College is ALMOST over, again

As many of you know I have been working and going to college. I started going back to school in 2001 (I was 34 years old). I went to Ivy Tech from Aug 2001 - Dec 2003 while I was working as a Maintenance Manager at Halex. I got an Associates Degree in Industrial Maintenance. I also took a couple of Accounting classes that would transfer to IPFW.

I then went to IPFW full time from Jan 2004 - current. I have finals next week and then NO MORE COLLEGE. I finally graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Business with a specialty in Accounting.

I have been getting my transcripts together and looking everything over. I am about to send of my package to register for the CPA exam. When I graduate I will have 239 undergraduate college credits. Between Ball State, The United States Navy, Maplewoods Community College, Ivy Tech, and IPFW it seems like I have been going to school forever...

It is almost over...

Thank goodness...

Mike Sylvester

Libertarian Party of Allen County kicks off "Letter to the Editor" contest

The Libertarian Party of Allen County has started a "Letter to the Editor" contest.

The contest runs from April 25th, 2006 through the next Annual convention in April of 2007.

The rules are below:
1. The writer gets one point for a letter published on a Libertarian theme, two points for a letter with the word "libertarian" printed, and three points if the words "Libertarian Party" are printed.
2. The writer will have to furnish evidence to Mike Jablonski. Mike Jablonski is the judge for this contest.
3. Mike Sylvester is excluded from the contest.
4. Mike Jablonski will award the winner $100 at the 2007 LPAC Convention.
5. If the winner accumulates 50 points or more Mike Sylvester will present the winner an additional $100.

If you want to learn more about this contest please contact me at Mike.Sylvester@Verizon.net

Mike Sylvester

There is a Front Page story in the News-Sentinel today entitled "Probing the Power of the blog"

The story talks about local blogs and local politics.

There is a picture of both myself and Mitch Harper on the front page.

The story is an interesting read.

Ryan Lengerich did a great job of summarizing my thoughts...

Please check it out:



Mike Sylvester

The 2006 Allen County Libertarian Convention

We held the 2006 convention of The Libertarian Party of Allen County on Monday April 24th.

We had four new people attend the convention and had a good time. We officially nominated Robert Enders to be our candidate for the 80th District.

Robert Enders now has to be approved at the 2006 Indiana Libertarian Convention.

Allen County is sending four delegates to the State convention that is being held this weekend; I am one of the four delegates.

Guard the borders Blogburst

By Heidi at Euphoric Reality

Facts are a funny thing. They are conveniently forgotten if they don't uphold one's point-of-view, and they're easily overlooked if they are randomly scattered about. But when solid facts are brought together in one place, the pattern is difficult to ignore. The facts I'm about to provide below are just such a case. People may be able to overlook a single fact, but the weight of their significance cannot be denied when they come together in one place. That is the purpose of this week's Blogburst - to look at some hard facts.

I think it's important to study the problems of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas as instructive for the rest of the states. It may be that others can write off the doom of California by saying, "Well, that's just California, a loony state of fruits and nuts - that would never happen here." But while California is tipping head-first into ruin, it is highly indicative of the chain of events the rest of us are blindly bumbling through. Arizona and New Mexico have declared official states of emergency because they are completely unable to handle the burden of the influx of illegals into their communities. Texas is not far behind with mass hospital closings, an overwhelmed and declining school system, and a climbing crime rate. Just because one lives in Idaho or Nebraska or Maine does not mean that it won't happen to you! You're just a few years behind the curve.

The following 10 facts have been pulled from the LA Times. We've posted them all at one time or another at ER or in the Blogburst.

1. L.A. County has 10 million people. 40% of all workers in L.A. County are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.

2. Of the 10 million people in L.A. County, 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million speak only Spanish.

3. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

4. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

5. Over two-thirds of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

6. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

7. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.

8. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

9. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

10. 21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish language only.

We need to look at the experience of California as inevitable for the rest of us - if we don't, we're only burying our heads in the sand and bequeathing that future to our children! After all, if we keep merrily careening down the road to California, we can't be dumbfounded when we actually end up in California, can we?!

Here are a few more facts on a national scale:

1. Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 36% are on welfare.

2. Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.

3. The United States receives more immigrants every year than the rest of the world combined.

4. The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].

5. The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE.

6. 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

The problems of illegal immigration are not solely "border state" problems. They impact everyone. California and Texas are the two biggest economic engines in the United States - and they are teetering on bankruptcy on a catastrophic scale. If they go bust, guess who picks up the pieces? Indiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, West Virginia, and all the rest. Illegal immigration is not - I repeat, NOT - a border state problem. It's a burden we're all bearing and a risk we're all sharing.

We are way past the point of half-way measures and temporary fixes. As a nation, we must demand a definitive, decisive, no-nonsense solution. We cannot be placated by smarmy speeches from self-interested politicians, or fooled by spin semantics ("it's a guest worker program - not amnesty"), or lulled into apathy by the drone of our everyday lives.

We cannot leave this crisis to our children. Do something! Get out of your comfort zone and get involved. There are bigger issues at stake than the price of lettuce! The time is critical. And it's NOW.

_________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

Earlier post from a couple of days ago is an urban legend

A couple of days ago I posted a short post that I received by email entitled NBA or NFL.

When I posted it I noted that I had no idea if it was true or not.

It is NOT, it is an urban legend.

Mike Sylvester

Another powerful letter in The Journal Gazette this time

The author of this letter supports any of the three challengers and just wants to see the incumbents removed from office. He is a current student at Carroll High School. He used his real name and exercised his freedom of speech to express his frustration with Carroll High School.

The article is entitled "Time to change NACS Board" and was written by Brad King.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/14396035.htm

Email chain letter I am passing on...

I have not had the time to check the facts on this mass email. Off the top of my head; they seem about right... The letter is below...

NBA OR NFL?

36 have been accused of spousal abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

19 have been accused of writing bad checks

117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71 , repeat71, cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 currentlyare defendants in lawsuits, and

84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Giveup yet? . . . Scroll down,




Neither, it's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line. You gotta pass this one on!

Three recent press hits for Mike Sylvester

The first is over at Leo Morri's blog, he mentions me blasting eminent domain and links to about 12 of my previous posts on emiinent domain. Go Leo go... The post is intitled "Theft by government"
http://blogs.fortwayne.com/opening_arguments/

The second is at Frost Illustrated. They have ran five of my letters to the editor so far this year. They also have been kind enough to advertise for our meetings and events... The most recent letter is regarding Attorney's fees in the attempted theft of Aqua Indiana North by The City (I mean empire) of Fort Wayne
http://www.frostillustrated.com/news/2006/0419/Opinions/019.html

The third is a letter to the editor that Jeff Fraser submitted to local papers. It was printed in both The Northwest News and The News-Sentinel.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/14387380.htm

Second and final candidate forum

This forum was well attended by about 85 people. All five candidates came and I thought everyone gave a good accounting on themselves...

I handled myself much better this time and yes, I wore a suit and tie...

Some AMAZING things were said. I am still quite shocked by a couple of them...

One sitting School Board member said:
"Good kids will do dumb things, and we need to remember that."

Another sitting School Board member said:
"We should be more merciful to students."

Wow, one of these almost for sure refers to Jeff Fraser and his expulsion, the other most likely refers to the expulsion. I was quite shocked to say the least... One of them sincerely came across as regretting voting for the expulsion of Jeff Fraser (Which was voted in favor of unanimously...)

I am not mentioning names of which School Board members said what on purpose. If you were at the meeting you will know who said what...

The other thing that was shocking was some of the answers to a question fielded from the crowd. It was a question asking us to "name a current problem in the school system."

Most all of us said the size of Carroll High School.

One other challenger hinted at the atmosphere at Carroll.

I was a lot more blunt about the atmosphere at Carroll.

Then a sitting Board Member also said the atmosphere at Carroll High School. I was SHOCKED, to say the least...

This was an enjoyable event and I had fun.

Mike Sylvester

April 17th Libertarian event

Several Libertarians passed out some infomrational reading yesterday. The News Sentinel has some good coverage of this even and a picture of Doug Horner.

Check it out:
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/

Mike Sylvester

A Welfare State With Illegal Immigration Offers Businesses a Better Deal Than Slavery

by Darnell MaGavock at Independent Conservative

Let me start by saying I don’t endorse either slavery or illegal immigration. But looking at things from the economic standpoint of a company that hires illegals today versus the use of slave labor in the 18th and 19th centuries, illegal immigration offers companies a better deal than any slave owner ever had. The reason is the modern day welfare state that is known as America.
During American slavery, the slave owner was responsible for the total care of the slave. Although slave masters did this “on the cheap” they had to provide housing, food, clothing and medical care for the slave and their entire family. This resulted in the institution of slavery being more of a loss than gain over time. The only other option was to grant freedom to slaves who were a great expense, but that involved the strain of possibly breaking a family. Separating families often resulted in the other slaves trying harder to escape to be with loved ones. Non-profitable slaves were not sellable, because nobody else wanted the burden. This was the slave master’s dilemma, that people like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin figured out. They realized that slavery was not financially good over time - because the “free labor” was not really “free”, given the need to provide full care to the slave labor force. This was in addition to the expense of buying a slave in the first place.

Today’s employer of illegal immigrants does not have any of the hassles experienced by slave owners. The employer of illegals offers them a very small salary and no benefits. Which means such an employer never runs the risk of going cash-flow-negative on labor costs. They can adjust wages at will, because they will always find an illegal that is willing to accept the rate. This is the reason Cesar Chavez once disliked illegal immigration. If one set of illegals tried to “strike” for better wages, the company would simply replace them with new illegals that were willing to accept the pay rate offered to them.

So the employer of illegals has no direct issues with having to fund housing, medical or the expense of educating the children of illegal immigrants. These are expenses that American taxpayers have been funding. Government (funded by taxpayers) helps illegals secure home loans and encourages banks to give them out. Government (funded by taxpayers) is picking up the medical expenses of illegals. Government (funded by taxpayers) is educating the children of illegal aliens.

You may have seen the CNN Special “Immigrant Nation: Divided Nation”. If you did, you saw profiles of illegals that live in my county of Gwinnett Georgia. The show often tried to make granting amnesty to illegals look like a good thing, but like the slave master’s dilemma, even the tax paying illegals do not come close to covering the expenses involved in caring for them.
Excerpts from, Transcript of CNN Special Report - Immigrant Nation: Divided Nation
…HINOJOSA: Ten years ago when I first came to Georgia, I asked people if there was a Latino neighborhood, or barrio. I got a lot of strange looks.

Now I’m here in the heart of just one of the many Latino barrios in Georgia. I can get some of the best tacos outside of Mexico right here 24 hours a day. The home of Martin Luther King, the state that gave us the civil rights movement, is now home to half a million Latinos, a 300 percent increase in a decade.…HINOJOSA: Estimates vary, but somewhere between 7 and 20 million people are living in this country illegally, one of the largest populations of undocumented immigrants in the world. Most of them come across this border. According to the U.S. government, over 1 million were caught last year alone.

This latest wave of immigrants has spread far beyond the southwest and the West Coast. Latino immigrant communities are now fixtures across the nation, especially in the south, in places like Gwinnett County, Georgia.…HINOJOSA: Rosa first came to Georgia two years ago, all alone.
Last year, unable to bear the separation any longer, Rosa paid a smuggler $5,000 to wade her children across the river at night, but they were caught at a checkpoint and immediately deported. Rosa faced a difficult decision.

ROSA (through translator): I told my daughter, you have two options. I either stay in Mexico with you, or I will leave for the States for another year in preparation to bring the two of you. Then my daughter told me to return to the States so I could bring them eventually.…HERCHEK: I’m afraid that America could become a third world country. We’re importing poverty by millions every year.…HINOJOSA (on camera): The numbers say it all. Ten years ago, these schools served very few Spanish-speaking students. In 2003, one out of 10 students listed Spanish as their primary language, $26 million will be spent in Gwinnett County in English language services.…HINOJOSA: Federal law says people are entitled to emergency medical care, whether or not they’re in this country legally. In one year Georgia paid $58 million in emergency Medicaid reimbursement for undocumented immigrants.…The smugglers will be paid almost $6,000 by Rosa if they were successful, would show border agents false papers for the children. They didn’t make it.

Despite their fake papers, Junior and Rosita were detained. The smugglers were arrested. The children were returned to Mexico and reunited with their grandmother. Despite the set back, Rosa vows to try again.

ROSA (through translator): I will keep trying to bring them. The sooner the better. If in 15 days I find someone to bring them here, then we will try again with them.…

Unlike slavery, with illegal immigration the burden of expenses is carried by the entire nation. So instead of individual plantation owners having to endure the expenses of supposedly cheap labor, it is a burden carried by taxpaying Americans.

It is my family that endures pain, while waiting behind illegals for medical care. It is my tax dollars that pay for education of illegals, that by school rules have 6 years to learn English and many drop out before ever finishing school. So they take up much space and expense, while not even learning much during the process. While school time is spent on illegals, it diverts resources and teaching time away from children in a legal family. And I’m not even going to get into the issues with gangs. (That would require its own post.)

The issues I see here in Gwinnett County, Georgia will only get worse with anything that encourages illegal immigration or makes them feel they will be rewarded. And the issues will get worse for America. The nation will not be able to sustain the expense of this dilemma for much longer. It is causing the nation to engage in a race to the bottom and then we all lose.
America’s borders need to be secured and the only means made for immigration should be via the current legalization process. What employers of illegals see as a “resource” is really a great expense. Immigration requires regulation to prevent this nation’s collapse.

__________________________________________This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

Candidate Forum at Perry Hill was quite interesting

The Candidate Forum at Carroll High School was very interesting. I enjoyed attending it and I consider it an educational experience.

The only unfortunate thing about the Candidate Forum is the fact that so few people came who were undecided on who to vote for. Most of the candidates came with 2-4 friends and family members who already support them.

I have to say that I think I could have done a better job at that Candidate Forum. I will have to work on my delivery and think a little more carefully about how I want to word some of my responses...

Things I did well:
I obviously came having already done research and was fairly well prepared for the scripted
questions.

Things I did poorly:
I may have been underdressed. I decided not to wear a suit; and I think that may have been
a mistake. I wore Khakis and a collared shirt. I should have worn a suit.
There are a couple of questions I should have answered a little differently. Anyone that knows
me will realize that I NEVER use prepared comments, I always speak "off the cuff."

One of the things that was most interesting about this candidate forum is that members of the crowd were allowed to ask specific candidates questions. That was a little unusual; but, interesting.

There are a few people in the crowd that asked questions. Most of these people supported one candidate or another and asked pre-scripted questions. I thought this was pretty interesting as well.

I am looking forward to the next Candidate Forum.

Another "Tax day"

The taxes of most Americans are due today...

It is getting to the point to where I think another "Tea Party" may be in order...

The Libertarian Party of Allen County will be passing out flyers to inform the public about The National Debt at the downtown Post Office in Fort Wayne tonight...

The actual National Debt is about 8.4 trillion dollars by cash accounting. In other words; the government currently actually owes 8.4 trillion dollars. This is money the government has borrowed.

The government forces almost every business in The United States to keep track of its finances by "accrual" accounting. Accrual accounting tends to give a much more accurate figure about your financial situation...

If you use accrual accounting the National Debt is ABOUT 72 trillion dollars by current estimates. In other words, the government would have to borrow ANOTHER 63.6 trillion dollars (72 - 8.6) today and invest it just to be able to pay for all of the promises they have made.

What is worse is that they keep making bigger and bigger promises every year...

Mike Sylvester

Today was a very busy day

I did a two hour interview with Tom Hayhurst this morning. Tom Hayhurst is running for the Democratic nomination for the 3rd Congressional District.

I will be posting this interview in the next couple of days. It was interesting and I think you will enjoy it.

I also did a lot of work on my School Board Campaign today.

I am willing to interview any candidates that contact me AND I al also willing to post any platforms that candidates wish me to post.

I think that we are best served by an informed electorate.

Bill Larsen wrote a great letter to the editor supporting my bid for NACS School Board

The letter can be read here:
<http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/14325341.htm>

Thanks Bill!

Results of last poll

The results of the last poll are in:
Ron Felger One Vote
John Hilger Two Votes
Doug Adelsperger Eight Votes
Mary Wysong Ten Votes
Mike Sylvester Fifteen Votes

Obviously this poll is of NO worth. This is my blog and the readers are biased...

In my opinion the newspaper made four candidates look good and made one candidate look somewhat poor.

I would say that the newspaper made Felger, Adelsperger, Wysong and myself all look fairly good. I would say they made Hilger look not so good. I find it VERY interesting that John Hilger's daughter is going to Bishop Dwenger rather then Carroll...

Latest post from "Guard the Borders"

Due to the immigration rallies going on this week, Guard the Borders wanted to give you, our readers, some in-person coverage. This is a follow up to Monday's Blogburst and includes photos, audio files of on-the-spot interviews, and personal observations from Heidi at ER (Houston), Greg at DeMediacratic Nation (Phoenix), and Jake and MJ at Freedom Folks (Chicago).

Personal Property Taxes 101

Based on one of the comments to my last post I am not sure that everyone knows exactly what Personal Property Taxes paid by businesses are.

All businesses pay Personal Property Taxes on all assets they use in their business... This tax is paid once a year to your Township.

I will use our Accounting business as an example. We run an Accounting business out of our home.

Let's say we hire a new employee this year and expand our business. Lets say we buy the employee the following things:
A desk for $450
An adding machine worth $50
A nice chair for $100 (not as nice as our Library bought...)
And a computer worth $1400.
Grand total spent is $2000.

Note when I buy these items I use money I have already paid income taxes on. I paid sales tax to The State of Indiana to the tune of 6% on each item as I bought it as well. So Personal Property taxes is a Triple Tax. It is the third tax I pay with this money...

Then I have to pay "Personal Property Tax" on each item to the Township I live in. This is a FOUR PAGE form that each business owner has to fill out once per year per Township. The tax rate is a sliding tax rate that you pay EVERY year that you use that asset in your business.

I of course also have to pay personal property taxes on all items I HAVE BOUGHT IN PREVIOUS years as well.

This is an absurd and silly tax that needs to be abolished.

I have a client that moved here from Texas. He runs a small, high technology company in Fort Wayne.

He is actually considering leaving Fort Wayne already. He has two business locations in two different Counties. Realize Texas does not have Personal Property Taxes or State or County Income Taxes. My client has to pay the following taxes in Indiana that he did NOT have to pay in Texas:
1. Indiana Income Tax
2. County Income Tax
3. Personal Property Taxes on all assets at location one.
4. Personal Property Taxes on all assets as the second location.

He is NOT happy.

He should not be happy.

What is EVEN MORE frustrating is the fact that our elected officials can give large Companies TAX ABATEMENTS so they do not have to pay some of these taxes.

Small Businesses cannot get these same tax abatements due to the costs associated with filing the forms...

We should abolish this tax.

Who thinks this is a good tax?

Downtown Fort Wayne 101

I would like to hear what the readers of this blog think should be done in downtown Fort Wayne.

I have some ideas; but, none of them seem to have been embraced by our elected officials.

1. I think we should ELIMINATE all tax abatements in Fort Wayne. I might consider making an exception that would allow us to grant ONE tax abatement to a new business. I would have to investigate this more. This would allow businesses to succeed or fail based on merit rather then on who gets special treatment. The free market will work if we let it.

2. I think we should ELIMINATE personal property taxes on all businesses. This would help local businesses a great deal. This would help small business owners in a huge way and it would also help large business owners.

3. I think we should market Fort Wayne to small business owners exclusively. I think we should STOP trying to draw large businesses entirely. I keep hearing that 7 of 10 new jobs are created by small businesses. Lets embrace this and lets make Fort Wayne extremely friendly to small business owners. I would like to see Fort Wayne draw 1,000 small businesses that each employ 5 people rather then one business that employs 5000 people.

4. I would immediately STOP using eminent domain unless it is for a true public purpose.

5. If our elected officials keep pouring money into downtown to re-develop it, and I think it will, we then need to LIMIT the continued sprawl of Fort Wayne. We need to stop allowing developers to build wherever they want to and we must STOP sprawling towards the County lines. It does not make sense if we want to spend money on the core. Duh...

What do you think?

Mike Sylvester

I also attended the joint City and County Council Meeting where combining 911 service was discussed

County Council members were given their chance to weigh in on consolidation.

Paula Hughes was very in favor of it.

Cal Miller thinks it is an exciting opportunity and thinks we need to listen to everyone.

Vogt pretty much agreed with Cal Miller.

Cunnegin thinks it is exciting and thinks they must be good listeners.

NEXT THE CONSOLIDATION OF 911 SERVICE WAS DISCUSSED AND IT WAS VERY PATHETIC AND INEPT IN THE EXTREME

Basically two years have been spent trying to combine City and County 911 service. They are pretty close to a solution but just cannot get it done...

This is the result of two large governmental departments trying to deal with each other. It just does not work and this clearly does not bode well for those in favor of consolidation. It is always about control and money.

Talarico really was disgusted and wanted something done within 30 days. The Sheriff and Chief of Police instead want to have a proposed solution by July and try to merge by January of 2007. Talarico correctly pointed out that opponents of consolidation will point to this as an example of how it is nearly impossible to get consolidation done... Talarico is right... (I hate agreeing with Talarico...)

I really wish I would have left because this synopsis covered well over an hour of boring conversation that GOT NOWHERE.

It may have been worth staying just so that I could hear Talarico defending a viewpoint that I actually agree with... That does not seem to happen often...

I attended the join meeting of The Allen County Commissioners and The City Council

It was actually fairly interesting. About 200 people were present.

John Stafford from IPFW gave a presentation on "The nuts and bolts" of HB1362 which allows consolidation.

Then the council members and commissioners that wanted to were allowed to make their comments. Those that spoke were surprisingly in favor of consolidation.

Talarico and Crawford may be the two most in favor of consolidation. In fact they are working on a resolution and plan on discussing it at City Council tomorrow...

Hines was the only person who basically spoke against consolidation.

Nelson Peters spoke in favor of exploring consolidation in a deliberate manner.

Pape basically agreed that we need to look at consolidation as long as it improves government. He was cautious and though that is will be very important to get the right people on the consolidation committee.

Schmidt was also in favor of it. He emphasized how important timing can be and he said this was the biggest crowd he had ever seen. He thinks it is time.

I left the meeting with the impression that the consolidation discussion will be occurring in the near future. It will be a long and painful process...

April 10th, National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice

Monday, April 10, has been dubbed by pro-illegal activists as the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice. After two weeks of both large-scale and ad hoc protests, they are trying to bring it all together before their big Walk Out on May 1st.

There are more protests scheduled around the nation - more than 100 have been registered at www.april10.org. Find out what’s going on in your town or city – you’d be surprised by some of the locales of the organized protests.

While the rest of America goes on with making a living and having a life, these rallies could very easily be fizzling out or, on the other hand, gaining momentum and proliferating. (Personally, I'm wondering just how many days of work and school these people can skip before it starts to hurt.) Either way, Americans want to know what is being said and done by these interlopers at the rallies. We must keep an eye on things, because our faint-of-heart senators won't. They are on an ill-deserved two week vacation, after all.

Several members of the Guard the Borders Blogburst are planning to observe the rallies in their areas and report back with photos, quotes, and/or more. So this edition of the Blogburst will be presented in two parts; today's notice and a follow-up on Tuesday with what we glean from various rallies across the nation. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, let's make sure that our senators have a stack of NO AMNESTY faxes and phone messages when they get back from vacation. They still have a lot of debating to do, and we need to be sure that they are absolutely clear on where we, as Americans, stand on the issue.

To send in a free FAX, go to NumbersUSA. Or click here for all the contact information for your congressional representatives.

_________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

NACS School Board race

This has been a busy week for my campaign. We have put up about 160 yard signs all over NACS. I have kept some in reserve. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT A SIGN OR TWO FOR YOUR YARD!

The Journal Gazette had an informational article about the NACS School Board race written by Kelly Soderlund on May 6th.

Please check out the article at:
<http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/14276978.htm>

After reading the article please vote in my poll about the Northwest Allen County School Board race.

I am curious to see which candidates you feel are the strongest in this race.

You may vote in this poll once per day.

Fort Wayne commits ANOTHER shameful act

Mike Sylvester sent the below letter on April 8th, 2006

This email was sent to:
The City of Fort Wayne
All members of the current City Council that have an email address on the official city
website
Local news sources in Fort Wayne
Select individuals interested in property rights

Please feel free to contact me for clarification on anything in this article and please feel free to publish this article.

April 8th, 2006

The attorney’s fees associated with Fort Wayne’s misguided attempt to seize the assets of Aqua Indiana North with Eminent Domain should certainly be a matter of public record. I am currently the President of The Valley Place Neighborhood Association and I am a satisfied Aqua Indiana customer. I have filed a Freedom of Information Request with The City of Fort Wayne. I wish to review the attorney’s fees that The City of Fort Wayne has incurred trying to seize the assets of Aqua Indiana North, the company that currently provides my water service.

I read the article in The Journal Gazette entitled “secret payments to city lawyers” {<http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/14296212.htm>} on April 8th and I am completely appalled that The City of Fort Wayne is refusing to provide this information to the public. One of the keys to a successful Democracy is an open government with as much transparency as possible.

I find it particularly troubling that The City of Fort Wayne is hiding information about a case in which The City is trying to seize the assets of a PRIVATE BUSINESS. This use of Eminent Domain is shameful and unnecessary. I have spoken with several of my neighbors and none of us feel that Fort Wayne will provide us a better service then Aqua Indiana North!

I often read articles about how hard Fort Wayne is trying to attract outside investment. If I were a business owner and I was looking for a place to invest money Fort Wayne would not be on my list due to its current and past abuse of Eminent Domain. Fort Wayne has recently used Eminent Domain to take land from both business owners and homeowners. I wonder how many businesses have elected NOT to move to Fort Wayne due to fear of having its property seized through Eminent Domain.

I testified about Eminent Domain abuse in Fort Wayne earlier this year at The Statehouse. I was specifically invited to testify by the author of the bill (Rep. Wolkins) that was passed and will limit local government’s use of Eminent Domain, HB1010. I was the only private citizen invited to testify and I was specifically asked to testify about Eminent Domain abuse in Fort Wayne!

The House of Representatives was appalled by Fort Wayne’s frivolous use of Eminent Domain. Phyllis Pond spoke up after my testimony and she backed up my testimony on The House Floor. The actions of The City of Fort Wayne have identified us as a City that does not respect private property rights. This does not help Fort Wayne attract new investment.

It is unfortunate that The City of Fort Wayne continues to abuse Eminent Domain and that it is also abusing the open records law that requires government records to be reviewed by the public upon request.

Mike Sylvester
Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Allen County
President of the Valley Place Homeowners Association

Tina Taviano is one of the Democratic candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Allen County Sheriff, here is her platform

IT'S TIME for:

*County-City Combined Services. This means combining certain areas of both the city and county police departments. These areas include training facilities, communication (911), as well as certain maintenance facility components. As time goes on, she has also expressed great interest in sharing facilities with the city police department. This will allow Fort Wayne to respond more effective in the case of any disaster, natural or man-made. Tina isn't talking about UniGov, and certainly not "brown shirts and blue pants." With regard to Mayor Richard's latest UniGov proposal, since she has not examined his plan (since it is still being developed with public input), she has not yet taken a stance on it. However, she still feels strongly that the comibing of certain public safety services should continue regardless of the Mayor's proposal.

*Fiscal Responsibility. This means saving both city and county residents' tax dollars. Tina will call upon her years of administrative experience, as well as her Bachelor's degree in Business, and Master's in Public Affairs to bring the best business strategies to the Sheriff's department. Furthermore, by combining certain services with the city and county, the collective bargaining power of the two agencies will be increased. Both the departments will be able to receive lower bids on necessary equipment, and will be able to reduce duplication in the areas of equipment repair, etc. through standardization.

*Long Term Planning. This ties directly in to fiscal responsibility. By using her business skills and education to set long term goals for the department, the Sheriff's office will grow more efficient and spend less money overall. In some areas, this means that there may be very little initial economic benefit, however in the long term, Allen County residents will continue to feel these positive impacts.

*Strong Leadership. Having held supervisory positions in nearly all areas of the Sheriff's Department, Tina is fully prepared to serve as an effective and strong leader. Currently the Director of Training, she has also held the position of District Chief as well as Combat Command positions with several Volunteer Fire Departments. She has dedicated her life to public service, having served as a sworn officer since 1982. She has demonstrated her leadership in both paid and volunteer capacities, as she has also served on multiple boards and commissions such as ERIN's House for Grieving Children, and the Mayor's Commission against Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment and Rape.

*Progressive Programs.
-Increased and more accessible Sex Offender Registry tracking and enforcement.
-More officer's in schools, however not in a "hall monitor" capacity. Tina believes that children should be introduced to law enforcement in a positive way at a young age, building confidence and repoire with our younger generation.
-Enhanced online services. By increasing the accessibility and services available to citizens online, we can cut costs and reduce costly paperwork.
-Civilians for Civilian Positions. Tina believes that sworn officers do best in positions that make use of their certifications and training, whether supervisory and administrative, or on the street protecting citizens. There are numerous civilian positions that are currently being filled by sworn officers. By having civilians perform these job functions, the department will both save money, and be able to allocate resources where they are needed most.

Experience:

Allen County Sheriff's Department:
*Director of Training
*Master Instructor
*Detective (Crimes Against Persons)
*Patrol Supervisor
*Civil/Courts
*Jail Supervisor

10 Years: Volunteer Fire/EMS - Held rank of District Chief, the first woman in Allen County to do so.
7 Years: Mayor's Commission against Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment and Rape.

Volunteer Efforts & Community Involvement(Partial List):
*SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect)
*ERIN's House for Grieving Children
*Community Service Council
*Ivy Tech Criminal Justice Advisory Board
*PLAN IT Allen Comprehensive Plan

Mission Statement:

To provide fair and equal access to quality services in a professional manner, to ALL residents of Allen County.

Economic Development Mike Sylvester style

I have posted comments about this before...

Fort Wayne and Allen County should get together and they should ABOLISH personal property taxes at once.

Businesses are required to file a stupid form each year and to pay a small percentage of the value of all of their equipment to The Township. This form is due on May 15th. For the smallest business this form is still four pages long...

Businesses of course then pass this tax along to their customers. Just abolish the tax. We would be much better off:

1. It is a long form and it is a pain to fill it out.
2. It is ALMOST impossible to enforce. Many businesses do NOT even pay it. Those
businesses who do are almost penalized because there are so many businesses that do not
pay it.
3. The City Council often grants tax abatements to large and mid-sized companies; these
abatements forgive these companies from paying these taxes for a period of time. Small
Business owners are locked out of these tax abatements.
4. Tax abatements are unfair on this tax. They benefit large companies and punish small
companies.

I keep hearing how 7 of 10 jobs are created by small businesses. Why do we keep subsidizing large businesses and penalizing small businesses?

It does not make sense...

Do not even get me started on the Downtown Improvement District today.

Mike Sylvester

The story of a C.O. that I can respect; unlike mark Souder

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The only conscientious objector to receive a Medal of Honor in World War II has been buried at a national cemetery with a 21-gun salute, although he refused to carry a weapon while serving as an Army medic.

Desmond T. Doss Sr., 87, died March 23 in Piedmont, Ala., where he and his wife, Frances, had been living with family.

A horse-drawn hearse delivered the flag-covered casket to the grave site Monday in the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Military helicopters flew overhead in a tribute formation.

Doss had endured ridicule for his beliefs but "remained true to his convictions even when it was not the most popular thing to do," said Patti Parks, a retired Navy commander and director of the Medal of Honor Museum in Chattanooga.

Doss, who refused to carry a weapon during his wartime service in the Pacific, was the subject of a book, "The Unlikeliest Hero," and a 2004 documentary, "The Conscientious Objector."
Medal of Honor Society records show he was among 3,461 recipients of the nation’s highest military honor.

While under enemy fire on the island of Okinawa, Doss carried 75 wounded soldiers to the edge of a 400-foot cliff and lowered them to safety, according to his citation.

During a later attack, he was seriously wounded in the legs by a grenade.

According to the citation, as he was being carried to safety, he saw a more critically injured man and crawled off his stretcher, directing the medics to help the other wounded man.

"He wanted to serve. He just didn’t want to kill anybody," said a veteran who attended the service, Fred Headrick, 85. "Most all of them (Medal of Honor recipients) received their medal for killing someone. He received his by saving lives."

Desmond T. Doss Sr. is a man I could vote for; he would be a much better Congressman then Mark Souder who FALSELY promised to serve a maximum of twelve years and promised to debate all challengers a few years ago and now has decided to break those promises. Hypocrite!

Karena went on a rant last night

It is fairly normal for me to go on a rant, my wife is another story entirely.

We are all sick. My wife and both kids are fairly sick; I just have a little of it. So Karena (My wife) went to Walgreens to get some cold medicine. They had those stupid cards since they can no longer leave the actual cold medicine on the shelf.

She decided she wanted night-time and day-time cold medicine for the kids and then normal day-time cold medicine for herself. So she gathered all of the cards and went and stood in line. When she got to the cash register they told her that she could not buy that much cold medicine. They told her she could only buy TWO boxes of cold medicine...

So she bought two and left... She was NOT pleased...

This is a great example of our government at work. Of course this is NOT going to stop Meth production; we all know that. The only people who think it will stop Meth production are politicians (Especially Mark Souder). This is a STUPID law from our nanny state. It is AMAZING to me that it was passed by Large Government Republicans...

WHAT MORONS...

P.S. Does ANYONE who reads this blog think this is a good law? If so please leave a comment because I want to hear from you.

Mike Sylvester

City-County consolidation talks heat up

Many people have asked me if I am in favor of consolidation or not. My answer is actually similar to Marla Irving's answer in the interview I conducted last Sunday.

I believe in consolidation in areas where it makes sense and where it adds efficiency and/or cuts costs.

The Mayor came out today in favor of consolidation and backed a proposal that would replace the Mayor and County Commissioners with a single executive. This proposal would also replace the City Council and County Council with one combined City/County Council.

The Mayor said one thing that was shocking.

He will not pursue further annexations (Except for the two currently in progress) until this issue is resolved. Wow. For him that is a major and almost un-believable statement. The empire of Fort Wayne loves to expand and take property with both annexation and Eminent Domain as frequently as they can.

The Mayor also said one thing that was completely inept and typical of all local elected officials of both Parties.

He does not know if consolidation will save the taxpayers money.

WHAT.

How stupid is he?

If we consolidate services it DAMN WELL BETTER SAVE THE TAXPAYERS MONEY. DUH...

Mike Sylvester
Chairman of The Libertarian Party of Allen County

Massachusetts is trying to prove it is the dumbest State in the union...

John has a great post about the mandatory health care law that Massachusetts is about to enact. This is an EXTREMELY stupid idea. After reading John's post I am pretty sure that John thinks it is a bad idea as well; and he is a DEMOCRAT (Though he is what I consider a GOOD Democrat).

Please go to his blog and read his post and make some comments. My comments is a long RANT and it is the third comment.

Enjoy

<http://leftinaboite.blogspot.com/>

Outrage in Indianapolis School

Mike Kole says it very well, please check this out!
<http://kolehardfacts.blogspot.com/2006/04/little-common-sense-please-what-do-you.html>

New blog that I have linked to!

I have found a new blog that I will make daily reading, "Conservative UAW Guy." He is a disgruntled Reagan Republican who is considering becoming a Libertarian...

He likes guns, he likes more guns, and he does not like the Large Government Party The Republicans have become.

I suggest you check his blog out. He kind of reminds me of Andrew and AWB...

Link
<http://www.theconservativeuawguy.blogspot.com/>

Republicans read carefully... Especially AWB and Andrew...

Andrew, this is for you and AWB!

Fort Wayne Illegal Immigration Rally draws 5500 people according to The News-Sentinel

It is hard, actually impossible, to believe that approximately 5500 people actually attended a rally in Fort Wayne supporting illegal aliens on Sunday April 2nd, 2006.

Rallies like this ensure that The Republican Party will "Flip-Flop" on illegal immigration and will end up passing an Amnesty program with broad Democratic support...

For quite awhile I have been predicting the Democrats will take at least one House of Congress from The Republicans in 2006. I believe that even more now... The Republican Party will Flip-Flop on this issue and will show themselves to be spine-less wimps. Mark my words...

As far as I am concerned there is only one good thing about this rally, it was peaceful... I fully support everyone's right to peaceful protest...

One of the things that disturbs me most about this rally is that Bishop John D'Arcy was involved with this rally in a visible and active roll. One of my readers pointed out in an earlier post that he did not feel the Roman Catholic Church was one of the forces behind these rallies. I do not agree with that at all, I now even more strongly feel that The Roman Catholic Church was heavily involved in the Fort Wayne rally.

The head of this entire Diocese took an active roll in the rally. The rally gathered at St Patrick's Catholic Church... What more do we need to know?

I still feel that this is the answer to legal immigration:
1. Secure the border. Build a wall if needed. Use The National Guard if needed.
2. Impose sanctions against Mexico if they keep encouraging illegal immigration.
3. Tax all money transfers from the USA to Mexico. Use this to pay for the services these
illegal immigrants use.
4. Throw all actual illegal alien criminals out of this country as soon as their prison terms are up.
5. Throw out all other illegal aliens out of the country. This will take awhile...
6. After all other steps are done INCREASE legal immigration AND make the process easier.

I DO NOT want to reward illegal aliens. There are a lot of people who enter this country the right way and we should not reward those who break our laws.

EVERY illegal alien that works is breaking at least one Federal law and committing a felony. I often hear people say that illegal aliens are not breaking the law.

To work in The United States you need a Social Security number or a Tax ID number. Illegal aliens often work by STEALING another person's Social Security and illegally portraying themselves as that person. THAT IS CLEARLY BREAKING THE LAW...

Period...

Bill Larsen has an interesting post about illegal immigration, please check it out

<http://wmlarsen.blogspot.com/2006/04/immigration.html>

Interview with County Commissioner Marla Irving

*Interview with Marla Irving, April 2nd, 2006*

Background
Marla Irving is running for re-election. Marla is currently the second district representative to the county board of commissioners. Marla has served in that capacity since August of 2000. Bill Brown is challenging Marla Irving in The Republican Primary for the position of Allen County Commissioner.

The local press has made a big deal about the fact that all seven members of the Allen County Council, State Rep. Borror, and State Senator Wyss are co-hosting a fundraiser for challenger Bill Brown. I agree that it certainly is unheard of; The Allen County GOP always supports their incumbents.

I decided to contact Bill Brown and Marla Irving to determine for myself what was transpiring. I have spoken to several local Republicans about this issue as well. To date, Bill Brown has not responded to my request for an interview; however, Marla Irving did consent to an interview that I conducted on April 2nd, 2006.

Interview (Marla’s responses are listed below my questions and are paraphrased in italics)

Consolidation is a large issue, especially with the recent passage of HR1362 (A bill passed in Indianapolis that will allow some local government consolidation). Where do you stand on consolidation Marla?

I do not think we should consolidate just to consolidate. I believe that we should reorganize those services where there is a savings to the taxpayers. I look at statistics and comparisons and I ask the professionals in charge of the related County and City Departments for their professional opinion on an issue by issue basis.

I feel that I have been very open to consolidation. I feel that the County has been a leading force in favor of consolidating certain functions and that the County is waiting on Fort Wayne to respond to The County’s proposals.

Example of consolidation Marla does not favor:
911 Service. I feel that the Sheriff has jurisdiction over 911 services. I do not feel that there will be a cost savings associated with this merger after consulting with the Department Heads that currently oversee these operations for both the City and County. I also think that it might be worth looking at the way Marion County handles their 911 center. In Marion County the Fire Department has a 911 service that works hand in hand with a 911 service for the police.

Examples of consolidation Marla does favor:
Technology services. I proposed combining the City technology services and the County technology services in February of 2005. I feel this will save the taxpayers $300,000 per year. The City is still analyzing the proposal; they have been analyzing it for over a year.
Land use. I feel that there should be “one stop” for residents to resolve land use issues. I feel that we should keep both The City Planning Commission and the Country Planning Commission until we can adopt one code.

Please tell me about one of your plans or proposals that might result in the taxpayers being better served?

One of my ideas that has not got a lot of coverage in the local press involves considering “Taxing Districts.” Currently, there are two major taxing districts; the City and the County. We may want to consider taxing districts that are instead urban, suburban, and rural. Those residents who receive all city services would be considered urban and taxed at one level. Those residents who receive a moderate level of service would be considered suburban and would be charged a more moderate tax rate. Rural residents that receive the fewest services would be classified under as rural and taxed at the lowest rate.

Does everyone fit into three classifications? Could there for four or more classifications?

Possibly, we would have to investigate that further.

There is a lot of talk about building a new baseball stadium downtown. Are you in favor of building a new baseball stadium downtown?

I am part of the committee exploring the possibility. We have split up into three teams. One team is exploring the location of a new stadium, one team is looking into the specifics and amenities of a new stadium, and one team is looking at what we would use the existing Memorial Stadium for. We expect to have a recommendation completed by July 1st, 2006. I have not reached a decision yet; I want to evaluate more information before I come to a conclusion.

Revitalizing downtown is a constant “hot topic” in Fort Wayne. Where do you stand on this issue?

I do want to revitalize downtown; however, The County does not have jurisdiction. We need to draw private investment to downtown; the taxpayers cannot be held responsible for all of the investment that is needed.

Why do you think that you are being labeled as an “obstructionist?”

I am not entirely sure. I am not an obstructionist. I have started many initiatives that would consolidate certain local government functions. I have an aggressive personality and I am willing to stand up for what I believe in.

Much has been made about you excluding members of The County Council from the upcoming meeting between The County Commissioners and The City Council. Paula Hughes has been especially vocal on this topic.

I think that the legislative bodies of both the City and the County need to get together and discuss consolidation. The legislative (Law making) body of the County is the County Commissioners and it is the City Council for the City. The public will be invited and I would certainly expect many other elected officials to attend and participate. I am not excluding anyone; it will be a public meeting and I hope that the meeting is well attended.

Are there any other reasons that you think that you have been “targeted” by certain local groups?

Politics are about money and authority. Any consolidation talks involve both money and authority. Certain factions in The City will only favor consolidation if the City is in charge; the same can be said of the County. There are certain groups who want the City to be in charge of any consolidation that occurs. These groups want to see me defeated. I believe that the County should be the leading party in consolidation.

I have a lot of local groups that support me and who are vocal in my defense. Tom Kelly is hosting a fundraiser for me April 11th that will be very well attended and includes many prominent local Republicans. The supporters of Smith field are in my camp; I have supported Smith Field and I will continue to support Smith Field. I am very accessible and I have done my best to help my constituents as best I can. I do not trumpet The Republicans who support me.

Is there anything else you would like to ad?

· I do not want to see Republicans pitted against Republicans. I support The Republican
Party and I want to make sure that this race is about specific issues.
· I am more then happy to debate Bill Brown. I have contacted The Fort Wayne Chamber
with a firm date. The last time I talked to them I was the only candidate to do so.
· I am not sure why we would need to add nine 911 dispatchers to cover Aboite.
· I have spent most of my life living outside of The City, often in a rural setting. I feel that
I do a very good job of representing my constituents.

That concludes the interview. I enjoyed talking with Marla Irving and I look forward to watching the Republican race for County Commissioner.

Mike Sylvester
Candidate for Northwest Allen County School Board
Chairman of The Libertarian Party of Allen County

Platform from Kevin Boyd, Democratic Candidate for the 3rd Congressional District

I have contacted several local candidates who are running for public office. I have not been able to contact all of them; but, I am doing the best that I can. Please feel free to email any candidates that you know. I would like to post as many platforms and conduct several interviews. I hope to do my part to help inform the voters about their possible choices!

Kevin Boyd has sent me a short version of his platform for my blog. Mr. Boyd has included his contact information so that you can contact him and learn more about his campaign. I would like to thank Mr. Boyd for making a submission to my blog! His submission is below:


Kevin Boyd
Democrat for Congress
Indiana District Three
With your help we can make the changes we need to make in Washington. We can restore:

A sense of Mutual Responsibility

Effective Government for All Americans

Broad Opportunity for each person

A Bright Future and a Strong America

Together, we can build a better future.
Contact Kevin at:

www.KevinBoyd4Congress.com

Kevin Boyd for Congress
6142 St. Joe Center Rd. #210
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46835-2505

(260) 486-9309
(260) 348-4587

I believe we must do the following things in the next Congress for the good of all Americans:
· Adopt a plan to provide health care for all Americans, including affordable
prescription drugs
· Support and enhance education from preschool through college, removing the
punitive approach and replacing it with positive support that prepares us for
the 21st century.
· Control federal spending, making the hard choices to control the deficit and
to once again start paying down the federal debt.
· Rebuild our economy based on fair trade, good jobs for all paying a living
wage, and new opportunity for all to climb the ladder of the American dream.
· An end to the war in Iraq.

To see more of my plans, visit my web site www.KevinBoyd4Congress.com

Coming soon; Mike's interview with Marla Irving!

I interviewed Marla Irving today. I will be posting a synopsis of that interview soon.

Mike Sylvester