Define "unbeatable"....

I read an article in the Courier-Times last Wednesday about the property tax debate and the role Tom Saunders is playing in it. Tom is the State Representative for District 54. He's also a friend of mine, and he was my winning opponent in the 2006 election. We don't share the same views on the role government should play in the citizens lives, which is why I decided to run against him in the last election. Nothing personal, just a difference in opinion.

In the article, Richard Cockrum, a governmental affairs consultant from Indianapolis, referred to Mr. Saunders as "unbeatable". Again, nothing personal, but I hope Mr.Cockrum is wrong.

Admittedly, the redistricting that took place in 2000 made District 54 a safe-haven for Republicans. And incumbents that run are typically re-elected 96 to 98 percent of the time. But our form of government loses something when our elected officials become "unbeatable". They need to have at least a little fear in the back of their minds that the public might not put up with the growth of government spending year after year forever.

Tom won the last election with 46 percent of the vote. I'm not sure that's a sign of being unbeatable. At least I hope not.

And if our legislators come out of this session without a plan to eliminate property taxes, they all deserve to be beat.

And then they deserve to be voted out of office.

Nothing personal, though.