The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/867518
D-8 Opinion Wednesday, August 30, 2017 The Press-Dispatch Mike Enzi, Wyoming Re- publican. Indeed it does. "Peo- ple are policy," as Presi- dent Reagan used to say. In other words, you can't expect any agency to be- have better than the peo- ple who work in it. They, in effect, set the policy by their behavior, regardless of what is written down. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen doesn't seem to realize that. There are, of course, plenty of good people who work for the IRS. No one is claiming that ev- ery last one is a question- able rehire. But when you take on such a large num- ber of employees with se- rious performance issues and other problems, it's bound to have a negative effect on how your agen- cy is run. This would be a bad idea even if your agen- cy enjoyed a good repu- tation. But we're talking about the IRS here. It's al- ready a powerful agency that many Americans re- gard with a special kind of dread. Add in the way it's been used as a politi- cal weapon over the years. And now we find that our sensitive personal in- formation may be in the hands of people who have shown they really can't be trusted with it? "I don't know why Pres- ident Trump hasn't fired John Koskinen since there is more evidence the agen- cy is mismanaged," said Peter Flaherty, president of the National Legal and Policy Center, a conserva- tive government watchdog group. "Koskinen is a very typ- ical Washington creature and is very at home in the swamp," Mr. Flaherty add- ed in an interview with Fred Lucas of the Daily Signal. "It's a puzzle to me why Trump hasn't acted." One thing is for sure: The IRS needs to do bet- ter. Much better. Not hir- ing people with major blemishes on their record would be a good place to start. Ed Feulner is founder of The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org). Continued from page 7 DISGRACED and the result is inflation of the cost for goods and ser- vices. Who then pays the price for this human nature of get- ting a little more? Everybody. I mean everybody. Fast forward to this century, we now have cars that cost $25 - 30 thousand easy, house prices have gone up some- times beyond reach, grocer- ies have gone up so high, etc, etc. So now we have to work harder, sometimes get two jobs to afford living com- fortably. I'm not faulting any- body, we all are victims of our human nature. So health care will also be in the same category. Its cost will increase as we demand more technology and we fear lawsuits of all sorts and we in all our humanity go on a non-stop treadmill of escalat- ing cost. So who can solve this di- lemma? Everybody. I mean every- body. It will need a change of heart and values. And un- til such time we all feel a sense of responsibility and do something about it, our next generations are in for a pickle. God forbid. • • • So in my silly way of think- ing, I heard a story that goes this way. Say get 10 thousand individuals, put them on an island, have them prac- tice virtues of kindness, re- straint, cooperation, respect, diligence, industriousness, fairness, and whatever set of virtues you might perceive as good. Let us see how they would thrive. Now then let us have a group of the same number, place them in an island and just let them do a free for all existence of whatever goes, no restraints, no rules, no discipline, little virtue if at all in the name of freedom. Let us then see who will survive and be relative- ly comfortable. You do the thinking. Does this scenario sound familiar in our current times? When I listen to the news, truthful or fake, my head spins bad and I feel kind of sick. Thank goodness there is a T V remote power button I can use to stop this madness. All I can do is pray for peace and harmony for all. • • • Humor of the week: A pas- tor in a local church shared a story that went like this. A fter a worship service one particular Sunday, a mother with a fidgety seven- year-old boy told the pastor how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet. She said about halfway through the sermon, she leaned over to her son and whispered, " Son, if you don't be quiet, our pastor is going to lose his place and will have to start the sermon all over again! It worked! " The boy then told his mother when they were leav- ing the church, he wanted to be a minister as well when he grew up. So the mother got curious and asked what made him decide to do that. The boy then answered, "Well, I have to go to church every Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit and listen! ." Have a great week. Continued from page 7 HEALTH standing right in front of Pi- late, and he knew it. What is Truth? Just a ca- sual read into the book of Genesis identifies there is a cause/purpose and creator of the cosmos; in addition we read of evil, human falli- bility, lust, greed, licentious- ness, sodomy, war, murder just to identify a few human traits. Just this one book of the Bible excoriates the hu- manistic explanation that a bad environment is the root cause of human failure. No philosophy/religion has surpassed the teach- ings of Jesus because they centered upon a Creator who recognizes His obliga- tion to His creation, and the love humanity must have to- ward one another because the Creator [God] loves his creation without conditions, or unconditionally. That is why Jesus in John's gospel proclaims: "I AM the way, the truth, and the life…" Many social justice war- riors use the passage from John's gospel: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," to fabricate a secular theol- ogy as they dismiss Chris- tianity as a transformation- al force. What the SJW convenient- ly leave out is the previous verse, "Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, 'if you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,'" That is a large qualifier. Christians must heed the clarion call of a clear mes- sage for a deluded and sin- ful generation. "Repent and hear the gospel." Paul would relay this statement to his faithful fellow work- er Timothy in this way: "… that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Now, that is truth! Think about it! Continued from page 7 TRUTH Continued from page 7 RIOT Court Report CRIMINAL Pike Circuit court Charles K Burris, Jr., charged with count I possession of methamphet- amine, a level 6 felony, count II pos- session of paraphernalia and count III operating a vehicle while intox- icated. Machelle Carnahan charged with domestic battery, a level 6 felony. Yusef A. Williams charged with count I operating a vehicle as an ha- bitual traffic violator, a level 6 felo- ny, and count II operating a vehicle while intoxicated. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court James M. Trinkle charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II possession of paraphernalia. Jessup W. Smith charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II possession of paraphernalia. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Hoosier Accounts Service sues Mi- chael G. Benefiel on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Lisa M. Bruner on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Kim- berly K. Gray on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Tina M. Willis on complaint. Stacey Williams sues Ethan Osgath- arp on complaint. CIVIL DOCKET Pike Circuit Court Joshua L. Cannon petitions for spe- cialized driving privilege. Gloria G. Long and Jose R. Garcie sue Dixie C. Hale, Deforest W. Sim- mons, Linda J. Rowe, Connie J. Lee, Lanny T. Simmongs, Vickie F. Drew and Rhonda L. Warner on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike Circuit Court Taylor Bise charged with speed- ing, 65 mph in a 55 zone. Dale Conen charged with speed- ing, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Terry England, Jr. charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Tyler Forbey charged with speed- ing, 73 mph in a 55 zone. Jason Hamm charged with speed- ing, 70 mph in a 45 zone. Leah Hanebutt charged with speeding, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Mitchell Hoover charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Brian Like charged with safety belt violation. Lisa Liscomb-George charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Ryan Lorentz charged with count I speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone and count II operating with expired plates. Austin Martin charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Leoncio Martinez charged with speeding, 86 mph in a 70 zone. Paula Newnum charged with speeding, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Trevor Purkiser charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Michael Richardson charged with safety belt violation. Quintin Singleton charged with speeding, 77 mph in a 55 zone. Brandon Street charged with speeding, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Kermit Underhill, Jr. charged with speeding, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Lasalle Boykin charged with speeding, 92 mph in a 70 zone. Jeffrey Beckenridge charged with speeding, 85 mph in a 70 zone. Angela Clark charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Kayelon Dejarnett charged with speeding in school zone. Ronald Gross charged with driv- ing while suspended. Zanika Jackson charged with speeding, 95 mph in a 70 zone. Neeraj Jat charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Rebecca Knezik charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Theogne Lavergne charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Isaiah London charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Myah Merriweather charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Chase Mosser charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Nathaniel Netherland charged with driving while suspended. Ronald Pruitt charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Deja Shelton charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Autymn Stafford charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Brenli Wasnidge charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Nathan Tidwell charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Jeremy Wesner charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Nikolay Zaborenko charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Tara Hollett charged with driving while suspended. Claude Green charged with failure to register - transferred plate. Sarah Abel charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Bradley Burge charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Aamad Chaudhry charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Jacob Cottey charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Kara Hall charged with speeding, 44 mph in a 30 zone. Michael Shackleford II charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Paul Smith III charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Felixia Banks charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Christian Corgan charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Dean Domogala charged with un- safe lane movement. Daniel Gironza, Jr. charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. William Herd charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Kaela Hodges charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Shogo Inoue charged with speed- ing, 89 mph in a 70 zone. Carlo Jennings charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Michael Kertesz charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. William James Kiogima charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Nicole Kitson charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. George Kosturos charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Alex Mayer charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Jordan Montgomery charged with speeding, 70 mph in a 50 zone. Ernest Stapor charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Adam Wallskog charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Emily Weiss charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. uary by Sen. Rand Paul. It declares "that the right to life guaranteed by the Con- stitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into be- ing." If you have a Senator — Republican or Democrat— who claims to be prolife but isn't on the list of 11 co- sponsors (Google it), you might have a fake pro-lifer on your hands. This is the time of year when they're going home and meet- ing the folks. Ask them if they're fake. Maybe they're not, in which case—what are they waiting for? The bill has been re- ferred to the Senate Judi- ciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R- Iowa). Its Republican mem- bers include Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Jeff Flake of Arizona. None are co-sponsors of S. 231. What are their intentions? Alexander Mooney (R- West Virginia) introduced an equivalent bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 681, and I see Rep. Lar- ry Bucshon listed as a co- sponsor. I wish he would have a word with our two Senators. Continued from page 7 ROE recognize and respect the fact that multiracial soci- eties are inherently unsta- ble. What we've been doing for decades, through vari- ous government policies, is stacking up combustible ra- cial kindling awaiting a ra- cial arsonist to set it ablaze. There are too many histor- ical examples of what hap- pens to a nation when race hustlers are allowed to take over. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Letter to the Editor Property taxes Continued from page 7 FOOTBALL gnash your teeth at me tex- tually via my email, aheur- ing@sgstartimes.com, and you can report me or any other non-compliant foot- ball non-fans to the NFL commission at www.nfl. com/contact-us; (yes the semicolon is part of the link). With any luck, I'll be forcefully transported to Florida for spring men- tal reconditioning training. Free vacation! Here's the stuff of the week: Book: "The American Boy's Handy Book" is a ponderous tome of old- timey practical mischief, like how to build a two-sto- ry snow fort, conduct large- scale play war, tie various knots, make a trebuchet, and so much more! I plan to read the whole thing to Flannery once she starts sitting still long enough to have story time. Music: The Black Keys' 2008 album "Attack and Release" if you like blues rock. It's a good one for starting to listen to the Black Keys, I think, be- cause it's one of the albums in which they started try- ing a variety of sounds be- yond their original garage- rock vibe, with some tradi- tional blues and even a cou- ple experimental tracks. Entertainment: PBS is showing "Rosenkavalier" early in September! Check out showtimes at www.pbs. org. Haiku: At new morn we met two weeks I've waited in vain Tonight! Don't forget. -Sadakichi To the Editor: Somewhere around July 1 of each year, a process to determine your next property tax bill begins. Every elect- ed official, some appointed and not a few volunteers, begin to assemble their facts and figures in a process so compli- cated, you cannot imagine how it works. This process ends early next year with approval from the state of what your next bill will be. It includes several dif- ferent taxes you probably don't even know about. Some figures I find interesting are contained in a large book titled Budget Process 2018. All but one office holder ask for in- creases in just about everything. The commissioners are asking for as much as 15 percent per employee. The pros- ecutor was the lone person with less spending next year. He deserves a great thank you for his effort to spend your money wisely. He understands people on fixed incomes do not get Social Se- curity raises and bonuses each year. Highway spending was requested by the commissioners in an amount close to $ 3,000,000, with the big item being compensation of about $75,000 each for the two supervisors. Insurance was next and with no ef- fort by the commissioners or council to reduce costs, the requested amount is $2,387,000 or about $20,000 per em- ployee. You and I have paid or are pay- ing for part A, part B, supplement and prescription insurance, along with $20,000 for each employee. The next one is $1,725,761 to catch law breakers and put them in jail. The big item here is compensation for the sheriff of about $125,000 and adding a new position, which will add about $100,000. Next is EMS with $1,475,838 and compensation of around $115,000 for the director. The director is asking for two new positions, which will cost and additional $125,000 if allowed. This is the item they refuse to ask for bids on but Knox County ambulance service furnishes Martin County with service for $210,000 a year. This is $75,000 less than just the insurance costs for Pike County EMS. Again this year, your state elected officials lowered assessment on farm ground, which will be added to your tax- es if you are not a farmer. With just a click of a button, the as- sessor added this to your homesite as- sessment. Look and see, it is already there. This year, you will also pay the $1,000,000 increase put on by your county council, who will also request about $500,000 for retirement and bo- nus money, a part of which will go to them. Have you read the two-page spread in the paper listing the properties be- ing sold by the sheriff because some people cannot pay the already too high property and income taxes? Jim Johns 2501 Newton St (HWY 231 N) Jasper, IN 47546 www.obcycle.com 866-yamaha-6 Obermeyer H O N D A - YA M A H A - S U Z U K I 2501 Newton St (HWY 231 N) Jasper, IN 47546 www.obcycle.com 866-yamaha-6 Great SelectiOn! Great SelectiOn! VALLEY OPTICAL 812-254-6594 SAME DAY SERVICE • Complete plastic lab on premises • Quality eyewear by Karen Memering, Optician • Professional eyecare by Dr. Steve Gregory & Dr. Cindy Lang • Most insurance plans accepted WE FILL ALL DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTIONS Complete Contact Lens Care & Service *In most cases **Some restrictions apply. 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