Dumb Ideas
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
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In Tuesday's Times-Union, the headline article was "Tax Delay Forces Warsaw Library to Reduce Hours." The article described how, due to the property tax bills not going out, the library isn't getting its normal funding on time. It alluded to the situation where our county officials anticipated this problem and had planned to send out provisional tax bills, but were stopped by the state government. The article described a cut back in hours open, freezing of wage and salary rates, reduction of staff, and reduction of hours to be worked by the library staff. In addition, the staff, some of whom barely make minimum wage, were asked to consider volunteering their time. The article said that the St. Joseph and Allen County libraries are having to take similar actions.
As I scan through various papers, I see that organizations, towns, cities and counties throughout the state have similar problems as a result of the state governor's constant meddling with the property tax assessment and billing system without giving the changes sufficient forethought and planning. This is compounded by a state legislature that acquiesces to the governor's whims.
Then in Wednesday's paper I read "the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute recently announced that they will join with more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies to launch Indiana's Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign."
So Indiana can't get its act together to get the tax bills out to keep basic services like libraries operating, but it can find the tax money to fund police overtime to harass people for not fastening their seat belts. Doesn't make sense to me.
Don't take me wrong. I feel that fastening seat belts is a good idea. I always buckle up if I am driving more than a few blocks. But I feel that it is a personal choice, not a criminal act that the police should be involved in.
Let me give you an analogous situation. I don't eat potato chips or French fries. I believe that they are high calorie, high cholesterol foods that contribute to diabetes, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes. But it is my personal choice to not eat these foods. If you choose to eat them, that is your personal choice. I don't believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for eating French fries. Nor do I believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for not fastening your seat belt. And certainly, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay the police for ticketing you for either of these situations. Nor do I want to pay for the $4/gallon gasoline for them to patrol looking for people to harass when I am cutting back on my own driving.
I can hardly wait for Election Day. We need change.
Click it or Ticket. Cute Slogan. Dumb Idea.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]Dumb Ideas
Editor, Times-Union:
In Tuesday's Times-Union, the headline article was "Tax Delay Forces Warsaw Library to Reduce Hours." The article described how, due to the property tax bills not going out, the library isn't getting its normal funding on time. It alluded to the situation where our county officials anticipated this problem and had planned to send out provisional tax bills, but were stopped by the state government. The article described a cut back in hours open, freezing of wage and salary rates, reduction of staff, and reduction of hours to be worked by the library staff. In addition, the staff, some of whom barely make minimum wage, were asked to consider volunteering their time. The article said that the St. Joseph and Allen County libraries are having to take similar actions.
As I scan through various papers, I see that organizations, towns, cities and counties throughout the state have similar problems as a result of the state governor's constant meddling with the property tax assessment and billing system without giving the changes sufficient forethought and planning. This is compounded by a state legislature that acquiesces to the governor's whims.
Then in Wednesday's paper I read "the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute recently announced that they will join with more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies to launch Indiana's Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign."
So Indiana can't get its act together to get the tax bills out to keep basic services like libraries operating, but it can find the tax money to fund police overtime to harass people for not fastening their seat belts. Doesn't make sense to me.
Don't take me wrong. I feel that fastening seat belts is a good idea. I always buckle up if I am driving more than a few blocks. But I feel that it is a personal choice, not a criminal act that the police should be involved in.
Let me give you an analogous situation. I don't eat potato chips or French fries. I believe that they are high calorie, high cholesterol foods that contribute to diabetes, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes. But it is my personal choice to not eat these foods. If you choose to eat them, that is your personal choice. I don't believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for eating French fries. Nor do I believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for not fastening your seat belt. And certainly, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay the police for ticketing you for either of these situations. Nor do I want to pay for the $4/gallon gasoline for them to patrol looking for people to harass when I am cutting back on my own driving.
I can hardly wait for Election Day. We need change.
Click it or Ticket. Cute Slogan. Dumb Idea.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw, via e-mail
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In Tuesday's Times-Union, the headline article was "Tax Delay Forces Warsaw Library to Reduce Hours." The article described how, due to the property tax bills not going out, the library isn't getting its normal funding on time. It alluded to the situation where our county officials anticipated this problem and had planned to send out provisional tax bills, but were stopped by the state government. The article described a cut back in hours open, freezing of wage and salary rates, reduction of staff, and reduction of hours to be worked by the library staff. In addition, the staff, some of whom barely make minimum wage, were asked to consider volunteering their time. The article said that the St. Joseph and Allen County libraries are having to take similar actions.
As I scan through various papers, I see that organizations, towns, cities and counties throughout the state have similar problems as a result of the state governor's constant meddling with the property tax assessment and billing system without giving the changes sufficient forethought and planning. This is compounded by a state legislature that acquiesces to the governor's whims.
Then in Wednesday's paper I read "the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute recently announced that they will join with more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies to launch Indiana's Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign."
So Indiana can't get its act together to get the tax bills out to keep basic services like libraries operating, but it can find the tax money to fund police overtime to harass people for not fastening their seat belts. Doesn't make sense to me.
Don't take me wrong. I feel that fastening seat belts is a good idea. I always buckle up if I am driving more than a few blocks. But I feel that it is a personal choice, not a criminal act that the police should be involved in.
Let me give you an analogous situation. I don't eat potato chips or French fries. I believe that they are high calorie, high cholesterol foods that contribute to diabetes, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes. But it is my personal choice to not eat these foods. If you choose to eat them, that is your personal choice. I don't believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for eating French fries. Nor do I believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for not fastening your seat belt. And certainly, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay the police for ticketing you for either of these situations. Nor do I want to pay for the $4/gallon gasoline for them to patrol looking for people to harass when I am cutting back on my own driving.
I can hardly wait for Election Day. We need change.
Click it or Ticket. Cute Slogan. Dumb Idea.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]Dumb Ideas
Editor, Times-Union:
In Tuesday's Times-Union, the headline article was "Tax Delay Forces Warsaw Library to Reduce Hours." The article described how, due to the property tax bills not going out, the library isn't getting its normal funding on time. It alluded to the situation where our county officials anticipated this problem and had planned to send out provisional tax bills, but were stopped by the state government. The article described a cut back in hours open, freezing of wage and salary rates, reduction of staff, and reduction of hours to be worked by the library staff. In addition, the staff, some of whom barely make minimum wage, were asked to consider volunteering their time. The article said that the St. Joseph and Allen County libraries are having to take similar actions.
As I scan through various papers, I see that organizations, towns, cities and counties throughout the state have similar problems as a result of the state governor's constant meddling with the property tax assessment and billing system without giving the changes sufficient forethought and planning. This is compounded by a state legislature that acquiesces to the governor's whims.
Then in Wednesday's paper I read "the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute recently announced that they will join with more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies to launch Indiana's Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign."
So Indiana can't get its act together to get the tax bills out to keep basic services like libraries operating, but it can find the tax money to fund police overtime to harass people for not fastening their seat belts. Doesn't make sense to me.
Don't take me wrong. I feel that fastening seat belts is a good idea. I always buckle up if I am driving more than a few blocks. But I feel that it is a personal choice, not a criminal act that the police should be involved in.
Let me give you an analogous situation. I don't eat potato chips or French fries. I believe that they are high calorie, high cholesterol foods that contribute to diabetes, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes. But it is my personal choice to not eat these foods. If you choose to eat them, that is your personal choice. I don't believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for eating French fries. Nor do I believe that we ought to be sending our police to ticket you for not fastening your seat belt. And certainly, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay the police for ticketing you for either of these situations. Nor do I want to pay for the $4/gallon gasoline for them to patrol looking for people to harass when I am cutting back on my own driving.
I can hardly wait for Election Day. We need change.
Click it or Ticket. Cute Slogan. Dumb Idea.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw, via e-mail
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