Letter to the Editor

Township Trustees not in favor of proposal

Monday, February 16, 2009

To the Editor:

I have been a Township Trustee for 15 years and the elimination of our duties is not saving money, but is actually costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Also, the elimination of some of our tax bases is causing our cities and counties extreme money problems.

Now, here are some of the things that have been eliminated: The dog tax, the inventory tax, and the assessing duties of the Township Trustee. They all had a good purpose, even the dog tax, which nobody liked to pay. There is a pattern here, to eliminate local government and also the local fire department so that certain people can be appointed over them.

The fire departments, the people that started the department in Marion Township are very proud of it. They have worked hard to keep it operating, and also have kept the cost low. If the department went to a fire district, our costs would go up in order to maintain the departments in town and we would not benefit from better service in the Township.

Just look at what happened when the welfare system was taken away from local control. I applaud the southern lawmakers who opposed changes in the welfare system in their district, just look at what happened, where it was changed. Many people are not getting the help that they need.

Look at our northern toll road, where it was leased for 75 years. Would you believe it has been estimated that more than $133 million a year. Yes, a year, is leaving Indiana to foreign countries. Boy, what a million dollars every once in a while would do for our county highway department to repair our roads!

Farmers are also paying a high, unfair price. Some have seen an increase in their taxes, as much as 48 percent last year, and they are scheduled to go up this year and also next year.

Folks, this costly nonsense has got to be stopped. It is costing Indiana taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. I urge everyone to vote no when it comes time to eliminate our township government. We need to turn back four years to when our system was working just fine and equal.

Robin Hood robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. In my opinion, some are robbing from the poor and giving to the rich.

James J. Elliott,

Bowling Green