> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Reader urges support for Winningham



I have come to know Robert Winningham quite well over the past several months. I have spoken to him many times, participated in his roundtable discussions and watched him interact with residents in Clark and Floyd counties.

I firmly believe that he has the character, passion, knowledge and pragmatic skills necessary to become the most effective member of Congress the 9th District of Indiana has had since Lee Hamilton.

Robert has patience, compassion and empathy and he is a great listener. He looks directly at people and truly hears them when they speak to him. This is a trait he shares with his mentor, Lee Hamilton. He speaks to people, never “at” them. He disdains the dogmatic ideologue that is unable to accomplish anything in Congress.

Robert has a servant attitude and we in the 9th District desperately need a servant legislator. He is the type of pragmatic person that will sit down, reach across the aisle in Congress, and work tirelessly to solve the immense problems facing this country and our district. He will be an independent voice and will not play the legislative games that are so common today. He will make the 9th District a player once again on the national scene.

Robert, with his background in economic development, believes that the inter-related issues of economic growth and employment and education must be addressed. He believes that one cannot solve our economic problems by dogmatically slashing the very programs that benefit the middle class, labor and the working poor and not asking others to contribute.

I hope all of you will vote for Robert in the primary.

— Cliff Staten, New Albany



Reader urges vote for Ron Paul



If you watch the news you would think that the primary had already been held in all states and Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee. The media has been blatantly biased against Ron Paul, and he has been fighting this battle with an ardent group of supporters who are not willing to miss this opportunity to take our country back. Though Romney may be winning the beauty contest, Paul is winning the delegates.

Most people have a lot of misconceptions about Paul, due to the fact that the media has shunned him and only played soundbites of statements he makes. One of the greatest misconceptions is that he would weaken our military; this is far from the truth. Our broken economy is weakening our military. We cannot afford to continue policing the world. He would only go to war with countries that threaten us and then only with the approval of Congress.

Paul spent 24 years in Congress fighting their greed. Most of the bills he sponsored involved not giving raises to Congress, not giving them lucrative pensions and to deter them from becoming the criminals the majority of them are today. He never voted for a tax increase or an unbalanced budget.

Paul has refused his congressional pension. He has returned a portion of his budget to the federal government every year that he has been in office and he would take the same salary as the average American worker. He does not want the job for any reason other than to return this country to its greatness. On Tuesday, May 8, I hope you all are as tired of the bureaucracy as I am, and vote for Ron Paul.

— Kathy J. Lowe, Elizabeth



Reader asks for thoughtful voting



On Tuesday, May 8, it’s time to vote in the primary election. It’s so important to get out and vote, especially this year. It’s time to care again, it’s time to hope, it’s time to pray and believe.

Please, don’t vote for a particular party just because your parents always voted that way. Get educated by finding out about those who are running for office, then vote your heart. Our community needs you.

For those running for office, I hope you’re running for the right reasons. I’m sure a lot of you are, but I have reason to believe some are not. You should be running because you want to make our community a better place to live — because you desire to serve as an ambassador representing you community — which has a ripple effect across our country. You should be honest, have common sense, respect for others, be considerate, responsible, use diplomacy and most of all, abide by what our Founding Fathers established as our foundation.

This is why so many people, from all over the world, desire and dream about coming to America.

Some things should never change.

— Beth Dorsey, Clarksville



Former state rep endorses 9th candidate



As we approach the May 8 primary election, I wanted to share with your readers why I support Robert Winningham, Democratic candidate for the 9th District Congress.

I have known Robert for many years and worked closely with him on area projects and constituent issues when he served as a staff member for Congressman Lee Hamilton. Diligent and honest, he was an effective part of Lee’s staff and I was immediately impressed by his work ethic. He increasingly played a key role in the development of many projects in Floyd and Clark counties and became Lee’s right hand in Indiana. I grew to depend on Robert’s expertise and knew that I could depend on him.

Using what he learned from working closely with Lee, Robert became a successful economic development director. In fact, he helped create more than 5,200 good-paying jobs in the past five years alone. He understood that in order to create or grow an existing business as well as to recruit a new company to a community, you have to have an educated and skilled work force, the local infrastructure to support the business and other incentives to ensure they succeed. His role in economic development required that he serve as a strong consensus builder that forges partnerships between sometimes distant parties for the betterment of the entire community. We need this experience and attitude in Washington as we work to help create jobs for Hoosiers.

Another important reason I believe in Robert is his strong support for issues that matter — issues like Social Security and Medicare. Throughout my time in public service, I heard first hand from many voters about their concerns for these programs and, now retired myself, understand how critical they are to seniors. Narrow political agendas have endangered these programs and threatened to cut benefits from those that have worked hard to earn them. Robert shares that concern and strongly believes that they must be preserved for future generations.

There is also one other reason I support Robert — he’s genuine. He legitimately cares about his fellow citizens and wants to help those who are suffering from a struggling economy. He’ll fight for the middle class because he is middle class.  

I encourage your readers to support Robert in his bid for Congress. Robert is an experienced job creator and understands how to get things accomplished not only in Washington but, most importantly, here at home.

— Bill Cochran, New Albany, former state representative



Resident wants to keep Knable in office



Recent events in our community are a terrible reminder of the difficult job of coroner. Dr. Leslie Knable has been one of the most compassionate and effective public servants, personally investigating more than 700 deaths in her first term so far. The coroner is responsible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dr. Knable has demonstrated her commitment to the office.

Todd Caufield is a full time, committed firefighter. I question his ability to meet the responsibilities of both positions. He also has a 2005 conviction for operating while intoxicated.

Dr. Knable has brought professionalism to this very difficult job. She is an experienced and respected medical legal death investigator. Please join me in support of Dr. Knable and the important work she does.

— Jeffrey Mathewson, Floyds Knobs



Jeff resident wants Yoder in office



I am writing this letter to ask folks in the 9th District to vote Shelli Yoder in the upcoming primary. I believe Yoder has the best shot at defeating incumbent Todd Young in November. She understands the value of Medicare and Social Security and will fight for changes that will keep those programs solvent.

Check out her website: http://www.shelliyoderforcongress.com

And, we need more women in Congress — more Democratic women. Vote Shelli Yoder.

— Michael Gaubatz, Jeffersonville





Some tested tips for saving gasoline



Like everybody these days, I face high gas prices. A couple of weeks ago, I filled my Chevy Silverado to the tune of $100 and was floored.

At this moment, I decided to take matters into my hands and make an effort to change the things I could.

I knew my driving habits were careless when it came to fuel consumption. On the day I filled my truck, I had averaged 12.7 miles per gallon between the last fill up. This accounted for some city and some highway driving. I had previously studied a little about fuel conservation and knew a few tricks I could try. I must say they worked.

I am happy to report when filling my tank yesterday, my average mpg was 17.3, or a net gain or 4.6 mpg over the two-week period. This accounted for an additional 100 miles for the tank, or a savings of about $25. I did this by a very simple set of actions.

No. 1: I slowed down. It is amazing the increase you get by keeping the speed down. Also, I noticed my stress is way down by driving slower. No. 2: When taking off from a stop, start very slowly, barely pushing the peddle. It takes a little longer to get to speed, but it saves loads of fuel. No. 3: Maintain correct air pressure. I’m no expert, but I had different pressures in all tires. When I changed this, it seemed to help.

I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers for saving fuel. I don’t think it matters what sort of vehicle you drive. I have simply found by changing the things listed above I will likely save $500 or so on gas this year.

Food for thought.

— Todd Bailey, New Albany