Those of us who regularly (obsessively?) follow politics and government are currently fixated on the federal administration, and for obvious reasons: every day ending with a y is a day when the Trump caravan of fools and clowns threatens to destroy America domestically and internationally. It’s like driving past a horrific accident–you can’t help but rubberneck.
As understandable as that focus is, however, it doesn’t relieve us of the obligation to ensure the proper operation of local government agencies. (In that context, permit me to indulge my repeated lament about low levels of civic literary–most citizens are blissfully unaware of the existence of local government entities other than the Mayor’s office, the City-County Council and perhaps a zoning board.)
A couple of friends of mine have recently complained that Indiana’s legislature isn’t the only body that doesn’t stay in its lane.
Morton Marcus and Clarke Kahlo have mounted complaints of “mission creep” about our local bond bank–adding a further criticism of the refusal of its board to allow citizens’ testimony and/or complaints at meetings.
As Morton pointed out in a recent column for State Affairs Indiana, the bond bank has an important function–its mission is to issue bonds to pay for critical infrastructure, the capital improvements that local governments pay for over the terms of their useful lives.
That function is explicitly set out in the organization’s mission statement.
Since 2024, the Bond Bank has funded Indiana’s Arts Council. Morton and Clarke Kahlo object to that decision–not, they emphasize, because they disagree with the importance of the Arts Council. They both emphatically support funding the Arts Council with local tax dollars–just not through the bond bank. They attended the Bond Bank board’s most recent meeting to question that line item; however, they were not allowed to address the matter. Or any matter.
The two of them argue that the way government operates–how it chooses to effectuate appropriate governmental activities–is important. As I used to tell my students, in our system, the how is just as important as the what. There are numerous reasons for such a principle; an important one is that when local agencies stick to their missions, citizens can more easily monitor them.
Morton and Clarke argue that the Bond Bank should stick to its mission of funding infrastructure– things like improving our roads and government buildings, waterways, “the transit system, perhaps the Internet, the utilities, all those capital investments on which the residents and workers of this city depend.” As Morton wrote in his column, “If the Civil government wants to support the Arts, and I strongly believe they should, the money should come by vote of the people’s elected representatives, the Council, upon recommendation by the Mayor.”
It turns out that the Arts Council doesn’t just get $500,000 from the Bond Bank. It gets another $500,000 from the CIB, and another sum from the Department of Parks and Recreation. Whatever the justifications for the CIB and Parks Department gifts, Clarke and Morton argue that the Bond Bank’s funding is inconsistent with its mission.
In a written statement, Clarke Kahlo quoted Indiana’s 2020 Civic Education Task Force recommendation that “Since its founding, the United States democracy has relied upon having an informed and active citizenry to maintain our system of ideals and beliefs. In order to be a government by, of and for the people, the populace needs to be engaged knowingly in civic processes.” The thrust of their joint objection is that the lack of transparency and the refusal to allow public comment undermines the opportunity for necessary and informed civic engagement.
The objection raised by these two citizens may seem irrelevant or picky at a time when so much of our governance is under assault. After all, both of them support funding the Arts Council, just not in this particular way. But dismissing their objection would be an error, because it focuses on an important element of democratic systems–what we might call “mission control.” A few days ago, I shared copious evidence that Indiana’s legislature consistently usurps the prerogatives of local, municipal lawmakers. Morton and Clarke are pointing to a similar mission blurring at a local government agency.
In both cases, the failure to honor restraints erodes the ability of citizens to monitor those in authority.
These trespasses obscure information and discourage civic engagement. Failures of governmental guardrails may be most prominent nationally, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strengthen them locally.
When local government cannot get its priorities straight we the citizens of Indianapolis are the ones who suffer. We are the thousands who cannot drive a mile in any direction without hitting a pothole or witness the homeless begging at the intersections. Where is the priority when the Parks Department sends money to the Arts Council? For what?
It isn’t just the Bond Bank that has lost its way, the local and state governments have lost their way too.
On a more personal level for all Indiana residents; the Indiana Senate Bill 73 to ban all masks at public assemblies is a danger to all and in full support of RFK, Jr.’s foolish health care leadership. There has been a Covid outbreak at one assisted living facility in Indianapolis and my granddaughter who lives in Flat Rock, IN, is now suffering from Covid. Is this a sign of an impending epidemic here in MAGAland?
Moving on to this morning’s BREAKING NEWS of Trump’s full out military attack on Venezuela and admitted kidnapping of their President and First Lady, primary reports on his personal Truth, Social and X. Does anyone else here remember Trump’s first campaign when he questioned why the United States had not taken advantage of “The Spoils of War” by taking control of all assets of the nation at the end of war? For weeks he has been using the drug transport (unproven) to destroy boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing all on board; he has also taken command of two Venezuelan oil tankers. Drugs the excuse for the overnight military attack and oil the actual reason for the actions; and a drastic distraction from the Epstein Files. And Trump’s recent actions against Venezuela are putting the “cart before the horse”…or The Spoils before the Ass!
Where do we go from here under Trump’s full immunity command of America and “How Is As Important As What…”…and Where?
JoAnn, my thinking too. Big oil will now get what it wants, a payoff for keeping those gas prices low during Trump’s first year in office.
When I first started Muncie Voice, it was due to extreme discrepancies between the local Gannett News outlet. Their two government “reporters” were so enamored with the Mayor that everything she did as a Republican was perfect. They glossed over the fact that she was incompetent. She was buying all her supplies from a newly formed company that was buying the same supplies the City could buy with a nice markup for themselves. After four years of that, she got run out of town, but not because of Gannett, so that it could be done. I also exposed a multimillion-dollar loss at Ball State when Mitch Daniels tried to bury the university’s swindle by having it run through the Southern District of NY under the name “a Midwestern University.” Gannett had to know but chose not to cover it until we dug it up.
I then started covering our state and found the same incompetence from the Gannett News and our state. Their reliance on donor money and doing “favors for them” was everywhere. Mitch invited the worst of the worst CAFO operators, who had been kicked out of North Carolina (after being kicked out of Europe), to set up shop in Indiana and then protected them. Now, every single waterway in Indiana is polluted.
Most of us here know the same thing happens at the federal level, too. That’s what I found out after I pivoted to our Nation’s Capitol. It’s an oligarchy, and the people aren’t involved. I will occasionally go to local meetings and speak, but the president always grabs the gavel because they know why I am there. They do not like being held accountable or embarrassed for trying to sneak things past the people.
Those art dollars taken from the people help the billionaire oligarchs in Indianapolis. It means they don’t have to support the arts. They can use those dollars elsewhere where they can benefit. What kind of say do Indy citizens have on their sports teams? That’s one of the reasons you have giant potholes. Well, it doesn’t help that INDOT is one of the most corrupt entities in the state. IDEM is closely behind.
Venezuela was Miller and Rubio’s plot. Up until Trump, those coups (like in Ukraine) were primarily done by the CIA in the dark. Julian Assange’s lawsuit against the Nobel Committee looks even more relevant now. He accused them of naming Machado the Nobel Peace Prize winner as an endorsement of war and regime change. Let’s watch her blatant extraction plans for Venezuela.
So Trump pardons one convicted drug kingpin and wages war to capture another. Insanity. All the Republicans in Congress who have handed their power to him are co-conspirators in his assault on the rule of law. And Todd, it is not the Democrats in Congress who are doing this. Twice they tried to impeach him and the Republicans ignored all the evidence and failed to convict!
How is as important as what…
Take the elimination of the penny. I agree it was time to do that. Now every state is grappling with how to handle cash transactions that aren’t an even multiple of $0.05. At least a dozen states have laws on the books that require merchants to not shortchange customers. This doesn’t seem like a big deal until you’re the size of Walmart and this happens a million times a day. Canada eliminated the penny legally and with that, they passed a law stipulating that depending on the amount sometimes the amount rounds up and sometimes it rounds down. So sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but on average it works out as a wash.
I will say public debate (without $$ from special interest groups) would have been the ideal situation and that points to the need for new laws to mitigate the terrible Citizens United ruling.
Question: And how is the drama unfolding in Caracas this morning any different from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.4 years ago, except that the US is being an even bigger, more disproportionate bully than Moscow was? Let’s see if FIFA revokes their laughable so-called *peace prize* now. Anyone want to place bets on that?
American Constitution Society, “President’s Continued Emergencies Seek to Erase Limits on War.Powers”
I visited Caracas, in 1988, and found it to be a very nice place. And, yes, that was a very long time ago.
I agree with JoAnn and Theresa, believing that Trump is using this to pay back the fossil fuel industry for supporting his candidacy, period. He’s transactional, “You do for me, and I’ll do for you;” never does anything because it is simply the right thing to do.
seems the central American issue is back,again. if this was so important,why not danial ortega? or has he moved in with trump.seems media doesnt obscure the facts eh? theres a money side of this. and im open minded maduros guards to throw him under the bu$… if theres other reasons. maybe the gathering of others (Greenland anyone?)states to uphold Amercan territories as a whole in the world. theres a push for china to capture Taiwan and hold the sea of China hostage. russia is making sure it holds itself together. while we send too much into the central American area, leaving holes in other places. seems there maybe a consolidation of these three nations to secure its own borders in the world. instead of the messy dealings of world wide trade,we have four nations. whos making money on this scheme now?
jack smith; the future of Greenland is also on my mind this morning. Can the Supreme Court overrule its own decisions due to imminent possibility of full scale war now facing us? Will NATO become involved due to possibilities of war with “boots on the ground” here due to Trump’s drastic overnight full military attack without the Congressional requirement of action approval by Congress and his repeated interference in the bogus Putin peace talks with no results in sight? Did he seek secret approval by his personal SCOTUS majority to take this “under the cover of darkness” attack based on his personal accusations of drug trafficking? What are our Allies views on Trump’s latest insane actions as people are dying due to his full immunity by SCOTUS to take action with only his approval? He is baiting other nations to take action against the United States; probably including our former Allies of 75 years.
During his first presidential campaign, he not only asked why the United States did not take advantage of taking “The Spoils of War”, he also asked more than once “Why can’t we just nuke ’em?” Is that now becoming a global question about a solution to deal with Trump as the only way to end his deadly Dictatorship; deadly to innocents outside our borders are included in reprisals.
It’s NOT about oil.. Do you people ever think beyond your Trump Derangement Syndrome?
“ Here’s the context most people aren’t talking about:
🚨 1. Maduro’s Regime Was a Narco-State
Maduro’s government has been widely accused of corruption, authoritarian rule, and supporting criminal networks that trafficked drugs and destabilized the region.
His leadership was linked to repression of dissent, fraudulent elections, and hyperinflation that drove millions to flee…
Before these strikes, Venezuelan authorities faced multiple sanctions and indictments from the United States for narcotics and “narco-terrorism” charges …and Maduro himself was already indicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking and related offenses…
📉 2. Venezuela’s People Suffered Massive Harm Under Maduro:
• government repression jailed political opponents
• thousands were killed for dissent
• millions fled …making Venezuela one of the largest displacement crises in the world
• the economy collapsed, leaving most in poverty and without basic services. 
This isn’t abstract.. it’s real suffering that forced entire families to flee for survival, not opportunity..
🌍 3. Foreign Powers Propped Up Maduro ..And That Made Venezuela a Strategic Threat
Venezuela did not collapse in isolation.
As Maduro’s regime lost legitimacy at home, it was actively sustained by hostile foreign powers namely Russia, China, and Iran …each with clear strategic interests that extend far beyond Venezuela itself…
Russia provided military cooperation, intelligence support, and weapons sales, using Venezuela as a foothold to project influence in the Western Hemisphere and challenge U.S. dominance near its own borders…
China extended billions in loans, infrastructure deals, and surveillance technology, effectively binding Venezuela’s economy to Beijing while gaining leverage over ports, energy assets, and critical infrastructure…
Iran established security cooperation, drone production facilities, and covert networks, using Venezuela as a platform for sanctions evasion and asymmetric operations closer to the United States…
This was not ideological friendship….This was strategic positioning.
Venezuela became:
• a logistics hub for sanctioned regimes
• a base for intelligence operations
• a drug-trafficking corridor protected by state power
• a pressure point against U.S. regional security
That is foreign adversaries embedding themselves inside a failed state in the Western Hemisphere…
And history is clear: when hostile powers gain territory, resources, and operational freedom close to U.S. borders, America eventually pays the price …in drugs, crime, instability, and national security risk…
Maduro didn’t just destroy Venezuela.
He invited America’s adversaries into our backyard..
🇺🇸 4. The U.S. Action Was Targeted, Not Aimless…
According to reports, the capture of Maduro:
• followed explosions and strikes in Caracas and other areas
• involved elite operators and coordination with U.S. law enforcement
• will lead to criminal prosecution in U.S. courts for narcotics, weapons, and terrorist-linked charges. 
This isn’t “kidnapping” …it’s an operation tied to existing indictments and decades of documented criminal allegations..
🧠 5. This Wasn’t About Ideology Alone
Maduro’s refusal to honor free elections, his suppression of opposition, and his use of state institutions against citizens fits the definition of an authoritarian regime by any historical standard …not a legitimate democratic leader.
When a leader:
• rigs elections
• imprisons opponents
• uses military force to control populations
• exploits state power for criminal gain
…that isn’t governance. It’s tyranny.
It’s what a real authoritarian is despite what people like to say about Trump..
🔹 Not Every Criticism About This Must Be Political..
People are free to debate how the U.S. acted, whether Congress should have approved it, or whether it sets a precedent …those are valid questions…
But dismissing this as illegitimate while defending a regime that oppressed millions and enabled criminal networks is a contradiction…
🇻🇪 Why This Matters:
This is liberation from a regime that:
• destroyed a country
• trafficked drugs that harmed communities globally include AMERICANS.
• shattered families and futures
• rejected democratic norms
For millions of Venezuelans, this is the first real moment of accountability and hope in decades.
They aren’t looking to the U.S. for conquest …they’re looking for relief.
And for those rushing to call Maduro “abducted,” or clutching pearls over Trump “going too far”…
Ask yourself a simple question:
Why are you more outraged over the removal of a dictator
than over the millions of lives he destroyed?
Because when someone defends a narco-tyrant aligned with America’s enemies,
they aren’t standing for human rights.
They’re standing on the wrong side of history.
🇺🇸 Faith. Family. Freedom.
🇻🇪 Venezuela deserves both..
#BreakingNews #MaduroCaptured #USMilitaryAction #VenezuelaCrisis #TrumpAnnouncement #NarcoState #DrugTrafficking #NationalSecurity #AmericaDefends #GlobalNews
Sources & References:
• Reuters
• Associated Press (AP News)
• CBS News
• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
• U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC sanctions records)
• FBI & Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indictments
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Human Rights Watch
• Amnesty International
• U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
• President George H. W. Bush, Address to the Nation on Panama (December 1989)
• U.S. Department of Justice – Noriega Prosecution Records
• Congressional Research Service – U.S. Intervention in Panama
• U.S. Southern Command Historical Archives “
gail, there is no debate about whether Trump should have gone to the Congress to get approval for his attack on another country. He didn’t go to Congress! He never made his case to Congress, much less the people of the United States. Trump is the aggressor, and his attack on a country that we are not at war with is treasonous.
This morning I smell the stench of Vietnam.
Indianapolis has been trying for years to change its “Naptown” roots. Remember the “Amateur Sports Capital”, the “Midwest IT Hub”, and now they want be the “Artsy Fartsy City”! I see a parallel between Indy and Zenith (” Babbitt ” Sinclair Lewis). It would love to be the next New York City, even going so far as to take out a large loan for “art”.
The fact is we all need art in our lives and we don’t need to go into debt to have it. If you own a cell phone you have a camera. Capture your own world with it and share the best of it. In old movies the kids would say, “Let’s put on a show.” All you need is a stage and some talent and every neighborhood has kids with talent. (Open space for a stage has to be available, though). Gardening clubs could be encouraged to offer free classes and those who love to draw can be invited to do community projects.
In my world we would have to limit video games and bring the kids back to real life.
Gail:
your thoughts and views taken. and thats why we dont, allow one person in this
country to control the issues. there is protocol. and what has happen is congress has allowed one person to control the issue. both,are instrumental to the crushing of,your democracy too. ive spoken with hundreds of blue collars on trumps reign. they.like yourself are blind to the collapse of our,society,democracy,and what every American gave to keep this nation in a democracy. you are influenced by others who are most likely paid.not happy or have some small time issue that you and the rest feel we should trip over a curb,for you. this is a money deal and we the working class are getting the shaft for the billionaires who now run your world. the money is locked up on wall street,and its getting bigger by very people you support. soon there will be nothing left. if you want such a life, try putins russia…
I guess the topic has changed to war. We, the US, have long history of interference with other countries, lacking an invitation to do so. We really began to ramp up in the fifties when President Eisenhower appointed the Dulles brothers to join the government. The first place we went was actually Vietnam. We didn’t get a full scale war there for another decade. Next up was the Congo, We didn’t engage in war there, but we left a legacy of turmoil. Then we turned our eyes to the south. Cuba, Argentina, Haiti, Columbia, etc, where once again no war for us, only instability for those who lived there After that we looked east again, taking on Iraq because they had invaded Kuwait. In this case Kuwait DID ask for help, but the real reason we were so eager to help was about $0.65 per gallon.
Then came 9/11. In spite of clear evidence that the Saudis had done the deed, we invaded Iraq. The Saudis are our best buds in the region, so we chose to go after Iraq, not because they had weapons of mass destruction, but because W didn’t agree with daddy’s decision not to cross the border in 1990. Then we learned that Bin Laden was training terrorists in Afghanistan, so we went to war there against the Taliban that we had armed to the teeth when they were fighting the Russians.
There are far too many lessons from history that we have failed to learn. When do we learn? Apparently not in my lifetime or I wouldn’t have awoken to breaking news this morning.
Gail uses the same propaganda spread by our oligarchy – “their economy sucked under socialism.”
No, it sucked because the US sanctioned their entire economy. After all, we can’t have a socialist running a country with oil because we want it. As Trump likes to say about Venezuela’s oil fields – those are ours, and they took it away from us.
As others have posted, this has been our foreign policy since the 50s and 60s. And Sharon, the POTUS doesn’t set foreign policy, so it doesn’t matter who sits in the executive’s chair, the Deep State characters call the shots.
The other lie Americans believe is that we spread “democracy” to other countries. LOL
How can we spread something we don’t have? We spread oligarchy to other countries that steal (extract and sell) other countries’ natural resources.
Do you still think we didn’t topple the Ukrainian government? All we had to do was keep our promise about NATO expansion to Putin, and there would never have been a proxy war, but that is what the Deep State wanted.
For leaders around the world, the Anglo-Zionist Empire is the world’s terrorists, but since we don’t declare it so, it’s not.
* can’t
gail; Mexico was Trump’s original targeted source of drugs coming into this country till the new President of Mexico, a woman, dared him to try attacking across our southern border, her intention was to end his attack with Mexico’s full force of military. He hasn’t allowed Venezuelans (where he got the authority for this remains to be established) to place their Vice President (another woman) to be rightfully sworn in as President. He better be hoping that all remaining Venezuelans are Republicans of the MAGA persuasion to allow him to rule their country after weeks of killing then full out war attack by our highest caliber military troops, planes and battleships.
WE might be wise to look behind us for our global enemies to take advantage of our elite military to be otherwise fully involved.
Antifa, deep state, Qanon, Jewish space lasers, 9/11 was an inside job and school shootings and climate change are hoaxes. Oh yeah, and vaccines cause autism.
If you haven’t already, I recommend listening to HCR’s commentary this am. She gives solid background facts and information and the implications if US let’s these actions stand unanswered. She said the next 3 months is crucial to what direction US will go.
Hey Gail:
‘We Are Going to Run the Country,’ Trump Says of Venezuela After Maduro Abduction
The US president said American fossil fuel companies will “go in and spend billions of dollars” in Venezuela, which has the largest known oil reserves in the world.
No, what our oil companies will do is extract as much oil as possible, will extract billions of dollars from the country; will treat Venezuela as a possession, just as the Dole Corporation did in regard to pineapples.
Whatever you think of Trump, he is clearly acting illegally, and Theresa’s comment, “This morning I smell the stench of Vietnam,” is point on!!
The country was lied into Vietnam, into war with the Spanish, after WE blew up “The Maine,” into the war in Iraq (think you GWB and Dick Cheney!) My, how the armaments industry must just love the heck out of these bastards!