Earth calling state Sen. Ed Charbonneau. What planet are you on, dude?

The Indiana Legislature passed the new biennial budget (so-called because it wasn't liked by any) Tuesday with a provision for a November referendum in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties on the creation of a four-county regional transportation authority.

That's an Election Day yawner except the RTA would have the power to enact a quarter percent income tax to fund a regional "I-Can't-Get-A" bus service along with the South Shore operations and its expansion to Lowell and Valparaiso. Only two counties have to pass the referendum to make it binding on all.

Charbonneau called it the first step toward finally getting the South Shore expansion rolling. Somebody better check to see if Charbonneau has been sniffing too much budget ink.

I agree with astronaut Ed that the RTA is great and long overdue. I just don't share his apparent optimism for the referendum's passage. Porter County, in particular, is likely to see this "Field of Dreams" opportunity for the South Shore as "If you pass it, we will secede."

Porter County's formula for "secesh" started when county residents rejected being an off ramp on the Illiana Expressway and continued with the County Council's vote to withdraw from the Regional Development Authority. I understand the council plans to use the $165 million accumulated from the Porter hospital sale to build a moat around the county.

An income tax hike probably won't get a lot of support in Lake County south of the Borman Expressway where residents are almost as paranoid as Porter County about armies of thugs using buses and/or trains to pillage all the tiny subdivisions like Sherman going through Georgia.

The only people in the north county likely to be for the referendum are the small percentage already dependent on the buses and/or trains. I doubt LaPorte or St. Joe counties will do much better. Sadly, as long as gas costs less than $10 a gallon, mass transit is not a priority of the masses.

I could be wrong about one or more of those counties, but I doubt it, especially in Porter County. So, let's say it gets the required two out of four approval. I wouldn't look for a new bus or wait for the train in Valpo just yet. If someone hasn't challenged that two-out-of-four rule in court by then, it surely will at the top of someone's agenda.

So, ground control to Senator Ed. Put your helmet on because you're apparently suffering from oxygen deprivation in the Capitol vacuum. Either that or tell us what planet you're on, and we'll join you.

The opinions are those of the writer. He can be reached at phil.wieland@nwi.com or (219) 548-4352.