About: Jeff Pruitt
- pruitt@fortwaynepolitics.com
- Profile
- I am a lifelong Democrat that likes to call myself a populist Democrat. In this sense I think more power should be shifted to the people and away from politicians and the elitist interests that attempt to control them. Philosophically I suppose I would classify myself (if I must) as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. In general I believe in ALL of our inalienable rights and thus by definition realize they are not provided or doled out by the government. I'm originally from Kansas and a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in Physics and I moved to Fort Wayne in the summer of 2000. I don't claim any special expertise in the government arena other than I follow it very closely and always have. In that sense I suppose I'm a pundit - I'll leave it up to others to decide if I'm any good at it...
Posts by Jeff Pruitt:
Farewell
4/11/11 @ 8:14 pm
I suppose this post has been a long time coming, and I fought it as long as I could, but the truth is that I have only been delaying the inevitable - I will no longer be posting here at FWP (the site will continue under Mike Sylvester however). This was not a decision I came to lightly, and perhaps few really care what the rationale for my decision was, but I still feel like I owe it to everyone that’s been involved with this site as writers, commenters and readers.
Let me just start by saying that I love this place, hell I built it, and only if you’ve had to walk away from something you’re truly passionate about can you know what this feels like. This isn’t just a place where I could come to spout off about a variety of topics - although I did do my fair share of that. No, this was a community to me and not just some virtual community either as I’ve built real relationships and met many people through this site that I’m proud to call my friends.
I couldn’t possibly mention everyone here but before I talk about why I’m walking away I wanted to discuss a few individuals that have shaped my blogging path so to speak. Apologies in advance to anyone I leave out as there are just too many to mention.
Read more
Filed Under Featured | 22 Comments
Stuff You Might Not Have Seen Otherwise
2/25/11 @ 1:19 am
I’m thinking about posting YouTube videos here and there that I find interesting/absurd/idiotic/etc. Some may be political - some not. Figured it might be a nice change of pace though. So here are a couple videos you might not have seen (or cared to).
The first is a man asking his county commissioners to do something about the cars speeding down his street. It has, shall we say, an unexpected ending. The second is an Obama personator performing a parody of a Notorious B.I.G song. Even the lyrics are funny - “Spend cheese with my peeps all day, borrowed the money from China mayne”; “And my whole crew is loungin’, celebrate every day no more public housin”.
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Some Political Advice for Teachers
2/17/11 @ 9:58 pm
The state’s teachers are outraged, outraged I tell you, about the current legislation being considered by the state legislature. The union has them worked into a frenzy and convinced that the end of public education is nigh. But here’s the thing that irks me about the entire situation and something each and everyone one of you teachers need to ask yourself:
If protecting the educational status quo and the teachers union was that damn important then why did you vote Republican?
I’m sure a few of you out there that are now so upset did understand what was at stake during the last election cycle but the majority likely had no clue. You probably voted Republican because you didn’t want “teh gays” to start marryin’ each other. So just in case you still don’t get it let me help you out.
The Republican party, and especially governor Mitch Daniels, would eliminate your union ass tomorrow if they could. They will do everything in their power to systematically weaken the union’s position in order to enact what they think is positive change in the educational community. I’m not even going to debate the merits of their position or the union’s - I’m simply stating a fact.
And if you are that hell bent pro-teachers union and didn’t realize this then you are a fool and you are going to get the government you deserve. Writing letters and calling representatives now isn’t going to do a damn thing at this point. What you’re witnessing is a political battle (R’s vs D’s) and has absolutely nothing to do with the merits of the individual bills. The time for you to make a difference isn’t when you read about it in the paper; no, the fix is in by then bubba.
The election booth was where you could’ve waged your battle but you didn’t and now you are going to lose and lose big…
Filed Under Featured, State Politics | 17 Comments
A Quick Thought On School Vouchers
2/15/11 @ 9:37 pm
The teachers unions are up in arms about a variety of legislation that is sure to “destroy public education once and for all”. Many of them seem to actually believe the hyperbole being pumped out by the union. Make no mistake, the governor is no friend of unions and would like to see their position weakened. But the unions have done a pretty fine job destroying themselves the last 10 years and seem to offer no real alternative to fixing the problems that urban districts face.
Having said that, the idea that the current voucher legislation would do anything positive is asinine. First let’s just start by saying that the private schools don’t want the money if it comes with restrictions. Do you think Canterbury wants to admit a bunch of voucher-holding transfers from FWCS? Hardly as they charge the fees they do to keep the riff raff out - that really is the point of private school after all.
Second, the vouchers won’t be enough to meet the tuition needs for private schools. So what will happen is a bunch of cronies of state government officials will create new private schools that will loot the new voucher system without improving academics.
Lastly, vouchers won’t help because more money won’t help. School choice isn’t the problem - parents are. Lousy parents produce lousy students and there isn’t a damn thing the best teachers can do to solve that problem despite what you might have seen in some lame B-movie. Bringing in an administration with the spine to impose discipline and remove problem students from the classroom and the schools is the first thing that needs to happen…
Filed Under State Politics | 8 Comments
Putting Your Harrison Square Money Where Your Mouth Is
2/15/11 @ 9:08 pm
I don’t think there’s any doubt that councilman Tim Pape has been the biggest champion of the Harrison Square project since Day 1. Even when the project floundered he stuck by it and was a vocal supporter. So while all the back-slapping local bankers abandoned the project (after showing up in droves to support its passage), Pape should be commended for putting his money where his mouth is.
The recent announcement regarding the final piece of phase 1 for the Harrison Square project has the Carson Boxberger law firm taking up the entire 2nd floor of The Harrison. Since Pape is the managing partner of Carson Boxberger there can be no doubt that he was instrumental in the decision to move to the new building. Regardless of what one thinks of the project it’s nice to see one of the champions actually putting some skin in the game…
Filed Under Featured, Local Politics | 3 Comments
State Senate Licenses Ginseng (the era of smaller government is just around the corner)
2/15/11 @ 8:36 pm
The state legislature has important work to do. They unemployment fund is bankrupt and the state, in general, is bankrupt due to future pension obligations that are woefully underfunded. However, the State Senate still found the time to debate the need to license ginseng harvesters, dealers and growers.
Thanks to this bill you now must be licensed to grow or deal ginseng - I’m not kidding. And you can be fined $500 and/or spend 60 days in jail for harvesting ginseng without a license. Again, I’m not kidding. The sad part is that this bill passed 44-6 in the Republican controlled senate. I’m also quite certain that each and every one of those voting YEA would try to convince you that they are small-government conservatives. They are not.
If it’s any consolation, newly elected State Senator Jim Banks did vote against the legislation. Maybe there is hope afterall…
Filed Under State Politics | 2 Comments
Definition of Presidential Insanity
11/2/10 @ 9:43 pm
Hiring a bunch of Clinton retreads to shape your policy and expecting a different midterm election result than Bill Clinton got. There’s a lesson in there somewhere…
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
We’re Doomed
10/24/10 @ 9:44 pm
From California Republican Senatorial candidate Carly Fiorina:
“Let me propose something that may seem crazy to you: you don’t need to pay for tax cuts. They pay for themselves, if they are targeted, because they create jobs,” Fiorina said
Of course California is hopelessly bankrupt so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at such nonsense but unfortunately the stupidity is spreading like a virus:
It was a lively debate Friday night in Colorado Springs between Ken Buck and Michael Bennet, the two candidates for U.S. Senate.
[...]
In regards to the economy Ken Buck said, “By extending tax cuts you pay down the deficit, you grow the economy by giving people more money and giving people the certainty they’ll know how to spend, they’ll have more money down the road to spend.”
This is the same intellectually bankrupt thinking that took over the Republican party 2 decades ago when they decided that balanced budgets didn’t matter anymore. Neither party is capable of grasping what is inherently obvious to every non-brain dead individual outside of Worshington - the only way to balance the budget and eventually pay down the deficit is to spend less than you take in. It really isn’t that difficult and the fact that neither major party seems able to comprehend that basic fact is why we’re inevitably doomed…
Filed Under Uncategorized | 10 Comments
Council Should Amend Proposed K-2 Ordinance
7/29/10 @ 8:00 am
The city council is considering regulating the K-2 product (and other similar products) which is described by some as a “synthetic marijuana”. Users of this product allegedly receive a marijuana-like high but will not test positive for marijuana. Currently there is no Indiana state or federal law restricting its distribution or posession.
The ordinance for consideration, sponsored by Mitch Harper and co-sponsored by Tom Didier, would introduce a fine system that would penalize businesses up to $2500 for selling the product and individuals up to $1000. One criticism that has been made about the product is that while it is labeled as something you shouldn’t ingest, it is obviously being smoked by the vast majority of the people who purchase it which is likely the real intent of the manufacturer.
Some might consider this consumer fraud but I would not agree with that position. I think the label was put there partly to avoid future regulations from local governments and law enforcement. But, more likely, the labeling is there to avoid existing regulations regarding food and drink products. I think nearly everyone would agree that those who smoke the product know full well why they are buying it and what the real intent of the manufacturer is. Thus the fraud isn’t on consumers but on what the manufacturers probably believe is an over-bearing government.
Harper has pointed out that his proposed ordinance is relatively modest and will mostly effect younger children who can obtain the product from a local neighborhood store and experiment with a “THC analog” substance. On a wider scale, he recognizes that this ordinance won’t have much of an impact on adult use since those users can easily drive to other cities to purchase the product.
My position is that regulation of this product is unwarranted. There are no credible studies or evidence that I have seen to suggest this substance is dangerous. But even if there were, I do not believe it’s the government’s responsibility to make decisions for people regarding what they want to do to their own body. I do sympathize with trying to protect children but that is the job of parents and not government. As for adults, they are more than capable of deciding if they want to ingest this product.
How is this different than banning trans fats, high fructose corn syrup or any other health-related product? I do not believe that Harper is a Souder-esque drug warrior - I think he’s merely trying to react to community requests that something be done about a product that many think is targeting and harming children. Therefore, I think an appropriate compromise might be to regulate the use such that minors are prohibited from purchasing or possessing the product - the same standard we apply to tobacco purchases. While perhaps not an ideal solution, it would still follow and support what I believe is the true intent of the ordinance - namely to restrict impressionable kids from trying something that might be potentially harmful and addictive.
At the end of the day I believe that in a free society people should be free to make their own decisions - even bad ones. The city council should reject this ordinance or at least amend it in such a way that doesn’t restrict adults from making choices about what they wish to do with their own body…
Filed Under City Council, Featured | 8 Comments
Local Government Video on Demand
7/27/10 @ 6:06 pm
Being a member of the city’s Cable Fund Access Board gives me some insight into what’s going on relative to public access television in our community, and there’s a service being provided by the people at Access Fort Wayne that I should’ve pointed to long ago.
They now have the capability to archive video of local government meetings and stream them over the web. This service is called PEG Central and is provided through a company called Leightronix. So you can now view City Council, County Council, County Commissioners and Plan Commission meetings any time you wish.
This is a great service and the people at Access Fort Wayne should be commended for continuing to improve their service year after year with a limited budget. Go check it out for yourself by clicking the link provided above. Or if you want to surf to it on your own you can go to the main page of the Allen County Public Library and click on the Access Fort Wayne link in the lower left hand corner and from there you’ll see a link to PEG Central.
If you have suggestions about how to improve the service, or what programming you might want to see in the future, then send them to me, any member of CFAB or better yet send them to Access Fort Wayne directly…
