Editor, Times-Union: I was very disappointed to see the State House come to a screeching halt in business last Monday and Tuesday.
Rather than debate the issues at hand and vote to improve the state and its laws, they walked away. I have yet to hear a good explanation for their decision. Were these 130 bills so bad for Indiana they should not even be discussed and given a vote? Would passage of these bills make the Republicans look too good? Which bills were so bad? I'd really like to know! And instead of answering these questions, some of them criticized Gov. Daniels for calling their action a "car-bombing." I prefer "coup d'etat" myself, which the dictionary says is "a sudden seizure of government." It seems the 48 House Democrats know that all 130 bills were bad, should not even be debated nor considered for a democratic vote after working for a month in committees to draft and prepare these bills. So the previous month's work must have been a waste of time and taxpayer's money. Can we dock their pay for a month of wasted time? I think it behooves the House Democrats to itemize each bill that died, and state why it was unworthy of a debate and a vote on the floor. And if any were worthy, did they try to negotiate to have even these bills put at the front of consideration so they could return to business? If they can't answer these questions, they should stay home for good and let someone else run in the next election.
Russell Reahard North Manchester
Over-Development
Editor, Times-Union: In her lone remonstrance against the development of yet another subdivision now planned on CR 450N, I both applaud and envy my wife's unwillingness to submit to the sense of futility felt by myself. For 26 years we have been able to look out our from our front window and marvel at the prize crops which emerged from that land.
My fear, however, is that this sense of futility, surely shared by others, may be perceived as approval when there is considerable opposition for a variety of legitimate reasons. My personal concern about the ongoing loss of prime cropland to the encroachment of developments with houses sized to consume resources is, fortunately, tempered with the knowledge that so many Americans are apparently willing to sacrifice the lives and limbs of their neighbor's kids in order to protect our continued freedom to invade countries and pillage their resources.
