Dick Lugar: A 'Lifelong' Resident of Indiana (If He Died 35 Years Ago)

Fact: Dick Lugar, a US Senator representing the state of Indiana, calls himself a "lifelong Hoosier."

Fact: Dick Lugar has not lived in Indiana for 35 years.

Fact: The US Constitution clearly states that a senator must be "an Inhabitant" of the state he represents.

Fact: "Inhabitant" means "one that occupies a particular place regularly, routinely, or for a period of time."

Fact: Lugar has been ruled ineligible to vote in his so-called home precinct because he failed to meet residency requirements.

Fact: Despite the fact he's lived in Virginia for decades, Lugar will appear on the Indiana primary ballot in May.

Fact-based Opinion: This is yet another example of how We, the People are getting misrepresented and screwed.

What Mitt Romney is Really About

"We must not forget what this election is really about: defeating Barack Obama."

Those are the words Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney chose to launch his latest fundraising drive, and they're very revealing. Mitt isn't worried about the economy. (Probably because, according to his own tax returns, he made more than $42 million in the last two years alone). He isn't worried about the millions of out-of-work Americans. (In fact, in a recent speech, he said he likes firing people.) He certainly isn't worried about cleaning up Wall Street, not when the top three contributors to his campaign this election cycle are Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase & Co, and Morgan Stanley. And as much as he rails against taxes, Romney gave away more money in charity than he paid in income taxes (which is, I'm sure, a problem most Americans would love to have).

If you ask me, it seems pretty obvious Mitt Romney is focused on the wrong thing.

This isn't a competition.

This election isn't about Republicans vs. Democrats, conservatives vs. liberals, rich vs. poor, or race. It's about daily survival for millions of Americans. It's about trying to feed your children and, in some cases, your grandchildren. It's about trying to hold on to what you've worked your whole life for, and watching it slip away.

Until Mr. Romney understands that, he isn't fit to be President.

Indiana, You're Screwed

Today I'd like to draw your attention to a nasty little bill working its way through the legislative process. Indiana's HB 1091 would guarantee payment of legal fees for any CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) or other agricultural complex found not guilty of a nuisance lawsuit.

HB 1091 is interesting for a number of reasons...

• HB 1091 was authored by Majority Floor Leader Bill Friend (R), who is owner and operator of Friend Farms and President of Green Acres Ham LLC. Several years ago, he converted his swine production complex into a confined feeding operation (CAFO).

• CAFOs dump animal manure into "lagoons". These lagoons release ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other gases into the air as the manure decomposes. The emission of these gases is commonly described as smelling like sulfur or rotten eggs.

• People living near CAFOs often complain that the gas emissions cause headaches and other health problems. One of the few avenues of recourse available to such people is to (you guessed it) file a nuisance charge against the offending CAFO.

• HB 1091 would provide CAFOs special protection under the law. It would take away the presiding judge's option of awarding legal fees to defendants found not guilty of such lawsuits and instead require that those fees be awarded. Agribusiness would become the only industry afforded this protection under Indiana law.

At best this bill seems like a conflict of interest, and an assault on free speech at its worst. CAFO operator/bill sponsor Bill Friend claims the legislation is intended to discourage frivolous lawsuits, which he claims are a major problem in his industry. Yet, when asked by Indiana's NUVO News Weekly, the fifth-generation farmer admitted he'd "had no problem with lawsuits".