As of Tuesday's epic Democratic fail, Gahan's a bigger fish in a smaller pond -- and Dickey's looking for a food taster.

I devoted precious coffee time on Sunday morning to surveying the social media feeds of local political officeholders of the Democratic persuasion. Most are on holiday, communications-wise, and have been for a while, but you never know.

While respectful of their positions as inhabitants of a severely listing ship, one that probably needs scuttling to qualify for salvage, it remains that hard times like these are those most in need of something approximating leadership from what we've always been taught is one of two major political parties in America.

So far, not much of this quality is on display, although maybe conditions will change once the shock wears off, assuming it ever does.

Happily, 3rd district councilman Greg Phipps has been quite prominent on social media since Tuesday's reeking debacle. However, much of what I've seen emanating from him is long on bombastic agitprop and short on road maps toward a coping mechanism, as with this meme:

However, perhaps this rumination begs a larger question: If the Democratic Party is to be considered the "legitimate" local political opposition to Trumpism, loyal or otherwise, then whose hand is on the damned wheel?

At times like this, aren't we supposed to look to the calm, measured wisdom of elder statesmen-and-women?

Wait, there's a statement coming through from the down-low ether ...

Never mind.

Are there any elder states-persons still aboard the wreck? Politically, Chuck Freiberger is damaged goods, having now lost three of his past four campaigns (the most recent for County Commissioner, and twice previously to Ron Grooms for State Senate).

Freiberger might have been considering another race for state office, but preferably from a position of electoral strength, and to say the least, this no longer is the case.

In a post at Fb, Freiberger thanked those who've supported him during 28 years in elected office, and there's the rub. He'd have commenced a career in politics at the age of 26 or 27; today, party chairman Adam Dickey's bench is thin and the farm system barren.

It has long been rumored that Jeff Gahan also is desirous of the State Senate seat held by Grooms, who persistently has been rumored to favor retirement, with former Floyd County Commissioner Steve Bush waiting in the wings as a formidable candidate with power bases in both Clark and Floyd Counties.

And Gahan?

Megalomania aside, the mayor's in a bit of a pickle. With C. Pralle Erni excepted, New Albany usually doesn't reward those seeking three consecutive mayoral terms, though Bob Real and Doug England managed it non-consecutively. I still think Gahan will go for Grooms' seat in 2018, because if he loses, there'd still be time for Plan B in terms of the mayor's office in 2019, though he'll likely receive a stiff primary challenge in the spring as well as a stronger Republican opponent than ever before if he makes it through to fall.

Given its steady hemorrhaging in the city, what's to come for the Floyd County Democratic Party without major surgery beginning right now?

In lieu of Dickey's ongoing unfitness to keep his job, are we to consider Gahan as the de facto "leader" of the FCDP? After all, Gahan is the highest-ranking local office holder in the party, and with Freiberger's imminent departure and Dan Coffey's declaration of independence earlier this year, he's now the one with the most experience (two city council terms preceding his tenure as mayor).

Will Gahan take this opportunity to cashier Dickey, whose status has been downgraded to junk bond, and seize the levers for his own Anchor the Mud Flats Movement?

Perhaps the reason why we're hearing nothing but dead air from the Democrats is their seclusion deep in the bunker, behind those perennially favored closed backroom doors, sharpening stilettos for prospective duty.

Bernie Sanders: It looks as if an Independent is the current leader of a rudderless Democratic Party.

ON THE AVENUES: Kind-a full-a you know what, but now we're going to find out whether Jeff Gahan has any cattle under his hat.

ON THE AVENUES: Don't be a Dickey, local Democrats. The verdict is in, and it's time for a change.

Our big fat Hibbardendum emerges fully erect: If all them Democrats got beat, how did they manage this tax increase?

Surprised?

Shocked?

Me, too. With numerous themes of societal disaffection combining to produce an overwhelming local landslide for Donald Trump, who gathered almost 59% of the votes cast for president in Floyd County, the NA-FC school corporation’s Hibbardendum – a shiny object construction bond issue – sailed effortlessly past the post, with almost 54% in favor.

This result is complete flip of the totals from the corporation’s first toss of the beanbag in May of 2015, and as such, it’s the only genuine head-scratcher amid Tuesday’s election returns in Floyd County.

In fact, even the Hibbardendum’s staunchest proponents can’t explain its success against the tide of status-quo-wrecking sweeping the planet. The familiar sentiments prefacing Trump’s rise, Brexit and “change” uprisings occurring all around the world have usually been expressed in heated defiance of hoity-toity “expert” opinion; if the usual suspects are for it, then mad-as-hell voters are against it.

Locally, with every political and economic power elite expressing support for the Hibbardendum that verged on the erotic, voters rose up … and agreed.

Was it the sheer force of money and propaganda?

Was it some sort of inner harmonic balance restoration, in that having offered to tear the system down right here, perhaps voters thought it wise to toss alms in the direction of “those kids” over there, albeit without paying very close attention to the devil lurking in the details?

Beats me. Is there a sociologist in the house?

At the same time, accepting Monty Python’s timeless advice at face value and gazing resolutely at the bright side of life, an obvious effort to pack the school board with handpicked Hibbard toadies failed miserably, such that the superintendent might be wise to keep his back facing the nearest wall, at least until he bolts for greener pastures, an inevitability now likely to occur sooner rather than later in spite of his success at relieving rate payers of a cool $87 million.

The corporation was well prepared, and will appear next week before the Plan Commission’s pre-greased and appointed wheels to begin garnering the necessary preliminary approvals to build, build and build some more.

Okay; fine, but to me, these two years of Hibbardendum politicking represent a profound missed opportunity to stage a discussion about the future of public education in a time of social cholera.

Instead, we’re going to do what we do best: Skip the substantive chat, stroke the power elites and construct bright shiny objects in another orgy of campaign finance trickle-down cash.

I say the sooner Superintendent Hibbard leaves town, the better.

Go already. You’ve done enough here, so please, can you do it to someone else, somewhere else?

"Todd Young eager for conservative agenda."

What's done is done. Evan Bayh entered the Senate race in midstream to the hosannas of the not-so-Left in Indiana. Todd Young regrouped, busted his tail and out-hustled Bayh, riding the big wave to a decisive 52-41 win. You needn't like Young or agree with his positions to respect his work ethic.

This outcome strikes me as deeply symbolic of the 2016 election as a whole, and even if I'm stretching, it certainly points to a generation gap manifested by the absence of young, vital blood in Indiana's Democratic Party.

I'd suggest the Democratic Party get started with the process of progressive reform. In the meantime, Young's going to be your senator for a while, so get to know his positions. If you're opposed to them, whining on social media isn't going to cut it. Either use the system, or step outside it, though first, it helps to know the risks and rewards embodied by your choice.

If you'd like to write about it, either way, then consider becoming a columnist at NA Confidential.

Todd Young eager for conservative agenda, by Amy Bartner (Indy Star via the C-J)

About 13 hours after his unexpected win over Evan Bayh for Indiana's open U.S. Senate seat, Todd Young spoke to reporters on being an “unapologetic conservative,” his intention to help repeal Obamacare and whether he supports Donald Trump’s push to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S.

The 45-minute conversation, at Downtown's Le Peep breakfast restaurant, also touched on Trump’s surprise win, Young’s focus on bipartisanship and what Mike Pence would be like as vice president.

"Crazy night," Young said, sitting down at a table in a reserved room in the breakfast restaurant with a green Starbucks cup in hand. "Is anyone here not tired?”

ON THE AVENUES: Don't be a Dickey, local Democrats. The verdict is in, and it's time for a change.

ON THE AVENUES: Don't be a Dickey, local Democrats. The verdict is in, and it's time for a change.

A weekly column by Roger A. Baylor.

On a foggy and crisp post-cataclysmic Thursday morning, I lovingly cradled my jet black espresso like a long-lost friend and began perusing social media.

Surely there’d be some sort of a clear sign that our local Demo-Disney-Dixiecratic Party was about to undertake something almost as rare as a Chicago Cubs world championship – namely, a nice, deep, restorative and preferably savage purge of its leadership cadre.

Alas, all I got was this predictably lousy, boilerplate evasion from the reigning kingpin, a guy whose “Boy Wonder” sobriquet has soured so far past its recommended use-by date that downtown alley cats won’t even touch it.

A Message from the District Chair

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, it just isn't in the cards. Last night, we came up short in a number of races.

Despite the result, we're proud of the hard work of our Democratic candidates, volunteers and supporters. You are the true heart and spirit of our party and we deeply appreciate the faith you've shown in us this election cycle. Together, we continue to believe in what Hoosiers can accomplish with a good education, a good-paying job, and stronger communities. Whether standing with workers, improving education, or fighting to ensure equality for all citizens, the focus of our party will remain on issues that make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary Hoosiers.

Today, we are proud to call ourselves Democrats. We want to congratulate last night's winners on both sides of the aisle. We will work with you for the benefit of our communities. In the words of Ted Kennedy, "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Sincerely,

Adam Dickey

Good grief.

“In a number of races,” or as we might say out here in the real world, damned near all of them.

Our cherished serial collector of appointed committee assignments writes here in the capacity of 9th District Chair, a job that simultaneously confirms and disproves the Peter Principle, although we must assume the stale perfume being sprayed is intended to mask the manure’s vile odor right here in Floyd County.

Lipstick, I have a pig over yonder that you really need to meet -- just step right through this door, into the Magic Kingdom.

Mr. Disney will be right with you.

---

In Floyd County, purported Democrats (it remains so very hard to tell) managed to win all of three races.

Circuit Court Judge Terry (also known as Terrance, but only during election years) Cody narrowly retained his longtime sinecure, primarily because Keith Henderson’s record of nonchalant ethics is so transparently obvious that even Republicans can’t ignore it.

Brad Striegel kept his county council seat; he’s honest and innocuous, but you’d be hard-pressed to discern left-of-center policy planks comprising the floor of his tree stand.

Then there’s a Knable, newly elected to county council, who apparently has legally changed her first name to “Doctor” in order to be confused with another, more illustrious family member on the opposite side of the aisle.

Apart from these three, everyone else identified as a “Democrat” on the Floyd County ballot was crushed, from Hillary Clinton through “No Candidate Filed” (surveyor). Henderson was a GOP albatross, Striegel a previous candidate with name recognition, and Knable largely aggrandizing the populace entirely on her own.

Can Dickey’s sputtering “machine” take genuine credit for any of them?

Probably not, and as such, the pattern continues. The last county election cycle was in 2014, and it was just as catastrophic for the Democrats as Tuesday. In 2015, the New Albany city council lost its Democratic majority, and 12 percentage points came off Mayor Jeff Gahan’s big 2011 total, bringing him within easy reach of the GOP in 2019, assuming the latter can locate a man or woman with the minimum requirement of a pulse.

At this juncture, let’s turn to Indiana Public Media for a post-mortem of the Democratic Party in statewide terms.

In his concession speech for the governor’s race, Democrat John Gregg pledged his party would, quote - “live to fight again.” To do it, Indiana legislative analyst Ed Feigenbaum says Dems will need to think a little younger.

“You have to appeal to a younger crowd now, in Indiana, and I think Democrats are going to understand this going forward, but whether they can find anything other than re-tread candidates right now is going to be very difficult for them, because they do not have a bench,” Feigenbaum says.

He says it’s not necessarily bad for a candidate be familiar – but he says it’s not ideal that most of the party’s current and presumptive nominees are pushing 60.

That’s instructive, isn't it?

Back here in Floyd County, the only warm body Chairman Dickey could find for State Representative was Steve Bonifer, a 66-year-old teacher. Charitably, Bonifer may have taken one for the team, but have the Democrats already forgotten the lessons of geriatric Bill Cochran’s loss to Ed Clere?

Ironically, the one instance of Dickey scrounging a youthful candidate came in the wrong race and resulted in a gunshot foot.

Dickey rejected lifelong Democrat Dennis Roudenbush for District 3 Commissioner; unlike the untested Gahan toady Bonifer, Roudenbush had at least conducted two previous campaigns for commissioner, and surely would have given Billy Stewart a better run than Josh Williams, Dickey’s handpicked candidate, who annoyed party activists by refusing to campaign door-to-door and introduce himself to the wider community.

Here is documentarian Michael Moore to deliver the conclusion, applicable to the Democratic Party at all levels in this nation:

Take over the Democratic Party and return it to the people. They have failed us miserably … We live in a country where the majority agree with the "liberal" position. We just lack the liberal leadership to make that happen.

Thanks, Adam.

There’ll be a little something extra in your pay packet.

By the way, it’s a pink slip, and so very sorry about that exit door’s nasty overbite; the building commissioner should have made your landlord Warren Nash fix it, but well, you know how things like that work around here.

All too well, in fact, and that’s why it’s time for a round of political hari-kari.

Act now, and we’ll give you a plaque somewhere, perhaps on a street tree in the act of being felled.

---

World turning
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
World turning
Everybody's got me down
-- Fleetwood Mac

That the perennially ineffectual Dickey should resign as party chairman is obvious to apathetic observers on Jupiter, but let’s not be churlish toward the candidates themselves.

Speaking personally, allow me to convey sincere congratulations to all candidates who stood for elected office in Floyd County, winners and losers alike.

At the local level, in spite of Dickey’s manifest failures, it's less about party affiliation and more about getting things done. I remain convinced that it isn’t an impossible dream, this notion of working together to better this precise spot on the map where we spend most of our lives.

As always, I encourage readers to engage local officeholders. Ask them questions. Most of the time, you'll receive an answer, although perhaps my persistence has rendered me an exception to this rule. You can do very little to change Washington D.C., but you can do quite a lot to change your own neighborhood, so start there.

For many, Wednesday morning proved the granddaddy of all hangovers, but this too shall pass. The electorate has spoken, and while I disagree with the verdict, I accept it, and while we’re at it, stop the Electoral College lamentations, please.

We all knew the rules going in, didn’t we?

Assuming my friends on the Left aren't dispersing to their pre-arranged armed resistance cells to begin the Double Secret Counter Revolution -- nope, didn't think so -- I'd recommend they all begin their mornings these next few days (months?) by taking a good, hard look directly at the faces staring back at them in the mirror. You can bet I am, and also that I understand it's going to take a while for the pieces to fall back into place.

But they will.

Throughout history, the vast majority of human beings have endured far worse, and are doing so as you’re reading this column, but as 'Muricans with short memories, we're entering uncharted waters, so insert a favored cliche here; mine is "nothing good comes easy," or perhaps “no one ever said it would be easy.”

Change always is a grassroots thing, and it happens by engaging other people, listening to them and actually stepping outside your social media silo (the horror) to influence hearts and minds. In fact, ch-ch-change is a two-way street.

HA, gotcha, Irv. Is your lawsuit ready?

Our immediate future is a challenge. It’s also an opportunity. How we react to it is what matters. In the end, I can speak and act only for myself, and the change must begin with me. It's the only way it ever was, and it's the only way it can be.

This process is going to be difficult.

So it goes.

---

November 3: ON THE AVENUES: It’s our big fat Hibbardendum, and Jeff Gahan is carrying the superintendent across the threshold as Metro United Way tosses rice and One Southern Indiana steals all the liquor.

October 27: ON THE AVENUES: It's NAC's 12th birthday, and the beatings will continue until morale improves.

October 20: ON THE AVENUES: Key events in the New Albanian rebirth, but first, a piccolo of grappa, per favore.

October 13: ON THE AVENUES: They're coming to take me away.

Watery tarts and swords: "Win or lose on Tuesday, a Democratic battle looms."

King Arthur: Please, please, good people, I am in haste. Who lives in that castle?

Peasant Woman: No one lives there.

King Arthur: Then who is your lord?

Peasant Woman: We don't have a lord.

Dennis: I told you, we're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week...

King Arthur: Yes...

Dennis: ...but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting...

King Arthur: Yes I see...

Dennis: ...by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs...

King Arthur: Be quiet!

Dennis: ...but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

King Arthur: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

Peasant Woman: Order, eh? Who does he think he is?

King Arthur: I am your king.

Peasant Woman: Well, I didn't vote for you.

King Arthur: You don't vote for kings.

Peasant Woman: Well, how'd you become king, then?

[Angelic music plays... ]

King Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king.

Dennis: Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

Arthur: Be quiet!

Dennis: You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

Arthur: Shut up

Dennis: I mean, if I went around saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Arthur: [grabs Dennis] Shut up! Will you shut up?!

Dennis: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system!

Arthur: [shakes Dennis] Shut up!

Dennis: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I'm being repressed!

Arthur: Bloody Peasant!

Dennis: Ooh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw him, didn't you?

Almost forgot ... here's the article.

Analysis: Win or lose on Tuesday, a Democratic battle looms, by Cathleen Decker (LA Times)

The roaring crowds and displays of Democratic unity around Hillary Clinton as the campaign ends have obscured a bumpier reality: Whatever happens Tuesday, Democrats face a struggle to define themselves.

The divisions in the party may be less dramatic than the parallel fight among Republicans, but Democrats have schisms both ideological and generational.

That suggests a dour potential for Clinton even as she moves closer toward victory in Tuesday’s election: Her presidency could be caught between Republicans who will have less reason than ever to cooperate and a corps of Democrats reluctant to compromise, both sides playing to opposite bases.

To win the party’s nomination, Clinton had to move to the left to placate Democrats attracted to her challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Their differences have been papered over in the general election, and most of his supporters have fallen in line, but Clinton’s intentions remain suspect to many on the party’s left.

Chairman Dickey is running away from Hillary as fast as his obsequious legs will carry him.

Trying to keep the Trump margin of victory in Floyd County down to 20 points, Adam?

Marine versus saccharine ... or Young, Bayh and Mr. Disney's acid reflux.

And Bayh was our best hope to take Mr. Disney to DC with him. 

Sharing an astute observation from a friend.

"(Evan) Bayh said he watches PBS and the Disney channel to escape the negative advertising."

I'll leave it to you to judge whether he's more PBS or Disney. By the way, Todd Young is a Marine. Bet you hadn't heard.

Our big fat Hibbardendum (2): The more things stay the same, or our school bond referendum, 2016.

I was asked to "clarify" my stance on the school bond referendum in the wake of Friday's day-late column.

ON THE AVENUES: It’s our big fat Hibbardendum, and Jeff Gahan is carrying the superintendent across the threshold as Metro United Way tosses rice and One Southern Indiana steals all the liquor.

... as with the vote that preceded it, the stated terms of this referendum are fundamentally deceptive. The chicanery accompanying them is rampant and frankly odious. This exercise is about bright shiny objects, not the education of kids. This is not a community discussion about the future of education. It’s a top-down edict, and a call for the rabble to bow to their betters, form a line and stand in order.

Seeing as nothing much has changed since Bruce Hibbard's first might heave at the bond issue Wheel of Fortune in May of 2015 -- apart from the corporation's target number increasing to $87 million -- my words at the time should suffice. The following was originally published on May 4, 2015 as "On the school bond referendum," and I stand by it.

See also:

Our big fat Hibbardendum (1): Follow the PAC-besotted usual suspects' beak wetting in the $87 million schools referendum. 

Our big fat Hibbardendum (3): City voters, take note, because just as in 2015, the NA-FC bond referendum is a "driving oriented, suburban school model."

ON THE AVENUES: It’s our big fat Hibbardendum, and Jeff Gahan is carrying the superintendent across the threshold as Metro United Way tosses rice and One Southern Indiana steals all the liquor.

---

There were 106 posts at NA Confidential in April, 2015, and to my surprise, this one took the title of most viewed.

News release: "Greenville Concerned Citizens, Inc. (has) voted to oppose the upcoming $80 million school bond referendum."

Obviously, there exists a palpable level of interest in the school bond referendum, which impacts the entire county, but is appearing on the ballot during a city election cycle, during the often forgotten primary. This fact alone might provide a modicum of insight as to why some residents might be piqued, apart from the relative merits of the referendum's "for" and "against."

From the start, there has been a well-organized, prolific advocacy effort for a "yes" vote: Families for Floyd County. It's a well-named PAC, too; it's hard to imagine the converse, as in Families AGAINST Floyd County.

Meanwhile, by its own admission, the organized "vote no" push was slow in getting off the ground, and in spite of the press release here at the blog that performed so well, the News and Tribune didn't pay very much attention until after the Louisville Courier-Journal tipped things off.

Group rallies against $80M Floyd referendum, by Kirsten Clark

In the final weeks before an $80 million referendum for New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation appears on the ballot, a group of concerned citizens has been rallying against it, calling some of the proposed construction it would fund "completely unnecessary" and the school administration's actions "sneaky."

Shortly thereafter, N and T revealed the counter-punch.

Greenville group may have illegal sign campaign, by Jerod Clapp

... Pete Palmer, a local attorney and president of Families for Floyd County — a PAC encouraging voters to favor the referendum — said he may file a formal complaint against Greenville Concerned Citizens.

“I am exploring the issue because I think the manner in which they have approached this is unfair,” Palmer said. “To the extent I consider it to be a violation of Indiana election law, I consider it to be an appropriate remedy.”

Speaking only for myself, I find it very disappointing that the well-heeled Families for Floyd County would seek intimidation via technicality. The pro-bond PAC has been ubiquitous in presenting its case in favor of the school bond issue.

Need it crush dissenting viewpoints to succeed?

---

There simply isn't space here to recap the many instructive conversations taking place recently on Facebook about the school bond issue. Thanks to all who have taken part. To me, perhaps the best short summary remains Jeff G's Fb post several weeks back, which is clear and economical in explaining the case against.

The school referendum on the primary ballot in Floyd County attempts to refute both science and basic economics, assuring the school corporation continues on the wholly unsustainable path started with closing smaller, walkable, neighborhood schools. Proponents of the referendum have continually attempted to separate the school closings from the referendum but both are part of the exact same plan-- a reliance on fewer, larger, driving-oriented school campuses. This is a school corporation that thinks nothing of purchasing and demolishing hundred-year-old housing to build more parking lots. All the pro-kids, pro-community, pro-environment arguments made in response to the proposed closings are still true and applicable. This referendum just insures that they won't ever be taken seriously until we reach genuine crisis stage, something that will occur sooner if the referendum passes. We can deal with reality now as a part of an improved referendum or we can stick our heads in the sand with this one and continue pretending as though a misguided 60s era model will work ad infinitum. Looking forward rather than backward requires voting NO.

Consequently, there exist two fundamental considerations pertaining to the "yea or nay" thought process as it exists in my own interior world.

First, while I believe we always should do things "for the kids," which is to say, "for the future," parsing the equation and defining the meaning of "things" is by no means simple, and the process lends itself to deployment as an emotional argument -- which I view proponents as having done in this instance. What must we do for the kids? Build better buildings. Why? Because better buildings lead to better education. Are there alternatives? Not really -- after all, it's for the kids. The argument is emotional, and circular.

Second, the bond proposal cannot be divorced from its progenitor. The NA-FC school corporation is the very essence of 800-lb gorilla, absorbing huge amounts of money and sucking the air out of rooms from Silver Creek to the Harrison County line, and yet existing forever as an autonomous, extra-governmental entity. There is little or no connectivity between school corporation leadership and the community; if the city resolves to pour money into neighborhood revitalization, you can almost bet your paycheck that the neighborhood school located there is next to be shuttered, with the decision-making process customarily based on a staggering degree of non-transparency, and absent communication with elected officials.

As recently as mid-April, during the run-up to the referendum, and almost as though school corporation administrators were bound and determined to prove once and for all how utterly tone deaf to criticism they can be, the upper echelon reacted harshly and openly to suggestions that it might do more to inform the public about agenda items at school board meetings:

“We wrote to you so you could make good decisions,” (deputy superintendent Brad) Snyder said. “We didn’t write to 70,000 people. We didn’t write to people who have axes to grind or issues against us. If we start writing that way, our vernacular, our language will probably shift to nouns and verbs. Our relationships will change and we will be required to do less work.”

Some will say that voting "no" as a form of protest, as I have done, is improper, seeing as it places children in the position of suffering collateral damage. I cannot entirely dismiss this objection. There are opportunity costs to all decisions, and we rely on our minds and consciences to help in the process of weighing them. But in the end, if we're genuinely serious about long-term futures, then there must be an open, principled break with unhelpful policies and behaviors from the past.

Education, community, sustainability, connectivity ... it's a minefield. The school bond referendum was a tough call for me. I merely hope that we can agree to disagree.

Weekend MUST READ: "The Big Con: what is really at stake in this US election."

"The New Deal"

America, you really must get your shit together. I'm getting older, and tired of waiting. History, anyone?

The Big Con: what is really at stake in this US election, by Ben Fountain (The Guardian)

Big government helped make America great but it was so successful its effect has become invisible. Anti-Washington hatred helps only the super-rich and puts progress at risk for millions living with wage stagnation and rising inequality

The collective memory of America is short. During the 2010 midterm elections, it seemed like every other house in my north Dallas neighborhood sported a “Had Enough? Vote Republican!” yard sign. As if it had been two hundred years, instead of two, since the US economy was on the brink of collapse, with panicked credit markets, huge banks and insurance companies about to topple into the void, a flatlining auto industry, the Dow Jones plunging toward 6500, and job losses topping 700,000 a month, not to mention the wars that had turned the budget surpluses of the late Bill Clinton years into massive deficits, all courtesy of a two-term Republican president whose party controlled Congress for six of the last eight years. Yes, please! Take us back to the good old days of 2008!

Two years. The perpetual fog of American forgetting-gas had done its work. If two years are all it took to erase the memory of the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, then we shouldn’t hope for much awareness of that earlier crisis some 80 years ago, though there are a few old heads still around who lived it, and the experience of those times can be found readily enough in the archives and histories of the era ...

Dennis Roudenbush for Commissioner: Josh Williams mentions "transparency" as Adam Dickey runs screaming from the crypt.

I voted for Dennis Roudenbush and recommend you do the same, but we must profusely thank DemoDisneyDixiecratic candidate Josh Williams for his ironic detachment, surely unintended, as he contradicts the daily operational goals of the Dickey/Gahan party apparatus with this one statement.

Floyd County Commissioner, Dist. 3 | Election 2016, by Madeleine Winer, (Courier-Journal)

... First priority is transparency. Elected officials have a tendency to forget that they are elected as public servants. The citizens of Floyd County deserve to know what is going on and have full disclosure of all pertinent information so that they can voice a true opinion on issues.

I've not met Williams, who seems earnest and well meaning, but he might wish to take an honest look around him at those Roadhouse party functions and grasp that the very best examples of non-transparent megalomania are seated across from him, drinking the Bud Light Lime Kool-Aid, as crafted in small batches by the party chairman himself.

To repeat: Roudenbush for Commissioner.

I'm holding out for the Michael Dukakis edition.

They're proliferating like rabbits on my Facebook page.

The problem? It isn't exactly an enticing comparison, at least from Bill's standpoint. Uncle Joe is a bit less objectionable. Is it to late for him to run for president?

Look -- there's another one.

If Bayh wins, can Mr. Dickey go to Washington?

Keith Henderson wants to be the hanging judge, though "former prosecutor" sounds better to us.

Lest we forget ...

Matt Oakley's assessment of the prosecutor's ethical breakdown doesn't stop with Keith Henderson.

Granted, it isn't as though we weren't aware of Henderson's many and varied abuses as prosecutor, and (Mark) Seabrook's role in ignoring them -- as these posts from 2013 attest.

Ready for the punchline?

In an age of excuses for reckless behaviors, I will continue to hold adult offenders accountable.

Prosecutor, hang thyself.

Why are you running for this position? (Courier-Journal)

I will bring much-needed energy and efficiency to the position of Circuit Court Judge. My philosophy has always been very clear. In an age of excuses for reckless behaviors, I will continue to hold adult offenders accountable, protect the innocent and support the family. After prosecuting nearly 30,000 criminal cases and handling thousands of child support cases, I have unique experience and strengths which will enable me to bring accountability and fairness to this position. I will use my extensive experience as an Indiana State Police officer, General Council for City of New Albany and nearly 19 years as a prosecuting attorney in the office of Circuit Court Judge.

Randy Smith for NA-FC School Board: "I think it's important to remember that the superintendent works for the school board and not the other way around."

Thousands of Floyd Countians already have voted, and as with the News and Tribune, the Courier-Journal has belatedly released candidate information.

Couldn't these newspapers go to work a bit earlier, and provide information to the public before voting begins?

Floyd County School Board candidates | Election 2016, by Kirsten Clark (Courier-Journal)

The presidential election isn't the only important race on the ballot. There are nine candidates vying for seats on the New Albany-Floyd County School Board, which evaluates the superintendent, oversees the school district's budget and has the final say in issues of district policy and facility decisions.

Take a look at who's running, and be sure to vote on Nov. 8.

Having already endorsed Randy Smith for the at-large slot on the school board, I'm under no obligation to be fair to the other candidates. Here is Randy's bio and answers, as submitted to the C-J.

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Randy Smith

Age: 60

Occupation: Bookseller

Education: Bachelor of Science with high honors in public administration, graduate study in law

Family: Wife, Ann Baumgartle

Reason for running: I hope to take NAFC schools to the next level by building a community consensus around public education and the importance of investing in our students. Great schools are made by great teachers, and it is important to show them the respect needed to make their jobs fulfilling.

Biggest issue facing constituency: Two issues present themselves: 1) Teacher recruitment and retention, and 2) restoring trust in the school administration. A lack of transparency and accountability have created a lack of trust which hampers progress. I think it's important to remember that the superintendent works for the school board and not the other way around.

The NAFC administration has falsely presented this referendum as if it is our only choice. For that reason, I do not expect it will be approved by the voters. I don't believe there is even a Plan B, which makes this do-over referendum incredibly risky. The next school board will need to be prepared to address the most serious concerns facing the district. Dr. Hibbard's solution actually puts limits on what we can do to strengthen the vitally important instruction mission, offering only a construction alternative. I will be voting "no."

Proof that thousands vote prior to the local newspaper so much as beginning its local election coverage.

Chris Morris handily downplays the independent candidates in his business-as-usual preview of the race for District 3 Floyd County Commissioner, but the point lies elsewhere.

Given the advent of early voting, the News and Tribune surely must move coverage of local campaigns forward, as well as its General Election Voters Guide, so that they'll appear before ballots are cast.

When we raised this issue previously, the then-editor tepidly ho-hummed it with an excuse about deadlines. However, compelling evidence exists, as stated by Floyd County Clerk Christy Eurton at last week's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting (October 18).

That's right: At least 4,000 votes were cast before the newspaper began its local election coverage with the release of the Voters Guide after Eurton's words to BOW. If I were an an advertiser, I'd be concerned.

Perhaps Hanson could tie the election coverage debut to a cooking class ...

Same referendum, same arguments. Same outcome?

Returning to a point we made last spring: Given the advent of early voting, the News and Tribune must move up the release of articles like this, as well as its General Election Voters Guide, so that they'll appear before ballots are cast.

On the other hand, the referendum is the perfect example of emotions outweighing logic. I suppose it doesn't matter, does it?

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: New Albany-Floyd County Schools try another referendum, by Jerod Clapp (News and Tribune)

FLOYD COUNTY — Taking a second shot at securing funding for upgrades and rebuilt schools, the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. has an $87 million referendum on the ballot for Nov. 8.

In May of 2015, the measure failed in the primary, with the vote spread at 45 percent in support and 55 percent against it. Taking some lessons from the failure and regrouping, the district aims to win next month, but an opposition group still raises concerns about keeping taxes at the same level and whether the scope is too great on the projects.

In just more than two weeks, voters will decide whether to take an overall property tax decrease or to allow the district to issue the bonds to renovate or rebuild schools, but both sides argued their points.

Politics, good judgment, social media, and why I refrained from voting in the Floyd Circuit Judge race.

On October 12, I posted this paragraph to Judge Terry Cody's campaign page at Facebook. According to the page, the campaign is "very responsive to messages."

Hello. It's impossible for me to vote for Keith Henderson, but I'd like to vote FOR Terry, whom I respect and admire. However, there's the matter of two-way streets in New Albany. Some might say that this topic falls outside the judge's jurisdiction, but I view it differently. Being able to survey facts and gauge research surely impact a voter's view of a candidate's fundamental judgment, which after all is of critical importance for a judge. Besides, a sitting judge is an undisputed mover of community opinion whether or not he's actively politicking. I don't think it is asking too much to get a clarification of Judge Cody's position on two-way streets. Thanks.

Yesterday was the 21st. I'd received no reply, and it was time to go to the clerk's office and vote. I couldn't vote for Henderson, who in effect asks us to allow him to adjudicate his own ethical violations.

But I couldn't vote for Cody, either, because my question went unanswered. The judge declined to explain when asked, but I will -- even if you didn't.

The last time I brought this up on social media, several readers made the point that a judge's campaign isn't political. Cody himself soft-pedaled his involvement with politics when asked during Harvest Homecoming by the News and Tribune's Elizabeth Beilman.

J. Terrence Cody, Democratic Floyd County Circuit Court judge who is running for re-election, was among them.

Cody is running for his fourth term.

"Judges cannot participate in the political process except in years in which they are on the ballot," Cody said.

That means he can't campaign five years out of his six-year term.

To which I must respond:

Cody may well lie low in non-election years, but he is constantly and intimately involved with local Democratic Party politics. See whose name is at the top of this list?

I was at the Tree Board meeting in May when Cody attended and let it be known that he wanted trees removed from city-owned property around his house. Does anyone reading really believe that once a man as prominent as Cody indicated his preference, that there'd be a check-and-balance in place to fairly review the request?

Plainly, Cody is a privileged political figure in the community, and here's the kicker: That's exactly as expected, and should come as no surprise. It's disingenuous to insist otherwise. Politics is about power; who has it, and who uses it.

Does anyone reading seriously believe that Cody does not have power -- every day, every year -- or that he declines to exercise the power he obviously has?

I didn't think so. Henderson exercises power, and so does anyone seeking an elected office, and as such, in spite of rote protests to the contrary, it is perfectly legitimate for me as a voter to acknowledge this reality, and to base my vote (or non-vote) for a candidate on real-world political grounds -- and, in the case of a candidate for judge, to ask myself a simple, pointed question: In his political undertakings, is he or she exercising good judgment?

See what I did there?

Quite apart from the clear-cutting instincts, one he unfortunately shares with other ranking Democrats and more than a few historic preservationists, Cody has let it be known that two-way streets are not to his taste, and when he says this, whether aloud or privately, it's not the opinion of John Q Public. It's coming from a political figure who possesses and uses power.

It's also poor judgment.

I offered Cody the opportunity to clarify his stance, and whether or not he even knew about the Facebook posting is irrelevant, because social media works a certain way, and anyone connected to his campaign knows it. There was no answer to my question.

Consequently, there was no vote cast for Terry Cody.

"They are slinging so much mud, and I’m wearing a white suit.”

Our corporate class.

“My name is Lucy Brenton, but you probably don’t know who I am because I haven’t spent $30 million to win a job that pays under $200,000 a year.”

The Libertarian candidate's quip probably was the highlight of Tuesday's senatorial debate. Charlie Pierce noticed, so let's skip to the end -- but first, one of Pierce's classic lines:

"The essential patriotism of the American corporate class can be measured in a thimble, and you'd still have room left over."

No, Hillary Clinton Should Not Go Business Class When She Gets into Office, by Charles P. Pierce (Esquire)

... On Tuesday night, because I could not sleep and do not have a life, I checked in on a replay of a recent debate between the candidates for the U.S. Senate seat from Indiana. The Democratic candidate is Evan Bayh, a classic Simpson-Bowlesite who left the Senate once before because the political climate had gotten too hot and the Senate too wild for his delicate constitution. He then became a lobbyist. Now he wants to get back to the Senate because…oh, hell, who cares. I tuned in just in time to hear Bayh brag that he was opposed to the estate tax and that he would vote for its repeal.

Except he didn't call it that.

He called it "the death tax."

The death tax.

I'm amazed that he isn't telling people he's running for the Senate as the candidate of the Democrat party.

Evan Bayh is half an anachronism and I suspect he doesn't know it. The country has changed. So has the Democratic party. I remain cautiously optimistic that its presidential candidate realizes that as well.

"New Albany-Floyd County school board candidates answer questions at forum."

I'l readily concede that yet another Democratic-sponsored event at the Roadhouse (why?) didn't seem the best of times for me on a Thursday night, with so many bottles of booze enticingly reposing over there in yonder liquor cabinet.

I'm voting for Randy Smith. Beyond that, you're on your own.

New Albany-Floyd County school board candidates answer questions at forum, by Jerod Clapp (News and Tribune)

The at-large candidates for school board in New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated schools answered questions at a forum Thursday night. They talked about infrastructure issues, stances on vouchers and much more.

NEW ALBANY — With more people in the audience than a typical school board meeting, most of the candidates running for seats in the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. got a chance to answer questions at a forum Thursday.

Among the issues discussed, candidates voiced their thoughts on the upcoming referendum for the district, long-range infrastructure plans and staff retention.

ON THE AVENUES: They're coming to take me away.

ON THE AVENUES: They're coming to take me away.

A weekly column by Roger A. Baylor.

I was raised to give a damn, and it isn’t easy stepping away from that.

Conversely, I taught myself to self-medicate in times of extreme duress – and staying upright while inside a bottle is no picnic, either.

This year it’s been harder than ever.

I gaze longingly at those nice, clean receptacles of gin, bourbon and rum, and dream about blissful weeks drinking breakfast by dawn’s early light – or after lunch, whichever comes first.

For the most part, I’m sidestepping temptation. I may need a hobby, or a job.

Gads. It's come to that?

This year there have been numerous sources of dissonance worthy of attribution, and yet they’re little more than blips of background noise compared with the 800-lb simian’s source of unrelenting daily pressure: Trump, Clinton, and the deplorables on all sides of the most offensive exercise in so-called democracy I’ve ever seen in 56 years of near certainty that the only Americans who aren’t certifiable lunatics are those who remain oblivious to the idiocy, whether through drugs, alcohol or sheer cantankerousness.

I’d dearly love to join them, except I just cannot seem to succeed in tuning out the clatter. Why was my upbringing so oppressively responsible?

My parents weren’t deep readers. They perused the daily newspaper, watched television news and listened to the radio during a forgotten age when worthwhile chunks of genuine information sometimes penetrated the advertisements.

Perhaps my father’s keen interest in news and current affairs was compensation for the absence of formal education. He joined the Marines, went off to war at the tender age of 17, and later completed his G.E.D., but I always had the sense he felt something was missing.

At any rate, whatever the motivation, he taught me to care about the world at large, and for this I’m appreciative.

My maternal grandfather was involved in civic affairs in Henderson, Kentucky, and my mother inherited his interest in politics, generally referring to herself as a “Yellow Dog Democrat,” which means she’d sooner vote for a yellow dog than a Republican.

Vulgar talking yams (to quote Charles P. Pierce) are another matter. My mom just turned 84, and when I went to see her earlier today at Silvercrest, she was watching Donald Trump speak in Florida.

Mother: What do you think of Trump?

Son: He’s an idiot.

Mother: You don’t think he’ll win?

Son: Doubtful. He’s an idiot.

Mother: I sure hope he doesn’t.

Her absentee ballot rested on the coffee table, and my guess is you can chalk one up for Hillary Clinton. After all, my mom would sooner vote for a yellow dog than a surreal absurdity.

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As for me, I’ve been examining the sample ballot in a desperate attempt to spot viable options, whether local or national.

As previously noted, I’ll be voting for Dennis Roudenbush (Floyd County Commissioner) and Ed Clere (State Representative). Because I can trust Randy Smith (at-large) and Rebecca Gardenour (District 4) to reject the “good old boy” network of acolytes eager to shine Superintendent Hibbard’s shoes, they’re my choices for NA-FC school board.

I met Dale Bagshaw for the first time last year, and he’s both earnest and honest. Moreover, it’s been fascinating to see his position on two-way streets evolve. Dale has my vote for County Council.

Beyond these races, the labored mulling continues as the liquor cabinet beckons.

For President of these Disunited States, I simply will not waste my vote on a major party candidate. The most likely choice remains the Green Party’s Jill Stein as a write-in, although I’ve toyed with the idea of writing in Bernie Sanders, Jeff Gahan, David Duggins, Max the Wonder Chimp or even me.

If you detect notes of sarcasm, disdain, derision, contempt and disgust, you’re about halfway there, and I’m not sure the second half is traversable without more martinis than my liver is prepared to ingest.

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Of course, this is the crux of it. As with the music I can’t avoid hearing at the supermarket or the road signs I am unable to stop reading, it seems impossible for me to ignore the Great Electoral Train Wreck of 2016.

I want so badly to push it aside – to digest edifying novels, not installments of Five Thirty Eight; to imagine Mike Pence playing outfield for Rockheads (I mean Rockies); and to pretend that the Democratic Party is sufficiently progressive for me to support it.

Alas, I’m condemned to pay attention, reel in revulsion, take a second glance, vomit, gaze at the peanut gallery, and remain frozen unhappily into place, destined for further and unceasing punishment. Waking every morning to a news cycle guaranteed to insult the intelligence of our concrete retaining wall feels like a sledgehammer to the cranium.

And yet, I keep coming back for more. Is it a braindeath wish? Hypnotic suggestion? Misguided sobriety?

Two weeks ago, addressing New Albany’s maddening, protracted gavotte with those gold-paved Disney-endorsed two-way streets running through Jeff Gahan’s head, I wrote that it has become wearying to know that if I don't publicly rebut malarkey-spreaders and civic has-beens, no one else will.

I’ve managed to refrain. Don’t ask me how. Going to Wisconsin for the weekend helped – the Badger State has its own problems, but at least escaping the stifling inanity of Harvest Homecoming had a calming effect on me.

So will our Sicilian holiday during Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing Mt. Etna close up and personal, drinking wine, and eating the local pasta dish made with anchovies and fresh sardines. There may be pistachio gelato, and a day trip to Malta.

Knowing the mafia is busy wetting beaks should make the city of Catania feel just like a Redevelopment Commission meeting, albeit one where the language is more sensible to innocent bystanders.

Pardon the digression.

It is tremendously frustrating to keep one’s counsel when misinformed community pillars dispense propaganda about two-way streets that's so distorted Trump would blush, but I’ve managed, and maybe this is a turning point.

Yes, it’s excruciatingly hard to disengage from something this passionate – and as noted, it’s someone else's turn, at least for a while.

Did I mention we brought home three and a half cases of beer from Wisconsin? If you’ll pardon me, it’s time to put the hammer down and inventory those tasty sedatives.

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October 6: ON THE AVENUES: His nose knows tolls and polls (2010).

September 29: ON THE AVENUES 3-PK, PART THREE: Survey says … Irv’s street grid agitprop won’t be putting Diogenes out of work any time soon.

September 29: ON THE AVENUES 3-PK, PART TWO: Inkem binkem notamus rex, protect us all from the city (still) with the hex (2014).

September 29: ON THE AVENUES 3-PK, PART ONE: Chocolate covered frozen banana republic, or "understanding" Harvest Homecoming, our peculiar institution (2014).

September 22: ON THE AVENUES: On two-way streets, a modest proposal for the consideration of my disoriented one-way counterpart.

Neither a Bonifer nor a Dickey be (at least po-lit-i-cal-ly): Ed Clere for State Representative.

The race has been oddly subdued to date, but Republican Ed Clere seeks his fifth term in the Indiana House of Representatives, and his Democratic challenger is Steve Bonifer, this year's inexperienced (and sacrificial) poster boy for the nepotistic instincts of Mayor Jeff Gahan, and the inability of Adam Dickey's DemoDixieDisneycrats to locate sound candidates for public office.

To make a long story short, I'm voting for Rep. Clere.

Do I agree with the entirety of Rep. Clere's voting record while serving in the House? Of course not, particularly as many of these votes pertain to the likes of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and its hegemonic agenda of chain- and corporate-centered economic thinking.

We've had our tussles, and probably will again, but at the end of the day we've been able to continue talking, which is more -- far, far more -- than can be said about Dickey's and Gahan's "agree or be censored" management regimes.

Ed Clere is intelligent and responsive. He has learned the legislative levers, wielded them to assist local people, and in bucking the theocratic wing of the GOP, pointed the way toward a saner Republican Party.

Clere versus Bonifer is as close to a no-brainer as we have on this fall's ballot, but there is important news for area teachers with short-term political aspirations, because on the morning of November 9, Dickey will begin the search for yet another educator to challenge Clere in 2018.

Mrs. Gahan, perhaps?