This site:
This site is generally, but not exclusively, devoted to Indiana politics and related issues. That notwithstanding, whatever I feel is interesting on a given day will likely make its way to the blog.
Me: I am an attorney in Lafayette, Indiana. I spent 3 years working for the Indiana General Assembly in the Legislative Services Agency (LSA). LSA is a non-partisan agency responsible for, among other things, researching and drafting proposed legislation as well as maintaining the Indiana Code and the Indiana Administrative Code. While I was there, I was initially a drafter in the Office of Bill Drafting in Research. I was sort of a jack-of-all-trades as far as drafting, generally getting assignments in those areas that did not have specialists — Motor Vehicles, Licensure, Commercial Law, and whatever else was sent my way. I also advised the House Commerce Committee, the House Public Safety Committee, and the House Transportation Committee. Later on, I became a deputy director in the Office of Code Revision where I was primarily involved with editing and printing the legislation prepared by the drafters. We were also responsible for publishing the Indiana Code.
Since I left LSA in 1999, either my political views have drifted leftward or politicians have drifted rightward — at least on the state and federal level. Local politics do not seem to translate into “left” and “right” quite as much, and so I tend to maintain a non-partisan view of local politics. My views tend very much toward the libertarian: stay out of my pocket book and stay out of my bedroom. Balance the budget and respect the Bill of Rights.
Feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns at blog@masson.us
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi there Doug,
I was just checking out your blog, and I appreciate your coverage of Indiana politics. I’m a video producer for Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, and I thought you might be interested in some videos we’ve done about Indiana residents’ experience with the health care system.
Here’s one about Jessica of Elkhart, mother of four, who is the only member of her family without health insurance:
http://bit.ly/OLLBd
We also did a compilation video about the problems the health care system faces: http://bit.ly/3Qnob
There’s lots of other ones at:
http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/video.html
Feel free to use them if you’re looking for more multimedia or personal stories when writing about political issues that affect Indiana. There’s code for embedding the videos right below the video, if you’d like to include one of them.
Thanks!
Pauline
I just found your blog and have been looking around. You started to lose me when you posted this part, “Since I left LSA in 1999, either my political views have drifted leftward or politicians have drifted rightward…” I find myself to feel exactly the opposite — I have either grown more conservative in the past two decades or the body politic has moved considerably to the left in the years since I became a politically aware adult. However, you reigned in the ship when you followed up with this, “…so I tend to maintain a non-partisan view of local politics. My views tend very much toward the libertarian: stay out of my pocket book and stay out of my bedroom. Balance the budget and respect the Bill of Rights.” I think you are my new best friend.