PAGE A2 • MAY 20, 2014
THE POSEY COUNTY NEWS • SERVING THE COUNTY SINCE 1882 • WWW.POSEYCOUNTYNEWS.COM
OPINION
Graduates, your community is obviously proud of you Several months in advance, the staff of the Posey County News plans for many of the extra sections you see from time to time in the newspaper. There TRUTH... are agricul- STRANGER ture sections THAN and sports FICTION sections but there are BY DAVE none as im- PEARCE portant as the section included in this week’s Posey County News. As we began to plan for this year’s section, it brought back a lot of memories. For one thing, the year ends in a four, 2014. My high school graduating class also ended in a four…1974. I can remember just like yesterday those final weeks of school when people you had spent most of your life around finally opened up and you actually became friends instead of just classmates. The final events of the school year showed that not only had you spent the majority of 12 years with many of these people. But that you had also grown and matured together and you realized that even though you had not always gotten along with all of them, it would be the final time you would be together as a group. It was a sobering thought, yet one for celebration. It was the first major event of our adult lives. So instead of putting just average effort into this year’s graduation section, the staff of the Posey County News in conjunction with the county’s advertisers, decided that graduation is something that should be celebrated. It should be done with class and the graduates should be honored. How many times in your life will you put 12 years of full-time effort into achieving a goal, particularly as a group. And while these individuals will go their separate ways and live their separate lives, they will always be able to say they achieved graduation, the completion of 12 years of schooling. In Posey County, we sometimes take that milestone for granted because our high schools have a nearly 95 percent graduation rate. But in the bigger cities, and even in neighboring counties. The successful rate of graduation diminishes greatly.
For example, the graduation rate of the nearby Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation drops off significantly to between 86 and 87 percent. In Marion County (Indianapolis area), that rate falls to only 82 percent. In Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago, the graduation rate is in the 60-65 percent range. The fact that Posey County has a high level of graduates indicates that we value education in our area. This rate is celebrated as evidenced by the number of advertisers who have helped make this year’s commemorative graduation section possible. The fact that this area graduates so many high school students does not diminish the fact that our high school seniors have achieved something that many of their counterparts, even in this state, have been unable, for one reason or another, to achieve. There probably is not a more bold statement anywhere in our community that shouts ‘pride’ than the graduation edition. Graduates, the people in your community are proud and happy you have chosen to remain on the right path, get a high school diploma, and dramatically enhance your chances of getting a job and providing for yourselves and your families.
Area individuals and businesses celebrate with you. It is evidenced by their willingness to spend their hard-earned money to help the Posey County News put together a keepsake such as this. The graduates and the community that supports them are to be commended. Graduates, enjoy your final days together as a group. As I think back, I remember my class thinking we would be different. We would make every effort to keep in touch with each other and remain friends for life. But in the end, life leads us all in different directions. By the end of the summer, you will have no idea what more that half your class is planning to do in the fall. That percentage escalates through the years. Only those who decide to return home and live and work in the area will remain in close touch. And according to statistics, that will be very few. I remember on graduation day, May 24, 1974, most of my class went to a ‘salt pit,’ in rural southern Illinois and enjoyed the day together like we had never done before. That night, when graduation time came, we were worn out but we were ready for this night to come. After all, it was the culmination of what we had worked for the past 12 or 13 years. Now, 40 years later, some have been suc-
cessful while others have made bad choices. Some went on to attain higher degrees of education. Most moved on to have families of their own. And, yes, our class seems to have lost more than its share to death. But for those of us who are still around, we have memories of our class and our classmates that no one can take from us. Looking back, some were the happiest times of our lives…others weren’t. But all in all, we grew up together and there’s a lot to be said for that. So please take this week’s graduation section and put it somewhere for safekeeping. The staff at the Posey County News and numerous advertisers have shown they believe in you and believe you have done something worth celebrating. And someday when you have been out of school as long as I have (in the year 2054), you can pull out the graduation section and recall just how things were during graduation week of 2014. You can smile and remember how proud your community was of your achievement. You can look back and realize that if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Though old and faded, I still take a look at mine from time to time. You’ll be glad you saved it.
over 79 million dollars - a 164 percent increase over the past decade. An entitlement mentality has infected the land and many politicians are eager to promote that beleaguered scheme of spreading the wealth around. It’s that Robin Hood theory which is contrary to what America was built on. The bottom line is America’s a capitalistic country and has been the most prosperous on the planet according to most, but those who want to rule by force want to change the norm and turn America into something unrecognizable. It’s a safe bet to say most Americans don’t want to live in a state of socialism ruled by the privileged few and served by the cluttered poor. Ask yourself: Is it necessary for the price of gas to be so high when we have an abundance of natural resources? Is it justifiable to pay high
costs for food and daily necessities when inflation is being triggered by the actions of the government? Is it reasonable to think closing down coal fired electricity producing plants, because a few think they should be abolished, at the cost of higher utility bills for consumers, is really worth it? Isn’t there something the Administration can do to alleviate the afflictions 93 million Americans out of work are having? Simply put, are all these hardships being inflicted upon Americans really necessary? Greg Allen’s column, Thinkin’ Out Loud, is published bi-monthly. He’s an author, nationally syndicated columnist and the founder of Builder of the Spirit in Jamestown, Indiana, a non-profit organization aiding the poor. He can be reached at www.builderofthespirit.org or follow him on Twitter @GregAllencolumn.
Guest Editorial: Greg Allen The undue hardships Americans endure The hardships many Americans are enduring today are excessive, unwarranted and unjustifiable, but many politicians don’t see it that way. Hardship dictated by government is oppression no matter how you slice it. As the White House proclaims a recovery is occurring, and the stock market has a head of steam, millions of Americans are being left out, according to economic indicators. Perhaps the most troubling, yet least reported, aspect of the so-called US recovery involves the national labor picture. Although the official US unemployment rate is 6.3 percent, that figure obscures reality, according to an influential Wall Street adviser. In a leaked memo to clients, David John Marotta calculated the actual unemployment rate to be an astronomic 37 percent, as opposed to the 6.3 percent claimed by the Federal Reserve. History tells us a quarter of Americans were unemployed during the 30s and it was called a Great Depression. However, by today’s standard, a 37 percent unemployment rate isn’t even considered a recession by ambiguous thinking bureaucrats who try to obscure it all. It isn’t glamorous to be on government assistance as some politicians have claimed. It’s a miserable hardship, poverty, no matter how you spin it. Marotta wrote: “The unemployment rate only describes people who are currently working or looking for work. Unemployment in its truest definition, meaning the portion of people who do not have any job, is 37.2 percent.” The author also took aim at the so-called Misery Index, which provides somewhat of a pulse rate of American prosperity, based on
unemployment and inflation. The Wall Street adviser said the Index, which he maintains is actually over 14, as opposed to the 8 advertised by Washington, fails to address how the US economy is being hugely subsidized by various schemes, including monthly bond purchases by the Federal Reserve. “Today, the Misery Index would be 7.54 using official numbers,” the analyst wrote. “However, taking into consideration the full unemployment picture, including workers who have given up the job search, which is 10.2 percent, together with the historical method of calculating inflation, which is now 4.5 percent, the current misery index is closer to 14.7.” Marotta’s findings, which put the actual US unemployment rate at over 37 percent, seem more credible when viewed alongside other indicators, including the number of Americans who now rely on government assistance to make ends meet. ‘In food stamps we trust’ could no doubt be the motto for many anymore. Food stamps are now known as Electronic Benefits Transfer tokens. It’s a fancy term used to diminish the reality of a miniscule existence, a life of poverty, dependence on the government, and the hardships that come with it. A record 20 percent of American households received food stamps in 2013, over 47 million people, according to the USDA. It should come as no surprise that spending on the US government’s food stamp program, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has reached an all-time high. Last year, SNAP cost American taxpayers
Elections Elections are good even if there are few contested races and even if many do not vote. The opportunity to serve and the opportunity to choose who serves are what is important. It might be better if GAVEL everyone wanted to run for some GAMUT office and if everyone voted. But that ideal might render no better BY JUDGE government than we have. On the other hand, we do not JIM REDWINE need to ignore the facts. Few want to run and a lot do not wish to vote. Therefore, elections could be revamped to save taxpayer time and money without doing any harm to our democracy. May 6, 2014 came and went with the active participation of mainly unopposed candidates and probably less than 10% of registered voters. The polls were open for twelve hours with 5 paid workers at most of Posey County’s 33 precincts. This column is not intended as an indictment of the electoral system, the politicians who designed and run it, the potential voters or those who run or do not run for office. We generally have good government run by generally good people who are elected by generally good voters. It just seems to me we could keep the good part and save money while we improve things. If we are comfortable spending significant
amounts of money and relying on the kindness of strangers at the airlines, vacation locations, and for products via electronic means, such as Pay Pal, etc., why not vote every year or so the same way? We now allow voter registration at events from parades to gun shows. Each of us has a unique voter identification number. One number = one vote per each available contest. We could vote over our home computers, by iPhone, iPad, etc., almost everyone has at least one, and never even have to set up one polling place. People could vote from home, from their vehicles, while planting corn, watching ballgames, at family reunions (I suggest we should not discuss our choices) or even at the movies – strike that last one. Nationally this would save millions of taxpayer dollars and increase voter participation greatly. Of course, it is our Congress and state legislators who rightly should design and implement all voting procedures. And there might be a minor detail or two I have glossed over. But if the devil is in the details, what better organizations to deal with the devil than those named above who are most familiar with him.
PUBLISHER / EDITOR DAVID PEARCE dpearce263@poseycountynews.com
Ph. 812-682-3950 • PO Box 397 • New Harmony, IN 47631 Fx. 812-682-3944 • www.PoseyCountyNews.com
Guest Editorial: Glenn Mollette Have we lost free speech in America? Our First Amendment right for all Americans is free speech. Protesters, journalists Civil-rights advocates, street preachers and all Americans have enjoyed the right of free speech. Free speech gets on our nerves if the language doesn’t fit our philosophy, religious teachings, traditions or political views. Free speech can inspire, encourage, help, teach and motivate but it can also tear down, torch, blaspheme and incite people to anger. Words can bless and words can burn. It only takes a spark to get a fire going. The tongue is a powerful weapon and should be used with caution. While we are guaranteed Free speech we understand that our speech will likely generate or provoke responses that will either be kind, hostile or apathetic. I don’t think we have as much free speech as we like to say we do. Yes, we are free to say something but then in turn we may have the wrath of the media or a large portion of the nation ready to ship us off the planet. On more than one occasion an editor or publisher has disagreed with something I have written in this column. The response is often not to publish the column or occasionally I am deleted from ever
publishing with the media source again. Therefore I am penalized because I didn’t say it in quite the right way. If a television personality, political figure or financial giant writes or says something that is distasteful, they are likely to lose a job, an election, contracts, endorsements and much more. Therefore while they had the freedom to utter a sentence the cost could be career breaking. Therefore, speech is not so free. I get tired of hearing political ads and TV people rant and tear good people down. How do they get by with that? Maybe they are the ones who are guaranteed free speech. There are a lot of motivational speakers making the circuit today including sales people, preachers, vitamin and cosmetic pushers. Many of these people use the first amendment to lie to people. I guess the first amendment works well for them. I once asked a young mother if she would take her crying baby to the nursery at church. I had the freedom to say it but it irritated some people that I said that. Others agreed with me. I don’t think people should say things that are nasty, hate America we have the right to express ourselves. However, people have the freedom to react to what is said. Reac-
OFFICE MANAGER MICHELLE GIBSON
SPORTS EDITOR STEVE KOCHERSPERGER
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MANAGING EDITOR THERESA BRATCHER
ARTS MANAGER ZACH STRAW
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WRITER / REPORTER VALERIE WERKMEISTER WRITER / REPORTER LOIS GRAY
tions may be positive or brutal. We are not a robot country that runs on daily-programmed autopilot. We are people with all kinds of backgrounds, traditions and religious or non-religious beliefs. We are free thinking people filled with failures and shortcomings. We must do everything to maintain free and open speech in this country regardless of whether or not we like the speech. I don’t want to hear filth on the radio or TV. We don’t want our children listening to or watching it. I would be in favor of eliminating a lot of programs that I do not find appropriate. However, I know America is not all about me. I can still say what I do or do not like. I can say things others may not like. I can work hard, write, talk, politic, vote, campaign, verbalize prayers, make phone calls and pontificate my opinions just like the next American. And, people have the freedom to disagree and rebut. Please let’s keep it that way, and keep it civil, for all of us. Glenn Mollette is an American columnist read in all fifty states. Contact him at GMollette@aol.com. Like his facebook page at www. facebook.com/glennmollette.
BOOKKEEPING CONNIE PEARCE Pocobooks@aol.com
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