February 01, 2008 09:11 pm
—
Can taxpayers see list of improvement projects?
Renovations are under way at Jeffersonville High School. Thirty three million dollars of improvements are planned for the school. Every wing of the school will be enhanced except for one – the fine arts wing of the building.
Art, band, choir, and theater classes with a current enrollment of 1,053 students will be ignored. Zero dollars have been allocated to an art room with no ventilation, a theatre lab with no lights and controls, but with wet molding ceiling tiles, and choir and band rooms with no sound proofing.
How can this be? I asked the Greater Clark County School Board Trustees in an e-mail. Two trustees referred me to Superintendent Tony Bennett. Mr. Bennett informed me there is $36 million dollars worth of projects, but only $33 million dollars available. My follow up question to Mr. Bennett and the school board trustees was simple: What projects are on the list adding to the total of $33 million dollars and why were those projects chosen? I have not received an answer and have not found anyone who can tell me. Why is it such a secret?
Surely, there was a great deal of effort to determine the selected projects. As JHS parents and/or taxpayers I think we have a right to know. I think the fine arts students at JHS are entitled to know why their wing of the school was excluded.
I have to take the position that there are projects on the list which the trustees and the superintendent will find difficult to defend. Otherwise, why not release the list? If you would also like to know what is on the list, please contact the trustees and ask. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are available on the Greater Clark County School Board Web site.
— Ken Hawkins, Jeffersonville
Reader: Parties have divided us
Back in the early 1900s several groups became aware of a problem, that, left unattended, could have become a disaster. This problem involved ducks, migratory birds and wetlands. Republicans and Democrats put aside personal and party animosities and worked together to establish one of the most effective and profitable government programs to date; the Federal Duck Stamp Program.
In 1934, President Roosevelt signed the bill establishing this program. President Roosevelt appointed Mr. J.N. “Ding” Darling to head the program. Mr. Darling was a political cartoonist and an avid conservationist. He was also a Republican and a frequent critic of President Roosevelt and his policies.
At the same time, the Tennessee Valley was plagued with frequent flooding; another condition that, unless corrected, would become a recurring potential disaster situation. The Republicans and Democrats put aside their differences and the TVA was created. This, along with the rural electrification program, brought flood relief and affordable electric power to a once devastated area.
Back then we were a cohesive society and people were willing to put aside petty differences in order to solve regional and national emergencies. Now, we are a fragmented society. The groups that make up our society can only grasp the ideas that are germane to the myopic interests of the group.
There is the radical left who, since its inception, has not accomplished one positive goal. It has offered no positive solution to any problem that has faced the country. Its only accomplishment has been to sit back, complain, and criticize the people and groups that are trying to do something.
Then there are the liberals. People who are content to look down their erudite, elitist noses at the poor fools who couldn’t survive without their help. They seem to think that any opinion that serves liberal causes derives from the essential elements of human decency. Any opinion that criticizes or challenges liberal policy is that of a bad, bigoted and totally stupid person. Support of a liberal position is infallible proof that a person has a forward-looking outlook committed to what is best for humanity.
And what has this enlightened leadership brought us: schools that need a policeman’s presence to keep order — and then students still have a problem staying off academic probation; thanks to liberal trade policies established by a former administration, we are now ensured that a goodly amount of our goods will come from China; chaos along our borders; the Torricelli Principle, implemented in 1996 during the Clinton administration by CIA Director John Deutch, that effectively hamstrung agents from procuring intelligence data; etc.
The vast center section of the population is willing to do whatever is needed to help, however, they are still waiting for “leaders” who know what should be done. Most “leaders” are busy telling us what’s wrong — we already know what’s wrong. We patiently wait for someone to tell us what action is needed to correct what’s wrong and how we can help.
Then we have the right wing. You know them, the ones that are full of vast conspiracies. Here’s a group that can’t even put aside their differences long enough to defeat a candidate none of them wanted and you expect a conspiracy out of this crowd? Part of the “Right Wing” is the conservatives. Talk about fragmentation; various sections of this group aren’t even aware there are problems — others don’t care. Do you really expect a cogent solution to problems from them? Then there is the “Far or Religious Right.” These people are aware that problems exist and they patiently sit back waiting for God to solve them.
We are now in the process of selecting candidates for the presidency. To those of you who are seeking change and intend to vote, unless you can find “none of the above” on your ballot, you ain’t-a-gonna-git-it. The biggest difference between the Republicans and Democrats is the bank in which they deposit their millions.
— Donald M. Dillon, Jeffersonville
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.