Gov. Mitch Daniels on Monday defended his use of a state aircraft for a trip to Washington — a trip that was cut short Sunday when the plane’s windshield cracked.
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The state Department of Administration said the plane costs $791 per hour for fuel, plus $184 in maintenance costs for each hour of flying time.
Daniels, who came to Washington for the National Governors Association’s winter meeting, said he had to use the state plane.
“I’m the cheapest date as a governor Indiana has ever had,” Daniels said, noting that he hadn’t even taken state troopers or other staff with him on the trip. “There was no commercial option that would have gotten me (to Washington on time). I would’ve had to come the night before and buy a hotel room and I don’t know what else.”
Asked whether it still might have been cheaper to fly commercial, even if that meant another night in a hotel, given the nearly $1,000 per hour cost of the state plane, Daniels said: “I have no idea.”
On the one hand, I don’t like the idea of my governor hanging around in hotels a day or two before and after a conference he legitimately needs to attend. I’d rather he be here in Indiana and hoping that he can get some work done in the meantime. On the other hand, I don’t like the sound of a nearly $1,000 per hour trip. I think it’s two hours one way to D.C., so that’s $4,000 round trip. Even a conservative estimate pegs that number at $3,000.
On second thought, I do have an idea. How about the Governor pack his bags, a laptop, a bluetooth headset with cell phone and trek off to these things on Southwest. Then, when you land, get a room in a Holiday Inn.
I hear that, unlike Indy, D.C. has a decent subway system. Buy a $4 ticket and go to your meeting. There, I just saved Indiana $2,500.
According to this banner I snagged off of CNN’s Politics Page, the RNC and GOP is now resorting to just shooting all the Democrats that refuse to vote for McCain at the polls:
Indianapolis’ Department of Public Works may have gotten to the bottom of today’s stink. According to an email sent from Indianapolis Downtown Inc., “Per City Dept. of Public Works, the odor is due to a sewer line hook up on Pogue’s Run.”
Pogue’s Run is a small stream on the city’s east side.
It’s nearly 40 years old, but with a wave of completed construction projects, IUPUI is an up-and-comer.
The university that combines the best of Purdue and Indiana universities in Downtown Indianapolis is receiving national recognition.
IUPUI is one of 70 “up-and-coming schools” in the U.S. that everyone should be watching, says U.S. News & World Report in its September issue, which hits newsstands Monday.
A wave of completed construction projects? Really? A wave? I count two. Two completed construction projects. Hell, I planted eight shrubs this year at my house. What does U.S. News and World Report think about that?
For 20 years, the state required some of its employees to work more hours than those in other state agencies yet paid them the same.
Now it appears the state is going to pay for that decision — as much as $8.5 million.
The state reached a tentative agreement Monday on a class-action lawsuit that could affect an estimated 15,000 state employees who, from 1973 to 1993, worked 40-hour weeks but received the same pay as others in similar jobs who worked 37.5 hours a week.
Don’t be alarmed if you see a 6-foot elf walking around Downtown today. Gen Con, the convention for gamers and fans of science fiction and fantasy, is back for another turn in Indianapolis.
On my way into the office this morning I saw or heard these little gems:
One 30-something was humming the theme song to Super Mario Brothers. He looked large and as if he just stayed up all night eating pizza and soda.
Two teenage girls getting out of a taxi at the convention center. They were skipping into the convention center. And,
A guy dressed as the Joker.
Gen Con is the only convention the city hosts that’s 24/4. Meaning that those gamers can trade Pokemon cards from dawn until dawn for four days straight.
Welcome to Indy Town. And no, I don’t have any trading cards. Now get back to spending that $30 million the city expects you to drop while you’re here.
Over the past couple of days I’ve been reading a lot about the death of U.S. newspapers. Some analysts say that print is dead and we all should just move along to the Internet. Others say otherwise, like this guy:
We live under the happy illusion that we can transfer news-gathering to the Internet. News-gathering will continue to exist, as it does on this Web site and sites such as ProPublica and Slate, but these traditions now have to contend with a new, widespread and ideologically driven partisanship that dominates the dissemination of views and information, from Fox News to blogger screeds. The majority of bloggers and Internet addicts, like the endless rows of talking heads on television, do not report. They are largely parasites who cling to traditional news outlets. They can produce stinging and insightful commentary, which has happily seen the monopoly on opinion pieces by large papers shattered, but they rarely pick up the phone, much less go out and find a story. Nearly all reporting — I would guess at least 80 percent — is done by newspapers and the wire services. Take that away and we have a huge black hole.
I even read where one guy thinks we should make universities pass along the costs of newspapers to their students so they’re forced to read it. Well, that may be one way to raise money for ailing newspapers, but a piss poor way of pleasing your customers. As an IUPUI student I subsidize The Indianapolis Star, New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and USA today. Too bad I’m never on campus early enough in the day to actually pick up one and read it. Heck, I’m not even on campus most days of the week to pick one up. So that’s a retarded idea.
Some other arguments include moving all newspapers to the Internet. To that, I say, well, maybe you should. You already spend millions on printing the things and my frugal self never pays a dime for newspapers. Heck, I even write for one. I just get it all online. The folks that don’t have net access probably don’t have a newspaper subscription, either.
As usual, I’m here with an idea: shut down all the unprofitable print newspapers and turn it all to the Internet. Keep your reporters and staff and generate revenue via web ads like you already do and cut the frickin’ printer. It’s draining you people ragged.
Come August 16th and 17th, IUPUI will play host to the Blog Indiana conference. Registration is only $49 and the information presented evidently proves to be useful enough even to my employer. I’m earning comp time to attend the weekend-long conference and will hopefully be able to take what I learn and incorporate more here at justinharter.com.
I’ll leave you to write your own punch line for this one:
WASHINGTON — U.S. exports to Iran — including brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics and possibly even weapons — grew more than tenfold during President Bush’s years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists. America sent more cigarettes to Iran, at least $158 million worth under Bush, than any other products.
Indiana ranked 16th on the list, shipping antibiotics to the Middle Eastern country.
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Bull semen is one of the top U.S. exports to Iran.
I watched a video on TED the other day that just about scared the beejebus out of me. So much so I went to the grocery store later that day and bought ingredients to make a salad. *GASP!*
Luckily, the Internets pushed this little diddy into my inbox today to make me realize that not every health-nut is a health-genius:
Eating high levels of some soy products – including tofu – may raise the risk of memory loss, research suggests.
Whew. I can go back to eating my BLTs and cheeseburgers.
And, if you wanna get scared again, watch this aformentioned video:
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