Northwest Indiana Comical Politics

NWI suffers economically without major universities

Aug. 29, 2005

By Maurice Eisenstein
Post-Tribune columnist

Last week’s column discussed the incompetence of our legislative delegation both in terms of higher education and economic development. These freeloaders are the cause of the current tax crisis in our region, and for more than 20 years they have stymied the economic development of the region by financially starving higher education while simultaneously giving the rest of the state a free ride with our tax dollars.

Now, it is fair to say that the local legislators are not singularly responsible for the low status of Northwest Indiana’s higher education and inability of this area to develop economically. That responsibility also rests with our local mayors and university administrators. Sadly, the redneck perspective (as derived from the work of Thomas Sowell) of the mayors of Gary and Hammond does not allow them to recognize education as the central engine for economic development.

What are the actual economic costs of not having a serious university in NWI? For at least nine months, both Lafayette and Bloomington each bring in more than 35,000 students from the outside. If each student spends an average of $25 per day, including tuition, it puts any retail plan such as Cabela’s into the dust bin.

Their total expenditure is more than $225 million each year in each county, not including summer school. This does not even include more than $250 million dollars in state tax revenue given to each city.

It takes a redneck to believe that a gun-toting, rebel-yelling hangout replacing Woodmar’s green space will add anything to the quality of life or the economy of NWI when compared to universities.But sadly that is what we have for municipal leadership in our largest cities. Republican or Democrat, it does not matter.

Hammond’s former Republican mayors Duane Dedelow and Tom McDermott Sr. had no more awareness to expand higher education than their Democratic counterparts.

One has sympathy for the yahoo who came up with the idea of a $45 million minor league stadium as a way to achieve economic development rather than invest in Gary’s Indiana University Northwest.

This lack of commitment to IUN shows the cultural backwardness of the mayors of Gary from at least the time of Richard Hatcher.

One must recognize that in spite of their position, these mayors are culturally backwards in their inability to understand the value of higher education.

Let us not forget that this was done in other places: Indianapolis, 29,000 students; small places: Evansville, 10,500 students; Fort Wayne: 11,000 students. These are locations that do not have anywhere close to the population of NWI or the Chicago area from which to draw.

What about the university administrators? It would be in bad faith to expect Lafayette and Bloomington to fight for NWI higher education improvements when our own elected officials and business interests have not. It should also be remembered that the local administrators, the chancellors, report to Lafayette and Bloomington.

Their commitments are, and should be, to those institutions.

None of them was hired for, nor asked about, their creative capability of moving NWI into a new educational plateau.

If one cannot accept that our municipal politicians are culturally backward, the alternative may be that university funds, (unlike stadium, Regional Development Authority, and Cabela’s money) cannot be shared with contractors or entrepreneurial fathers.

Maurice Eisenstein is a professor at Purdue University Calumet. Contact him at [email protected]. His view do not represent

Purdue University.

NWI's Econmic Development Joke

The Mcdermott family has now succeeded in economically developing themselves.  In the process, they are destroying the value of property in south Hammond and north Munster -- possibly Highland.  All this for a possibility of some economic growth in ten years or longer.

First you need to take out tons of public money from Hammond and the rest of the State to make this happen.  That is for the Hammond morons who don't understand is economic undevelopment.  Then we have the millions of dollars of lost property value -- overnight in south Hammond, north Munster, and Highland.

All this for a roll of the dice.  If you look at Cabelas web site you will see that any projection of economic development is only "expected" or "probably" for any location it currently or is projected to have.  In one case where it was supposed to rejuvenate the downtown area of a city -- that is have economic development beyond the immediate area of the store -- it did not happen.  The RV gun toting crowd will come into Indianapolis Boulevard spend their money in the store on Chinese made camouflage clothing and then get back on the highway.  This will be good economic development for China and Nebraska (Cabelas headquarters) who I forgot the Mcdermotts Junior and Senior.

Any place else in the USA, except the most corrupt, this father and son relationship with industry would not be permitted.  They are nothing more than a flim flam team.  The result is going to cost NWI its future.

No one has addressed the basic question of what kind of a future does NWi want.  On one side you have so called high technology incubators and then your one economic development is a hunting and fishing emporium that is going to drive everyone that is part of the technology creative crowd out of Lake County. 

The quality of life and the people of Lake County are already driving the major developments east to the Porter and La Port Counties with some in the eastern part of Lake County.  Further the K-12 quality in Lake County keeps on going down. 

Maybe we are lucky that the Tommies are bringing in the RV crowd.  Who else would be here?   Go Tommy Jr. before you are done as mayor they will be tying horses to the town hall in Hammond.

Cabelas and the NWI Rednecks

Now the NWI rednecks have truly won.  Cabelas is going to come in and replace the Woodmare Country Club.  The only winner in all this is the local thieves call the Mcdermotts.  The father will be walking away with tones of money that I am sure he will eventually share with the family, i.e. the current Mayor.

I have never seen such a family of users of public positions for their own greed since Pastrick left office.  If thee is no law against this kind of behavior there should be.

Cabellas will provide nothing new for NWI except for a bunch of gun totting yahoos of the redneck variety; not that the people of Hammond and Gary are not already there.

The decision to sell the country club is the worst economic development decision so far made in NWI (maybe not, the RDA could be worse).  Both do nothing but put money in some people's pockets while providing nothing for NWI or the rest of the State.

How much does everyone think this is going to cost Lake County, Hammond, and the rest of the State in additional "incentives" to get Cabelas here?  They have already said the demand a big package.  By when is all this going to get paid back?

They are mostly providing low level retail jobs.  Even if there reach their optimistic projected sails figures of $100 million that does not stay here very little does. 

Cabelas is not even a sports store it is only known for hunting and fishing and in that mostly for clothing.

The joke here again is on the citizens of Hammond and NWI.  We have given up on some prime real estate, green space, to enrich the Mcdermott family while we ruin Hammond and really badly effect the value of property in south Hammond and in north Munster, effect down. 

It is sad to see the citizens of Hammond and NWI to be too much of a redneck set not to understand how negatively this will effect the quality of life in our area.  All the while the new family of corruption the Mcdermotts continue to pocket money.

NWI losing out when it comes to funding for universities

Aug. 25, 2005

By Maurice M. Eisenstein
Post-Tribune guest columnist

This Monday, Northwest Indiana universities begin their 2005-2006 school years. Public higher education exemplifies all that is wrong with the politics and culture of NWI. It is exemplified by racism and benign neglect and reflects the quicksand to which NWI is relegated — and that can’t be ameliorated by superficial programs such as a Cabela’s, a minor league baseball park or a Regional Development Authority.

NWI is the second most populated, urban and industrialized section of Indiana. It is also second highest to Indianapolis in paying taxes. With all that, NWI has the lowest quality of higher education in the state and also has the lowest spending per student of tax dollars from Indianapolis.

This is not a new problem; it has been an ongoing one. But during this time of property tax relief, redistribution of property tax and promotion of economic development, the problem of higher education in NWI should take center stage. If it had been addressed earlier, none of the other issues would be challenging NWI.

Economically, if NWI universities received the same amount of tax funds to educate their students as Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis receives (not including the IU schools of law and medicine), an additional $50 million per year would come for its universities. This would translate into an economic boost coming from outside NWI and acting as a multiplier through our economy. In contrast, the RDA only promises $5 million per year for two years from outside the area.

State Reps. John Aguilera and Ralph Ayres owe all of us an explanation for allowing the disparity in higher education spending to continue. They sit on the House Ways and Means Committee — the budget writing committee — and Ayres is the deputy chairman.

This is what our legislators agreed to: Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, with about 500 more students than Purdue University Calumet, will receive $10 million more this year.This does not include parking, dormitories or other buildings. The Fort Wayne campus received three new academic buildings to PUC’s one parking garage. Fort Wayne also receives $10 million for a new police academy. NWI is the net tax loser.

Aguilera is being discussed for a new political position by some NWI Democrats. The very fact they are discussing such an unproductive person shows how low the party has sunk in NWI.

The mayors of Gary and Hammond testified before the Legislature and lobbied the governor about various nonsense ideas. Neither ever fought for the universities in their cities. Mayor Richard J. Daley knows that no city develops without a first-class institution of higher education. He demanded and got the University of Illinois Chicago.

Compared with Chicago, NWI will only develop with low-paying Cabela-type retail jobs and warehouse grunt work.

The state legislators from Gary are making a mockery of racism when talking about it in terms of the motor vehicle license branch. What is truly racism, as a Texas federal case ruled, was created by elected officials ensuring Indiana substantially underfunds campuses where most of its African-American and Hispanic students are receiving their higher educations: NWI.

The most meaningful explanation as to the lack of interest on the part of elected officials in adequately funding NWI higher education is that these funds cannot be used to hire family and supporters.

Maurice M. Eisenstein is a professor at Purdue University Calumet. Contact him [email protected]. His opinions do not represent Purdue University.

Stig

The king is dead; long live the king.  The only problem in NWI we still do not know who the new king will be.  But be assured there will be a new Democratic Party king and he will be part of the same incompetent thievery that existed before.

There should be no tears shed for Mr. Stiglich.  The only positive thing one heard about his accomplishments is that he picked up the tab at restaurants for cops.  He is supposed to have done this anonymously; so why does every one know.  That is because he was nothing more than a big lie.  He did nothing to help NWI and he helped himself to the all the money he could.

Big surprise he and another former East Chicago police chief had a successful security business.  That reminds me of the old mafia protection racket.  How could you not be a success with all that clout.

The best thing that has happened to NWI is his death.  Especially since it seems like he was going to run again.  Without a doubt he was one of the most worthless human beings in NWI when it came to making something positive happen politically for the people.