Letters: Gun violence against children a public health issue
What other so-called civilized country has as many childhood deaths by gunshot as the United States? None. What other country uses mental health as an excuse to avoid doing anything about enabling sensible gun control laws? None. Instead otherwise sensible people are being convinced that arming teachers and providing military style safety drills for students will provide peaceful solutions.
The United States is the only country in the world with hundreds of millions of guns available for almost anyone to acquire or use. Since 2009, there have been 288 school shootings in the United states. Mexico has had eight and India, with four times as many people, has had five.
Everyday 96 people get shot and killed.
Should gun violence against our children be viewed as a public health issue?
Ann M. Stack
Indianapolis
Hamilton County Democratic Party offers diverse, accessible candidates
As a member of the Hamilton County Democratic Party and a candidate for Clay Township Board, I wanted to take a moment to respond to Sherm Johnson’s Oct. 18 Letter to the Editor, Hamilton County Democrats must show courage in platforms.”
To begin, I’d like to thank Johnson for being engaged with local races and for considering all points of view. In his letter, Johnson opines that Hamilton County Democrats are not effectively differentiating ourselves from our Republican opponents, many of whom are incumbents. Therefore, I’d like to offer a few important differences on behalf of myself and my fellow Democratic candidates:
• We are willing to listen to and engage with constituents, while many of our opponents are inaccessible and are declining to provide information about their platforms.
• Our slate of candidates represents a diverse cross-section of Hamilton County in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, religion, and professional background. We are truly representative of the people who live here.
• We are not beholden to the typical Hamilton County special interests and are largely funded through small individual donations.
• We will act as a check on the majority and shine a light on corruption.
As our platforms vary based on the positions sought, I encourage Johnson and others to reach out to individual candidates through websites or social media. We’d be happy to answer your questions, and we would welcome your support.
Erin Vahrenkamp
Carmel
Constitutional amendment causes confusion among voters
Does anyone understand the public question on the ballot regarding the amendment of Article 10, Section 5 of the Indiana Constitution? No one has been able to explain to me what this accomplishes. I was pleased to see the article in IndyStar, but it did not answer the questions in my mind. As I understand, the current wording forbids the contraction of any debt on behalf of the state. Is this amendment a way to get around this restriction if two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to suspend this requirement? We should not support this amendment if we do not fully understand it. Should we be tinkering with the Constitution when it has been working well since it was adopted in 1851? The amendment sounds good, but is it really a way for the legislature to incur public debt if they so desire?
James McCracken
Brownsburg
City-County councillor shows lack of loyalty
Apparently, City-County Council member Scott Kreider could not care less about his Indianapolis District 23 voters. Leaving so abruptly (two days' notice), without offering a reasonable time to find a replacement, is the height of 'me first,' self-absorbed hypocrisy.
That is Kreider's parting thanks, to the good folks who elected him to represent their interests.
His employer, law firm Alerding Castor LLP, should notice his lack of basic loyalty, and jettison him unceremoniously.
Dave Coriaty
Fishers
Braun protects employees from 'Obamacare nightmare'
If you listen to radio or watch TV you hear the constant political ads. All of them are hyperbole and in some cases lies but what I want to address today is Sen. Joe Donnelly’s ads about opponent Mike Braun.
Every ad begins and ends with Donnelly calling Braun a millionaire as though this make him inherently a bad person. I’ve know a few millionaires and most are pretty good people. Millionaires create jobs for people who would like to be millionaires. Better than half of our elected representatives in the House and the Senate are millionaires, although most weren’t when first elected. So Braun got his legally before he ran for the Senate.
Secondly, what is this obsession him selling parts made in China? If you got to Walmart you will probably buy something made in China. There is nothing newsworthy, immoral or illegal about buying and distributing parts made in China. If you don’t want to purchase parts made in China just check the label.
With regard to health insurance, Braun admirably has kept his business out of the Obamacare nightmare. He still provides insurance, which he partially pay for his employees. Donnelly makes a big deal of the $10,000 deductible but that is a maximum out of pocket. Check your Obamacare policy if you can get a copy.
As I said in the beginning, hyperbole and lies.
Conrad Seniour
Indianapolis
Donnelly provides Hoosiers with an independent voice
“Friendship can exist,” says former Sen. John McCain as he points toward Sen. Joe Donnelly in a video filmed with the two not too long before McCain’s passing.
Several years ago, I was president of a chapter of the College Republicans. And today, I am here supporting a Democrat running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. I’ve helped multiple Republican campaigns in the past and even worked for the state party in 2014.
But while working in politics, I couldn’t help notice that it seems it’s much harder than it should be for politicians in either party to reach across the aisle. I’ve seen it become even a source of ridicule in recent years. It’s like the word “bipartisanship” has lost flavor and it’s now the sour grape in Washington. Democrats stick with Democrats, and Republicans stick with Republicans. This creates hyper-partisanship and a toxic political climate, but more than that — it also divides the country and prevents things from getting done.
However, there is one public servant that I’ve followed that has made the effort of bucking that trend and being an independent voice in Washington. It’s Joe Donnelly, a man who has shown he’s more interested in working for Hoosiers than a political party.
I admire not just Donnelly’s bipartisanship, but his views on policies which back that approach up. There’s a reason why Donnelly has been named the most bipartisan senator of the last quarter-century still serving in office. This is a guy that has received an A from the NRA, has made supporting veterans and service members one of his top priorities, and has even consistently voted against abortion after 20 weeks. The website “GovTrack,” which ranks each member of the Senate by ideology, shows Donnelly right in the center among his peers.
Joe is able to come to the table as the independent voice that we need in the Senate because he knows that’s how you deliver results for Hoosiers. He’s now had 44 of his legislative proposals signed into law — he had success working with President Obama and has done the same with President Trump.
I’m tired of being represented by those that feel obligated to follow in line with their party leaders. The Hoosiers that I know are fighters, and they have an independent voice. We deserve someone who governs with those same principles.
Cody Morris
Fishers
It's time to end deadly, costly tuberculosis
This is how I know fall has arrived: midterm elections are right around the corner, finals are coming up, and the ever-changing Indiana weather has some immune systems under attack. While some may struggle with a common cold or the flu, there are 4,500 people dying every day from tuberculosis.
The UN recently held a high-level meeting regarding TB in September, and the United States was encouragingly supportive of working to end the war with TB. If left untreated, 28 million lives and $1 trillion dollars will be lost by 2030 to TB. If we hold the administration accountable for their promises at this meeting, we can eradicate the number one infectious killer.
As a constituent, I would love to see Sen. Todd Young's continued leadership on this issue, following up with administration to see it through to the end.
It's time to end tuberculosis.
Nyssa Wedgeworth
Indianapolis
Guest speakers could teach importance of Pledge of Allegiance
Gary Varvel’s Oct. 12 opinion article “How Greensburg High School spiced up the Pledge of Allegiance” changed my personal perspective on reciting the pledge. As a high school student, I have been reciting it every day at school for 11 years, and at a certain point, I stopped standing. I did not see the point in reaffirming my loyalty and appreciation for my country every day, and found that my time was better spent finishing up the classwork I had been doing when the intercom chimed on. After reading Varvel’s article, I am convinced that more teenagers would be inclined to recite the Pledge of Allegiance if every school had a guest speaker tell their story and lead them.
Students do not recite the pledge for many reasons, but the most common is that they do not see or understand what allegiance truly means, and they do not see the point in continuously promising something that they have not been taught the importance of. Having a guest speaker once a month would be a great educational opportunity for everyone involved, and would teach kids why they have always said the Pledge of Allegiance and why they should continue to do so with a new sense of pride. I think that my school, as well as other schools, should follow in Greensburg’s footsteps so that everyone can learn to respect their country and what it stands for.
Meghan Jerke
Bloomington