Q&A
What do you consider the two most important issues facing Hoosiers who will see your name on their ballot this November? And if elected, what policies will you push for to address each one?
Education, and the cost of living.
Our education system is failing our children. One of the biggest reasons is that our education system was designed for a world that no longer exists. The future is in programs like Education Savings Accounts which bring flexibility to parents to provide the individualized education that their children need. I think it is essential to solving all the other problems which face our society to give our children the tools to be a part of solving those problems. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.
On the cost of living, I will be focusing on eliminating property tax, especially for your primary residence if you own your own home. If you must pay the state in order to keep your own home you actually don't own your own property. This will help not only property owners, but renters too. The costs of property tax get passed on to renters, so eliminating property taxes will exert downward pressure on rents. Did you know that property tax didn't exist in Indiana until 1913?*
*Editor's note: Property tax existed in Indiana before 1913. This is information from a government information librarian at the Maurer School of Law: Indiana property tax was intended to be a tax on property wealth when Article 10, § 1 was adopted and later ratified as part of the 1851 Indiana Constitution. However, 1913 marked the introduction of the state-level administration of property taxes and the establishment of a statewide tax commission. Prior to this, property tax assessments were handled locally, often resulting in inconsistent and unequal taxation across different regions.
We've heard from many in our audience that they feel frustrated — sometimes disenfranchised — by our current political landscape. These feelings sometimes contribute to people deciding not to vote, and Indiana consistently ranks near the bottom of the list on voter turnout. What would you say to a potential voter who feels this way?
It is easier in the US than in any other country to be an engaged citizen if you want to be, but it usually takes more than voting. If you see a problem in your community, focus locally first and then go up from there. The government which most affects your life actually isn't what you see on Fox news or CNN, its at the state and local level. Thankfully these people have smaller districts and are therefore more accessible than our congressmen and senators.
This being said it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The old guard often likes their good old boys club, but if you are persistent, and have a thirst for justice, it will pay off.
If you are wanting to be more engaged politically here in Marion County but don't know where to begin, whether democrat, republican, or independent, I would be happy to talk to you personally about where to start. Feel free to email me at joseph@bortka.com.
Economic anxiety is top of mind for many in our audience and around the country, with a common concern being inflation and the high price of basic needs. In all the complexity around economic issues, what specific changes need to happen to help Hoosiers and their families?
What can the state government do? Well for one we could play hardball with the federal government when it comes to inflation-causing fiscal policies. When the government spends more money than it has coming in, they create new money out of thin air, which dilutes every dollar you have. This is incidentally also why property taxes went up. Home values didn't increase. Your money is worth less.**
If states can legalize pot in defiance of the federal government why can't we demand lower federal spending to avoid inflation and use our executive powers to do so? Using state government to protect hoosiers from unjust federal taxation is something we should be willing to do.
At the state level we could directly and immediately eliminate property tax. More long term I think we should reduce regulations on small food production operations to decrease the cost of local food production, which will make healthy food cheaper. Some of this may also mean using our power as a state to defy unconstitutional federal regulations like in the case of the Elkhart county Amish dairy farmer a few years back, where their sheriff threatened to arrest federal agents if they continued to harass the community.***
**Editor's note: This is an ongoing debate. While some lawmakers say government spending is behind rising inflation rates, the Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell disagrees. The New York Times reported that he disputed those claims in congressional testimony and in a press conference. To read more about inflation, you can check this reporting from NPR: The debate over what’s causing inflation, The mystery of Inflation (2022) and Everything you always wanted to know about inflation (but were afraid to ask).
***Editor's note: WFYI was unable to independently verify this statement and emailed the candidate for more information, but has not heard back.
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