My Journey to Voluntaryism

When Jason, Pete and Adam from Motorhome Diaries were at my home last week, they somehow managed to get me in front of a video camera. That's a pretty difficult thing to do because I generally avoid that.

Like I avoid politicians.

If I have to speak in front of crowds, my mouth dries out completely. It happened to me during the few times I was in front of crowds when running an educational campaign for state senate years ago.

Trust me, spit is really important. Without spit, it's really hard to talk because your tongue gets stuck on the roof of your mouth. It's much worse than getting it stuck on a cold outdoor pole, you know, like poor Ralphie's friend in A Christmas Story. Plus, he had it better than me because I had no firemen come to my rescue.

But anyway, after what I'm sure was hours and hours of editing, they managed to salvage enough to create a video that doesn't seem half bad if I do say so myself. You were spared the part where I had to stick my head under the kitchen faucet so I could release my tongue off the roof of my mouth.

So, here's my story and I'm, ummm, sticking to it...

I Blame The Motorhome Diaries Guys

I've been thinking of starting this blog for a couple of months now and the tipping point finally came after a visit to my suburban voluntaryist home from Jason, Pete and Adam of Motorhome Diaries.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and it was quite refreshing, well after they all showered anyway, to finally meet a few people who just may be more radical than me.

I will talk more about their visit later, but I just wanted to make sure you know who to blame when you inevitably start wishing I'd just shut up and go far, far away. Deep into the depths of my little suburban abode.

Girls Just Wanna Get Things Done

Since life just keeps getting busier and busier for me, I decided the best thing to do was to start another blog.

Hey, don't look at me like that. Haven't you heard what 'they' say? 'They' say if you want something done you should ask a busy person. Therefore, since I have so much I want to get done I decided I'll fill up my time with other less important activities so my priorities finally get magically completed.

I'm not sure how that's going to work though. We'll have to wait and see. Which will be hard because I have no patience. (I just checked my to-do list and notice none of those priorities were accomplished while I've been working on setting up my new blog. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.)

Another important decision I made today has to do with my blog host. Through observation, it seems to me that a lot of people are now using wordpress for their blogs, so of course I decided to stay with blogger. I don't know, I just feel comfortable with blogger, and right now at least, I don't want anything getting in my way of getting things done.

Hey wait a minute, maybe I should have done a wordpress blog because then I would have been even busier which means I would get even more things done.

Darn.

Only A Politician Would Think of Impersonating a Politician

HARBESON: Columnist says power often intoxicates

Ever since a police sergeant used the phrase “drunker than snot” to describe Dennie Oxley Jr., I’ve felt sick.

Reading this so soon after the story about local attorney Larry Wilder sleeping in the garbage can has convinced me: I need to start taking Dramamine before I open the newspaper.

If you haven’t heard about Oxley’s adventure, he was drunk in a parking lot and when police showed up, he apparently tried to take advantage of the immunity clause in the Indiana Constitution.

The immunity clause exists to protect legislators during session time from being victims of false arrest for political reasons. Oxley has a problem though — he’s not a legislator anymore.

He did work as a consultant for Pat Bauer, speaker of the Indiana House during the regular session though, so I guess he thought that was close enough to count, like playing horseshoes.

I’m not sure we’re hearing the whole story here though. If someone is indeed drunker than snot, how could he clearly pronounce the word “immunity?” I can barely say it when I’m sober.

So, surely he was set up. He probably said, “I claim anonymity,” pleading for some discretion. Or maybe they asked him if he had been drinking and in a fit of drunken honesty, he said “I claim immensely.” We just don’t know.

This means, of course, that there’s only one thing to do: Call a press conference to blame the police.

Certainly, Oxley would know all those vocabulary words since he’s been an assistant school superintendent. In addition, it’s possible that his recent consulting work for Bauer could have included advice to use the word “devastate” every time Democrats talk to the press about inadequate budget numbers for education.

Too bad that young lady he was with wasn’t just a few months younger. If she was, he could claim he was working under cover for the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, since they are currently taking 20 year olds to establishments serving alcohol to see if they sell to “underage adults.”

I know that term sounds odd, but remember, according to our wise legislators, even though a kid becomes a legal adult at 18, we have laws expecting them to sit in limbo for three years before buying a drink. The method we use to pretend this actually happens is to spend tax money trying to catch business owners who serve them.

Oh, I know it’s important to crack down on the 20 year olds. If legislators allowed them into the bars, they would increase demand, lower supply and create a scarcity of resources.

Or, to put it in terms your average politician would understand, if we let those darn kids in, one of them is going to be sitting on a government official’s favorite barstool.

OK, I’ll stop rambling on like a drunken politician and get to the point. Should anyone involved with telling other people what to do through government force be drinking at all while in session? Shouldn’t we make session time relatively uncomfortable?

Maybe we could sequester them and feed them bread and water so they get the job done. And if they still end up in a special session, then we’d get really tough and feed them government school cafeteria food.

Republican or Democratic, we’ve seen plenty of evidence the past few weeks that our government is loaded — filled with politicians who love to take a nip and can’t seem to resist their groupies. I sure wish all these people would just learn how to play the guitar and go join a rock band. I think we’d all be much happier.

Sellersburg resident Debbie Harbeson is sick of thinking about the phrase “drunker than snot,” so she took an antihistamine and her thoughts completely dried up.

Piling Mistake Upon Mistake

COLUMN NOTES: This is the third column I wrote on the Jeffersonville Sex Offender Ban which I refer to in this post.

HARBESON: Sex offender law something to think about

Columnist says council, attorney piling mistake upon mistake

DEBBIE HARBESON
Local Columnist

Last week, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against the city of Jeffersonville in a lawsuit concerning the ordinance banning sex offenders in government parks. According to the appeals court, the city improperly used the law to prohibit Eric Dowdell from watching his little boy play baseball even though he was no longer required to even register as a sex offender.

In 2006 I explained why this law wasn’t a good idea in the first place. In 2008 I explained that what government officials were doing to Dowdell was wrong.

I figured that would be it for me, but I’ve discovered a columnist’s work is never done. This time around, though, I’m going to let government officials do the work. Yes, I’m getting smarter.

Let’s start with the lawyer. Back in 2006, attorney Larry Wilder, who wrote the ordinance, admitted there may be lawsuits but he thought the city would win.
Think about that. He knew this law as written was open to challenge from the beginning, but it didn’t matter. Why? Could it be because it’s only taxpayer money? Isn’t a lawsuit a good thing as far as the attorney is concerned?

After losing the appeal, Wilder said recent rulings were to blame and added, “The law is fluid… it changes all the time.” Think about that. Who benefits from constitutionally questionable, constantly changing, and confusing laws?

Let’s move on to the politicians. Councilman Keith Fetz, who sponsored the ordinance, said they threw out the safety of children and law abiders for the sake of a sex offender. And Council President Connie Sellers said, “I have four kids - why wouldn’t I support it?”

Think about that. If either of these two (and all the other council members) had spent just 5 minutes educating themselves, they would know that this law disregards all current knowledge about sexual offenses against kids and is completely useless. Of course politicians aren’t interested in such things; they are interested in passing laws to create the illusion of protection so you continue to think they are doing something useful. How else are they going to justify taking your money?

Sellers also said she didn’t want to be accused of supporting sex offenders if she didn’t support the ordinance. Think about that. She’s letting her fear of being accused of something that could hurt her political career guide her judgment more than standing up for whether a law is constitutional, effective, or even necessary.

They have no intention of stopping this nonsense. Fetz wants to appeal and says “I will not rest until I accomplish what I intended to accomplish – give park goers an extra layer of protection.” Think about that. Why would he be so desperate to continue spending your money on something that was not a problem to begin with? Who is he really trying to protect at this point?

Upon hearing that the court also criticized the amount of documentation required to obtain an exemption, Fetz said he “doesn’t know how we can make it any easier.” Think about that. How much power should politicians have if they can’t even figure a way out of a bureaucratic paperwork mess they created?

I don’t care about these three people in particular; they only provide the latest evidence from those employed by government who want you to believe that laws they create are always good ideas.

Politicians have been doing this repeatedly for many years. As a matter of fact, maybe we should create a registry and demand all government officials sign up so we can start tracking the recidivism rate of screwing the citizens.

SIGLINE:
Sellersburg resident Debbie Harbeson often has to do a task three times before she figures out how to get someone else to do it for her.

Greater Clark County Schools Dr. Daeschner Hiring

HARBESON: Thoughts on Daeschner hiring

I see that the Greater Clark County Schools government-run system has finished its search for a new superintendent. Now that the system has hired former Jefferson County, Ky., Public Schools leader Stephen Daeschner, I thought I’d mention several items I like about the decision and a few things I’m still wondering about.

WHAT I LIKE

I like seeing someone who is 67 years old get a new job. But maybe that’s just because I’m getting older.

I like to hear that there’s a call-out for voluntary contributions to pay the difference in the budgeted amount and the salary Daeschner successfully negotiated from the board. This gives everyone who supports this deal a chance to prove they really mean it.

I like to hear discussions about alternative types of education intended to meet the varied needs of students. I will be following this closely as I am very curious as to what a government-run system means when it speaks of alternative education and choices.

I like that Mr. Daeschner is a bicyclist because this means we have at least one thing in common. The positive talk of his boundless energy is a testament to bicycling as a great lifelong fitness activity that can help people remain vital and healthy longer.

WHAT I’M WONDERING ABOUT

I wonder whether someone who has been a part of the same stagnant bureaucratic system for decades is really the best person to hire if you want to see change. Is it possible to get fresh new ideas by keeping the “old guard” in place?

I wonder if each local politician, school board member and community leader who publicly supported his hiring will come forward and personally set the example by openly and publicly contributing their personal funds to pay his salary. Or will we be told that donations need to be kept private, thereby introducing skepticism in the general populace who are being asked to judge this as a good investment?

Speaking of the term investment, I wonder how the general public is supposed to react to that. Doesn’t the use of this term also demand the use of the term return on investment?

I wonder if we’ll see any specific criteria used to judge whether this particular investment provides a real return or not. Or, for that matter, how a decent return on investment should even be defined.

Since Mr. Daeschner is known for being a big believer in data, I wonder if we will soon see such specific measurable criteria ahead of time so the public can more easily determine a return on investment. And if he does this, I wonder if there will be any consequences for failing to meet specific criteria. I wonder if at least some of his pay should have been bonus-based.

Naturally, expectations are high, so I wonder what we may hear if any measurable criteria are not met. Will we hear that more time is needed? Will we hear that we can’t really compare certain data sets because too many variables changed? If the data does not measure up, rather than meaningful explanation about the data, I wonder if we will hear instead about various abstract and fuzzy terms like increased motivation and morale.

I wonder if the school system could save some money if Clark County drivers show that they respect bikers on the road. I mean, maybe Daeschner will return the car if he can just bike to work.

I certainly wonder how this is all going to end up, but one thing I know, we are all going to learn a lot. Let’s hope it’s useful information that will actually improve education.

The Illusion of Safety

COLUMN NOTES: This is the second column I wrote on the Jeffersonville Sex Offender in the Parks Ordinance and I refer to this column in this post.

HARBESON:Jeffersonville creating illusion of safety in sex offender’s case

Local Guest Columnist

I suspect most of you reading this have little sympathy for anyone who hurts a child. If so, then you’re going to really get mad because I’m about to show you that’s exactly what a local city government is doing.

Officials in Jeffersonville are still trying to keep Eric Dowdell from watching his son play baseball, due to the recently passed sexual offender ordinance. Mr. Dowdell was convicted of a sexual offense 12 years ago, served his time and he’s no longer required to register with the state as an offender. So, shortly after the law was passed, he decided to try to get an exemption from this new law. At that time, Mr. Dowdell was denied permission because he was missing the proper documentation. Apparently he has jumped through that hoop and turned in “zee papers” but city government is still fighting with him.

Now he’s being told that he can’t wipe off the muddy footprints and sit on Jeffersonville’s government funded park benches because he’s had some offenses since then. They were not sex offenses against minors; they were battery offenses against adults. Of course, we all know this is an offense that other citizens have on their records — citizens who also go to government funded parks.

Mr. Dowdell obviously cares for his child to continue to fight and endure intrusive questioning in a court of law. And the mother too, since she testified on his behalf. Certainly Mr. Dowdell’s behavior leaves a lot to be desired, and it looks like the parents’ relationship could use some help, but they are trying to do the right thing for their child here.

So how is the government helping this family by adding to this father’s frustrations? Is this guy really going to be sexually dangerous watching a ballgame? My goodness, we will all know where he is if he attends his kid’s games. Plus, he’s being kept busy doing something useful and productive. It’s one positive thing he wants to do and government officials stubbornly refuse to let him.

The same people responsible for this fiasco will sit in their government funded cushy chairs and offices and lecture citizens on the importance of relationships, especially fathers, in a young boy’s life. So if he is denied permission, we will once again see the immense hypocrisy that occurs when government interferes. All because officials can’t see past their selfish interests to let a father watch his son catch a fly ball.

It must be very annoying for Jeffersonville taxpayers to see all the time and money wasted on this law so far: paying attorneys to create it, council members to discuss and vote on it, paper pushers to enter it into the official records, additional police time spent for enforcement needs, and once again, attorneys to defend it, (and perhaps soon to defend its constitutionality). It’s especially interesting considering all the recent news about how Jeff needs to lower expenses. Do you really think this is necessary to protect children?

Mr. Dowdell has followed the rules so far. He’s jumped the hoops required. In return, they only create a new hoop for him. Why can’t they just let this man spend more time with his son? Well, because it’s important to create the illusion of protecting citizens. They need to do this in order to justify their existence and continue to take money from other people to make their living. Maintaining this illusion is so important, they’ll even hurt a child to do it.

Which is supposedly what everyone wanted to avoid in the first place.

Sellersburg resident Debbie Harbeson often falls on her face when she tries to jump through hoops.