Watchdog Indiana Topics Index

Candidate Information (for the Indiana General Assembly):
2012 General Elections.
2012 Contested Primary Elections.
2010 General Elections.
2010 Contested Primary Elections.
2008 General Elections.
2008 Contested Primary Elections.
Indiana General Assembly Candidate Questionnaires for the November 2, 2004, General Election, May 4, 2004, Primary Election, November 5, 2002, General Election, and the May 7, 2002, Primary Election.
Prior State Representative Candidate Ratings starting with the 2006 primary election.
Prior Governor & State Senator Candidate Ratings starting with the 2006 primary election.

Consumer Price Index

Elected Representatives Information (for the Indiana General Assembly):
Go to http://wayeo.egis.39dn.com/# to identify your State Representative and State Senator.
Indiana General Assembly & Governor Ratings (2002 through 2013 data is included that identifies General Assembly members as Taxpayer Friendly, Taxpayer UNfriendly, POLITICAL HOG, or Uncertain, and contact information is included).
Legislative Voting Record (on important 2002-13 General Assembly bills that relate to state revenues, spending, and long-term debt assumption).
Perpetual Pay Increase.
2009-2010 General Assembly Observations (observations regarding the historic 116th General Assembly by Taxpayer Friendly legislators).

Free Speech Guarantees

Gas Tax Increase (2002 General Assembly House Bill 1317).

Indiana Colleges And Universities: 2000 Versus 1997 Revenues Comparison.

Indiana State Finances:
State Cash Revenue Data (1987-2005 Revenues by Source).
State Cash Spending Data (1987-2005 Expenditures by Function).
State Long-Term Bonded Debt Data (1997-2002 State Bonded Debt).
Statistical Calculations (2002 Versus 1997 State Statistics).
Selected State & Local Revenue Data (1996-2002).

Letters To The Editor Via E-mail: Contact information for 149 newspapers throughout Indiana (including E-mail addresses or online forms for 139 newspapers).

Lobbyist Influence:
House Republican Leader Ethics Complaint (Ways and Means Committee Assignments Based On Campaign Contributions).
Selected Indiana House Democrat Caucus Contributions.
House Speaker Ethics Complaint (House Duties NOT Faithfully and Impartially Discharged to Block Constitutional Property Tax Caps).

Local Indiana Governments:
County Income Tax Councils Threat (It is possible for elected officials representing a minority of a county’s population to impose county-wide taxes).
Factfinding Checklist.
Local Tax Increases (Informed Watchdogs must vigorously oppose efforts by local governments for more flexibility to levy income, sales, and other taxes under the guise of property tax relief).
Rational Municipal Annexations and Reorganizations.
Redevelopment Commissions Oversight (Watchdog Indiana supports improved oversight of redevelopment commissions).
Township Government Reform (Watchdog Indiana has taken a position on township government reform).

Pertinent Quotes

Political Organizations In Indiana: Links to 36 advocacy and party organizations.

Population Data: City Of Lebanon; Center Township; Boone County; State Of Indiana.

Property Tax:
2008 House Bill 1001 (a comprehensive property tax relief bill that phases in legislative property tax caps by 2010 and increases the statewide sales tax from 6% to 7%).
2008 Property Tax Legislation Testimonies (24 Watchdog Indiana public hearing testimonies to 5 General Assembly committees on 11 bills and 4 resolutions).
Accurate Property Tax Math.
Betrayal & Incompetence 2002-2007 (statewide summary information is provided to show the effects of General Assembly and Governor actions on homeowner property taxes).
Constitutional Amendment: 2010 Education Teams.
Constitutional Property Tax Caps: 2009 Discussion Panels.
General Assembly Property Tax Legislation (key property tax legislation from 2002 through 2008).
Homestead Deductions Threat.
Homeowner Property Tax Effects.
Inventory Tax Credit Program (Benefits, Key Provisions, Cost and Payment, Indiana Senate Bill 485, Model Local Government Resolution).
Petition and Remonstrance.
Property Tax Assessment Issues.
Property Tax Caps (Senate Joint Resolution 1)
Property Tax Caps: How They Operate.
Property Tax Caps K-12 Schools Impact.
Property Tax Caps Municipal Impact.
Property Tax Caps: Referendum Implications.
Property Tax Deferral Program (Benefits, Key Provisions, Cost and Payment, Indiana House Bill 1374).
Property Tax Replacement (Jeff Thompson Property Tax Replacement Plan, Indiana House Bill 1548).
Property Tax Relief Impact (Jeff Thompson Property Tax Replacement Plan Impact).
Senate Joint Resolution 1 TV Ads (Support Constitutional Property Tax Caps).
"Stories" (effects of reassessment on individual homeowners).
Top Twenty Reasons to support the Constitutional Amendment (passed November 2, 2010, by statewide referendum).

Public Access Laws: Indiana's Handbook On Public Access Laws; Public Access Counselor; Public Records Access Sample Letter; Public Records And Public Meetings (Indiana Code). Indiana Coalition for Open Government.

Public (K-12) Schools:
K-12 Education Research Compilation & Summaries (compilation and summaries of pertinent evidence-based K-12 education research).
Homework Enhances Learning Potential (H.E.L.P.) (an approach to measure how well a community helps students effectively complete homework every school day).
H.E.L.P. Indiana (almost 25,000 Hoosier children every year are condemned to a second-class education before the fourth grade).
H.E.L.P. Legislation (a Preliminary Draft of legislation applicable to Indiana).
Reasons to Support H.E.L.P. (12 reasons to support H.E.L.P. partnerships).
Third Grade "Best Practices" (identified by the Principals of the Third Grade Spring 2010 ISTEP+ Results Leaders).
Third Grade Best Practices Inventory Report (nine "Best Practices" that will be helpful to Hoosiers concerned about K-12 public education).
K-12 State Tuition Support (2011 Calculations Compared To 2012 Calculations).
Public Schools (K-12) Spending.

Reapportionment: 2011 General Assembly proposals to reapportion the Indiana Congressional, State Senate, and State House districts are analyzed.

Research Sites: Government research is made easier by links to 42 helpful web sites.

Stop Local Option Waste (SLOW): Concerned Watchdogs provide information about local government projects that waste their federal tax dollars.

Tax & Budget Plans 2009-2011
Taxpayer Friendly Budget Template 2009-2011
Governor Special Session Budget 2009-2011
Senate & House Special Session Budgets 2009-2011
Final Special Session Budget 2009-2011

Tax & Budget Plans 2005-2007:
Taxpayer Friendly Budget 2005-07.
Indiana 2005 House Bills 1001 & 1120.
Structural Deficit & Delayed Payments.
Governor's Budget 2005-07.
Indiana House of Representatives Budget 2005-07.

Tax & Budget Plans 2003-2005:
Taxpayer Friendly Budget 2003-05.
State Budget Plans 2003-05.
"Energize Indiana".

Tax & Budget Plans 2001-03:
Property Tax Relief And Business Tax Restructuring Solutions.
Budget Shortfall Solutions.
Individuals Versus Business Tax Splits for House Bill 1001 (SS) (1) as passed by the Indiana General Assembly on June 22, 2002, (2) as amended by the Senate Finance Committee on June 13, 2002, (3) as passed by the Indiana House of Representatives on June 6, 2002, and (4) as changed by the May 22, 2002, House GOP compromise plan. Message sent by Senate District 21 primary voters to Senate Republicans when they elected Jeff Drozda over Steve Johnson. "Bloated budget needs no taxes" letter to The Lebanon Reporter editor.

Taxation Effects: Myrtle Bailey's Boone County Christmas Toy Drive. Percent of Students Receiving Free Lunches/Textbooks. Indiana Sales Tax. INSPIRE Indiana Virtual Library. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. STATS Indiana (Monthly Labor Force Estimates). Tax and Accounting Sites Directory.

Taxpayer Associations In Indiana: Association of Monroe County Taxpayers. CAFRman.com. Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility & Accountability (New Albany). Citizens of Delaware County for Good Government. Common Cause Indiana. Concerned Citizens of Johnson County. COUNT US! (County Under New Terrain I-69). Fairness In Taxation Project (The Mantooth Report). Fight for a Fair Property Tax (Lake County). Hoosier Project. Hoosier Property Tax Reform Alliance. Hoosier Taxpayers Network. Hoosiers For Fair Taxation. Indiana Tea Party. Indiana Voters League. Kankakee River Property Rights Taskforce. League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. Miller Citizens Corporation. Monroe County Taxpayers Association. Muncie Association of Concerned Taxpayers (MuncieACT.org). Organization for a Better Southern Indiana. Stop Taxing Our Property. Taxpayers Association of Vigo County, Inc. Taxpayers for Accountability in Government. Team Hammond Taxpayer's Group.

Transportation Issues:
Central Indiana Mass Transit: Taxpayer money is sought to double the Indianapolis bus service and add train service from Noblesville to downtown Indianapolis.
Indiana Gas Tax Reform Plan: A plan to better use Indiana Gasoline Tax dollars for local transportation needs.
Interstate 69 Information:The I-70 / US 41 route is preferable to the proposed new terrain interstate.
"Major Moves"
2016 Transportation Infrastructure Funding
2017 Transportation Infrastructure Funding
Indiana Fuel Taxes History
Indiana Personal Income History
Indiana State Reserves History
Indiana State Revenue Forecasts History
Watchdog Indiana Transportation Infrastructure Funding Plan
ACT NOW: Transportation Infrastructure Funding
OUTCOME: Transportation Infrastructure Funding

U.S. Constitution Pitfalls: The time-tested republican ideals established in our U.S. Constitution are threatened by both the currently proposed federal balanced budget amendments and calls for a constitutional convention.

Watchdog Comments: Watchdogs throughout Indiana express their ideas on a variety of subjects.

Watchdog Indiana Chapter: Watchdog Lebanon.

Watchdog Indiana Legislative Agendas
2009: Fifteen Indiana General Assembly bills that have the potential to significantly impact good government from the standpoint of the state and local tax burden.
2010: Twenty-one Indiana General Assembly bills that have the potential to significantly impact good government from the standpoint of the state and local tax burden.
2011: Nineteen Indiana General Assembly bills that have the potential to significantly impact good government from the standpoint of the state and local tax burden.
2012: Sixteen Indiana General Assembly bills that have the potential to significantly impact good government from the standpoint of the state and local tax burden.
2013: Five Indiana General Assembly bills that have the potential to significantly impact good government from the standpoint of the state and local tax burden.

Watchdog Indiana Home Page