New-terrain I-69 not a done deal\nRegarding the address by INDOT's commissioner at the Oct. 7 Bloomington Chamber of Commerce "Chamber Chat": no, a new-terrain I-69 is not a done deal. Although the I-69 project is designated by Congress as a "High Priority Corridor," Indiana is not required to complete its section of I-69 (Draft Environmental Impact Statement 2002, page 2-1). Why then is INDOT pursuing this project when Indiana is in a serious budget crises?\nFunding for the project is uncertain at best. Recently, Senator Lawrence Borst, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, distributed a statement saying in part:\n"INDOT has led the public to believe the issue is not whether or not the road will be built, but which route should be chosen. INDOT has created an illusion that when the final alignment is chosen, the project can be funded and built in a reasonable time frame. However, the high cost of the project combined with expected legal action by opponents raises serious question as to whether major portions of the road will ever be built."\nThere are 15 stages of approval required in a project of this magnitude; four have been completed. It is time for INDOT to show some fiscal responsibility and to tell Hoosiers the TRUTH about I-69. \n Nick Hansen\nBloomington Resident
Don't intimidate the young voters\nThe recent events regarding the Monroe County Democratic Party and its attempts to intimidate young voters are appalling and un-American. This trend is not uncommon, in the 2000 election leaders in Florida's heavily Democratic Miami-Dade County scared hundreds of Haitian-Americans, who were heading to the polls in large part because of a Republican member of their community who was running for the state legislature; from voting by threatening measures.\nIn Missouri in 2000, a Democratic judge ordered polls to close in rural areas of the state, while allowing polls in heavily Democratic St. Louis to remain open for an extra hour. This anti-democratic and regime-like way of holding elections should be disgusting to all who believe in the right to vote. It is now time in Bloomington and in Monroe County for voters to reject this Frank McCloskey-stlye of politics and call for fair elections, where everybody feels free to express their feelings at the ballot box.\nCity elections are coming up on Nov. 4, and it is important that everyone who is registered to vote get to the polls and vote for the candidates of their choice. In many places around the world, people wish they had the right to choose their elected leaders like we do in the USA.
Don't forget Novermber elections\nCity government affects your life more directly than state or federal government, and it is in local elections where your vote has the most impact! Voter turnout was painfully low four years ago. A few votes per precinct would have changed at least three elections. The Republicans missed snagging one of the at-large City Council seats by only 100 votes, and the races for Districts 4 and 6 were very close as well. Winning those seats would have put Republicans in the majority on the City Council. Your vote matters.\nThere are good reasons to get out to vote this year. Republican candidate for Mayor Fred Prall made a positive impact years before even deciding to run. It was Prall's leadership on the Fire Safety Commission that put pressure on city government to give the Bloomington Fire Department what it needs to protect your home and your family. Thanks to Prall, the city passed a plan to address the manpower and equipment needs that had been ignored for too long. \nFurthermore, Prall has been an advocate for responsible fiscal policy for years. You can trust that Fred Prall will focus on making our city better. \nScott Tibbs\n1998 IU Alumnus
