Published: August 27, 2008 08:37 pm            

Letters to the editor - Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

‘Put Indiana back in hands of people’

We have a governor that traveled the state of Indiana promoting his Major Moves plan. Then, after he had inked the deal, he thumbed his nose at the people who stood to gain the most from his outsourcing of the Indiana Toll Road.

St. Johns, on Ind. 41 in the northwest corner of the state, has repeatedly asked for assistance on a road improvement project that would greatly benefit the businesses in that area, and they have been told that the bids which came in at $3.1 million were too high. Fast forward a little, and we find that the City of Carmel near Indianapolis has been handed $50 million out of the Major Moves fund for city street improvements.

We also find that one of Carmel’s citizens held a campaign fund dinner which netted the governor an estimated $1 million for his re-election fund. Coincidental? Maybe, but it appears the governor has used the funds for his own personal gain. Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? You be the judge. He was in the Washington loop as an economic adviser to President Bush prior to running for office, and he seems to have learned the “lie and deceit” routine very well.

He has advocated the sale of other state-run programs to other private groups. Indiana is not for sale to the highest bidder. We need a governor in the Statehouse that will look out for the interests of Hoosiers in a fiscally responsible manner. The sell-off of our business assets is not responsible. This is only an admission that the present administration is not capable of running the affairs of the state.

A prime example of this is the mess our property tax overhaul has brought upon us. This was instituted as an improvement and has only cost the taxpayers more at the state level. Our present governor has professed to save us money in one area only to offset that by an increase somewhere else. This is not showing responsibility. It is only showing a lack thereof.

We need to take a very serious look at what is really going on and then go to the polls and make some changes in our state government. Vote for Jill Long Thompson for governor and put Indiana back in the hands of people who are really interested in the Hoosier State.

Neil A. Farr Sr.

Marion

McCain should try living ‘blue collar’

In following the current presidential campaign, we get two views of life. On one side, we hear presidential candidate Sen. John McCain proclaim that we are not in a recession, that the economy is sound, and that unemployment is low.

On the other hand, we have middle-class, blue-collar people counter that we are in a recession and that the economy is in dire straits. Now whom are we to believe?

John McCain needs a reality check. On a recent telecast of “Inside Edition,” they did a piece on the McCains’ many homes. They ain’t cheap. This reality check should consist of Senator McCain living blue collar and on minimum wage.

Almost every day the media will report that another company has, A) gone, or will soon go out of business, B) has downsized its work force or, C) moved offshore. So how does Senator McCain figure that unemployment is low?

So I would say to John McCain, live blue collar on minimum wage before you have the nerve to proclaim that the economy is sound, and unemployment is low.

Kenneth Crockett

Kokomo

        

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