Letters to the editor

Democrats are running away from the problem
There is something about the union issue that defeats our brains’ capacity to effectively reason. A prime example of this is Mark Dunbar’s recent editorial, “A minimally functioning democratic society.” In it, he criticizes an Ohio senator for wanting the state of Ohio to have “control over its work force.” Dunbar thinks this is easily recognizable totalitarianism and that democratic societies should allow public unions to “submit their own proposals to state legislators.”

News flash for Mr. Dunbar: Any person or organization can submit any plan they like to any state legislator. Fire up the interwebs and send out your preferred legal language.

But let’s talk functioning democracies. If you would like to criticize a failure of U.S. democracy, how about the Indiana House Democrats fleeing the state to avoid establishing a quorum? The House Democrats literally refuse to participate in legislative activity. This is a censurable action. Call it right or call it wrong, but don’t call it democracy.

And let’s talk totalitarianism. Having governments set the wages for government jobs is not totalitarian. Who else would set the wages? The workers themselves? Workers’ unions? Fire up the old neurons and think through it a bit further. If you want to find tea leaves of totalitarianism in the U.S., how about starting with a government telling employers what they have to pay (minimum wage) or telling private citizens that they have to buy a product (health insurance).
— David Talcott

Peggy Welch’s yea for discrimination
Indiana House Representative Peggy Welch recently voted ‘yea’ for HJR6, known as the “gay marriage ban,” which seems to go out of its way to limit rights to select members of the electorate, namely homosexuals.

The bill blocks both marriage and civil unions. I won’t get into the abusiveness of using constitutional amendments to take away rather than grant rights nor will I go into how history looks back at bills such as this and those voting for them.

Ms. Welch notes on her website she is a practicing registered nurse, a profession built on holistic care, dignity, protection and respect for all individuals, regardless of personal attributes. This bill protects no one and at minimum is emotionally degrading and harmful to homosexual persons.

It may behoove Ms. Welch to revisit statistics on gay youth suicides among other topics if she has forgotten her education on the hostile environment the targets of HJR6 already experience daily. HJR6 supports and affirms this environment of hostility. As a nursing student, I’m appalled and offended by HJR6. I respectfully request Ms. Welch change her stance, as the punitive nature of HJR6 certainly can’t match the ideals that brought her into the nursing profession, let alone public service.
— Joseph Voelker

Impressed with Kruzan
As a former participant in the City of Bloomington Citizens’ Academy, I was given the opportunity to see firsthand how Mark Kruzan has actively looked to improve the livability of Bloomington.

Whether you discuss his role with the Housing and Neighborhood Development or his reasoning for creating the Department of Economic Development, I can say with certainty that Kruzan is seeking re-election with Bloomington’s best interest in mind.  

Since taking office, Kruzan has been a strong advocate for improving human capital, community safety and economic development, but the two things that have really struck me are how fiscally responsible he has been with tax revenue and his dedication to improving sustainability and infrastructure.

I was extremely impressed with how his administration financed and refurbished the Bloomington Sports Complex.

Instead of financing this purchase through publicly financed debt, Kruzan took out a revenue bond, which not only allowed the facility to finance itself, but it also allowed the Bloomington government to sustain public funding in other important government services during the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression.  

Kruzan has also made significant investments in sustainable transportation opportunities and infrastructure. Bloomington Transit, which is a publicly sponsored entity, has provided public transportation at low cost and has made a strong investment in hybrid technology. Kruzan has also invested a lot of money in bike lanes, the B-Line trail and in Bloomington’s utility infrastructure, which each individually cuts energy costs, improves efficiency and promotes conservation in the long run.
— Brian Rans