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How Mitch Daniels will Bury New Terrain I-69
by Scott E. White
First let me say that I have a vested interest. I like
chasing
trucks and am not above hiking my leg if one stops in a discrete
location long enough. On the other hand, I appreciate that we
live in
a quite neighborhood, and because my owner has a job at Crane Naval
Base, he can buy me
canned food.
Evansville people think "it's their turn"
but the way I see it, there is just the
right amount of traffic
here. I can't even hear a car for several minutes at a time.
Like everywhere in Indiana, we could use a few less curves and
some passing lanes, but NAFTA I-69 from Kentucky to Fort Wayne will
cost
Indiana taxpayers over $3 Billion. NAFTA has caused a lot of my
friends,
whose
owners worked in factories, to start eating from generic 50 lb bags of
dried food... Ick!
Since 9-11, I-69 on two sides of Crane NSWC
doesn't make
any sense,
and BRAC guidelines make it doubtful that it ever did. Frankly, I
live a dog's life now and that is not bad. Who knows, I
might be the one working at a truck
stop
smelling for drugs after I-69 closes Crane.
I don't eat soybeans or corn, but studies have shown that if
people get hungry enough, they will eat dog food, so I think saving the
midwest "breadbasket" farmland might someday be important too. I
like chasing the Amish horses more than semis ..
so, well, I am against
it. |
Scott White
with his rose colored glasses
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Regarding Governor Daniels
During the recent election cycle, I have been doing a
lot
of
sniffing around. I have been especially following the
Governor of
Indiana election, because I-69 it would devalue my doghouse and my
owners property and destroy our neighborhood. The Indiana
Governor
jerks the choker collar of the INDOT commissioner.
I always thought of myself as a D,
until this election, I dogged a lot of people to vote for Mitch
Daniels, because I was convinced that he would do the right thing on
I-69. Now among those of us who think I-69 is a
bone-head, doggone bad
idea, I might be the only one who still thinks "My Man
Mitch"
will stop the lies about I-69. I am far sighted, so perhaps it's
just my rose colored
glasses that my owner bought me, but I wanted to tell you what I sense
about Mitch
Daniels.
COUNT
US! has been so kind as to let me bark up this tree.
I have long thought it is easier to say
"no" to someone if you say "yes" first. Below I explain how I
still
see Mitch Daniels cutting to the chase on I-69. This is politics
man! |
COUNT US! Guest Analysis by Scott E. White
With our
new Governor, imagine this:
- By supporting "the direct route for
I-69", Daniels gained the support of David McIntosh's supporters
as McIntosh left the Republican race for Governor.
- Daniels
quit
saying "direct route" about six months ago, saying only that he will
"build it faster" and stead-fastly stating "there is no money".
- Mitch has
a special relationship with Richard Lugar, who has a special
understanding after being the target of I-69. Both Lugar and
Daniels
want to appear supportive of I-69 because the first reaction of
Republicans is, "I-69 would be good for business". Richard Lugar said: "All Hoosiers may
wish to discuss the priority of such expenditures and the probability
of
potential public and private economic gains at a time of extraordinary
national security, health care, social security, and education needs in
Indiana and throughout our country."
- Mitch
Daniels tapped Senator Borst's researcher who wrote the Borst economic
analysis of I-69- 3C, to head his INDOT transition team.
- Daniels
has said there is no money for I-69 and that saving a few minutes from
Evansville to Indianapolis or Evansville's feelings of neglect are not
enough to justify I-69.
- He has
said the only reason for his support is the economic benefit that it
will bring all of the state of Indiana.
- He has
said that we will have to sell state assets and make I-69 an
"enormously high priority".
Now if I was
Governor Daniels, here is how I would do it:
- State that the
economic situation of Indiana is even worse
than thought. (Done)
- Express strong
support for I-69. (Done)
- Establish a prior
INDOT that was so dishonest that we are all
under informed and misinformed. We have been lied to by a
dishonest
politically motivated INDOT. (Started)
- Establish a business approach to
INDOT and the I-69 project. (Started)
- Educate the State in an honest way
about the I-69 vs. what could be. Honesty about money and Truth about likely outcomes.
(Started)
- Propose solutions to
provide funding for this project that are unacceptable or
undesirable
to the majority of Hoosiers (Started)
- Give up on the
project based on economic analysis and "lack of public support". (Hoped
for result)
Scott
E's final comment:
OK, I might be chasing my tail, all
wet, with warm
and fuzzy feelings for Mitch Daniels, but I hope you will look through
my filtered vision for just a second and perhaps you will see that in
politics, sometimes we see only in black-and-white, what
can have many tones
not first noticed.
I will try to get this new administration's attention and hope that
they
are as true to their business principles as they say. My
environmentalism stops at my front yard, but my analysis of I-69 is
economic and I don't fear this fight. If Mitch Daniels is
the
bulldog on cutting budgets and one-half the economic analyst
people
say, I-69 is a "Done Deal"... and I mean, stick a fork in it and throw
it in my bowl, It's done!
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