Many people across the country and around the world, probably only know of Terre Haute, IN because of the 1979 NCAA men’s basketball championship matchup of Indiana State’s Larry Bird and Michigan State’s Magic Johnson. Indiana State is in Terre Haute.
I know Terre Haute very well, working full-time second shift in the old Columbia Records plant there, while I was getting my undergrad degree in accounting at Indiana State, which has had a superlative accounting program for many, many years. I also taught accounting there as a graduate assistant.
The only problem I have with Terre Haute, and also with Bloomington, for that matter, is how their high schools continually trounce the Evansville area cross country teams, since my younger daughter and her teammates had to continually look at the backs of these Terre Haute and Bloomington High School runners, when she ran Cross Country for legendary Castle High School coach Steve Edwardson.
Anyway, man, I wish I was blessed with the ability to write so crisply, logically, and objectively as whoever just wrote the Editorial for the very highly respected Terre Haute, IN Tribune-Star, where Democrat Trent Van Haaften was just endorsed for the US House of Representatives in Indiana's Bloody 8th District. He is running as a clear underdog against very wealthy, highly financed by silent special interests, Republican Dr. Larry Bucshon.
But then I guess if you write for a newspaper that services customers in cities where some very prestigious universities are located, like Indiana State University (OK, so being an ISU grad, maybe I'm biased) and superb engineering college Rose Hulman, both located in Terre Haute, and also like IU-Bloomington, one of the most prestigious public universities in the entire country (OK, I'm biased, since my older daughter just recently graduated from there...but it is true), your writing and critical reasoning better be superb, or you won't sell any newspapers, because you have a very tough audience.
This Tribune-Star Editorial Endorsement fairly, clearly, and thoroughly presents both the positives and negatives of each candidate, consistent with the way the very best universities teach critical reasoning. And then this Editorial reaches its conclusion based on the extensive evidence it presents relative to each candidate.
In sharp contrast, the Evansville Courier and Press Endorsement of wealthy heart surgeon Larry Bucshon doesn't follow the same fair-minded, critical reasoning, thorough, crisply written approach. In all fairness, it should be pointed out that the Evanville Courier and Press is owned by the very conservative Cincinnati-based Scripps organization.
The Evansville Courier and Press Endorsement of Dr. Bucshon is clearly one sided in blindly presenting its support for Dr. Bucshon, and I think would be given a failing grade by just about every University of Southern Indiana and University of Evansville (OK, you caught me again, I have taught at both of these superb local Evansville universities) professor in content, thoroughness, critical reasoning and writing ability. And this failing grade had nothing to do with the fact that the Evansville Courier consistently spelled the name of the candidate it was endorsing incorrectly....I'm not kidding.
I think if citizens of the Bloody 8th District really knew both Dr. Bucshon and Van Haaften, the election would be a landslide, with Van Haaften easily winning.
And it's not just that the very wealthy heart surgeon Dr. Bucshon is such a right wing extremist, and has so very little in common with 8th District citizens.
It's also that Trent Van Haaften is a moderate, just where the overwhelming majority of 8th District citizens are. And he is exceptionally bright, hard-working, and yeah even a JFK type charismatic speaker...but what's wrong with that?....it'll get Southwestern Indiana more National recognition, and also more influence in the US House. And he's very likeable...a consensus builder...will work well on the other side of the aisle...something critically needed in these such highly partisan times of extremists on both sides of the aisle.
Unfortunately to 8th District voters desperately wanting all of the critical facts to make a wise, informed voting decision, Dr. Bucshon has successfully hidden certain of his key traits, including his wealth, and even going so far as not showing up for a debate in Terre Haute.
I've reviewed a lot of websites of national candidates, and I have not seen any other candidate who's tax plan is to reduce the corporate US federal income tax rate on large Multinational Corps immediately by an amazingly high 43%, from 35% down to 20%. If Dr. Bucshon is elected, Big Multinational Corps know they'll have a rock-solid diehard supporter of their special interests.
I bet now the massive amount of silent financial support Dr. Bucshon is receiving in this Bloody 8th election makes sense to you. Well, the secretive organization "Americans for Job Security" has already spent an incredible $355,000 so far by blitzing the Bloody 8th District with dishonest TV ads, attacking Van Haaften. The only jobs this organization is securing is the US jobs that have already been shipped overseas by large US Multinational Corps to low wage and to low taxed international tax havens.
The problem here is that by electing another blind supporter of large Multinational Corps, it will be clearly detrimental to the US middle class, as well as to the country as a whole.
Dr. Bucshon's tax plan is clearly bold, but let’s examine it further. From a very exhaustive study I performed in reviewing SEC income tax footnotes, the largest US Multinational Corps presently actually pay just under a 10% corporate US federal income tax rate, much lower than the artificially stated corporate US federal income tax rate of 35%. The vast difference here is due to tons of corporate tax loopholes used by large Multinational Corps, a substantial one being the massive tax incentives to ship US jobs overseas. But there are also many other corporate tax loopholes like the numerous substantial tax loopholes granted to Big Oil companies.
And Dr. Bucshon's tax plan is to reduce this US corporate federal income tax rate by 43%, even after considering that the current 10% tax rate being paid by large Multinational Corps is already 71% below the 35% stated corporate tax rate.
The Terre Haute Tribune-Star, more than anything I have seen, has presented in its Editorial an outstanding insight into the key characteristics, political philosophy, and potential effectiveness of each candidate in representing the interests of Indiana 8th District citizens in the US House. I think it is must reading by all 8th District citizens, and frankly by everyone in the country, and even in the world, due to its keen insights here, so succinctly written.
The link below has this exceptionally written and well reasoned Editorial Endorsement.
Anyway, since after many tries, I haven't been able to link this really good web article, what I'll do instead is to copy it in its entirety below.
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October 17, 2010
TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Sizing up the 8th
A strict ideologue, or consensus builder?
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The Tribune-Star The Tribune Star Sun Oct 17, 2010, 05:54 AM EDT
BLOOMINGTON — Evan Bayh’s sudden decision last winter to retire from the U.S. Senate threw Indiana’s political climate into turmoil. Within a week, the 8th Congressional District was sucked into the storm as well, when two-term Rep. Brad Ellsworth announced his intention to surrender his House seat and pursue Bayh’s Senate seat.
The result was an open seat in the 8th, one of the most politically volatile and hotly contested swing districts in the nation.
A heated Republican Party primary produced Evansville heart surgeon Larry Bucshon as the GOP candidate. He narrowly defeated multiple opponents.
Democratic Party district officials eventually chose two-term state Rep. Trent Van Haaften, a former prosecutor in Posey County, to seek Ellsworth’s vacated House seat. There was no Democratic primary because of the short time Ellsworth had to pull out and seek Bayh’s Senate post.
With both candidates from southwestern Indiana — Bucshon from Newburgh, Van Haaften from Poseyville — potential voters here in the northern part of the district have had to rely primarily on the political campaign to get to know them. That is certainly an imperfect way to gauge what these men are all about, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt.
In summary, both men are highly successful, intelligent individuals who are quite accomplished in their respective fields. Having a doctor and a lawyer to pick from presents voters with good choices. Bucshon is a native of Illinois but has lived and worked in southwest Indiana for many years. Van Haaften is a lifelong resident of Posey County.
From a political standpoint, the candidates present voters with clear choices.
Bucshon is a passionate conservative with a firm grasp on the issues he considers most important in today’s political climate. His is closely aligned with the national Republican agenda. His ideology is firm and strongly held, whether the issues are economic, political or social in nature.
For example, Bucshon believes in what he calls “limited government” and that government spends too much money. He holds a strict “free-markets” economic philosophy, supports repeal of the Obama health care law and thinks more people from the private sector should step forward to tackle problems.
Van Haaften presents himself as similar in political attitude and philosophy to Ellsworth — a centrist Democrat who advocates bipartisanship and cooperation as a better way of attacking issues. His views on issues are moderate, at least from a Democratic perspective. He is more likely to stake out middle ground to reach consensus than cling to strict political ideology, much to the chagrin of those whose positions are more liberal.
In addition to taking moderate positions in such arenas as health care (he supports many of the provisions of Obama law but believes costs must be contained in the long term), he shows concern about the constituents of his district as a whole and speaks about finding ways to serve them all in Congress, not just those who agree with his political decisions.
For right-leaning voters motivated by ideology and favoring the national GOP agenda, Bucshon is a good fit. He undoubtedly would satisfy those who want strict political and philosophical adherence from their congressman.
Van Haaften isn’t likely to give that kind of satisfaction to liberal Democratic constituents. On the continuum, he is more moderate than Bucshon, which should make him more effective in Congress.
Carrying an ideological flag into a pitched political battle is a luxury few representatives will be able to afford in the coming sessions. What Congress doesn’t need is more partisan rancor and legislative gridlock. Van Haaften seems to understand that better than Bucshon.
For that, and for his centrist political philosophy and commitment to being a consensus builder, we prefer the Poseyville Democrat. Van Haaften gets our endorsement.
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