Letters to the Editor 02-09-2001
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Bayh Stripes Changing - Fair Taxation - Privacy - Support House Bill 1815 - Cost Of Living
Bayh Stripes Changing
Editor, Times-Union:Senator Evan Bayh was elected to the U.S. Senate by many moderate and conservative voters of Indiana. His record had been one that generally followed the wishes of this majority segment of our population. And then came his recent "no" vote against U.S. Attorney General designate John Ashcroft. This vote put Senator Bayh firmly in the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Senator Bayh didn't even wait for Ashcroft to complete his testimony before the Senate Judicial Committee before he issued a press release "justifying" his negative vote. His statement was ill conceived and stated an indirect attack on Ashcroft's personal character. Bayh inferred his fear that Ashcroft would favor his personal beliefs, rather than uphold the law of the land. Here is a Christian man (Ashcroft) who was Missouri attorney general, twice elected governor and then was chosen to represent that state in the U.S. Senate. His record confirms that his political actions were, at all times, representative of the "wishes of his constituency ..." and nothing more. What makes Bayh think that Ashcroft will somehow do his new official duties any differently when he is representing the interests of all United States citizens?
I cannot comprehend Bayh's motive for this vote, which was not in conformity with the wishes of the majority of Indiana citizens. Is this vote with the liberal wing of his party an effort to attract a new element to his personal portfolio? Is his desire for future personal/political gain interfering with his previously presented "old" moderate beliefs? We folks, back home in Indiana, hope, Senator Bayh, that you keep our wishes in the forefront on future votes in the Senate.
John Paul
Huntington
Fair Taxation
Editor, Times Union:I recently learned of the existence of an organization known as Americans for Fair Taxation whose goal and purpose is to promote the repeal of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and to replace the federal income tax and the federal estate tax with a national sales tax.
In my judgment, this is a most worthwhile goal and one which would benefit each and every citizen, both those presently living as well as future generations.
To learn more of this organization and what it is endeavoring to do, I would urge your readers to contact: Americans for Fair Taxation, P.O. Box 27487, Houston, TX 77227; telephone 800-FAIR-TAX; e-mail: www.fairtax.org.
A petition is being circulated for submission to the United States Congress to support H.R. 2525 to repeal the current U.S. tax code and replace it with the fair tax.
William M. Dalton II
Warsaw
Privacy
Editor, Times Union:Insurance companies are at it again! This time it is the homeowners and auto insurers. Are you aware that some companies are now doing credit scores and obtaining your personal credit information to use in deciding what your premiums will be? Not all companies are involved in this but several are.
They don't only look at what you owe on your cards but at how many cards you have total - even if you have no balance on them. Isn't this another invasion of our privacy by the big companies? I suggest you call your insurance agent to find out if your company is checking up on you. Agencies are not to blame because they are only doing what their companies require them to do but if enough of us complain, perhaps we can stop this newest invasion into our private lives.
Beverly Dye
Warsaw
via e-mail
!eend
Cost Of Living
Editor, Times-Union:
Everything keeps going up and up, our heat, insurances, taxes, etc. Nothing goes down, but in our grocery stores a lot of changes have been made--buy one, get one free, etc. Our car gas isn't too bad here in Warsaw. I've noticed in other cities and towns gas a lot of times is higher. My birthday is coming up this month and it will being going up 10 years to what it was 10 years ago. I wonder how many more 10 years will I still be here. You never know, people today are living to be 80, 90, 100 plus. I'm in pretty good health and my memory is good. One time I took my glasses off to clean and then went to do something else and wondered why I needed glasses, because I could see just as good without my glasses. I came back to put my glasses on, couldn't find them and discovered I had already put them on.
Years ago parents and teachers could paddle you. Today you would be reported to the welfare and you pay the penalty. Parents today have to train their children when they are only a few months old. There are a lot of good parents and children out there. I remember when I went to school at Atwood, the seats were in aisles and rows, and you didn't even look around at other students. One day Lawrence Hudson was our teacher and he spoke out, "Mr. ---, will you take your eyes off Miss Murphy," which was me. Mr. Hudson would be out on the playground with all of his students to be sure there was no hand touching.
When I was 14, I came from the farm and four boys went out and helped farmers. The boys bought a used car and they came out to our farm to show off their car. I went flying out to the car so I could ride in it. My dad saw them and came out and asked them what they wanted. One said, "Oh, ah, we came to see the girls." My dad said, "You go home and let your mother put a diaper on you." He turned to me and said, "You go back in the house." I was looking forward to riding in their car for the first time. I never could go with any boys only to something special and he picked the boy, not the one I would have picked, and said, "You be home by 10 and get right out of the car and in the house," because he was standing on the front porch with his striped overalls on, waiting on me. There were three boys and four girls in our family and we feel we were brought up right and were happy. Our parents were boss and we didn't talk back or we would have gotten the razor strap.
President Clinton always said when he became president, crime was down and less people on welfare. If crime is down then it's a waste of money in building this bigger jail and buying this big work release building. But the people in our government put everyone in jail no matter what they do to live better than the people who have to pay for it.
Kathern Wolford
Warsaw
Support House Bill 1815
Editor, Times-Union:The Kosciusko County Retired Teachers Association urges you to write as soon as possible to The Honorable B. Patrick Bauer, Indiana House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204-2786. Ask Representative Bauer to schedule a hearing on H.B. 1815, a bill regarding COLA.
Write as soon as possible also to The Honorable David Wolkins at the same address and ask him to support H.B. 1815.
Tim Shoemaker
KCRTA Legislative Chairman
Warsaw
Cost Of Living
Editor, Times-Union:We hear so much about what "we" need. Star Wars type missile protection, tax refunds based on economic projections a decade away, numbers in the trillions of dollars. We look at other countries and attempt to tell them what their policies should be. We promise aid and trade to nations "if" they do as we say. We waste more energy than any other nation yet refuse to sign a global treaty on pollution. We tell oil-producing countries what they should charge for their oil, yet have no energy policy of our own. We tell our people to spend their money as though it will always be there. Our government policy on savings is non-existent. We have one of the lowest individual savings rates in the world; with the government taking the position of a huge credit card company that continues to offer credit even while debt is consuming the people. We spend millions on trivial investigations of people based on political differences. We pass new laws, yet do not enforce many of the good ones already on the books. We punish other nations through embargoes if they do not bow to our demands. We sell billions in arms, yet decry any other nation that does the same. We pretend that we are never wrong; that any action, any policy is correct, "if" it is based on our religion, our political belief, our need, our desire, our everything. We demand $25 dollar a barrel oil, yet can't even keep California supplied with its basic needs in electricity. We are talking about how to drill for new oil in new locations, many of them in fragile environments, when what we should be doing is gearing up to lower our consumption, much of what is wasted. We allow single hull ocean behemoths to haul millions of barrels of oil; when it is obvious only double hulls should be allowed. We live as though we were an island, all alone, separate from the poverty,disease and death rampant in other countries. AIDS, Ebola, starvation, homeless, mentally ill, despair, all are conditions that must be addressed if we are to be truly safe, well and prosperous.
We need to speak up and change the people we send to make and enforce our laws and policies. The policy of "Speak softly, but carry a big stick" is still valid, but we must concentrate on the positive aspects of policy and diplomacy. Wherever possible, we must reach out to anyone willing to meet us halfway. Offer support, training, technical aid, medical aid, and not be afraid to listen and perhaps learn. Charities do a wonderful job throughout the world, yet on their own they can have only minimal effect. Where there is ignorance, offer education. Where there is illness, offer treatment. Where there is conflict, offer arbitration and compromise. Where there is despair, offer hope. Where there is hostility, offer an open hand, not a fist. Where there is hatred, offer love. People can change, but always, it requires movement from one party. The United States does not exist in a vacuum; we must respect the world community.
Larry Hill
Warsaw
via e-mail
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- Bayh Stripes Changing - Fair Taxation - Privacy - Support House Bill 1815 - Cost Of Living
Bayh Stripes Changing
Editor, Times-Union:Senator Evan Bayh was elected to the U.S. Senate by many moderate and conservative voters of Indiana. His record had been one that generally followed the wishes of this majority segment of our population. And then came his recent "no" vote against U.S. Attorney General designate John Ashcroft. This vote put Senator Bayh firmly in the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Senator Bayh didn't even wait for Ashcroft to complete his testimony before the Senate Judicial Committee before he issued a press release "justifying" his negative vote. His statement was ill conceived and stated an indirect attack on Ashcroft's personal character. Bayh inferred his fear that Ashcroft would favor his personal beliefs, rather than uphold the law of the land. Here is a Christian man (Ashcroft) who was Missouri attorney general, twice elected governor and then was chosen to represent that state in the U.S. Senate. His record confirms that his political actions were, at all times, representative of the "wishes of his constituency ..." and nothing more. What makes Bayh think that Ashcroft will somehow do his new official duties any differently when he is representing the interests of all United States citizens?
I cannot comprehend Bayh's motive for this vote, which was not in conformity with the wishes of the majority of Indiana citizens. Is this vote with the liberal wing of his party an effort to attract a new element to his personal portfolio? Is his desire for future personal/political gain interfering with his previously presented "old" moderate beliefs? We folks, back home in Indiana, hope, Senator Bayh, that you keep our wishes in the forefront on future votes in the Senate.
John Paul
Huntington
Fair Taxation
Editor, Times Union:I recently learned of the existence of an organization known as Americans for Fair Taxation whose goal and purpose is to promote the repeal of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and to replace the federal income tax and the federal estate tax with a national sales tax.
In my judgment, this is a most worthwhile goal and one which would benefit each and every citizen, both those presently living as well as future generations.
To learn more of this organization and what it is endeavoring to do, I would urge your readers to contact: Americans for Fair Taxation, P.O. Box 27487, Houston, TX 77227; telephone 800-FAIR-TAX; e-mail: www.fairtax.org.
A petition is being circulated for submission to the United States Congress to support H.R. 2525 to repeal the current U.S. tax code and replace it with the fair tax.
William M. Dalton II
Warsaw
Privacy
Editor, Times Union:Insurance companies are at it again! This time it is the homeowners and auto insurers. Are you aware that some companies are now doing credit scores and obtaining your personal credit information to use in deciding what your premiums will be? Not all companies are involved in this but several are.
They don't only look at what you owe on your cards but at how many cards you have total - even if you have no balance on them. Isn't this another invasion of our privacy by the big companies? I suggest you call your insurance agent to find out if your company is checking up on you. Agencies are not to blame because they are only doing what their companies require them to do but if enough of us complain, perhaps we can stop this newest invasion into our private lives.
Beverly Dye
Warsaw
via e-mail
!eend
Cost Of Living
Editor, Times-Union:
Everything keeps going up and up, our heat, insurances, taxes, etc. Nothing goes down, but in our grocery stores a lot of changes have been made--buy one, get one free, etc. Our car gas isn't too bad here in Warsaw. I've noticed in other cities and towns gas a lot of times is higher. My birthday is coming up this month and it will being going up 10 years to what it was 10 years ago. I wonder how many more 10 years will I still be here. You never know, people today are living to be 80, 90, 100 plus. I'm in pretty good health and my memory is good. One time I took my glasses off to clean and then went to do something else and wondered why I needed glasses, because I could see just as good without my glasses. I came back to put my glasses on, couldn't find them and discovered I had already put them on.
Years ago parents and teachers could paddle you. Today you would be reported to the welfare and you pay the penalty. Parents today have to train their children when they are only a few months old. There are a lot of good parents and children out there. I remember when I went to school at Atwood, the seats were in aisles and rows, and you didn't even look around at other students. One day Lawrence Hudson was our teacher and he spoke out, "Mr. ---, will you take your eyes off Miss Murphy," which was me. Mr. Hudson would be out on the playground with all of his students to be sure there was no hand touching.
When I was 14, I came from the farm and four boys went out and helped farmers. The boys bought a used car and they came out to our farm to show off their car. I went flying out to the car so I could ride in it. My dad saw them and came out and asked them what they wanted. One said, "Oh, ah, we came to see the girls." My dad said, "You go home and let your mother put a diaper on you." He turned to me and said, "You go back in the house." I was looking forward to riding in their car for the first time. I never could go with any boys only to something special and he picked the boy, not the one I would have picked, and said, "You be home by 10 and get right out of the car and in the house," because he was standing on the front porch with his striped overalls on, waiting on me. There were three boys and four girls in our family and we feel we were brought up right and were happy. Our parents were boss and we didn't talk back or we would have gotten the razor strap.
President Clinton always said when he became president, crime was down and less people on welfare. If crime is down then it's a waste of money in building this bigger jail and buying this big work release building. But the people in our government put everyone in jail no matter what they do to live better than the people who have to pay for it.
Kathern Wolford
Warsaw
Support House Bill 1815
Editor, Times-Union:The Kosciusko County Retired Teachers Association urges you to write as soon as possible to The Honorable B. Patrick Bauer, Indiana House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204-2786. Ask Representative Bauer to schedule a hearing on H.B. 1815, a bill regarding COLA.
Write as soon as possible also to The Honorable David Wolkins at the same address and ask him to support H.B. 1815.
Tim Shoemaker
KCRTA Legislative Chairman
Warsaw
Cost Of Living
Editor, Times-Union:We hear so much about what "we" need. Star Wars type missile protection, tax refunds based on economic projections a decade away, numbers in the trillions of dollars. We look at other countries and attempt to tell them what their policies should be. We promise aid and trade to nations "if" they do as we say. We waste more energy than any other nation yet refuse to sign a global treaty on pollution. We tell oil-producing countries what they should charge for their oil, yet have no energy policy of our own. We tell our people to spend their money as though it will always be there. Our government policy on savings is non-existent. We have one of the lowest individual savings rates in the world; with the government taking the position of a huge credit card company that continues to offer credit even while debt is consuming the people. We spend millions on trivial investigations of people based on political differences. We pass new laws, yet do not enforce many of the good ones already on the books. We punish other nations through embargoes if they do not bow to our demands. We sell billions in arms, yet decry any other nation that does the same. We pretend that we are never wrong; that any action, any policy is correct, "if" it is based on our religion, our political belief, our need, our desire, our everything. We demand $25 dollar a barrel oil, yet can't even keep California supplied with its basic needs in electricity. We are talking about how to drill for new oil in new locations, many of them in fragile environments, when what we should be doing is gearing up to lower our consumption, much of what is wasted. We allow single hull ocean behemoths to haul millions of barrels of oil; when it is obvious only double hulls should be allowed. We live as though we were an island, all alone, separate from the poverty,disease and death rampant in other countries. AIDS, Ebola, starvation, homeless, mentally ill, despair, all are conditions that must be addressed if we are to be truly safe, well and prosperous.
We need to speak up and change the people we send to make and enforce our laws and policies. The policy of "Speak softly, but carry a big stick" is still valid, but we must concentrate on the positive aspects of policy and diplomacy. Wherever possible, we must reach out to anyone willing to meet us halfway. Offer support, training, technical aid, medical aid, and not be afraid to listen and perhaps learn. Charities do a wonderful job throughout the world, yet on their own they can have only minimal effect. Where there is ignorance, offer education. Where there is illness, offer treatment. Where there is conflict, offer arbitration and compromise. Where there is despair, offer hope. Where there is hostility, offer an open hand, not a fist. Where there is hatred, offer love. People can change, but always, it requires movement from one party. The United States does not exist in a vacuum; we must respect the world community.
Larry Hill
Warsaw
via e-mail
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