The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1282448
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, August 26, 2020 A-7 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Signed letters must be received by noon on Monday. Court Report RECAPTURE Continued from page 6 for me, I would like to see the proof, in any culture, that 2 + 2 is something other than 4. Rutgers University's En- glish department chairwom- an, Rebecca Walkowitz, an- nounced changes to the De- partment's graduate writing program emphasizing "social justice" and "critical gram- mar." Leonydus Johnson, a speech-language pathologist and libertarian activist, says Walkowitz's changes make the assumption that minori- ties cannot understand tra- ditional and grammatically correct English speech and writing, which is "insulting, patronizing, and in itself, ex- tremely racist." Then there is the non- sense taught on college cam- puses about white privilege. The idea of white privilege doesn't explain why sever- al historically marginalized groups outperform whites to- day. For example, Japanese Americans suffered under the Alien Land Law of 1913 and other racist, exclusion- ary laws legally preventing them from owning land and property in more than a doz- en American states until the Immigration and Nationali- ty Act of 1952. During World War II, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned. However, by 1959, the income disparity be- tween Japanese Americans and white Americans had almost disappeared. Today, Japanese Americans outper- form white Americans by large margins in income sta- tistics, education outcomes and test scores, and have much lower incarceration rates. According to Rav Arora, writing for the New York Post, several black immi- grant groups such as Nige- rians, Trinidadians and To- bagonians, Barbadians and Ghanaians all "have a median household income well above the American average." We are left with the question whether the people handing out "white privilege" made a mistake. The other alterna- tive is that Japanese Ameri- cans, Nigerians, Barbadians, Ghanaians and Trinidadians and Tobagonians are really white Americans. The bottom line is that more Americans need to pay attention to the miseducation of our youth and that misedu- cation is not limited to high- er education. Walter E. Williams is a pro- fessor of economics at George Mason University. ACADEMIC Continued from page 6 FELONY Pike County Circuit Court Jeremiah Spencer Parker charged with count I dealing in methamphetamine, a level 2 felony, count II possession of meth- amphetamine, a level 4 felony, count III possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony, count IV neglect of a dependent, a level 5 felony, count V unlawful posses- sion of a syringe, a level 6 felony, count VI dealing in methamphetamine, a lev- el 4 felony, and count VII maintaining a common nuisance - controlled substanc- es, a level 6 felony. Kieran Sarah Woolsey charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 4 felony, count II dealing in meth- amphetamine, a level 4 felony, count III neglect of a dependent, a level 5 felony, and count IV maintaining a common nui- sance - controlled substances, a level 6 felony. Eddie W. Brown charged with count I escape, a level 5 felony, and count II crim- inal mischief. Patrick Marsee charged with count I operating a vehicle with an ACE equiva- lent to .15 or more and count II operat- ing a vehicle while intoxicated, prior, a level 6 felony. Brian K. Tharp charged with count I operating a vehicle while intoxicated and count II operating a vehicle while intoxi- cated, prior, a level 6 felony. Cory Norris charged with sexual bat- tery, a level 6 felony. Wade L. Hurdle charged with count I operating a vehicle while intoxicated and count II operating a vehicle while intoxi- cated, prior, a level 6 felony. Kurt Auten charged with domestic bat- tery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a level 6 felony. Jeremy Ray Drew charged with count I unlawful possession of syringe, a level 6 felony, count II public intoxication and count III unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Arin Danielle Dulworth charged with count I possession of a controlled sub- stance, count II possession of marijua- na and count III possession of parapher- nalia. Riese D. Lawhorn charged with pos- session of marijuana. James K. Leonard, Jr. charged with driving while suspended, prior. William A. St. John charged with leav- ing the scene of an accident. Gary D. Cannon charged with making an unlawful proposition. Patricia Dulworth charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II pos- session of paraphernalia. Fallon Michelle Schmitt charged with prostitution. Darin L. Dulworth charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II possession of paraphernalia. Laurie M. Veal charged with false in- forming. Billy Joe Moore charged with posses- sion of marijuana. Tabitha R. West charged with invasion of privacy. Timothy Estes charged with count I driving while suspended, prior, count II failure to remain at the scene of an acci- dent and count III battery. Michael David Robertson charged with count I possession of a controlled substance, count II possession of mari- juana and count III possession of para- phernalia. Jalexus S. Smith charged with know- ingly or intentionally operating motor ve- hicle without ever receiving a license. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Midland Credit Management, Inc. sues Amy Dupin on complaint. Midland Credit Management, Inc. sues William Hart on complaint. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC sues Cynthia Harrison on complaint. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC sues Amanda Gladish on complaint. New Residential Mortgage, LLC sues Stacy Lynn Russell, Cody M. Russell and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A. et al on complaint. State of Indiana sues Melvin L. Lich and Pike County Indiana c/o Valentine J. Fleig on complaint. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Tower Construction sues Christopher Noble on complaint. Joella Stafford sues Natasha Brucken on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Jennifer M. Sandoval charged with speeding. Laryn "D. Burke charged with disre- garding stop sign. Donald J. Craig charged with speed- ing in school zone. Tolulope O. Olusegun charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Adam D. Williams charged with oper- ating a motor vehicle with a false plate. Donald R. Klinge charged with speed- ing. Matthew S. Mathies charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Joanna S. Sheriff charged with no val- id driver's license. Amanda M. Hatton charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Tony E. Witt charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Shaun P. Fonner charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Mary A. Williams charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Jared A. Gries charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Jon P. Coleman charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Michele I. Rhoades charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Thomas M. Sutherlin charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Matthew J. Beck charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Wendy A. Kenny charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Ravi Sekhar R. Lomada charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. mies, many will call for new policies designed to restart ailing industries and jump- start employment. Past at- tempts at economic stimulus show that governments can't spend their way into econom- ic recovery. Stimulus spending is more than just a waste of taxpay- er dollars; stimulus destroys jobs and shrinks private sec- tor growth. The 2009 stimu- lus channeled over $500 mil- lion to Solyndra, only to have the solar manufacturer go bankrupt. Smaller projects, like a Nevada biomass elec- tricity plant, shut its doors af- ter federal funding stopped, and the "cash for clunkers" program, to subsidized new vehicle purchases, simply changed when people bought cars, not how many they pur- chased. The Great Recession poli- cies demonstrated the inabil- ity of government spending programs to boost private ac- tivity or increase total out- put. The private sector, not Washington, must lead the economic recovery. Spending authorized by Congress to date is projected to increase debt-to-GDP lev- els above 100 percent by the end of 2020. Higher levels of public spending and debt can crowd out private invest- ment directly, and if spend- ing isn't quickly brought un- der control, it means tax in- creases on every American are around the corner. The House of Represen- tatives passed an addition- al $ 3.4 trillion stimulus bill in May and another $1.5 tril- lion infrastructure bill at the end of June. If passed into law, these "stimulus" bills would have the lasting lega- cy of larger debts, higher tax- es, and slower economic re- covery. The trade-off of govern- ment spending is, at its core, a choice between private ac- tivity and government ac- tivity. In the depths of the government-imposed shut- downs, federal programs largely shifted private pay- rolls to government. Con- tinuing or expanding these programs as part of the eco- nomic reopening will not cre- ate additional growth, but de- press it instead. If Congress determines more aid for individuals is necessary, it should be tar- geted to those who need it most. Some 142 million Americans are fortunate enough to have jobs still. A temporary partial feder- al match to unemployment benefits after the $ 600 bonus benefits expire on July 31st would be much better target- ed than sending checks to ev- ery American or cutting pay- roll taxes for individuals who still have jobs. Similarly, if Congress is going to extend additional aid to businesses, lawmak- ers should do it through ex- isting programs, targeting the aid to those business- es hit hardest by closure or- ders and simplifying pro- gram rules for those who do need the help. Federal spending, even if well designed, will never be an adequate substitute for private-sector commerce. Temporary, targeted pro- grams that provide timely aid to those in need helped soften the most painful con- sequences of the coronavirus shutdown. Recent employment re- bounds show the possibility of a quicker recovery amid loosening economic restric- tions and the willingness of Americans to return to work, restaurants, and stores. Safe- ly returning to commer- cial and community life is the surest way to ensure a healthy recovery. Adam N. Michel focuses on tax policy and the federal bud- get as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Grover M. Hermann Center. MONEY Continued from page 6 should go on alert. We see people fleeing people our cit- ies today as a result of these very same kinds of govern- ment-knows-best policies. If we care about keeping America more equitable and helping the unfortunate, we should work to keep Amer- ica free, growing and pros- perous. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renew- al and Education and au- thor of the new book "Nec- essary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This is Good News for America." Readers can respond to Star's column by emailing star-parker@ur- bancure.org. SUBURBS Continued from page 6 their family considered pari- ahs and outlaws. The question arises "What would make a person in the days of Christ forsake their family and community and risk death to be a Chris- tian? " What did they hope to gain by forsaking all to fol- low Christ? The answer is not found in a building, but within the "ek- klesia." If we want people to stop leaving the church – if we want Christianity to be ir- resistible again to the world – then maybe, it is time to take another hard look at the movement Jesus started 2,000 years ago as we com- pare it to what we have made it. Think about it! Dear Rusty: I am 76 years old and be- gan collecting Social Security when I re- tired at the age of 62. My wife also began col- lecting SS when she turned 62 based on my benefits. She did not work enough to quali- fy on her own for Social Security benefits. My question is, how much will my wife receive af- ter my death? Will she receive what I receive now, or will it be a per- centage of the total that we both receive? Or will it be based on just my benefits alone or some other formula? Signed: An Inquisitive Senior. Dear Inquisitive: Your wife's survi- vor benefit as your widow will be based upon your Social Security benefit alone. Usually a surviving spouse receives the same amount the deceased spouse was receiving at death, if that is more than the survivor is already receiv- ing, and if the survivor has reached their full retirement age. However, in your case, if you should prede- cease your wife there's a special rule which may benefit her because you claimed your benefit at age 62. That rule says that because you claimed before your full retire- ment age (FR A), your wife's ben- efit as your survivor should be at least 82.5 percent of the benefit you were entitled to at your full retirement age (66), even though you actually claimed at age 62. And because your benefit was re- duced by 25 percent when you took it at age 62, your wife's benefit as your wid- ow may actually be more than you are re- ceiving when you pass. This special rule is known as the "widow limit," which stip- ulates that a surviving spouse is entitled to the greater of what the deceased was re- ceiving while alive, or 82.5 percent of the deceased's "primary insurance amount" or "PIA," which is the amount due at full retirement age. Here's an example: If your FR A ben- efit amount was $1,500/month, then your age 62 amount when you claimed was $1,125. But due to the special rule, your wife would get $1,238 (82.5 percent of $1,500) instead of the reduced $1,125 amount. Of course, this example doesn't reflect the COL A (cost of living) increas- es which would have been applied to your benefit over the years, but as your widow and because you claimed before your full retirement age, your wife would be enti- tled to at least 82.5 percent of your PIA if that is more than the actual amount you were receiving when you passed. Down on the Farm By Hans Schmitz, Purdue Extension Educator Another tick makes an appearance Social Security Matters By Rusty Gloor What will my wife's benefit be if I die? The Asian Longhorned Tick is spread- ing in its prevalence, adding another nui- sance to the list of deadly things that did not orig- inate in 2020 but have proliferated in 2020. This tick first appeared in the United States in 2017 in New Jersey and has since spread to 11 states around the nation, all East of the Mississippi. The good news is that this tick is not associated with any vectored dis- ease in the field at this point. The bad news is that this tick does not need to vector dis- ease to be deadly. Before focusing on the Asian Long- horned Tick, a summarization of other ticks in Indiana is warranted. The most common tick is the American dog tick. Al- though relatively large at ¼ inch and slow, it can vector Rocky Mountain Spotted Fe- ver or tularemia. The deer tick or black- legged tick is common in Indiana. Adults are about the size of a sesame seed, and the biggest risk associated with these ticks is Lyme Disease. The Lone Star Tick has a white dot on its back. This tick vectors a few diseases, notably ehrlichiosis (bac- terial disease), the ability for those bitten to have allergic reactions to red meat, and something called Bourbon Virus that fortu- nately was named such for being first found in Bourbon County, Kansas, and carries no other relation to bourbon. Compared to dog ticks, lone star ticks are very ag- gressive. Enter the Asian Longhorned Tick. Al- though not yet found in Indiana, two finds this year are too close to Indiana for com- fort. Metcalfe County, Kentucky, had a find due to a veterinarian being called out be- cause an infestation of the ticks had a bull in severe fatigue. This county is somewhat out of the hills of Eastern Kentucky, be- ing located a little under 100 miles direct- ly south of Louisville. The first find in Ohio also happened this year in Gallia County, about 125 miles east of Cincinnati. As the finds come closer and closer to Indiana, knowledge of this specific arachnid will help distinguish it from its cousins. Identification of an individual Asian Longhorned Tick is possible though diffi- cult. These ticks are relatively smaller than other species common in the area and have no distinctive markings. Individuals con- cerned that a tick they have found might be this species should reach out to the Purdue Extension office with a sample. The easi- est way to diagnose this tick in the field is by its fecundity. The female of this species does not require a male to produce thou- sands of eggs. Wherein normal trips to the woods or prairie may end in a tick or two to remove, hairy mammals that pick up an adult female may have those eggs laid in their fur and result in tens or hundreds of ticks actively feeding at once. Folks that find their pets heavily infested with ticks should call their veterinarian, who can then send samples for identification. Although these ticks are currently more notorious for their sheer numbers, scien- tists have not completely disavowed their ability to vector other diseases. Lyme dis- ease is likely not a concern, according to the National Institutes of Health. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was able to be vectored in laboratory settings. For more information on this tick or The Tick, re- member "When you get into bed with evil incarnate, it always takes the covers," or contact Hans at hschmitz@purdue.edu or 812-838 -1331.