Rally mixes anti-tax ideas with same-sex marriage ban

A few hundred people -- many of them children, including from Bethesda Christian Church -- attended a Statehouse mass meeting Friday to root for the abrogation of place taxes.

At the Statehouse: A few hundred people gathered in a baseball-themed mass meeting on Friday to advocator the abrogation of place taxes. The event was hosted by conservative militant Eric Miller. - DANESE KENON / The Star

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR Monday1:30 p.m. -- House and Senate both in session. House chamber and Senate chamber, Statehouse.Tuesday9 a.m. -- Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee throws public hearing on House Bill 1001, which incorporates Gov. Mitch Daniels' place taxation plan. Room 431, Statehouse.9 a.m. -- Senate Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters Committee throws hearing on three bills, including hemoglobin 1144, about the failure to describe determination a dead body. Room 130, Statehouse.Wednesday3:30 p.m. -- House Populace Health Committee throws joint hearing with Senate Health and Supplier Services Committee for an update on the wellness coverage program enacted in 2007. House chamber, Statehouse.9 a.m. -- Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee throws public hearing on House Bill 1001, which incorporates Gov. Mitch Daniels' place taxation plan. Room 431, Statehouse.READY TO VOTE?The particular election to fill up Julia Carson's 7th District Congressional place is put for March 11. Some other of import days of the month to consider:Friday -- Absentee vote by mail begins.Feb. Eleven -- Voter enrollment deadline. Early voting gets at the clerk's office, with these hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Ten a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays (March 1 and 8) and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 9.March 3 -- Deadline for clerk's business office to have mailed or faxed absentee ballot applications. The applications are available from the Marion County Election Board in the clerk's business office in the City-County Building. Voters also can name (317) 327-5100 to have got an application mailed to them.March Ten -- Last twenty-four hours for early voting, 8 a.m. to noon.March Eleven -- Polls unfastened at 6 a.m., stopping point at 6 p.m. Deadline to have mailed absentee ballots: 6 p.m.

Or was it to force for a constitutional amendment forbiddance same-sex marriage?

It was a small difficult to tell.

While conservative militant Eric Miller, who hosted the rally, got plenty of hand clapping when he mentioned doing away with place taxes, he got his greatest standing ovation when he called for the amendment forbiddance same-sex marriage.

Not everyone liked that.

One adult female in the balcony overlooking the mass meeting yelled down: "Stick to taxes!" as she waved her anti-property-tax sign.

"Shut up!" one adult male yelled back.

The mass meeting was built around a baseball game theme, with participants handed those "home run" towels that fans like to moving ridge at games.

The presence of the towels had a popular message: "Home Run for Hoosiers" and "repeal place taxes."

The dorsum of the towels had an interesting message, too: "Made in India."

Pun in sexual activity store debate Had enough place taxation news out of the Statehouse?

How about this for a alteration of pace:

The Hoosier State House voted 88-5 last hebdomad to go through House Bill 1042, an attempt by Rep. Dame Ellen Terry Goodin, D-Crothersville, to check down on the Numbers of sexual activity stores in Indiana.

Under the bill, anyone who intended to sell "sexually expressed materials, merchandises or services" that are "entirely without redemptive societal value" and which entreaty "to the prurient involvement in sex" would have got to register with the state.

The state would then advise local authorities, including zoning boards, so they could see if they could take any action. Failure to register would be a Class Type B misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 mulct and 180 years in jailhouse -- though perhaps some of these folks might not object to being in handcuffs.

Goodin assured the transition of his measure with a spirited address on the flooring of the House, in which he set a turn on the Hoosier State Beach commercials.

"We have got got to allow people across this state cognize that there's more than pornography in Indiana," he said.

Inaugural Ball(ard) Capital Of Hoosier State Mayor Greg Ballard broke down and bought a dinner jacket once he realized that black-tie events will be portion of his life for the adjacent few years.

He wore the new dinner jacket and his Ronald Ronald Reagan presidential cufflinks to the inaugural ball Wednesday at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.

First lady Winnie Ballard went for the something borrowed, something blueness look.

She wore a sparkling bluish gown that she borrowed from one of her sisters. They all wear about the about the same size, so exchanging outfits is nil new.

Close to 1,000 invitees attended the ball, which included a private cocktail political party and photograph Sessions for folks who went over and above the $500-per-head ticket price. In all, more than than $300,000 was raised for the Ballard for Mayor fund.

Marion County Republicans were glad to have got got a ground to acquire dressed up and observe after many old age of having a Democratic mayor.

"We're seeing a batch of people we haven't seen for eight years," joked Tim Sadler, who was at the political party with his wife, former Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler.

Some invitees attended just to acquire a opportunity to ran into the new mayor. Others were there to acquire the put of the land on how things will to run in the new administration.

At the very important person reception, George George Lucas Oil Products chief executive officer Forrest Lucas said he's met Ballard and wishes him, just as he did former Mayor Baronet Peterson.

"Bear in mind, Baronet was a nice guy. We have got a nice city manager here, too. There are a batch of good things going on in this city," George Lucas said.

Ballard made certain about 150 tickets were put aside so political campaign military volunteers and some friends could go to without having to compose a check.

Washington's jet plane set Sen. Richard Lugar and Reps. Mark Souder and Dan Burton, all Republicans, were among the top congressional receivers of privately funded traveling last year, according to CQ MoneyLine, which tracks traveling revelation forms.

Souder took trips worth a concerted $33,199, the sixth-largest amount in the House or Senate.

The American State Of State Of Israel Education Foundation sent Souder and his married woman to Israel on a $21,470 trip intended to research issues confronting the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Souder and his married woman also went to Germany, Kingdom Of Norway and Principality Of Liechtenstein on a $11,729 trip paid for by the International Management and Development Institute.

Lugar and his married woman took trips to Costa Rica, Germany, Republic Of Slovenia and Puerto Anti-Racketeering Law paid for by the Aspen Institute, a think army tank that regularly hosts policy conferences around the world. The concerted $31,173 cost was the seventh-largest in Congress.

Burton ranked 21st for most expensive trips. Richard Burton and his married woman took a $14,584 trip to Federal Republic Of Germany paid for by respective groups, including the German E. G. Marshall Fund. That grouping was also one of the patrons for the $9,834 trip Richard Burton and his married woman took to Turkey to discourse international issues, according to revelation reports.

The lone other Hoosier State lawmaker who reported a privately funded trip in 2007 was Rep. Microphone Pence. He took at $480 trip to Baltimore paid for by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Congress placed new limitations on privately funded traveling last year, but still lets one-day trips and those financed by nonprofits and universities.

CQ MoneyLine calculated that the $2.1 million in trips taken by lawmakers was up from 2006, but still below the nearly $3 million yearly norm of costs for trips United States United States Congress have taken since 2000.