Archive for January, 2010
Let’s Teach Kids to Read
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Kudos to Governor Daniels and Superintendent Bennett for putting a stake in the ground for basic education: reading by the end of third grade. Social promotion, a term most of us never heard until last week, is a way of saying “just pass them on to the next grade”. When I attended St. Ferdinand and then Ferdinand Elementary; that would never have happened. The nuns and lay teachers would have informed my parents, sent me with extra reading assignments, and my parents would have made me spend my summer mornings “Riding the Reading Rocket”, a public television reading program…which, by the way, I did. I can only guess that I was one of those lackluster readers. Thank goodness for their no nonsense approach. It worked.
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Indiana RTL Endorsement
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
For Immediate Release:
Indiana Right to Life PAC Endorses Sue Ellspermann, Candidate for House District 74 and Ron Bacon, Candidate for House District 75
For more information, please contact:
Sue Ellspermann, Candidate for House District 74, at 812.489.0737
Ron Bacon, Candidate for House District 75, at 812.867.3227
Indiana Right to Life PAC announces its endorsement of Sue Ellspermann, candidate for House District 74, and Ron Bacon, candidate for House District 75 one day prior to the 37th anniversary of the Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision.
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Steckler Family Gathering
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
After attending Dubois County’s Legislative Breakfast Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to attend the Steckler Family Hog Butchering in St. Henry at the Jerry and Marsha Steckler Organic Farm. It was amazing watching (and participating for few moments) in the process of 4 hogs being disassembled, boiled, cleaned, cut, stuffed and packaged. Most amazing was the teamwork exhibited by the elder, Gilbert Steckler, most of his 18 children present, and numerous grandchildren and in-laws working happily and fluidly on multiple tasks and tables. Organizations of all type would do well to study the methods and kind demeanor of the Steckler family. I am proud to have such a fine family in District 74. I would welcome the opportunity to meet your fine family as well!
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Dubois County Legislative Breakfast
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Three legislators presented at Dubois County’s Legislative Breakfast to a full-house at VUJC. All reported an amazing pace to this legislative session. Most of the session debated the merits of the percent property tax caps (1-2-3) placed into our constitution. I noted that with 300,000 unemployed (and up to 200,000 underemployed) Hoosiers, my concern is that our legislature is NOT focused on economic development, that is, growing high tech, high value industries which would offer the high wage jobs Hoosiers need to grow the tax base without increasing taxes. If we really care about helping Indiana recover, we must do more than cap property taxes and pass ethics reform. We must have our eyes firmly focused on creating the industries and jobs of the future…now.
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Property Tax Caps
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Property Tax Caps passed the Indiana House on Monday. If passed by the Senate as expected, the property tax caps of 1% for residential, 2% for agriculture, and 3% for businesses as a constitutional amendment will become a referendum on the November ballot. Restraining ourselves on taxation is paramount. The “1, 2, 3, caps” are not painless or perfect. If ratified these caps will have implications to local government units requiring them to rethink how they operate and the services they provide. Some are concerned about the fairness of the varying percentages. I commend the current Administration and House for moving forward this opportunity for Hoosier voters to decide this important tax issue.
Sue Ellspermann
Candidate for State Representative
District 74
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