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:
Pat Buchanan Gushes Over Obama’s Speech
8/29/08 @ 12:32 am
First I saw nutjob neoconservative Bill Kristol heap praise on Obama’s speech and then Pat Buchanan followed suit. I didn’t get Kristol’s comments on video but I was able to record Buchanan’s:
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
From Denver…
8/28/08 @ 9:54 pm
Our national delegate Karen Goldner chimes in from Denver in the moments leading up to Barack Obama’s speech. And just to make some of us even more jealous she informed us that she has great seats - the 3rd row!
We couldn’t leave the floor because the access point was mobbed with folks trying to get in. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced - a political rally & rock concert. The emotion is overwhelming
Filed Under 2008 National Elections, Featured | 10 Comments
Godzilla In the County IT Director’s Office
8/28/08 @ 9:20 pm
In the Clifford Clarke thread there was some talk about the county IT director’s Godzilla toy in his office. Well this photo was sent to me today…
Godzilla and friend found on County IT Director's Desk
Filed Under Local Politics | 7 Comments
Holmestead Acres Resident Looking For Handout
8/28/08 @ 12:31 am
In Wednesday’s NS there was a letter to the editor that really got under my skin. The author of the letter suggests the Canyon Cliffs developers are right to sue the individual plan commission members for not rubber-stamping their plans. But that’s not the part that irritated me - it was his insistence that somehow the taxpayers are obligated to bailout residents in Holmestead Acres because they have a failing septic system:
The Plan Commission committed an equal injustice to our need for a sewer system that was to be provided by the Canyon Cliffs development. Repeatedly, we demonstrated the need and willingness to address the public health concern from our current septic collection system. The health department and the regional sewer district both argued in our favor during the hearings.
However, because the Plan Commission felt that illegally blocking the Canyon Cliffs development was more important than addressing a public health concern, they left our subdivision with few avenues to pursue in solving our problem. To make matters worse, Bill Brown and the other county commissioners fired the county grant writer who was our last hope in getting funding for such a project after our defeat at the hands of the Plan Commission.
It’s not my problem you purchased a home with failing septic tank. And I definitely don’t want the city extending sewer services out to the edges of the county to help every resident who made a poor decision. You moved into the county, and you damn well knew there was no sewer services and likely wouldn’t be for a very, very long time. To bitch and moan now that everyone else won’t solve your problem for you is ridiculous.
And to blame the commissioners for getting rid of a grant writer? Surely you jest. The taxpayers should have to pay an increase in property taxes so we can pay somebody to write a grant for you to fix a problem that is all your own? Write your own frickin grant buddy and stop asking everyone else to bail you out for your poor decisions.
What really pisses me off is that the author is probably the type of guy that goes around railing about “big government” while simultaneously looking for his handout. If anyone should be getting sued here it’s YOU - the EPA should sue your ass for letting your failing septic system pollute our creek.
There, I feel better now…
Filed Under Local Politics | 8 Comments
Clifford Clarke Out - No Official Word From the City (UPDATE 2x)
8/27/08 @ 7:01 pm
Mitch Harper reports that the city’s Chief Technology Officer, Clifford Clarke, has resigned only a day after the contentious IT contract - one that he played a significant role in developing - was approved by city council. Still no official word from the city - were they even aware of his resignation plans or did this come as a surprise?
Although I strenuously disagreed with Clarke on the IT contract, I want to publicly wish him well. I had the opportunity to interact with Clarke through the Open Government Task Force as well as the Cable Fund Advisory Board. Clifford was a genuine champion of open government initiatives and a solid public servant so good luck to him in his future endeavors…
UPDATE: I have it from a well-placed source that he was in fact asked to resign. I still think it’s a slap in the face to Clifford and all his hard work over years that the city PIO office hasn’t even bothered to send out a press release thanking him for his service…
UPDATE 2X: Mayor Henry’s PIO office says “Clifford is on unpaid leave of absence.”
Filed Under Uncategorized | 39 Comments
Indiana Delegates Go Overwhelmingly To Obama (Update)
8/27/08 @ 6:45 pm
Although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote the vast majority of Indiana’s national delegates just went to Barack Obama during the floor roll call. The final tally was 75 to Obama and only 6 for Clinton with 4 absent.
As an aside - how the hell do you go to the national convention, especially this one, and be absent for the roll call?
H/T: Karen Goldner
Update: Hillary Clinton just made a motion that the rules be suspended and Barack Obama be made the nominee by acclamation. Obama is now officially the nominee…
Filed Under 2008 National Elections, Featured | 11 Comments
Huntington Republicans Raise Taxes
8/27/08 @ 1:41 am
Every community is going through tough times right now. The economy has weakened and HEA 1001 has forced government bodies to cut their budgets. But the Republicans that control Huntington County decided that what the people really needed in this economic environment was a tax increase:
The controversial vote to approve the Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) was approved Monday evening by the Huntington County Council.
Following a lengthy public meeting session with public input, the council voted 5-1 to approve a qualified residential .25 percent LOIT tax for 2009 and voted 5-1 to approve a .1 percent public safety LOIT.
“We don’t want to see a tax as much as anyone else,” Pam Updike, council member said. “But we have tried to cut every budget that we can.”
Unbelievable. Of course Updike isn’t just any old council member. She’s also the Republican county chair, the mayor’s wife and the mayor’s executive assistant. Can you imagine the outrage if mayor Henry hired his wife to be on his staff?
At least she had the courage to vote. John Hacker, incumbent Republican councilman up for re-election, didn’t even show up for the meeting - now that is leadership. The other two Republicans running for council seats didn’t show their face either.
This is just another example that one-party rule breeds incompetence and corruption. Fortunately the voters of Huntington have a choice this election cycle:
Gary Snyder, Democrat candidate for County Council was on hand and voiced his opposition to the LOIT and criticized the city for spending $35,000 on a study “to provide political cover.”
“This is a tax on the hard-working middle class families of Huntington County and what we will pay will be equal to a 100 gallons of gas - who wants to lose a 100 gallons of gas,” Snyder said.
That’s a good question. There’s an old adage that people don’t really care about politics until it hits them in the pocketbook. Well the wallets in Huntington will be noticeably lighter as of October 1st so I guess we’ll see if they start paying attention…
Filed Under Featured, Local Politics | Leave a Comment
Voters Need To Send FWCS Lifer Into Involuntary Retirement
8/25/08 @ 9:51 am
FWCS lifetime incumbent Steve Corona officially filed for re-election on Friday. Saturday’s JG story on Corona should remind voters on why it’s time to send him packing. Corona was the president of the board during last year’s remonstrance battle and there was absolutely nobody pushing the $500 million property tax increase more than he was - well except perhaps the JG editorial board.
Only after being resoundingly defeated by the populace has Corona begun to change his tune:
“I think we need to take a look at every significant repair item proposed and justify it and there may be items that we initially thought were essential that may need to be scrapped,”
Gee, that sounds a lot like what Evert Mol, Jon Olinger and the entire Code Blue group was saying last year. Of course at that time Corona not only wouldn’t listen, but was also steadfast in his opposition to any reasonable compromise including a scaled down $300 million project that he voted against. He later went on to say that knowing then what he knows now he would’ve supported it - you think?
Now he’s once again teaming up with the leader of the Yellow Petition drive group to put forth a new plan. When Steve Corona and John Pierce team up taxpayers had better grab their wallet:
Filed Under 2008 Local Elections, Featured | 17 Comments
My Take On Biden
8/23/08 @ 9:54 pm
As a resident Democrat I feel like I should give my take on Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his VP choice. I think this was an extremely shrewd political decision. Let’s be honest here, had Obama picked an outsider like Kaine or Schweitzer or Sebelius he would’ve opened his campaign up to constant attacks of “inexperience” and “foreign policy naiveté”.
The Biden choice shores that up. So now what we hear is the opposite, with Republicans (and some Democrats) lamenting that Biden is not an agent of “Change”. To that I say - who cares. Biden is the kind of guy with experience to make change happen. And Obama is enough “change” for the entire ticket. Is McCain really going to argue that he and his eventual running mate represents more change than Obama-Biden? Hardly.
His #1 talking point has always been “experience”. The Biden choice doesn’t completely neutralize that but it doesn’t reinforce it either like some of the other candidates would’ve done. And I must respectfully disagree with Mike Sylvester when he says Biden “represents the Washington DC establishment.” The guy has taken the Amtrak train from DC to his home every night to be with his family - name me one other senator that’s done that.
Biden gave a great VP speech today. If he continues to beat up McCain like that then he will be worth his weight in gold to the Obama campaign. He also brings a strong white middle class voice to the ticket - and it’s 100% authentic. Obviously that’s a demographic Obama hasn’t been the strongest with.
All in all a solid pick by the Obama campaign. And the way they manipulated the media this week into non-stop coverage of “Who will he pick” was nothing short of brilliant…
Filed Under 2008 National Elections | 17 Comments
Where It All Began For Obama - Looking Back At 2004 Convention Speech
8/22/08 @ 9:43 pm
With next week’s Democratic national convention on the horizon I decided to go back and watch Obama’s 2004 keynote convention speech. I remember thinking at the time that this was a guy that sounded Presidential. It’s hard to put your finger on it but it’s there and you know it when you see it.
But before I post the videos here were a few thoughts from blogger Josh Marshall on the convention floor in the moments leading up to the speech:
I’m sitting here a few minutes after nine, waiting for the big event of the evening, Barack Obama’s keynote address. It’s hard to overestimate how much expectation looms around this guy. The Democratic party yearns for this man’s political future like Dick Cheney lusts after the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea.
[...]
In any case, he’ll be the only black man in the Senate; and he’ll have a relatively safe seat, as senate seats go. He’ll be an instant star of his party. And all the folks who have antennae for political magic are all atwitter over him. I’ve been watching him give interviews and work the crowd and the tell-tale grace and poise isn’t hard to see.
With all the expectations and anticipation Barack Obama delivered an amazing speech that helped propell him to become the 2008 nominee for President of the United States. Quite an amazing 4 year journey for the man who was merely a state senator when he gave that speech.
The brilliance of the speech is in the build-up and the way he gradually brings the audience in to his vision of America and hope for the future. Great speeches can be appreciated by those of all political persuasions and I think this one is worth watching if nothing else for the nostalgia and the understanding that this moment is really what lead Obama to the events of next week. And to think the national networks didn’t even cover the event live…
Part1
Part2
Post Speech Analysis
