It's Time to Get Involved!

      Today began like any other day, except I was in Indianapolis, and it was Republican State Convention Day. I got a quick breakfast at the hotel, packed everything up, and headed to the parking garage at the Convention Center.  With the Olympic swimming trials going on at the same location it was a default decision to just park in the expensive parking garage so I could walk across the street and be done with it.        Once in the Convention Center, I was met by several other delegates from all over the state.  The closer I got to the conference hall where the action would take place the more intense the sea of people became.  This was my fifth convention and the more you go to them the more contacts and people you meet and become associated with.  (My previous blog indicated that this was my fourth convention but counting them up again I realize this is my fifth.  Thank you, Carroll County voters.)  So, I got th...

      Happy Father's Day to you fathers.  Happy Father's Day to the mothers who have gone above and beyond to be both parents.  I understand.  I spent my afternoon at an Aviator's baseball game in Lafayette.  It's a great place to watch a game and it's a lot of fun.  Today, however, I spent a lot more time thinking about life than I normally do at a game.  Before and during the game I watched a younger dad taking his two small children to the game and sit in front of us a few rows down.  Watching fathers spend time with their kids like this always makes me smile.  I don't like the press, television, and the movies and how they portray fathers.  They just about always make us look like buffoons and incompetent idiots.  That's not what I usually see when I cross paths with fathers out in the wild.  I see love, security, and a good time for all.  Like I said, it always makes me smile.  Sometimes I tell them how...

      The first day of the Indiana State Republican convention has wrapped up and it was a long day.                  Everything started with checking in to get the delegates credentials.  After that there were conversations and getting to know other delegates, as well as seeing old friends.  A gathering and meeting took place to establish permanent organization, rules and order of business.        The hall, which was a very large banquet room, opened up for a welcoming and speeches.  This all began at 5 p.m. and ran until around 7 when food and drinks were available.  Indiana Republican Chairman, Anne Hathaway opened up the ceremonies.  After that she introduced Mike Braun who gave a nice speech about the future of Indiana and what his vision and goals were for the next four years.  After the conclusion of his speech Senate candidate Jim Banks took the stage and gave a hig...

      This Saturday will be the Indiana Republican State Convention.  They happen every two years and they serve as the primary for some of the offices that will come up on the General Election ballots in November.  This year we will be voting on whom to put on the ballot for the Republicans for the office of Attorney General and also Lt. Governor.  But the convention is a lot more than just the voting.      Before I go into detail about the two-day event, let me tell you about how a delegate comes to be.  When the candidate filing for offices begins in January of a convention year, people who qualify and have a desire to be a state delegate sign-up by filling out the proper form and presenting it to the county clerk of their respective counties.  Again, they must qualify or be challenged and possibly be removed from the ballot.  To qualify, the person MUST have voted Republican in the last two primaries that they voted in, and...