even though they may be statutorily qualified to do so, but because it was virtually impossible for them to run as a Democrat or Republican because they weren’t old enough to vote.  But at the same time, we complain about young people not getting involved in politics.

And don’t even get me started on how expensive political campaigns have gotten that the only people who can afford to run these days are millionaires and billionaires.

As Benjamin Franklin stated in 1787” to Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”  Franklin responded, “A republic if you can keep it”.  It makes me wonder not so much if we can keep it but do we want to?

There are serious concerns regarding the company Golden House Construction Services LLC, owned by Arcangel Tellez Garcia, and their activities on the property located at 2130 Brookside Parkway North Dr in Indianapolis, IN. I have recently discovered Golden House Construction Services LLC is a disregarded entity, as their LLC expired on 6/05/2021, according to Indiana Business ID 2014120300035.

Mr. Arcangel Tellez Garcia has a history of non-compliance with the Maron County Permit Code Enforcement Office, having accumulated numerous fines over the years. Specifically, he consistently starts home remodeling or new build projects without obtaining the required permits. He ignores Stop Work Orders and continues construction. He pulls the required permits as a Resident, not as a Contractor (not certain how this is allowed in the first place), right about the time it hits someone’s desk for review. He pays the fines.

Work is usually completed and permits pulled by the time he would get into serious trouble with the city. Because he is applying for these permits as a Resident, not a contractor, he is out of the city’s jurisdiction to take any action other than enforcement of the Stop Work order and missing Permit fines from Code Enforcement. This practice exploits a loophole in the system, enabling him to bypass the procedures put in place by the city.

Considering that Golden House Construction Services LLC is currently operating as a disregarded entity, and utilizing an expired business name, it is my sincere belief that they should not be granted approval to proceed with any construction projects, especially on this property. It is essential that the Assessor’s Office ensures compliance with all applicable regulations and safeguards the integrity of the construction process.

I kindly request that the Assessor’s Office thoroughly investigate this matter and take appropriate action to rectify the situation. By enforcing stringent measures and implementing necessary checks, you will not only protect the interests of the community but also promote fairness and accountability in the construction industry.

On this edition of Indiana Issues, Indiana lawmakers have called it a legislative session.

We’ll take a look at what made it past the finish line and what got stalled or crashed.

Our panel includes Democrat Lindsey Shipps, Republican Cam Carter, and Libertarian Mark Rutherford.

Here’s the rundown…

0:00 – Introduction

1:00 – Session Overall

8:30 – Tax Cuts

16:00 – Break

17:00 – Education Issues

23:20 – Constitutional Carr

y 29:20 – Who Won and Who Lost

Indiana Issues is taped at the Edge Media Studios in Downtown Indianapolis.

This past week I filed a federal lawsuit against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

I filed suit regarding an incident that occurred this past October. As some of you may be aware, Rokita had a news conference that day on a robocall lawsuit, and to attend as media, you had to RSVP, which I did.

However, when I went to the Statehouse to the attorney general’s office, I was told by a spokesperson that I couldn’t come in because I was not credentialed media. I told him I was credentialed and showed him my badge issued to me by the Indiana Department of Administration. He told me that I still couldn’t get in because I wasn’t credentialed. So instead of turning into Monty Python’s Argument Clinic sketch, I went back to my office.

Please note I sent the office an email asking what their criteria were for issuing credentials and got nothing, so I filed an open records request, and I am still waiting to have that request fulfilled.

When I first wrote about this, the Indy Star reached out to Rokita’s office to ask why I wasn’t allowed in. Their response was as follows …

“Our press conferences are meant for actual journalists reporting on real issues instead of gossip columnists. Shabazz, by his own admission, promotes disinformation so much so that he must disclaim his work as ‘gossip, rumor and blatant innuendo’ in order to escape from being sued for defamation. Therefore, an OAG press conference concerning a serious investigation is not an appropriate venue for Shabazz. As one of the most transparent offices in government, the OAG carries its press conferences live on Facebook, so all information presented during these events are available to be viewed virtually by Shabazz or anyone else. Anyone can sign-up to receive our releases and advisories, but that does not mean all who receive these alerts will be credentialed or allowed to attend in-person events. Shabazz has not been denied any public records or been prevented from attending any official public-noticed meetings.”

So after some long thought, I got ahold of Ken Falk and the folks at the American Civil Liberties Union and told him that Rokita had violated my First Amendment rights as a journalist. Yes, I do write a gossip column, “The Cheat Sheet,” which is the Page 6 or Washington Whispers section of U.S. News and World Report of Indiana Politics; which, by the way, Rokita and his office subscribe.

But as a lot of you know, I’ve been covering Indiana government and politics for nearly two decades now. I am the editor and publisher of Indy Politics. I write a regular column for the IBJ, The Statehouse File and other publications. I host and produce a weekly statewide radio public affairs program and a monthly television show, “Indiana Issues,” and regularly contribute as a commentator for Fox 59, RTV 6 and WISH-TV. Oh, and there’s that radio program I’ve been doing for nearly 10 years at WIBC-FM and Emmis Communications. If that doesn’t make me a journalist, I’m not sure what does.

So when I was barred from Rokita’s news conferences, I did what any American would do; I exercised my God-given right to file suit. And while this may sound hard to believe, I didn’t do it because of any personal animosity with the current attorney general. I did it because if Rokita can ban me from his news conferences, he can do it to anyone in the press corps, and that’s not a good thing. Yes, the attorney general can talk about having one of the most transparent offices in state government, but talk is all it is. By banning me from his news conferences, I can’t do my job. Yes, I can watch his news conferences on Facebook, but I can’t ask Rokita and his staff questions. I can’t do all the pre- and post-interaction required for my job.

And if you think about this from a more global perspective, if Rokita can ban me today, what’s to stop other elected officials from banning other media tomorrow? For our government and political system to work, the press has to be able to do its job, which is to question those in authority. For example, I’m sure a lot of you would like to know how much did it cost you, the taxpayers, to send Rokita on a trip to the border, attend a Trump rally and visit Bill Clinton’s boyhood home?   Well, we can’t get those answers if Rokita can ban any of us from attending his press conferences.

As an attorney, I can tell you from first-hand experience that filing litigation is never a simple, cut-and-dry decision. A lot goes into it. That was true in this decision. To be frank, it would have been nice not to have to file at all. But then again, it would have been nicer had Rokita not banned me from attending his news conferences, because if he hadn’t we wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Although there are very few things that surprise me in this world, I have to admit I was a bit taken back by some of the reactions on social media lately that I had been shot, booster shot, that is.

I received my booster shot on Friday at Meijer, and as I was getting my shot, I decided to take a selfie and post it on social media. I did the same thing back in March when I got my original shot.

I got the shot for several reasons.

First and foremost, with COVID-19, and the subsequent variants running crazy, I wanted to make sure that if I did contract the coronavirus, I likely would not end up in an intensive care unit. As of this past weekend, according to the Indiana Department of Public Health, there were nearly 16,000 new coronavirus cases. Of the 15,926 positive cases reported Friday, 15,896 were confirmed Thursday. There were also 97 more deaths reported, bringing the state’s total since the pandemic began to 19,491.

In addition, Indiana state set a new record for hospitalizations. According to WTHR, as of this past Thursday, there were 3,519 patients being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals around the state. It’s the first time since March 2020 that the number has exceeded 3,500.

And as of Friday, the state had 9.2 percent of its ICU beds available. Nearly 38 percent of all the ICU beds in use around the state were occupied by COVID-19 patients. The state reported 4,557 newly fully vaccinated Hoosiers Friday, bringing the total to 3,599,575. I would have likely been 4,558.

Also, throw in the fact, my teaching jobs required me to have a booster shot, and even more importantly, my father passed away in 2020 due to complications stemming from COVID-19; you can see I didn’t need much motivation to get my booster.

What amazed me, though, was the reaction from the anti-COVID-vaccination crowd.

By posting the picture of myself getting my booster shot, I was accused of virtue signaling, the popular modern habit of indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favor for certain political ideas or cultural happenings. So by posting my photo of me getting a shot, I was allegedly showing how virtuous I was, and I was looking down on those who hadn’t been vaccinated.

I was also accused of being “sheeple” because I got the shot. I was filling my body with toxins. Or my personal favorite, the amount of time it took for me to get my booster shot, I could have had a heart attack. I have no idea what that means, but it seemed worth repeating.

When it comes to COVD vaccinations, I subscribe to the adage of “my body, my choice.” In other words, you have the right to exercise your choice and get vaccinated or not. Now please note, with those choices also come consequences. And if your employer makes having a shot a requirement, then to me, the options are pretty straightforward, you get the shot or get another job, which is a universe of three-percent unemployment should not be too hard to find. And forgive me, but when it comes to “religious exemptions,” I don’t recall God telling Moses when he issued the Ten Commandments that shall not be vaccinated against COVID.

So like I said, you have the choice to get vaccinated/immunized from COVID-19. And if you decide not to, I promise I won’t look down on you. Sorry, yes, I will look down on you (physically) as I am visiting you in the ICU ward, and you are in a bed taking up space from someone else who could have used it because you wouldn’t take 20 minutes out of your day and get shot.

To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions.

Why wait until January 1 to lose weight,  start paying off debt, quit smoking, or improve your personal relationships when you can do that in December.

Now with that said, I do have a suggestion for those of you who either have made a resolution or are getting ready to make one.

My suggestion for 2022, keep an open mind and expose yourself to other points of view.

One of my biggest complaints about people, as a whole, is we don’t do enough to engage in critical thinking and people are very quick to believe anything they read, especially when it comes to social media.

I’ve always believed that social media is the best way for the misinformed to reach the uninformed, but I digress.

Now I’m not saying change your core beliefs, if you believe in reparations or income inequality, that’s fine. If you have strong opinions on guns or abortion, that’s cool, too.   All I ask you to remember is that there is usually more than one side to an issue, in fact, there are usually multiple sides and nuances, and would it really hurt you all that much to be familiar with them?

If you’re a loyal MSNBC fan, would it really kill you to watch an occasional hour of Fox News?  If you’re a big reader of the National Review, would it be all that bad to read an occasional article in the Nation?

Of course, it won’t.  In fact, what you’ll find by exposing yourself to other points of view, you can actually become a better advocate for your own, because you understand what the other side is thinking and you can form better arguments.

As some of you are aware, I’ve been teaching speech for Ivy Tech Community College since 2003 and at the end of the semester, my students have to deliver a persuasive speech.  So I give them a survey to answer on various political issues of the day and depending on their responses, I have them argue the opposite of whatever they answered.  So for example, I will ask them if they thought Donald Trump should have been re-elected President?  If they answer “yes” I make them argue he should not have been.  If they answered “no” then I have them argue that he should have.

My rationale for giving the assignment is that first of all it teaches critical thinking, and secondly, it teaches my students that there are different points of view; some contradictory to their own.  And what I’ve found is that either students get their beliefs reinforced, they do a complete 180 and change their minds,  but at the very least they understand their original point of view a lot better.

As a famous Indiana politico once wrote, “it’s a mighty thin pancake that’s only got one side.”   As I stated earlier, there are usually multiple sides and various nuances to complicated issues.

I think studying issues while keeping an open mind will go a long way to making us a more civil nation and improving our discourse.   You can learn quite a bit by just putting the brakes on shouting and screaming and instead actually listening to what the other side has to say.

So take some time in 2022 to listen to other points of view and keep an open mind about things, you will be amazed at what you can find.  And at the end of the day, you will actually become a smarter individual.

It’s the same reason that sports teams watch tapes of their opponents, to see how they play so they know how to counteract whatever happens out on the field.

As my lovely mother used to say, no one has a monopoly on good ideas or stupidity.  And the more you read and engage others, the more that saying rings true.

Have a great 2022.

This weekend Indy Bard Fest presents the play, Elizabeth Rex.

This is a true story.

In 1601, the Earl of Essex, lover to Queen Elizabeth, was indicted for high treason.

On the eve of his execution, the Queen summoned Will Shakespeare and his actors to perform.

The playwright proposes that the Queen was tortured with self-doubt and walked out of her palace to the barn on the grounds and finds the actors trying to bed down for the night.  The company must be housed within the royal stables due to the curfew commanded by the Queen in the aftermath of the Essex uprising and the scheduled execution of Essex with the coming dawn

What does it mean to be a ruler, a man, or a woman? Elizabeth Rex’s roller-coaster of passionate peaks and valleys is hugely entertaining and superbly written.

Imagine you are in the company of the most powerful ruler in the world and the greatest playwright that ever lived.

What would that conversation be like?

Come find out!

Click here for tickets and times!

I realize that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is not a big fan of yours truly; however, I didn’t think he would go so far as to ban me from his news conference Thursday because I was not “credentialed” media.

You see, it all started Thursday morning when I got a news release from the Attorney General’s Office, saying Todd was going to make an announcement involving a robocall lawsuit. It would be streamed, and if the media wanted to attend, they would have to RSVP, which I did.

So I got done with an event over at the Economic Club of Indiana and I walked over to the Statehouse to attend the news conference. Todd’s press secretary was outside the door when I got there, and he told me I couldn’t come in because I was not “credentialed media.”

My jaw dropped to the floor.

I told him I was “credentialed media,” and I showed him my press badge,  which by the way I got from the Indiana Department of Administration, but he said I wasn’t allowed in since I wasn’t credentialed. So I shook my head and said okay and posted what had happened to social media.

Now let me start by saying in the 30 years that I have covered politics, I have never been denied access to a governmental event. A couple political events, sure, but never a governmental event.

And to be more specific, I don’t ever recall former Attorneys General Steve Carter, Greg Zoeller, or Curtis Hill asking me to show my credentials before attending one of their events or denying me entry for that matter.  I don’t recall U.S. Senators Mike Braun, Todd Young, nor former Senators Joe Donnelly, Evan Bayh or the late Richard Lugar ever doing something like this.

Nor Governor Eric Holcomb, former Governors Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, nor State Treasurers Richard Mourdock, Tim Berry, or Kelly Mitchell, or State Auditors Tara Klutz or Suzanne Crouch or, for that matter, Secretaries of State Connie Lawson, Charlie White, or guess who, Todd Rokita.   And I don’t think the House and Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses ever denied me entry either.

Heck, even current Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett who has been upset with me on occasion due to my columns on crime in Indianapolis has ever thrown me out or denied me entry into a news conference.

As a matter of fact, up until Todd’s failed U.S. Senate race in 2018, we never had an issue, nor did he ever deny me access to him because I wasn’t “credentialed media.”

And if I wasn’t credentialed media, why did I get a news advisory and a news release? And why would Rokita’s office subscribe to my Cheat Sheet if I didn’t have some credentials?

Oh well, I guess my point is I’m not sure why Todd would deny me access to a news conference about robocalls unless there’s something else going on, which I intend to find out.

When I do, I’ll let you know. Stay tuned.

And by the way, here’s some food for thought, if Todd can do this to me, he can do it to anyone in the media.  Just some more food for thought.

y Abdul-Hakim Shabazz & Andrew Weissert

A survey conducted by Indy Politics and ARW Strategies of registered voters in Marion County between August 13^th and 23^rd shows voters unimpressed with the direction of public schools in Marion County, supporting school choice, and largely concerned about their children’s safety as they return to the classroom as the pandemic carries on.

Just 27% of registered voters believe the public schools in Marion County are going in the right direction, while 38% say they’ve gotten off on the wrong track.  Confidence in the school system is lowest among voters aged 50-64, with just 10% liking the direction of public schools.  17% of seniors said the public schools are heading in the right direction.  Among voters aged 18-34 and 35-49 years of age, 36% and 41%, respectively, like the direction of the public school system.  African American voters are more pessimistic on local schools as well.  45% say the public schools have gotten off on the wrong track, while just 24% believe they’re headed in the right direction.

There is a slightly more optimistic view of charter schools in Marion County with 34% believing they’re headed in the right direction and 23% saying they’ve gotten off on the wrong track.  43% indicate they’re unsure or don’t know.

Despite those views on the direction of local charter schools, a clear majority (59%) say they support school choice overall, with just 28% opposing it. Opposition to school choice is most pronounced with self-identifying Democrats with 31% opposing.  However, a majority (54%) still support school choice.

Black parents felt better about the direction of charter schools than traditional public schools.  Thirty percent thought charters were on the right track, while only 24% thought traditional public schools were on track.

Looking ahead to the upcoming school year, over three-quarters of parents with children in school are concerned about their children returning to the classroom while the pandemic is still going on.  Overall, 81% of parents with children in school indicate some level of concern for their safety, with 50% very concerned.  Just 18% say they’re unconcerned about the health and safety of their children.

“With parents expressing a loss of confidence in the direction of public schools in Marion County, it’s unsurprising to see an overwhelming number of parents concerned about the health and safety of their children,” said Andrew Weissert of ARW Strategies.

Tomorrow we look at COVID-19 and vaccinations.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the editor and publisher of IndyPolitics.Org.

Andrew  Weissert is the President of ARW Strategies. 

Methodology

This poll was conducted between August 13th and 23rd, 2021.  In all, 400 interviews were achieved among registered voters in Marion County, Indiana.  200 of these responses came from text message surveys to cell phones and 200 of these responses came from online surveys. The Margin of Error for this survey is +/- 4.9% at a Confidence Interval of 95%.

By Abdul-Hakim Shabazz & Andrew Weissert

A survey conducted by Indy Politics and ARW Strategies of registered voters in Marion County between August 13th and 23rd shows crime and public safety in Indianapolis are a major concern for voters and the race for County Prosecutor next year is a total toss-up, despite voters generally giving Ryan Mears positive reviews.

Key findings include:

Crime and public safety are front-and-center in voter’s minds.  When asked which of the following issues is most important for the City-County Council to focus on, 43% of voters chose combatting crime.  Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and improving public health was a distant second choice with 17%, followed by tackling racial injustice and fighting for social equality at 14%. 

Unsurprisingly, if you believe the city has gotten off on the wrong track, 56% of those voters chose combating crime as their top priority.  While crime is statistically still the top issue for a plurality of African American voters at a rounded-down 35%, a rounded-up 35% say that tackling racial injustice is their top priority for the City-County Council.

Ryan Mears is new on the job, and it shows with modest name identification.  35% of voters approve of the job Ryan Mears is doing as Prosecutor of Marion County, while 20% disapprove.  A near-majority, 45%, do not have an opinion of him, however.  Large pockets of voters in the outer townships – Pike, Perry, Lawrence, Warren – have no opinion of Mears.

If you think the city has gotten off on the wrong track, Mears’ approval is underwater with just 21% approving on his job performance, while 33% disapprove. Among Democrats, he’s strongest, with 45% approving of the job he’s doing and just 12% disapproving.  He’s also positive with Republicans, with 29% approving and 24% disapproving of his job performance.  He is, however, underwater with Independents with 32% approving and 36% disapproving of how he’s doing.

Just over a year out, the County Prosecutor election is a total toss-up.  When asked whether they’d vote for Ryan Mears in next year’s Marion County Prosecutor election, just 23% said they’d vote for Mears, while 21% say they’d vote for someone else.  A massive 56% are undecided, leaving open a major lane for a viable challenger.  Among Democrats, Mears is underperforming with just 30% saying they’d vote for him, while 15% would vote for someone else, and a majority – 56% – are undecided.  Among Republicans, 22% would vote for Mears, 20% would vote for someone else, and 57% are undecided.  For Independents, just 11% would vote for Mears next year, with 32% choosing someone else, and 58% undecided. 

 “Given that Ryan Mears is relatively new on the job, he can be forgiven for being unknown to many voters,” said Andrew Weissert of ARW Strategies, “but with an election just next year, he needs to work extra hard, particularly because public safety is front-and-center in voters’ minds. Right now, this race looks wide open, and someone will need to own the rise in crime.  Mears will want to make sure it’s not him who voters blame.”

Voters support greater resources to mental health and social services, and oversight into the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.  Across the board, voters overwhelmingly (79%) support an increase in funding to provide mental health and other social services, while just 8% oppose such actions.

Changes to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department look to be on voter’s minds at just 33% approve of the way the department has handled the rise in crime recently, with 37% disapproving.  African American voters, in particular, disapprove of how the department has handled the increase in crime, with 50% disapproving.

Additionally, nearly two-thirds (62%) support greater civilian participation and oversight into local police policies.  However, efforts to defund the police are opposed by a majority (50%) of voters, with just 32% supporting it. 

Tomorrow we examine attitudes towards schools and school choice.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the editor and publisher of IndyPolitics.Org.

Andrew  Weissert is the President of ARW Strategies. 

Methodology

 This poll was conducted between August 13th and 23rd, 2021.  In all, 400 interviews were achieved among registered voters in Marion County, Indiana.  Two hundred of these responses came from text message surveys to cell phones, and 200 of these responses came from online surveys. The Margin of Error for this survey is +/- 4.9% at a Confidence Interval of 95%