And.....I'm Back (Or Lost in the Web)

Coming home, words that soothe and bring to mind warm feelings of belonging. I have been seduced by the wooly world of the world wide web. Thus my dearth of posts here. My misadventures will be chronicled elsewhere. But I have come to loath 2 words in the English language: Internet Marketing.

As a babe in the woods, I ventured into this twisted, convoluted world. It is possible to earn money at home. But not $154,291 in just 4 days, all on autopilot, while the cabana boy fetches another round of pina coladas. I have seen the light and choose to use a little "Sycamore Sense" in my online forays.

EnerDel plans: 3 cities, 850 new jobs

By Chris Sikich

Posted: August 21, 2008

EnerDel plans to make a big impact in Central Indiana.

Company officials today announced plans to create more than 850 new jobs across the state through 2012.

The developer of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid, plug-in electric and electric vehicles will expand its research and cell production center in Indianapolis, build and equip a battery pack assembly center in nearby Noblesville, and locate a full-scale manufacturing operation at a still to be selected location in the state.

"Eight hundred fifty jobs of any kind is great news. When those jobs are in a technology of tomorrow, like electric cars, it offers the prospect of even bigger news to follow. Indiana has what it takes to lead this automotive revolution and today is step one," Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a new release today.

The 92-employee company, founded in Indianapolis in 2004, recently landed a $70 million contract to supply lithium-ion batteries for Think, a Norwegian electric car sold in Europe.

Daniels, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear appeared at a news conference this morning at the Northeastside plant.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered EnerDel up to $7.125 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $58,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans.

Indianapolis Star Business( http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/BUSINESS/80821016/-1/NEWS)

My Commentary:
In case you were wondering, as I did, what the Indiana Economic Development Corp. is, I found out. Their web site, http://www.in.gov/iedc/about.htm, tells the story of this success for Indiana described in Chris Sikich's story.

The IEDC is a relatively new creation, replacing the old bureaucratic Department of Commerce in 2005 (that's under Gov. Mitch Daniels watch) and is Indiana's lead economic development agency. It's government at its best, a public/private partnership that works.

The back story is how the IEDC works. From its web site, " In order to respond quickly to the needs of businesses, the IEDC operates like a business." As James Lipton of Inside the Actor's Studio (Bravo TV) quips in a Geico commercial, "How existential!" A government agency that operates like a business, why that's practically an oxymoron.

It's a good day for Hoosiers: economic development, job creation, entrepreneurship. The other states and the feds could learn from this. Thanks Mitch.

"Punch" is a knockout!

IU student launches new energy drink in Terre Haute

Flavor of ‘Punch’ based on old family recipe for fruit punch
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A Terre Haute North Vigo High School graduate and swimming standout is now diving into the highly competitive world of energy drinks.

Zac Workman, a 2006 North graduate and All-American swimmer, has launched “Punch,” a new energy drink designed to taste good and be better for you than other energy beverages on the market, Workman said.

Punch has “a pineapple juice base with six other juices added to it,” Workman said. “We really feel we are changing the way energy tastes,” he said.

Workman sold Terre Haute distributor Dever Distributing on his product, which is now available in about 50 stores in the Wabash Valley, he said. “[Dever] put their faith in us,” he said.
The flavor of Punch is based on a fruit punch developed decades ago by Workman’s grandmother, Ellen Zschau. “It’s been in the family for at least 75 years,” said Lil Workman, Zac’s mother. “Everybody that’s ever tasted it loved it,” she said.

Punch tastes like a carbonated fruit punch. A 16-ounce can costs $1.99 at Baesler’s Market in Terre Haute on Tuesday. Prices vary at different stores, Workman said.

In addition to running his own company, ZW Enterprises, LLC, Workman is a junior and honors program student in the prestigious Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

“We figured if we could make a drink that tasted good and was better for you but still gave you the same effects as the other [energy] drinks … without making you jittery and wouldn’t have a crash associated with it, that we’d have a really good chance of doing well,” Workman said. “If we can convince people to try [it], they will realize that this is one that they would want to continue to use,” he said.

Workman said he got the idea for Punch about a year ago. He found a consulting company in Los Angeles late last year that helped him develop the drink. Anheuser-Busch wholesaler Dever Distributing in Terre Haute was key to getting the product in stores, he said.

In addition to designing the energy formula, Workman also designed the can in which Punch is sold, he said. The can is made by Rexam, a North Carolina beverage container company. The cans are filled by Minnesota-based Cold Spring Brewery.

The ingredients in Punch give you a lasting burst of energy without jitters or a crash, Workman said. It has no sodium and no preservatives, he noted. “It tastes so much better and is a lot better for you” than other energy drinks, Workman said. “You don’t feel it as much immediately, but you’ll be wide awake the whole day,” he said.

Workman also “spent a lot of time in prayer about this,” Lil Workman said of her son’s decision to get into the energy drink business. “Doors just kept opening,” she said.

Punch has been available in stores for only about two weeks so it might be too early to tell how sales are going, Workman said; however, initial signs look good. There have been several re-orders and a grocery store in Marshall, Ill., Workman’s hometown, has had to order 23 cases in two weeks, he said.

“It’s been a lot of work and taken a lot of patience,” Workman said of his business venture. “It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve definitely learned a lot.”

More information about Punch is available online at www.punchenergy.com.
Photo cresit: (Knockout: Punch energy drinks on the shelves at Baesler's Market. Bob Poynter / The Tribune-Star Order photo reprints)

This news article in Terre Haute's newspaper, The Tribune Star, is good reporting on an emerging success story! How did that get into the paper? Just kidding, folks, but it is good to see the American dream alive and well.

Workman had an idea, worked hard at developing it, and now it has taken form. Henry David Thoreau wrote, " Men are born to succeed, not fail." That is the greatness of our country. We make it possible for anyone to succeed.

Who knows if Zac Workman's energy drink will take off? I contend that it's already a success, a success in free market capitalism. Maybe it won't be the financial success that will sustain it in the marketplace. But I bet Zac Workman already knows what the legendary head coach of the Green Baay Packers taught, "The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it."

Indiana taxpayers contribute millions to lawmakers' generous pension plan

Indiana taxpayers contribute millions to lawmakers' generous pension plan
Posted 8/15/2008 12:51 PM EDT on IndyStar
This is data on my state representative from this article in the Indianapolis Star.

Pension data for Rep. Clyde Kersey

A Democrat, Kersey is a current member of the Indiana General Assembly, serving House District 43

The "member input" column shows the amount contributed each year by Rep. Kersey.

YEAR MEMBER INPUT MATCHING
1992 $0.00 $0.00
1993 $0.00 $0.00
1994 $0.00 $0.00
1995 $0.00 $0.00
1996 $83.15 $332.60
1997 $1,636.10 $6,544.40
1998 $1,400.85 $5,603.40
1999 $1,661.65 $6,646.60
2000 $1,409.95 $5,639.80
2001 $1,820.97 $7,283.88
2002 $1,777.77 $7,111.08
2003 $2,186.01 $8,744.04
2004 $1,968.24 $7,872.96
2005 $2,162.92 $8,651.68
2006 $1,946.92 $7,787.68
2007 $2,258.91 $9,035.64
2008* $1,461.25 $5,845.00
Total $21,774.69 $87,098.76
* partial year


The "matching" column shows the amount contributed each year by taxpayers.

During the years covered by this analysis, Rep. Kersey contributed a total of $21,774.69 while taxpayers provided a four-to-one match of $87,098.76, providing a total of $108,873.45 in contributions to Rep. Kersey's pension fund.

Note: The total represents accumulated contributions and does not include interest earnings.

Thank you, Mr. Tully for letting some sunlight shine on our elected representatives. "If you want to understand why so many people don't trust politicians, take a look at the Indiana Legislators' Retirement System." The above represents my district. Not bad, huh?

Mr. Tully reports, "How generous is it?

"That is about as lucrative a program as I've ever heard of," Tom Hardin, a financial planner with Canterbury Investment Management in Zionsville, told me. "You wouldn't be able to find that anywhere -- in corporate America or elsewhere."

I didn't realize being representative was a life-long occupation. Certainly serving the constituents of a district is a sacrifice or should be. It should not be rip-off the tax payer time. From the article,
"Typically, you're going to find that most corporations will have contribution matches that top out at around 3 percent. Maybe 5 or 6 percent on the high end -- but not 20 percent," said Elaine Bedel, president of Bedel Financial Consulting in Indianapolis. "We're treating our legislators very, very well."

She's got it right. We, the taxpayers, are paying for this. How does this happen? A lack of transparency in government is the cause. Several states are initiating a web site that shows where the money goes and who gets it. One is from Ohio and is modeled after the federal government's new site, USAspending.gov. I wrote an email to Rep. Kersey about this for Indiana. His staff replied "that he thinks this idea has merit and will look into it before the start of the next session."

Situations like this, the misuse of tax payer dollars for personal gain, is not just the fault of the politicians. We the tax payers and voters have a duty to watch our elected officials, demand transparency, and throw the bums out if they can't or won't do the will of the people. GRRRRRRRR!

An Officer's Duty

"An officer must not lie, steal, or cheat-- ever. He keeps his word, whatever the cost. He must not shirk his duties no matter how difficult or dangerous they are. His life is ransomed to his duty. An officer must trust his fellow officers, and expect their trust in return. He must not expect others to bear what he will not. An officer accepts the consequences of his actions. He must not hide his mistakes, nor transfer blame to others that is rightfully his. He admits his mistakes openly, and accepts whatever sanction is imposed upon him without complaint." Faith of My Fathers, John McCain (Page 66)


These values, articulated in Sen. McCain's book, were inculcated into the very fiber of McCain's being, His father and his father's father were both career Navy officers reaching the rank of admiral. John's grandfather served in the Pacific during World War II, witnessing the signing of the treaty ending the war with Japan, living a part of our history. Speaking of the responsibilities of an officer, John writes, "He must not shirk his duties no matter how difficult or dangerous they are. His life is ransomed to his duty."


This was true of Vice Adm. "Slew" McCain because soon after the end of the war, he died, having ransomed his life to his duty.

His father was Commander of naval forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War, John's boss during his captivity. How was Adm. McCain able to continue, knowing his son was severely injured and being tortured?

John McCain answers that question in this excerpt. In his pain and suffering at John's captivity, Adm. McCain did not shirk his duties despite the personal difficulties. "An officer accepts the consequences of his actions. He must not hide his mistakes, nor transfer blame to others that is rightfully his. He admits his mistakes openly, and accepts whatever sanction is imposed upon him without complaint." McCain is writing about his dad here.

His father became CINCPAC while John was in captivity in the Hanoi Hilton. His dad had to face John's mother with the news, had to deal with this for over 6 long years.

Sen. McCain, a career naval officer, carries these attributes in the core of his being. Having been an Army officer and retiring from active duty as a Captain with the Public Health Service, I can relate to this excerpt. Any officer lives and breathes by these words. It is what should be required of anyone aspiring to Commander-in-Chief.

I know one more thing. Having been through hell and back, John McCain, though not one to shirk the duties prescribed in the Presidential oath of office, would be loathe to want war for our country. With his experience and background, Sen. McCain brings the "right stuff" to his candidacy for President.

A Move Toward Transparency and Accountability?

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act) requires a single searchable website, accessible by the public for free. Welcome to www.USAspending.gov, a relaunch of www.FederalSpending.gov, that provides citizens with easy access to government contract, grant and other award data. This is a real site with real information.

I sent an email to my state representative in Indianapolis, Rep. Clyde Kersey, suggesting that this be implemented at the state level. Wonder of wonders, his legislative assistant responded!
She wrote:

Representative Kersey asked me to tell you that he thinks this idea has
merit and will look into it before the start of the next session.

A meritorious idea - it's a start for those of us who wonder about where the money goes. I encourage everyone to contact their own state representative and ask for an accountability web site. Finally, a chance to see whose hands are in the cookie jar and throw the bums out!

"A statesman is a politician who places himself at the service of the nation. A politician is a statesman who places the nation at his service."

Georges Pomidou