Our national and local politics are increasingly divisive. It seems that most Americans, including many of those whom I speak with as I canvass door to door, are disengaged and even tired of politics in general. The left and right see each other as enemies rather than what we are – people who want to make our communities better, but who view how to do so differently. I’m running as a Democrat, and around here that is rare, so there are misconceptions we need to talk about.
A recent letter writer expressed a common local view that Democrats have pet projects and intend to spend money wildly. Let’s stop having automatic reactions like that and think about this carefully.
We can all agree that having a rainy day fund is important. Saving for large projects to help the community is vital. Balancing the budget is, without doubt, of prime importance. But the $1.25 million surplus we have been discussing is money which represents your taxes.
Taxes are taken from your paycheck to better the community, not to sit in a bank. This money of yours is to make our fire services better, to preserve history in our cemeteries, to assist those around you who need care.
Speaking of those who need care, on Oct. 12 I attended the Community Health Conversations hosted by Grace College and learned that Indiana ranks 40, 41 and 42 out of the 50 states in many areas such as opioid addiction, infant mortality, obesity and tobacco-related deaths. And Kosciusko County isn’t even close to the best county just in Indiana. This means we have a huge health problem to deal with.
The Wayne Township trustee is supposed to focus on issues such as these. In fact, Gov. Holcomb begged township trustees to do just that. We deserve our tax dollars to be used wisely and judiciously for the benefit of all of us.
Hoarding cash isn’t wise. It isn’t biblical. It’s just a way of avoiding the proactive work involved with putting together something that works.
Interested? Confused? I’ll be at the Chamber of Commerce from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29. I want to hear what you have to say. I want to talk to you no matter what your political persuasions are. In fact, I don’t care what your political persuasions are. These issues are past politics. These issues need all of us to be proactive. Come help me and my team make this community stronger.
