Published: April 22, 2008 09:07 pm            

Letters to the editor - Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Harper vows to pay back Tipton County

On Jan. 23, I filed as a candidate for Tipton County Commissioner. I have lived in this community all of my life and it is my desire to hold the office of county commissioner so that I can begin giving back to a community that paid me in advance with immeasurable advantages.

Many opportunities that have come to me are a direct result of the positive influences received from a public that promoted and sometimes demanded high achievement, civic mindedness, good work ethic, and selflessness.

I now want to share the knowledge I have gained from these instilled values by helping Tipton County attain the next level of uniqueness. My platform is simply to work diligently and together with all governmental boards toward preparing the county for managed economic growth opportunities and being pro-active in marketing our distinctive qualities.

I can never pay back in an equal amount all that I have benefited from living here, but I can return a small amount to Tipton County by serving without compensation and assisting the local organizations that focus on helping our own.

If elected to the office of county commissioner, I pledge to donate all four years of my net earnings from the $12,985 per year commissioner salary to a variety of not-for-profit entities that play a role in making our county stand apart from all others, and that depend on charitable assistance for their survival.

There are many possibilities for Tipton County to prosper and grow to an even higher level of distinction. I hope to have the chance to pay back the county, and lead it to this next stage so that our fundamental values and prized assets may continue to be paid forward to the future residents of Tipton County.

Jane Harper, Tipton

Leaving Iraq is not the answer

When I heard Barack Obama speak at the last Democratic Convention I had a feeling he would be a candidate for president in the next election.

He is a very smooth, charismatic speaker. He seems to know and say what people want to hear. I am also a little bit scared of him because he seems so caring about the American people, but yet his relationship with the Reverend and that terrorist they talked about has made him questionable to me.

His position on Iraq bothers me, he wants to pull out “as soon as possible.”

Hillary Clinton is not far behind him. All the progress we have made in the last six months or so, and the servicemen and women that have been killed and wounded will have fought in vain for our freedom, which I think is at stake. Iran is waiting for the U.S. to pull out.

They will have free reign over Iraq.

I pray to God every day for the answer, who to vote for. This is a very delicate election.

There were approximately 116,000 American soldiers killed and 204,000 wounded in World War I. Some died of them died of disease. In World War II, approximately 406,000 American soldiers were killed plus 600,000 wounded. They were brave men and women.

“Freedom is not free.”

Connie Simpson, Kokomo

        

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