Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 March 2005 — Page 2

tp—A2 process color

PAGE A2

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2005

KING ► Continued from Page 1

STATEHOUSE ► Continued from Page 1

people forget,” King stated. “We focus on Dr. King in January but he would not be celebrated and affirmed as he is every year if there was not an April 4. That day was the beginning of another dimension of Dr. King.” Derrick King will be one of the featured speakers, and the Kennedy family has been invited to send a relative to the event. But other speakers have yet to be determined. “Dr. King was such a broad man that we’re trying to be fair inprogrammingbecausewe can’t put everybody on the program,” added King, who is also on the organizing committee. “Butitwill become an annual event because we are all committed to notletting this be a one time shot.” Kennedy-King Park, which was established as a park during a visit by President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1994, features a steel memorial with silhouettes of King and Robert Kennedy extending their arms to reach across the racial divide.

Kennedy was scheduled to make a campaign speech in the inner city park in Indianapolis during his quest for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination. However, after being informed of King’s death he announced the news to the crowd and delivered an impromptu message that calmed shocked and angry listeners. Cities across America experienced riots on the evening of King’s assassination, but Indianapolis remained peaceful. “Because he had lost a brother to assassination, Bobby Kennedy had the credibility needed to talk to the crowd and ease their pain,” said Sandra Leek, an attorney who served as director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. “Activities like the one coming in April remind us that it’s appropriate to be angry and mourn, but there is a better way to respond than taking an ‘eye for an eye’ course that does not honor the legacy of a departed one.”

session. If it had been successful in passing both chambers of the General Assembly, the bill would have not only increase penalties for corruption committed by state officials, but also allowed the governor to personally appoint a special prosecutor (or inspector general) to prosecute crimes within state agencies. Under the legislation the inspector general, an official appointed by Daniels, would be responsible for investigating all complaints and any evidence of inappropriate or illegal activities committed by state officials. Reformers praised the bill as an overdue opportunity to clean up state government, while opponents were concerned that it might step over constitutional boundaries and offer the governor too much power in the regulation of corruption. “The governor has made it clear that he will not tolerate any corruption, fraud or abuse of authority within his admin-

istration,” said Rep. James Buck, R-Kokomo, a supporter of H.B. 1002. “This bill gives the public assurance that the governor will be ready and able to address problems within his administration.” Despite Tuesday’s developments the proposal is still being discussed because some bills, including H.B. 1002 as well as another that set aside more funding for a new Colts football stadium, could resurface as amendments to other bills when the second half of the session begins next week. Democrats, who are overwhelmingly opposed to the bill, agree that it’s important to extinguish corruption at any level and most support the idea of an inspector general who can investigate leads but doesn’t have prosecutorial power. However, they wondered how the public could trust the concept of officials within the governor’s administration being evaluated by an inspector who is also appointed by the governor. “We all want to do everything we can to prosecute those who violate public trust,” said Rep.

Trent Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon. “But this approach blurs the separation of powers, blending the state’s executive branch with judicial enforcement.” Van Haaften, who once served as Posey County prosecutor, added that the influence of the inspector general will interfere with work done by local prosecutors, who are currently charged with investigating cases of corruption that take place within their jurisdiction. “It forces prosecutors to look over their shoulder when making their decision about a case,” he said. “The governor’s hand-picked inspector will be, in effect, able to second guess and even override the decision of a county prosecutor who has been elected by the people.” But Buck said 1002 allowed the inspector general to intervene if a county prosecutor will not or cannot act on a case within six months, and only with the approval of an appellate court judge. “If a local prosecutor wants to pursue a case, he/she can do so under 1002,” Buck stated, noting

vC vO^

SAMSUNG A670 CAMERA PHONE $AQ99 After m Mail-In Rebate $99.99 Retail Price - $50 Mail-In Rebate With new 2 year Agreement on plans $39.99 or higher.

AMERICA'S CHOICE CALLING PLANS STARTING AT JUST $39" Monthly Access Now With Unlimited (J) Calling Talk to any Verizon Wireless Customer on the Largest Mobile to Mobile Calling Area in America Unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes More Anytime Minutes than ever before All when calling from within the America's Choice Coverage Area. New 2 yr Agreement required. Coverage not available everywhere. (Activation fees, taxes, and other charges apply.)*

UPGRADE TO AMERICA'S MOST RELIABLE WIRELESS NETWORK.

venzpnwireless VJe never stop working for you?

& 1.877.2BUY.VZW ^ verizonwireless.com Shipping charges may apply.

VERIZON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS STORES

ANDERSON

College Park

4718 Scatterfield Rd.

3269 W. 86th St.

(765) 622-1370

(In front of Wal-Mart)

(317) 471-9797

CARMEL/WESTFIELD

1950-17 Greyhound Pass

Circle Centre Mall

(Village Park Plaza)

(3rd Floor, Next to Disney Store)

(317) 580-9548

(317) 964-0294

CASTLETON

Lafayette Square Mall

6633 East 82nd St.

(Center of Mall)

Castleton Village Shoppes

(317) 577-2225

Westpoint Commons

8248A W. Rockville Rd.

Castleton Square Mall

(Comer of Country Club & SR

(In Center CL, in front of Lazarus)

36)

(317) 209-8636

GREENWOOD

8940 U.S. 31 S.

LAFAYETTE

(Corner Co. Line Rd. & SR 31)

Tippecanoe Mall

(317) 885-3515

2415 Sagamore Pkwy S.

(In JC Penney Wing)

Greenwood Park Mall

(Next to Sears)

MONCIE

1600 W. McGalliard

INDIANAPOLIS

(Marsh Plaza) ^ '

9875 E. Washington St.

(765) 287-2780

(317) 895-8440

OR VISIT THE VERIZON WIRELESS STORE AT CIRCUIT CITY CARMEL CASTLETON GREENWOOD LAFAYETTE MUNCIE WEST 38th STREET

See store for Return/Exchange Policy. Free Handset Software Upgradel

1 Pacers Proud sponsor of the Indiana Pacers

BUSINESS CUSTOMERS, PLEASE CALL 1.866.899.2862

AUTHORIZED RETAILERS Equipment prices A return policy vary by location. Autnorized Retailers may impose additional equipment related charges, including cancellation lees.

ANDERSON Cellular Connection Applewood Center (765) 641-8070 Cellular Connection Mounds Mall (765) 642-9212 Cellular Connection The Hobby Lobby Plaza (765) 644-4444 CARMEL Cellular Connection 116th & Keystone (317) 254-5380 ELWOOD Cellular Connection SR 28 and SR 37 (765) 557-0322 Oigilal View 1900 S. Anderson St. (765) 552-7340 FISHERS/NOBLESVILLE Call Me Mobile 141 st and St. Rd. 37 (317) 770-6262

INDIANAPOLIS B Wireless 8810 S. Emerson Ave. (317) 888-2867 Cellular Connection Castleton Square Mall (317) 841-3940 Cellular Connection Clearwater Crossing (317) 913-0860 Cellular Connection* 96th and Alllsonville Rd. (317) 578-1199 Cellular Telephone Centers 4920 S. Emerson Ave. (317) 784-4999 Midwest Wireless 86th & Ditch (317) 876-7373 VIP Paging & Cellular Keystone at the Crossing (317) 843-1995

MARTINSVILLE L. K. R. Inc. 2072 Burton Lane (765) 342-7959 MOORESVILLE CPS Wireless 231 E. High St. (317) 834-1585 MONCIE Cellular Connection 1126 W. McGalliard St. (765) 282-5212 Cellular Connection 803 E. McGalliard St. (765) 288-8222 Cellular Connectien Muncie Mall (765) 283-8591 NOBLESVILLE Cellular Connectien 2335 Conner Street (317) 773-2202 Telewireless 10th and Logan (317) 770-9500

TIPTON Shirley Computers Carter’s Mall (765) 675-2890

!<) RadioShack YouSt gM qocniira. (B nnnn.* "For other Cellular Connection locations near you. call 1-800-261-6226

*0ur Surcharges (ind. 2.31% Federal Dniversal Service (varies quarterly),SC Regulatory/line/mo., & others by area) are not taxes (details:! -SSS-fiM-ISSS); gov’t taxes and our surcharges could add 8% to 28% to your bill. Activation fee/line: $35/1 yr; $1S/2 yes. IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Subject to Customer Agreement, Calling Plan, rebate form & credit approval. S175 termination fee, up to 45C/min after allowance, other charges & restrictions. Rebate takes 8-10 weeks. Usage rounded to next full minute. £ Offers not available everywhere. PIX messages sent or received: 25C plus airtime; in National Enhanced Services Coverage Area only. Network details, coverage limitations & maps at verizonwireless.com. Nights 9:01 pm - 5:59 am M-F. While supplies last. Limited time offer. > All brand and product names not owned by Verizon Wireless are the property of their respective owners. ©2005 Verizon Wireless

STANDOFF Continued from Page 1

while HB1178 would require voters to show government issued state identification upon arrival at election polls. Currently Indiana is the only state in the nation to ever propose an inspector general to have the powers outlined in HB1002. Democrats were also concerned that HB 1002 would open the governor up to allegations that the inspector general may not thoroughly investigate allegations that involve his own administration. Although both HB 1002 and 1178 are key bills, Democrats stress that there were many others that were issues of concern. On Tuesday 132 bills were scheduled to be heard on the House floor. Democrats say that there was no way to effectively review all of the bills and amendments within a 24-hour period. Gov. Daniels spoke for angry Republicans who believe Democrats sabotaged the success of decent, bipartisan bills. “We will try to salvage as much of that as we can (the bills),” Daniels stated during a news conference Tuesday. “But we are going to improve the climate of this state with or without the House minority. And we’re going to reform state government with higher ethical standards and watch dogs to clean up the scandals and the mess we found, whether they like it or not. Some of these things can be done by executive action or decree.” Stillwell noted that Democrats were also frustrated with the fact that so many bills and amendments had to be reviewed in such a short amount of time. “We believe that the people we represent want us to be deliberative and make the right decisions, but we have to be informed about what we’re making a decision on,” Stillwell said. “If we just spent 10 minutes on each bill that by itself would have taken 30 hours.” Although 132 bills died as a result of the standoff, Democrats say that this week’s actions weren’t reflective of the entire session as 118 bills have already passed. State Rep. Carolene Mays, D-Indianapolis, reminds Indiana residents that this week’s activities concluded the first portion of the session and there was a strong possibility that key bills will be revisited. “It’s not over till it’s over. We’re only 40 percent of the way through session. Some bills may have died, but ideas and concepts can easily be placed in the second half of session or amended into other bills before going to Conference Committee.” Stillwell emphasized that Democratic activities did not represent a boycott, and caucus members were present at the Statehouse the entire session, just not on the floor. “We were hopeful that the majority would reach out to us

that 11 other states and the military have an inspector general. “But one of the benefits of this legislation is that the inspector general’s office can provide relief if local courts are overbooked with cases or facing financial constraints.” Supporters ofthebill also note that after some initial concern the state’s prosecuting attorney’s association decided to endorse it after an amendment was introduced to protect the separation of powers and provide oversight for the inspector general. Daniels has already selected Clay County Prosecutor David Thomas to serve as inspector general if official creation of that position is ever approved by the General Assembly. Thomas recently indicated that he has discovered over 100 complaints of corruption in seven weeks. House Democrats, however, were not ready to stamp their approval on a bill that would give an appointed Indiana official unprecedented authority, and their caucus had the last word as the first half of the 2005 General Assembly came to an end on Tuesday.

so that we would be able to move forward on some the bills we all supported and work out our differences on the others,” he stated. “We’re disappointed that the majority party did not reach out to us in that fashion.” For quite sometime Democrats have been fighting for the basic rights of Indiana’s residents placing specific emphasis on education, health care, and the right to vote. Many members of the House minority feel that if things go the way the current administration hopes, Indiana’s average citizens should be extremely concerned. “If you’re poor, disenfranchised, middle class, in need of state aided health benefits or a small business you will be affected,” warned Rep. Mays. “You’ll be hurt by large cuts in public education, the cuts in health care services and the huge increases in property taxes that are coming.” 119 bills passed in House Staff Report

Contrary to the opinion of some observers, the first half of the 2005 Indiana General Assembly was not a failure. The following pieces of legislation were among the 119 bills that were passed successfully in the House during the first half: H.B. 1001- Budget bill. Appropriates money to carry on state government and make various distributions to schools and other political subdivisions. Provides for the adjustment of property tax replacement credit percentages to limit total state distributions for property tax relief. H.B. 1033- Prevented the earned income tax credit from being eliminated, tax credits for working families. H.B. 1729- A GARVEE bill that secured more federal bonds for transportation. This Democratic sponsored bill would provide more than 10,000 jobs immediately, along with funding for much needed road projects on the state and local level. H.B. 1003- Established the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and revamps the economic development structure in the state of Indiana. H.B. 1008- Established the Indiana Department of Agriculture to focus on meeting the needs of farmers and rural communities while promoting Indiana's agribusiness sector.