Northwest Indiana Discussion

When local papers slants the majority of it’s news toward “Gary Man” why should any part of the state look at NWI any differently than a redhead-stepchild. News of the same issue rarely lead off with the city name first: Hammond Man; East Chicago Man; Highland Man; Griffith Man etc. The negative light cast a shadow over all of Lake County and was part of the reason financial help wasn’t offered to Lake County. What is Lake County’s return on taxes paid to the state?

"Alcohol tax increase was insult to region
Recommend Comments
April 19, 2009
In the end, you might say the proposal to double the state's alcohol tax lacked gusto. It clearly wasn't a full-bodied proposal.
Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said last week that the proposal -- on a statewide basis -- probably was dead because it was too tough a sell.
We hope he's right.
The current state alcohol taxes are $2.68 per gallon of liquor, 47 cents per gallon of wine and 12 cents per gallon of beer. That amounts to about a penny per bottle of beer. That's not much, but it is more about the intent than the money.
More than 19 percent of the $42 million the increased tax would have generated would have gone to rescue the cash-strapped Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board that runs the city's professional sports stadiums.
While those of us in this part of the state are proud of our state capital and wish it well, it's not fair for the Legislature to ask us to rescue its athletic venues, including the new Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center.
We remember when the Chicago Bears were looking for a new facility and were including Northwest Indiana in that search. Local officials went to the state, seeking financial help to lure the Bears, but came up empty.

While the scenario today involving Indianapolis is a bit different, the point is the same. Time after time, Northwest Indiana has gone to the state for help and, more often than not, has been turned down.

With Indianapolis getting 19 percent of the new liquor tax, the rest of the state would have shared the other $34 million. Once that is broken down, it is a fairly paltry sum. It's kind of like the state telling each of us that it will buy us a beer if we will give it our tax money for all the six-packs that lie ahead."

So, get off your rusty butt and go tell them it is costing you too much money to get drunk, and they aren't sharing the wealth enough.

Typical.

You are either a glutton for punishment or the personification of why there are terms like 'Gary man'!

Are you referring to the alcohol tax for the stadium that is dying a slow death if not already dead, keep up, but watch the RDA tactics?
Speaking of punishment Daniels was returned to office and the only thing he did was sale the toll road. And alcohol is served in church, if only in semblance. As for the declaration of being God, alcohol has nothing to do with it but if it gives you shelter without answering the question, okay.

BTL must stand for BIG TIME LOSER because your posts are just about incomprehensible.

“Labeling”, Incompetence only response.

"Is corrupt leader" directed at the governor, most mayors, prosecutor, county surveyor etc… back in office due to slanted media coverage, which contributes to disenfranchised tax payers, still singing that old favorite “they’ll do what they want to do anyway”. Murder capital that is a question, but back to the slant: the reports are for cities in access of 100 thousand. The latest census for Gary was +94, 000, not to be technical, what caused them to make the list when the city didn’t meet the population criteria? If a town/city with a population of 35,000 goes ten years without a murder and one morning three deaths are ruled homicides what is that city or town new murder rate? As for financial response what is Lake County’s return on taxes paid to the state, don’t include the casino funds, and leave out the sale of the toll road? If the corruption is known why hasn’t State Attorney General taken any action, selective prosecution? I say follow the money, regardless of party affiliation, some of it came out of my pocket.

Your reasoning doesn't erase the years of statistics in the annual FBI reports all the way down to the bars on the windows in Gary.

If the people of Lake County want to change the way they are viewed at the state and national level, the people are going to have to change.

I'd say you have your own little slant going. It is no secret that Gary has held the title of 'murder capital' quite often in the past or that there is serious corruption there. The sensativity people like you exhibit is proof of data seen as bigoted insults rather than constructive criticism. That view and comments to support it are not going to solve the problems. The differences between prosperous areas and the unsuccessful ones fall into the category of mature governing.

'Poor me' babies can't take charge of their affairs, so grow up and get to work Lake County.

Educated in the Gary School system? Explains a lot ..... Even 3 murders in 35,000 for a year is less than 1 in every 11,666. Now lets take Gary's 51 and it works out to 1 in every 1,843. More than a slight difference? Don't you think?

And the 2008 murder rate was down 28% from 2007.

WOW!! Someone in that wasteland understands!!

I'm floored.

I don't think the papers are slanting anything. You see "Gary Man" more often, because more often it is a Gary man that committed some crime. You don't see Lowell Man or St. John Man or Dyer Man very often because the men in those areas don't commit crimes.

WHy don't you work on the problem of Gary Man committing crimes instead of whining about the coverage?

Speaking of mature governring how many times did Daniels give his support to any local official of his party running in Lake County? He speaks of putting the same officials back in office but his coat tails were too short to make and effort; just keep sending the revenue down state. If he knows something that the locals don’t why not give his support to make a change, he wouldn’t be looked at as an outsider.
The media slant rather once or six times is still different in its coverage, and reporting. As for bars on windows the only difference between one community and another is an alarm system or what the owner can afford. But don’t ignore the rest of the question; does selective prosecution exist in Lake County? We know the coverage can and has made a difference in public opinion just because it was said; it doesn’t have to be correct just stated, to keep the discernment in tack, only misleads and undermines any change.

"Man with gun killed by Dyer police officer" or Dyer Man With Gun Killed by Police officer
"Alleged thieves flag down cops" or Two Wheatfield men flag down cops
"Cop agrees to pay for vandalism" or St. John police officer agrees to pay for vandalism
"Police drug sweep uncovers drug paraphernalia in car" or Valparaiso Police drug sweep uncovers drug paraphernalia in car


A Word About UCR Data
It is important for users of UCR data to remember that the FBI's primary objective is to generate a reliable set of crime statistics for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management. The FBI does not provide a ranking of agencies but merely alphabetical tabulations of states, metropolitan statistical areas, cities with over 10,000 inhabitants, suburban and rural counties, and colleges and universities. Law enforcement officials use these data for their designed purposes. Additionally, the America public relies on these data for information on the fluctuations in the level of crime from year to year, and criminologists, sociologists, legislators, city planners, the media, and other students of criminal justice use them for a variety of research and planning purposes. Since crime is a sociological phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, the FBI discourages data users from ranking agencies and using the data as a measurement of law enforcement effectiveness.