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 Post subject: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 11:00 am 
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"The twentieth century may yet be seen as that era when civilized man and underprivileged man were melted together into mass man..." Norman Mailer

For a good many Calumet region voters, the recent conviction of EC Mayor George Pabey could prove the final straw to continued identification with Lake County's Democratic Party. I say final straw because as we move deeper into this election cycle, the Party totters still from previous abuses of political office. For even by the negative norms in our county government, it was evident here that the corruption had quickly spread so as to devour at least two key agents of recent political and government reform.

One can only speculate, then, on the electoral psychology that Carol Ann Seaton must now try to introduce. In order to stage a strategically effective run at persuading disgusted Democrats, both inside and outside of Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, she and the party leadership are out to convince voting party members that she embodies a reliable, realistic alternative to further domestic abuse of the county's body-politic. The problem is that politically and psychologically Carol Ann appears incapable of credibly representing the centrist-ideological values that are and have been the historic ground and truth of Lake County and Northwest Indiana's socio-political culture.

Due to her ethical indifference and the justifications (or lack thereof) advanced for the misdemeanor conduct she's been charged with, conduct that for a number of years perpetuated the violation and abuse of rules and licensing regulations governing Indiana motorists, the viability of her party leadership-endorsed candidacy festers as an ideological affront to good-faith liberalism.

This is a Midwestern liberalism, informed and symbolized by time-honored religious norms and ideals of probity and fair play. It is also that kind of middle-of-the-road conservatism that made locales such as Peoria, Illinois the exemplar of the once silent majority and enabled many political gurus to understand, "If it sells in Peoria, run it!" Seaton will not sell.

Given the immediate impact to the combined interests of property owners and citizens by challenges the new county assessor must both mount and defend against, her presence only compounds the Party's difficulties this election cycle. For the continued candidacy of Carol Ann Seaton to Lake County assessor necessarily leads to a political and ideological secession here - whether she wins or loses.

In contrast to the largely centrist-conservative ideology of many Democrats outside of Gary, Hammond & East Chicago, Carol Ann Seaton is the embodiment of Lake County's political indifference to the ethical canons of administrative integrity. As such, it is next to impossible to qualify her conduct, in any way, so as to render her fit for a presumption of validity in the administration of matters concerning tax assessments. There is simply no way voting centrist Democrats can psychologically or ethically identify with or endorse her past conduct, much less confer any authority upon her to authentically judge or assess their taxable interests in real/personal property. These people, to the extent they will bother coming out to vote, will vote Republican for Hank Adams or abstain from casting one, in this race, as a form of self-affirmation and protest.

Moreover, the candidacy of Carol Ann Seaton, rather than exemplifying the truth and aims of affirmative action, abused them. Simply because she's an African-American and seemingly possessed of a surplus in academic credentials to buttress her candidacy, does not mean she's automatically entitled to the Democratic Party's nearly inherent affirmative action legacy-benefit.

For implied in the demeanor of her attorney's, and her own speech acts, during a lengthy appearance on the radio recently, Seaton seemed very Toni Morrison-like, which is to say defiant. But unlike the artistry framing the critically-infused defiance characterizing the verbal enactments of Morrison in novels like Beloved, or in critical literary essays such as those found in Playing in the Dark, Seaton's was not a just defiance - it wasn't even justifiable indifference.

What it was is a socio-political form of moral hazard. Indeed, we heard lawyer Tony Walker contend on-air that her critics should instead press her for her philosophy of property taxation. Fair enough, but unfortunately the domain of local taxation philosophy has been preempted by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

And it's too bad that someone of the genius and artistry of Morrison hasn't weighed-in on her behalf, because it would prove intensely interesting to learn what someone of that stature and skill could summon in a bid to possibly justify or otherwise maximize Seaton's positions. For instance, as an aside, consider the concerns and issues imbedded in this minor textual sampling from Morrison's, Playing in the Dark:

For some time now I have been thinking about the validity or vulnerability of a certain set of assumptions conventionally accepted among literary historians and critics and circulated as "knowledge."

This knowledge holds that traditional, canonical American literature is free of, uninformed, and unshaped by the four-hundred-year-old presence of, first, Africans and then African-Americans in the United States. It assumes that this presence—which shaped the body politic, the Constitution, and the entire history of the culture—has had no significant place or consequence in the origin and development of that culture’s literature. Moreover, such knowledge assumes that the characteristics of our national literature emanate from a particular “Americanness” that is separate from and unaccountable to this presence.

The contemplation of this black presence is central to any understanding of our national literature and should not be permitted to hover at the margins of the literary imagination.

It is investigation into the ways in which a nonwhite, Africanlike (or Africanist) presence or persona was constructed in the United States, and the imaginative uses this fabricated presence served.

As a trope, little restraint has been attached to its uses. As a disabling virus within literary discourse, Africanism has become, in the Eurocentric tradition that American education favors, both a way of talking about and a way of policing matters of class, sexual license, and repression, formations and exercises of power, and meditations on ethics and accountability.


Still, as the Pabey/Camacho lawyers understood, the quality of any defense is only as good as the facts from which it's derived - and the facts of Seaton's conduct and attitude are so coarse they render politically dysfunctional any alignment with the endorsement of local Democratic Party leaders.

Consequently, should Seaton lose the election by a margin attributable to the quantity of crossover votes cast for the GOP or due to a low number of votes signifying abstention, Lake County's African-American coalition will openly dissolve any semblance of Party loyalty and with it that unity of socio-economic-political interests constitutive of a reliable electoral block. Absent such a block from north county, there is no way for any party to maintain a hegemonic dominance or control over the allocation of government assets and expenditure of its funds. Further, should Seaton lose, the ensuing political resentment would require at least a generation to abate.

However, if Seaton wins and it's solely attributable to the number of northern-tier-cities' voter turnout, her victory contradicts the values of those necessarily engaged in the anticipated crossover vote, and a good many centrist Democrats will abandon the Party possibly never to return. For if Seaton wins despite her electoral-reform negatives, it means that a significant number of Party faithful voted for the interests of preserving Party unity, and not for the best candidate - which is to say, against the norms and values of the electorate.

This would signify that a large portion of Democrats are in fact politically regressive. Consequently, these centrists are likely to become deeply estranged from the Party psychologically and especially from the political mindset of citizenry capable of voting for her. These now alienated Democrats, if they cannot find or create a third party, will from here on split their ticket.


Last edited by Neometric on Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:33 pm 
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Neometric wrote:
However, if Seaton wins and it's solely attributable to the number of northern-tier-cities' voter turnout, her victory contradicts the values of those engaging the anticipated crossover vote, and a good many centrist Democrats will abandon the Party possibly never to return. Democrats, if they cannot find or create a third party, will from here on split their ticket.

I plan to split my vote, I usually have never voted a straight party. If she does win though, I will not be disenfranchised with the Democrat party. I will continue to vote for the best candidate. For the record, I probably have voted for as many Repubs as Dems in county elections.

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:03 pm 
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chuckmo48 wrote:
Neometric wrote:
However, if Seaton wins and it's solely attributable to the number of northern-tier-cities' voter turnout, her victory contradicts the values of those engaging the anticipated crossover vote, and a good many centrist Democrats will abandon the Party possibly never to return. Democrats, if they cannot find or create a third party, will from here on split their ticket.

I plan to split my vote, I usually have never voted a straight party. If she does win though, I will not be disenfranchised with the Democrat party. I will continue to vote for the best candidate. For the record, I probably have voted for as many Repubs as Dems in county elections.


You make an interesting point, Chuck. But it's the very point that formed the basis of my thread here. I find it extremely difficult to support a political party whose leadership endorses Seaton-like candidates. All it does is promote the status quo currently plaguing the party.


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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:14 pm 
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just using the term, ''disenfranchised'', says it all...

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 4:09 pm 
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I find it weird that the Democratic Party leadership is pushing straight ticket voting - in a local election. It seems to fly in the face of remedial wisdom.


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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:36 pm 
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They are sure that the sheeple will press the "D" button only, as instructed.

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:07 am 
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chuckmo48 wrote:
Neometric wrote:
However, if Seaton wins and it's solely attributable to the number of northern-tier-cities' voter turnout, her victory contradicts the values of those engaging the anticipated crossover vote, and a good many centrist Democrats will abandon the Party possibly never to return. Democrats, if they cannot find or create a third party, will from here on split their ticket.

I plan to split my vote, I usually have never voted a straight party. If she does win though, I will not be disenfranchised with the Democrat party. I will continue to vote for the best candidate. For the record, I probably have voted for as many Repubs as Dems in county elections.


I can't figure out why McDermott as party chair didn't get her knocked off the ticket as ineligible. If she wins it will prove to the world just how blindly Democrat the voters around here are. They would probably vote for Congressman Grayson too if he was on the ballot. :roll:

I am greatly anticipating the election results. Can hardly wait. If the voters once again just blindly vote the Dem party line, especially in a few key races, I well may just cut all ties to the Region and wash my hands of the place. It's looking like Crook County, IL & Lake County, IN represent the most politically corrupt 20 - 50 miles on earth.

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:36 am 
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Mirage's tagline reads: "If you voted for the Dems don't be surprised when things don't turn out quite as you were led to expect. Some might call it pure Marxism. But the problem with Obama economics is there's not enough money in the world to make it work."

LMAO. Well yeah, Mirage, there wasn't any money left after the government bailed-out Wall Street fatcats.

(Don't get upset, Mirage, cuz I ain't gonna get in no knockdown about it. just having a morning chuckle with my coffee)


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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:13 am 
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Neometric wrote:
Mirage's tagline reads: "If you voted for the Dems don't be surprised when things don't turn out quite as you were led to expect. Some might call it pure Marxism. But the problem with Obama economics is there's not enough money in the world to make it work."

LMAO. Well yeah, Mirage, there wasn't any money left after the government bailed-out Wall Street fatcats.

(Don't get upset, Mirage, cuz I ain't gonna get in no knockdown about it. just having a morning chuckle with my coffee)


Keep in mind that I have had that since the primaries, so it hadn't happened yet. ;)

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:49 am 
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Well, Ms. Seaton is in the newspaper again today.

Now it's a questionable homestead tax exemption:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... a3dae.html

So, does she live in Michigan but is running for office here in Lake County, Indiana?

Or does she live in Gary but has an unwarranted homestead exemption?

Or, is all of this just a coincidence or worse, a plot to make her look bad?

No matter, the Lake County Democrats want you to stop asking questions and just vote for her.

Got it?

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:02 am 
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freetime wrote:
Well, Ms. Seaton is in the newspaper again today.

Now it's a questionable homestead tax exemption:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... a3dae.html

So, does she live in Michigan but is running for office here in Lake County, Indiana?

Or does she live in Gary but has an unwarranted homestead exemption?

Or, is all of this just a coincidence or worse, a plot to make her look bad?

No matter, the Lake County Democrats want you to stop asking questions and just vote for her.

Got it?


She makes herself look bad. :evil:


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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:23 am 
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freetime wrote:
Well, Ms. Seaton is in the newspaper again today.

Now it's a questionable homestead tax exemption:
***
No matter, the Lake County Democrats want you to stop asking questions and just vote for her.

Got it?


"Got it?" pretty much says it all. With the "straight ticket" campaign, the situation has lapsed into pure dysfunction. I have not heard anything about her to rebut my contention that voting Seaton is politically regressive.


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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:53 am 
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I'll just repeat my little contention, made only partially in jest:

A Republican or Tea Partier has infiltrated the Lake County Democrats, and is directing their public relations efforts.

Otherwise, I just can't understand why in the world the Dems would pick this year to hammer away at that straight ticket business.

Now I'll be the first to admit that anyone checking my voting record would find mostly D's. I believe in Democratic principles for the most part, and expect that to continue.

But I also want to know the candidates are qualified and have some trace of common sense, at the very least. Oh, I also want to know they actually live in the state in which they are running for office.

But to ask me to just pull the D lever just because insults my intelligence.

I agree the more rabid Republicans, primarily on the national level, have made it tempting to turn to the Dems, who can seem more moderate in comparison. But that doesn't mean the D candidates deserve a pass on qualifications.

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 3:18 pm 
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YOu know what is funny about this election cycle?

The fact that right now, if someone really wanted to run and could get enough signatures to get on the ballot prior to the primaries, they probably could have knocked off a few Democrats and Republicans from the ticket all together.

Right now is the perfect time for a viable 3rd party to come in and start to shoe horn themselves into local and national offices, if they play it right and hold to values that both sides can agree with(and trust me, there are quite a few from each party that like views from the other party and do not say so due to the "issues" it woudl cause). Could you imagine what it would be like in DC if there were say 45 Dems and 45 Republicans but 10 3rd party candidates in office? There would need to be bipartenship big time to get anything passed in DC, and the same would hold true in local offices also

As far as voting straight ticket, I have never voted straight ticket, and never will, to me it is stupid, moronic, and pure laziness. Plus it leads to issues like we have seen over and over time after time

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 Post subject: Re: A Spot of Tea for Carol Ann
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:20 pm 
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Mirage wrote:
I am greatly anticipating the election results. Can hardly wait. If the voters once again just blindly vote the Dem party line, especially in a few key races, I well may just cut all ties to the Region and wash my hands of the place. It's looking like Crook County, IL & Lake County, IN represent the most politically corrupt 20 - 50 miles on earth.


The aftermath is even funnier (and more predictable): two or three months after the election, when the next Democrat puts the screws to the electorate (a la Tom Philpot, George Van Til, or George Pabey), watch all the LC automatons stomp their little union feet and cry their little ethnic tears and swear that NEXT time, FOUR YEARS FROM NOW, we're going to throw ALL those bums out!!


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