Letters to the Editor 06-03-2003
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Elementary Decisions - Saying Goodbye - Victims Of Pornography - Exchange Student Thanks - Schools, Taxes - Economics? - Traffic Enforcement - Nice Friends
Elementary Decisions
Editor, Times-Union:I recently read the article regarding plans to shut down local elementary schools in Silver Lake, Atwood, Claypool and Winona Lake. The article indicated that this would provide a total savings per year of $400 thousand. The cost of building the new schools is estimated at $30 million. (As an aside, the cost of the new jail/justice building extension, estimated at $21 million, cost closer to $30 million and now they have had to tear out a staircase and part of the new sidewalk.) If I do the math correctly, we could keep these schools open for the next 75 years for the cost of this loan; that's assuming the school district gets interest-free funding for the new construction from somewhere.
I realize this is an incredibly simplistic way to look at the project, but it is wrong to bus students out of their neighborhoods to go to school someplace else when there are already functioning and adequate facilities available. When people with children look for homes, they look for neighborhoods near schools. Those young families that cannot afford the cost of living in the bigger towns in our community are not going to have the option of living in the outlying communities if they want to live near a school. Kind of a shame for small communities and their struggling economies.
Mark E. Caruso
Warsaw
Saying Goodbye
Editor, Times-Union:When I was an adolescent in a catechism class, the minister posed this rhetorical question to each of us: "What would your personal heaven be like?" The question was easy for me to answer. I knew that in my personal heaven I would spend eternity listening to the life story of every person who ever lived. As I heard each story, I would feel and understand. We would laugh, cry and rejoice together.
As Harrison Elementary's counselor, I was able to experience a little bit of my personal heaven. I listened to life stories from the youngest to the oldest, students, staff and parents. I heard, I felt and I understood. Maybe we problem-solved or maybe we just found a place to store away your concerns so that they would not interfere with your day. We laughed, we cried and we rejoiced together. As your experience became my experience, my life was enriched. I feel that I have lived many lives because you trusted me enough to give me your story. I will cherish each story, always.
Now we say good-bye. All of you stand in unison waving good-bye to me. I stand so alone waving good-bye to all of you. It is a bittersweet ending. Nevertheless, I feel so fortunate to be blessed with a little bit of heaven. Thank you.
Bev Vanover
Warsaw
Victims Of Pornography
Editor, Times-Union:May was designated as the Annual Victims of Pornography Month.
"I am fighting pornography not only because men sexually exploited me whose actions were fueled by it. More importantly I'm fighting porn for the sake of our nation's children, who are becoming consumers of pornography and will eventually suffer damaged relationships and other serious harm if their parents or other caring adults do not safeguard them." These words were written by Jan LaRue, director of legal studies at the Family Research Council, in a book she co-authored, "Protecting Your Children in an X-rated World."
Can one person make a difference? How can someone like me stem the flowing tide? You may say, "It's not my nature to stand out and be different." Someone has to be willing to stop the trend toward pornography. Everybody hasn't always looked at porn. Everybody wasn't doing it 50 years ago. There has to be a non-conformist somewhere! Hello!
We can slow down the trend and even reverse it. Oh, what joy! Don't you see that gives Christians a chance to be salt and light? (Matt. 5:13, 14).
You may ask, "Why can I do?" as a parent. First, you need to admit if you have contributed to the problem by having things in your own home such as magazines with scantly clothed women. They could be car or sports magazines, or fashion catalogs like Victoria's Secret. Maybe there are some steamy romance novels. Think about it. Second, the PG-13 blockbuster movie "Titanic" was seen by millions of teens and preteens. Where were the parents? Sadly many of them got in their cars with their own peer groups and watched Kate Winslet bare her breasts. The apostle Paul told Timothy to flee "youthful lusts." Let's be mature Christians in choosing entertainment. What could have been a tender romance with a history lesson was turned into smut. There was no need for nudity in that film, but the writers were determined to put it in there.
The older version I saw when I was in junior high school was a wholesome movie that my whole family watched together. Again, Christian parents need to be salt and light in the world. If the church cannot be victorious in the area of pure and wholesome entertainment, we have nothing conceivable to offer the world.
Third, how about turning off your TV set when sex situations or nudity are shown on the screen? Three years ago my husband decided one night just to turn it off and leave it off. It seemed the show was not about sex, but the commercial was. He will tell you that he reads his Bible every evenings, listens to Christian radio and has more time to spend reading good books or farm magazines.
The Bible tells us of two cities. One is the city of God, Jerusalem. The other is the city of man, Babylon. You can decide which spiritual city you want to live in. Some are living in a spiritual Babylon. Look around you! God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). What you sow you reap! Let us choose the spiritual city of God to live in. We have to take this sinful world as it is, but we don't have to like it.
"Be not conformed to the patterns of this world" (Rom. 12:1). I remember a time when I was growing up before "Playboy" ever hit the newsstands. Life was different then. Families stayed together. One had to go to the wrong side of town to look at porn. Today we can see it in our own living rooms, and it hardly causes anyone to blush. I do!
If you have been hurt by pornography there is help for you. The Victim Assistance Hotline exists for counseling on the phone. Issues include child abuse, sexual compulsions or sex addictions, marital fidelity, Internet online safety and information referral. Call 800-583-2964 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST or online at: www.nationalcoalition.org
Other excellent resources include Faithful and True Ministries, a nationwide outreach for sex addicts. Ester Ministries provides help for women in relationships with sexually addicted men at www.esteronline.org Focus on the Family is at 719-531-3400 weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MST.
May God bless you and keep you from pornography's harm. Living one day at a time in His grace.
JoAnne Andrews
Alvin, Ill.
former Kosciusko County resident
Exchange Student Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:Hi, everyone in the Kosciusko County! My name is Hanna Fatova. I am an exchange student from Ukraine. My year of experience in the United States is coming to the end. And I just wanted to say "Thank-you" to everyone who influenced my life during the year. First, I want to thank my host family, Glenn, Barb and Stephanie Cowan, and all the rest of the family, McGuire family and family-to-be of Hiseys. Thank-you, Mom and Dad for taking me in your family and being my parents for the year. I love you very much. You mean so much to me! Thank you to WCHS. Dr. Brumfield, thanks for giving me an opportunity to be a student in your school. Mr. Musgrave, Mrs. Wright, Mr. Venderly, Mrs. Kawsley, Mrs. Allison, Mr. Turner, Mr. Groff, Mr. Snyder, Mrs. Stiffler, Mrs. Boyer, Mr. Kuhn, Mrs. Higgins, thank-you all so much for being my teachers and great people, helping me and being patient. I have learned a lot from you. Thank-you, Officer Morales, for your support. Thank-you to all of my friends who were always there when I needed them. Thanks for everything you do for me. Thank-you, Warsaw Community Church and Den Wilson, you helped me a lot to go through the year with God. Thank-you so much to my first host parents, Dona and Joe Kintzel. I will always remember you. Thank-you, YMCA, Wal-Mart, Scrapbooking Store. I would not survive without you! Thanks to the whole Kosciusko County for welcoming me. People here are wonderful! I love you all very much! You will stay forever in my heart!
Hannah Fatova
Leesburg
Schools, Taxes
Editor, Times-Union:Almost every time there has been a real estate reassessment the WCS board has built new schools. then they can blame any increase in taxes on the reassessment. The state officials are the ones who made the laws. The local government must work and complete reassessment according to those laws. Most everyone understands that fact.
At the present time it is unknown as to what the new assessed values will be, or what the new tax rates will be. WCS is already going to build indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, an auditorium and other changes for $30 million. Now they want to close four elementary schools and build two new ones for $30 million or more. This could possibly (or probably) raise taxes for everyone in the Warsaw school district. This is not just happening to residents in Atwood, Claypool, Jefferson and Silver Lake.
To explain what could happen if the new schools are built is the following example. Current assessed value - $20,000, new reassessment value - $60,000; current tax rate - $3.00, tax rate with new values ($ collected the same) - $1.00; amount paid - $600 on both old and new.
If the new schools are built, and the new tax rate went down, but possible only to $2.00, the amount you would pay then would be $1,200.
We all want what is best for our children. We are already giving the schools about 75 percent of our property taxes.
This is a very unstable time for any borrowing program, because no one has all the answers. The whole community needs to be asking questions and listening carefully to what is happening. They want to push this thing through as fast as possible. What is the rush? There are still a lot of unanswered questions that need to be asked. If we ignore it now, we will be sorry later.
Molly Bradford
Lake Township Trustee/Assessor
Silver Lake
Economics?
Editor, Times-Union:A Matter of Economics?
It has been argued that by closing four small elementary schools, the WCS system will save approximately $400,000 per year. Yet the capital financing of this "savings" will be $30 million. In other words, the return on the taxpayers' investment will not be realized for 75 years! I doubt many business persons in the private sector would accept such "savings."
Phil Klatt
Warsaw
Traffic Enforcement
Editor, Times-Union:I agree with Editor Gerard's proposal to turn U.S. 30 into a "zero-tolerance enforcement nightmare zone for drivers" (Times-Union 5/31/03).
It is so very unfortunate that " ... hiring a couple more cops and assigning them strictly to U.S. 30" and "putting cops all over the place" have thus far proven to not achieve the desired results.
Studies of seven intersections in question find an average of 36+ violations per hour on almost any given day. It takes an officer roughly 20 minutes to stop/cite a violator. Enforcing zero-tolerance here would keep a dozen officers busy 24 hours per day.
A Times-Union reporter who rode with Officer Kellar as he patrolled U.S. 30 noted on 2-24-01, "Patrolmen can't be everywhere every minute, but Wednesday one was where he needed to be at least four times. How many drivers ran red lights at other intersections is hard to tell. Patrolmen were in evidence on and off the highway throughout Kellar's selective hours."
I personally observed an officer pull over a semi and a van for running the light at the U.S./Aldi intersection. While the officer walked toward the vehicles, just short of the 250E intersection, two vehicles ran that light.
Granted, a "red light camera" would have captured a semi broadsiding a pickup truck on May 15; however, an officer on the spot may have been able to do no more - just ask the family of Jill Carpenter who was killed by a semi with a police squad car on site. Or the family of Fort Wayne's police officer Madsen who was killed in his squad car, by a vehicle running a red light.
Those interested in the Warsaw, Ind. stretch of U.S. 30 becoming a zero-tolerance zone for red light running must support the efforts of our police department, respect the danger they are exposed to, and ensure that they have all the tools that can make a difference.
Photo enforcement has proven very effective in changing driver behavior, a major contributor to red light running, in the 75-plus U.S. cities where active. Enabling legislation, proposed by Senator Adams, would allow Indiana cities to consider adding photo enforcement as a tool for police officers' use to curtail red light running. Contact Sen. Adams to find out how you can help (800-382-9467 or at [email protected] or call me at 269-9762.)
Ann Sweet
Focus on Safety Spokesperson,
National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running
Nice Friends
Editor, Times-Union:I wanted to say thanks to these nice friends that paid for my evening meal at Richards, a nice place to eat for the money. I love the friend chicken, baked potato and the salad bar. When I went up to pay for it the employee said, "It's already paid for - the truck driver paid for it." I didn't know him and he was sitting a distance from me, but I guess more people know me than I know them. Then last week I went back as I had worked late out in the yard picking up all the trash that blew into my yard from the strong winds. I thought I could just sit down and relax and enjoy my dinner. Again I went up to pay and the waitress said, "Some friends paid for it and said you were a nice friend." To have a nice friend I always wanted to be a nice friend. The next day I mowed my grass and here came a young boy and blew my driveway off. I know he has done this before, as I noticed it was clean. I think I remember him but not his name. I hope you read my thank-you in the paper, since I didn't get to thank you in person.
Kathern Wolford
Warsaw
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- Elementary Decisions - Saying Goodbye - Victims Of Pornography - Exchange Student Thanks - Schools, Taxes - Economics? - Traffic Enforcement - Nice Friends
Elementary Decisions
Editor, Times-Union:I recently read the article regarding plans to shut down local elementary schools in Silver Lake, Atwood, Claypool and Winona Lake. The article indicated that this would provide a total savings per year of $400 thousand. The cost of building the new schools is estimated at $30 million. (As an aside, the cost of the new jail/justice building extension, estimated at $21 million, cost closer to $30 million and now they have had to tear out a staircase and part of the new sidewalk.) If I do the math correctly, we could keep these schools open for the next 75 years for the cost of this loan; that's assuming the school district gets interest-free funding for the new construction from somewhere.
I realize this is an incredibly simplistic way to look at the project, but it is wrong to bus students out of their neighborhoods to go to school someplace else when there are already functioning and adequate facilities available. When people with children look for homes, they look for neighborhoods near schools. Those young families that cannot afford the cost of living in the bigger towns in our community are not going to have the option of living in the outlying communities if they want to live near a school. Kind of a shame for small communities and their struggling economies.
Mark E. Caruso
Warsaw
Saying Goodbye
Editor, Times-Union:When I was an adolescent in a catechism class, the minister posed this rhetorical question to each of us: "What would your personal heaven be like?" The question was easy for me to answer. I knew that in my personal heaven I would spend eternity listening to the life story of every person who ever lived. As I heard each story, I would feel and understand. We would laugh, cry and rejoice together.
As Harrison Elementary's counselor, I was able to experience a little bit of my personal heaven. I listened to life stories from the youngest to the oldest, students, staff and parents. I heard, I felt and I understood. Maybe we problem-solved or maybe we just found a place to store away your concerns so that they would not interfere with your day. We laughed, we cried and we rejoiced together. As your experience became my experience, my life was enriched. I feel that I have lived many lives because you trusted me enough to give me your story. I will cherish each story, always.
Now we say good-bye. All of you stand in unison waving good-bye to me. I stand so alone waving good-bye to all of you. It is a bittersweet ending. Nevertheless, I feel so fortunate to be blessed with a little bit of heaven. Thank you.
Bev Vanover
Warsaw
Victims Of Pornography
Editor, Times-Union:May was designated as the Annual Victims of Pornography Month.
"I am fighting pornography not only because men sexually exploited me whose actions were fueled by it. More importantly I'm fighting porn for the sake of our nation's children, who are becoming consumers of pornography and will eventually suffer damaged relationships and other serious harm if their parents or other caring adults do not safeguard them." These words were written by Jan LaRue, director of legal studies at the Family Research Council, in a book she co-authored, "Protecting Your Children in an X-rated World."
Can one person make a difference? How can someone like me stem the flowing tide? You may say, "It's not my nature to stand out and be different." Someone has to be willing to stop the trend toward pornography. Everybody hasn't always looked at porn. Everybody wasn't doing it 50 years ago. There has to be a non-conformist somewhere! Hello!
We can slow down the trend and even reverse it. Oh, what joy! Don't you see that gives Christians a chance to be salt and light? (Matt. 5:13, 14).
You may ask, "Why can I do?" as a parent. First, you need to admit if you have contributed to the problem by having things in your own home such as magazines with scantly clothed women. They could be car or sports magazines, or fashion catalogs like Victoria's Secret. Maybe there are some steamy romance novels. Think about it. Second, the PG-13 blockbuster movie "Titanic" was seen by millions of teens and preteens. Where were the parents? Sadly many of them got in their cars with their own peer groups and watched Kate Winslet bare her breasts. The apostle Paul told Timothy to flee "youthful lusts." Let's be mature Christians in choosing entertainment. What could have been a tender romance with a history lesson was turned into smut. There was no need for nudity in that film, but the writers were determined to put it in there.
The older version I saw when I was in junior high school was a wholesome movie that my whole family watched together. Again, Christian parents need to be salt and light in the world. If the church cannot be victorious in the area of pure and wholesome entertainment, we have nothing conceivable to offer the world.
Third, how about turning off your TV set when sex situations or nudity are shown on the screen? Three years ago my husband decided one night just to turn it off and leave it off. It seemed the show was not about sex, but the commercial was. He will tell you that he reads his Bible every evenings, listens to Christian radio and has more time to spend reading good books or farm magazines.
The Bible tells us of two cities. One is the city of God, Jerusalem. The other is the city of man, Babylon. You can decide which spiritual city you want to live in. Some are living in a spiritual Babylon. Look around you! God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). What you sow you reap! Let us choose the spiritual city of God to live in. We have to take this sinful world as it is, but we don't have to like it.
"Be not conformed to the patterns of this world" (Rom. 12:1). I remember a time when I was growing up before "Playboy" ever hit the newsstands. Life was different then. Families stayed together. One had to go to the wrong side of town to look at porn. Today we can see it in our own living rooms, and it hardly causes anyone to blush. I do!
If you have been hurt by pornography there is help for you. The Victim Assistance Hotline exists for counseling on the phone. Issues include child abuse, sexual compulsions or sex addictions, marital fidelity, Internet online safety and information referral. Call 800-583-2964 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST or online at: www.nationalcoalition.org
Other excellent resources include Faithful and True Ministries, a nationwide outreach for sex addicts. Ester Ministries provides help for women in relationships with sexually addicted men at www.esteronline.org Focus on the Family is at 719-531-3400 weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MST.
May God bless you and keep you from pornography's harm. Living one day at a time in His grace.
JoAnne Andrews
Alvin, Ill.
former Kosciusko County resident
Exchange Student Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:Hi, everyone in the Kosciusko County! My name is Hanna Fatova. I am an exchange student from Ukraine. My year of experience in the United States is coming to the end. And I just wanted to say "Thank-you" to everyone who influenced my life during the year. First, I want to thank my host family, Glenn, Barb and Stephanie Cowan, and all the rest of the family, McGuire family and family-to-be of Hiseys. Thank-you, Mom and Dad for taking me in your family and being my parents for the year. I love you very much. You mean so much to me! Thank you to WCHS. Dr. Brumfield, thanks for giving me an opportunity to be a student in your school. Mr. Musgrave, Mrs. Wright, Mr. Venderly, Mrs. Kawsley, Mrs. Allison, Mr. Turner, Mr. Groff, Mr. Snyder, Mrs. Stiffler, Mrs. Boyer, Mr. Kuhn, Mrs. Higgins, thank-you all so much for being my teachers and great people, helping me and being patient. I have learned a lot from you. Thank-you, Officer Morales, for your support. Thank-you to all of my friends who were always there when I needed them. Thanks for everything you do for me. Thank-you, Warsaw Community Church and Den Wilson, you helped me a lot to go through the year with God. Thank-you so much to my first host parents, Dona and Joe Kintzel. I will always remember you. Thank-you, YMCA, Wal-Mart, Scrapbooking Store. I would not survive without you! Thanks to the whole Kosciusko County for welcoming me. People here are wonderful! I love you all very much! You will stay forever in my heart!
Hannah Fatova
Leesburg
Schools, Taxes
Editor, Times-Union:Almost every time there has been a real estate reassessment the WCS board has built new schools. then they can blame any increase in taxes on the reassessment. The state officials are the ones who made the laws. The local government must work and complete reassessment according to those laws. Most everyone understands that fact.
At the present time it is unknown as to what the new assessed values will be, or what the new tax rates will be. WCS is already going to build indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, an auditorium and other changes for $30 million. Now they want to close four elementary schools and build two new ones for $30 million or more. This could possibly (or probably) raise taxes for everyone in the Warsaw school district. This is not just happening to residents in Atwood, Claypool, Jefferson and Silver Lake.
To explain what could happen if the new schools are built is the following example. Current assessed value - $20,000, new reassessment value - $60,000; current tax rate - $3.00, tax rate with new values ($ collected the same) - $1.00; amount paid - $600 on both old and new.
If the new schools are built, and the new tax rate went down, but possible only to $2.00, the amount you would pay then would be $1,200.
We all want what is best for our children. We are already giving the schools about 75 percent of our property taxes.
This is a very unstable time for any borrowing program, because no one has all the answers. The whole community needs to be asking questions and listening carefully to what is happening. They want to push this thing through as fast as possible. What is the rush? There are still a lot of unanswered questions that need to be asked. If we ignore it now, we will be sorry later.
Molly Bradford
Lake Township Trustee/Assessor
Silver Lake
Economics?
Editor, Times-Union:A Matter of Economics?
It has been argued that by closing four small elementary schools, the WCS system will save approximately $400,000 per year. Yet the capital financing of this "savings" will be $30 million. In other words, the return on the taxpayers' investment will not be realized for 75 years! I doubt many business persons in the private sector would accept such "savings."
Phil Klatt
Warsaw
Traffic Enforcement
Editor, Times-Union:I agree with Editor Gerard's proposal to turn U.S. 30 into a "zero-tolerance enforcement nightmare zone for drivers" (Times-Union 5/31/03).
It is so very unfortunate that " ... hiring a couple more cops and assigning them strictly to U.S. 30" and "putting cops all over the place" have thus far proven to not achieve the desired results.
Studies of seven intersections in question find an average of 36+ violations per hour on almost any given day. It takes an officer roughly 20 minutes to stop/cite a violator. Enforcing zero-tolerance here would keep a dozen officers busy 24 hours per day.
A Times-Union reporter who rode with Officer Kellar as he patrolled U.S. 30 noted on 2-24-01, "Patrolmen can't be everywhere every minute, but Wednesday one was where he needed to be at least four times. How many drivers ran red lights at other intersections is hard to tell. Patrolmen were in evidence on and off the highway throughout Kellar's selective hours."
I personally observed an officer pull over a semi and a van for running the light at the U.S./Aldi intersection. While the officer walked toward the vehicles, just short of the 250E intersection, two vehicles ran that light.
Granted, a "red light camera" would have captured a semi broadsiding a pickup truck on May 15; however, an officer on the spot may have been able to do no more - just ask the family of Jill Carpenter who was killed by a semi with a police squad car on site. Or the family of Fort Wayne's police officer Madsen who was killed in his squad car, by a vehicle running a red light.
Those interested in the Warsaw, Ind. stretch of U.S. 30 becoming a zero-tolerance zone for red light running must support the efforts of our police department, respect the danger they are exposed to, and ensure that they have all the tools that can make a difference.
Photo enforcement has proven very effective in changing driver behavior, a major contributor to red light running, in the 75-plus U.S. cities where active. Enabling legislation, proposed by Senator Adams, would allow Indiana cities to consider adding photo enforcement as a tool for police officers' use to curtail red light running. Contact Sen. Adams to find out how you can help (800-382-9467 or at [email protected] or call me at 269-9762.)
Ann Sweet
Focus on Safety Spokesperson,
National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running
Nice Friends
Editor, Times-Union:I wanted to say thanks to these nice friends that paid for my evening meal at Richards, a nice place to eat for the money. I love the friend chicken, baked potato and the salad bar. When I went up to pay for it the employee said, "It's already paid for - the truck driver paid for it." I didn't know him and he was sitting a distance from me, but I guess more people know me than I know them. Then last week I went back as I had worked late out in the yard picking up all the trash that blew into my yard from the strong winds. I thought I could just sit down and relax and enjoy my dinner. Again I went up to pay and the waitress said, "Some friends paid for it and said you were a nice friend." To have a nice friend I always wanted to be a nice friend. The next day I mowed my grass and here came a young boy and blew my driveway off. I know he has done this before, as I noticed it was clean. I think I remember him but not his name. I hope you read my thank-you in the paper, since I didn't get to thank you in person.
Kathern Wolford
Warsaw
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