Official responds to letter, defends action



In response to the letter from Chuck Croucher, I was astonished with the fabrications.

First, my name is not Roberta, and I most certainly would never make a statement that the residents were not wise enough to make a choice of the name of the road near your house.

Mr. Croucher wanted the road to be named “Old Highway 60.” We already have an Old Highway 60, which would create a major problem for enhanced 911, as the two roads are separated by Interstate 65. Also, I did not make the statement that I would choose a name, and that would be the end of the discussion. My statement is, and was, that we do not ask for public input, because everyone wants the road named after themselves or a relative.

As for notification, letters went out, timely, to more than 30 residents, Sellersburg Town Hall, Clarksville Town Hall and a letter to Clark County engineer, with 21 carbon copies.

As for the last statement — it never happened, and I have absolutely nothing to do with road signs.

I realize that you are angry, and it’s been a year and a half since this name change took place, but next time you decide to submit a nasty letter to the editor, please have your facts straight. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m not an egotist and do not abuse power.

— Ramona Bagshaw, executive director, Clark County Plan Commission, Jeffersonville



Let’s be good stewards of nature



I was talking to another “older” guy recently. We talked of childhood and being able to see a sky full of stars at night. We talked of the clarity of the sky and the brilliance of the stars on a clear, cloudless night.

Today, our nieces, nephews, grandchildren no longer have that same vision on a clear, cloudless night. What will our nieces, nephews and grandchildren be able to tell their future grandchildren of clear, cloudless nights and their vision of the skies?

Seventy to 80 years ago, on clear and cloudless nights, those starry skies provided dreams and visions for future scientists and astronauts. Hopefully, a cloudless, clear sky will produce vision and dreams for not just future scientists, but all humanity.

Maybe, just maybe, the vision and dreams will be for a more responsible people — a future generation of people who will not be arrogant, self-serving and selfish with our natural resources, like the air that inhabits those starry, starry nights. The same air, which now is polluted, increasing illnesses and depleting our ozone and poisoning our fish.

At the present, we will never hear those songs about “starry, starry nights,” or romantic moons. For some reason, a song that refers to a “murky, murky sky,” doesn’t seem to fit for a ballad to be remembered.

We don’t have to wait for future generations to be responsible. We can recycle more, re-use more, and we can cut down on overpackaged goods and find alternatives to plastic water bottles and gas-guzzling transportation.

If we become more responsible, we can have those stars on clear, cloudless nights again. Our ponds, creeks, and rivers can produce edible fish again. We can again breath clean, refreshing air, without worrying of pollution alerts.

At the end of the creation story, Genesis 1:28, it says we are to subdue the earth. It doesn’t say abuse or pillage the earth. Another word which equates to what we translate as “subdue,” is “stewardship.” Let us all be good stewards!

— Steven Fetter, Jeffersonville



The facts on universal health care

In spite of the incorrect submission on the Sept. 24 Opinions page of this paper by letter-writer John Krueger, AARP is doing a real service for all Americans by promoting universal health care.

It is a well-known fact that the existing congressional bills do not cut Medicare benefits for our seniors. Thus, the contention by fear-mongers who oppose fixing our broken health care system that the result will hurt Medicare is just not true.

Krueger also contends that there will be less medical care for seniors. That is also very untrue, as is his contention that there will be rationing of medical treatment and a shortage of doctors. Fear-mongering does not help Americans who truly want to help improve our broken health care system. Falsely charging AARP with a disservice to our senior citizens does not help anyone.

The real truth is that AARP’s efforts prove that it is instead of helping all Americans by favoring a good and fair system of health care for all of our citizens. Americans need not agree with the current excess profits of the various private health care insurance companies, who seem to be behind the monied interests which are trying to kill any effort to overhaul our broken health care system.

In my opinion, people like Krueger are promoting the excess profits of those private companies. As for me, I am for Americans who want and need universal health care.

— Bob White, Jeffersonville