October 02, 2008 06:58 pm
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Smoking regulations have gone too far
Cigarettes and fireworks have more in common than just one single thread. Both need to have fire added to be best enjoyed. Both are sold in their own specialty stores, smoke shops and fireworks stores. Both are heavily regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Gestapo branches of government.
In Indiana, it is legal to sell these items from these stores. In Indiana, it is illegal to use these fireworks anywhere in the state. In Indiana, it is becoming illegal to smoke cigarettes at anytime in more and more places.
Soon, we will have people watching our homes and pulling surprise inspections to make sure we are not smoking these cigarettes or lighting these fireworks. The inspectors will sniff throughout our homes and ransack our underwear drawers using tobacco and gunpowder detectors and canine units. Maybe they will be corrupt. Maybe we will be able to pay them off to look the other way. Maybe they won’t fingerprint us or even write us a citation. Maybe samples of our DNA will not be taken. Maybe the newspapers will not pick up our indiscretions and run with them. Maybe our pictures won’t be in the paper, charging us with “felony smoking,” or “sharing sparklers with minors,” or “having holes in our Fruit-of-the-Looms.” We will still be able to buy cigarettes and fireworks. We will still manufacture these items. We wouldn’t want to suffer the job losses of doing away with these things. We just won’t be able to use them.
In Indiana, smoking and shooting off fireworks is becoming as regulated as “common sense.” It is OK to own these things, but we may not use them.
— Richard D. Carver, III, Sellersburg
He’s against make-up days
There has been a hot topic for conversation at my high school lately. It is about the hurricane and mainly what the school system is going to do about the days we missed due to power outages.
Most people side with the seniors and teachers about what to do, why wouldn’t they, it is a great idea. Why would anyone want to stay at school or work for another week at the end of the year that won’t help anything.
The other side of the story says that we should stay in school and make up the days. I only have one question for them. Why? There is no reason to make up the days, it won’t help catch up the first semester classes, and there is no time to take it during the first semester.
The first reason why they should let this go is there are no dates to make it up. Snow days and adding days on the end of the year will not help teacher this semester. All the dates come too late in the year or would not be a good idea. Snow days are a bad idea because we still might need those days this year, and who knows how many snow days we will need? Winter break and fall break, and most people will have their trips planned and booked by now. So, most of the kids will miss the make-up days due to either parents pulling out for vacations or needing to go visit family during the holidays.
A good example of why adding dates on the end of the year won’t work is I have a government class that is a one semester class and now the teacher is behind in the work. So he is going to have to hurry and try to get caught up to where we should be to get us ready for the final and the end of the class.
Adding dates to the end of the year would only make more days at the end of the year where we sit and watch movies all day. To me, I would rather have the days off then sitting around having “movie days” or “free days.”
— Brad Murphy, New Albany
Young: This is the way I see it
Democrat campaign ads, slick pieces of paper, are coming to my home again and I think they are more over the top than usual this year. “Millionaire Mike” is back, the usual Democrat class warfare, in an ad that shows a picture of three men, probably oil executives, in business suites, next to a picture of a woman near tears over her overdue bills. It is probably supposed to make me think that evil Big Oil is hurting that poor woman so vote for Baron Hill. What I think is that Democrats are trying to redirect the blame for high oil prices to the oil companies so they can continue to limit access to oil rich areas and keep prices high by limiting production.
The ad says “Oil interests got their money’s worth when they invested $71,412 in Mike Sodrel.” It says this information came from opensecrets.org www.opensecrets.org on Aug. 28, 2008. Opensecrets.org on Sept. 28, 2008, said Oil and Gas interests gave $22,543,340 for elections, 25 percent for Democrats and 75 percent for Republicans. Environmental interests gave $1,960,118, 92 percent for Democrats and 8 percent for Republicans. Energy/Nat Resource gave $46,200 to Hill and $7,300 to Sodrel.
Guess that means Republicans are in the pockets of Big Oil and Democrats are in the pockets of the environmentalists, but Hill scored more than Sodrel in Energy/Nat Resource.
If you want to power your car with a windmill or ride a bicycle to work vote Democrat. Vote Republican to drive your car using oil. If you think being a successful business man like Mike Sodrel who created good jobs is a bad thing, you’re a Democrat.
— Jim M. Young, Jeffersonville
Thanks to those made band festival a success
On Sept. 20, the Charlestown High School Marching Band of Pirates held its 35th annual Southern Indiana Marching Band Festival.
It was decided that the festival would be held in lieu of the construction that is under way with the restrictive parking and practice space availability. There was no way to know about the windstorm and accompanying complications that would await the organizers on the week immediately prior to last Saturday.
I wish to first of all thank the marching bands from Jeffersonville, Rising Sun, Henryville, Bloomington South and Orleans for their patience and understanding while attending the festival.
I also want to thank CHS Principal Dick Johnson, CHS Athletic Director David Null, CHS football coach Jason Hawkins, Connie Pavey of the superintendent’s office, soccer booster Kyra Stephens, Mayor Bob Hall, Mayoral Assistant Ruthie Jackson, Geri Heal, Charlestown Assistant Police Chief Keith McDonald, and a special thanks to Principal Michelle Dyer of Pleasant Ridge Elementary School.
To the businesses in and around Charlestown, I wish to express my gratitude for your donations and contributions to support the efforts and talents of our young people in the marching band program. The following either donated something of use or purchased a program ad: Charlie Gregory, Coffee Expresso, The Pirates Cove, Charlestown Medical Clinic, Dan Cristiani, New Washington State Bank, Larry Reis Insurance Agency, Peyton’s Barricade & Sign Co., Clark Memorial Hospital Medical Center — Charlestown, New Washington State Bank and the Pleasant Ridge Elementary School staff and students.
I would also like to thank Tony Woods and the Concrete Lady for donating items to be auctioned off to benefit the band at the Beautification Committee dog statute benefit and to Harold Goodlett for including the marching band in the event.
The organization and running of this festival could not have happened without the invaluable help from my Co-Chairman Dennis Embry and his wife and band booster treasurer, Kim. Chris Peveler also contributed valuable advice. Mayor Bob Hall’s wife, along with Kay Vaughn — neither of whom has a child in the marching band — agreed to set up and run our hospitality room. Jill Sink was called on at the last minute to set up and run the concessions. Many other band parents donated their time and without each of them, the successful band festival would not have happened.
I would finally like to offer a very special thanks to senior band member Chaz Embry, who was called upon to help out above and beyond what would be expected of a student when his dad was ordered to work 12 hour days after a state of emergency was declared in Kentucky.
The bottom line is simply we kept alive the tradition of having the longest consecutive running band festival in Indiana by hosting the festival for the 35th straight year thanks to the efforts of many dedicated band parents and band supporters.
— Lindon Dodd, Co-Chairman 2008 Charlestown High School Marching Band of Pirates, Otisco
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