Published: June 18, 2009 01:10 am      

LETTERS: June 18, 2009

Reader wonders if Curran really has calling for helping homeless



I wish to commend Ms. Curran’s article, “Time for work,” hoping to develop a shelter for the homeless. I am eager to see a cost analysis for building and equipping such a shelter along with defraying operational costs, programming and case management.

I only share in advance a feeling that she’s going to be surprised at the staggering sums of money that’s going to be involved. Ms. Curran states that she will do pretty much whatever she can “to ensure this community has an at least equal capacity to care for the homeless as that provided by the current shelter.”

I challenge her to demonstrate this as soon as possible with the utilization of a CPA and an educated individual in social work to join the task force.

I write this with a bias of knowing that the current program and current shelter are operating on a shoestring and relying on donated labor. Nonetheless, I challenge Ms. Curran to complete her study as soon as possible and present a budget.

I find a discrepancy in Ms. Curran’s wish not to use tax dollars; at the same time, she sees the obvious benefit Louisville receives getting stimulus money. Stimulus money is certainly tax money. It doesn’t come from the government fairy. I would suggest that if the current shelter would be receiving the same stimulus, their problems would be greatly alleviated.

I admire the current shelter’s director and the great amount of love and commitment she has given over a lifetime. It seems to me, Ms. Curran, that you are the one focusing on personality, which is prohibiting you from seeing the benefits of making the current shelter a model for Jeffersonville and area communities.

Why start from scratch when you have an established program that is already meeting many needs of homeless families and individuals? Are you, Ms. Curran, willing to commit most of your life to assuring the success of the homeless shelter you envision? Can you motivate people to donate their labor and support? Are you expecting to turn this task over to someone else and watch from the sidelines?

Being involved in providing for the homeless is not a spectator sport. It demands you give everything you have to the effort — 100 percent of your time, love and self to the mission. Do you have this calling?

— Judy L. Powlen, Batesville



Watchdog Indiana presents legislator ratings



Watchdog Indiana provides the only ratings of General Assembly legislators based on how their votes and positions on key legislative proposals affect the state and local tax burden of Hoosier working families.

There were six key votes during the 2009 regular session of the General Assembly that indicate whether or not our state senators are taxpayer-friendly. Two key votes were taken by our state representatives.

The most important key vote was the state senate vote on the constitutional property tax caps in Senate Joint Resolution 1. Key votes were also taken by both our state senators and state representatives on whether or not a referendum of affected voters is required before establishing regional transportation districts, which are new tax-imposing levels of Indiana government controlled by boards with unrestricted powers where most board members have no real connection to the taxpayers’ community.

The remaining key votes involved common-sense local government reforms. Although the General Assembly failed to pass legislation that established regional transportation districts and reformed local government, the key votes taken by our General Assembly members are important indicators of their taxpayer-friendly status. Detailed information regarding the key votes taken during the 2009 General Assembly regular session can be found at http://www.finplaneducation.net/ legislative_record. htm.

The Watchdog Indiana legislator rating for all 150 General Assembly members has been updated, taking into account their votes on the key legislative proposals in the 2009 regular session. An individual Watchdog Indiana legislator rating Web page for each state senator and state representative, together with detailed information regarding the ratings, can be found at http://www.finplaneducation.net/general_assembly_ratings.htm.

Our state legislators are inundated during the special session with lobbyists for single-interest tax spenders. They need to know that ordinary working families expect them to represent the interests of taxpayers. Please act now and let your state senator and state representative know that you will be paying attention to how their special session votes affect their Watchdog Indiana legislator rating. Contact information for your state senator and state representative public servants can be found at http://www.finplaneducation.net/general_assembly_ratings.htm.

Watchdog Indiana is a nonprofit, nonconnected and nonparty online community where Hoosier working families come together to help promote good government by focusing on their state and local tax burden. Watchdog Indiana was established November 14, 2001, and the Watchdog Indiana Web site can be found at www.watchdogindiana.org.



So you know

AREA STATE SENATORS WATCHDOG INDIANA RATINGS

• Political hog: James (Jim) Lewis, Connie Weigleb Sipes, Richard D. Young Jr.

AREA STATE REPRESENTATIVES WATCHDOG INDIANA RATINGS

• Taxpayer-friendly: Ed Clere

• Taxpayer-unfriendly: Terry Goodin, Dennie Oxley, Steven R. Stemler

• Political hog: Paul G. Robertson

— Aaron Smith

— Aaron Smith, founder of Indiana Watchdog