> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Resident: Vote for Winningham



I am writing to express my concern for the well-being of the working class people in Southern Indiana. I feel very strongly that we are no longer receiving any acknowledgment by the big party politics running rampant throughout Washington and Indianapolis.

Congressman Todd Young has become a poster child for this problem, and not the solution that he campaigned on just two years ago; 97.4 percent of the time, he voted with his party’s political bosses on the hill. Can it be possible that 97.4 percent of every issue brought before the house by the Republican Party in Washington is good for the residents of the Ninth District? Is it always true that the majority of residents in the district support the Republican position 97.4 percent of the time? How is this representation? If Young cares so much for his constituents, why won’t he stand up to his own party for us? What we are in need of is a leader, not a lackey.

That’s why I’m supporting a close personal friend for Congress — Robert Winningham. Robert knows the challenges we face in today’s workforce. As an economic development director, he has real experience in job creation and job protection. In a time when far too often many politicians blame the masses of workers for the problems we face, Robert has stepped up in our defense.

Robert stood side by side with us in Indianapolis while protesting right-to-work. He marched with the Indiana State Association of Letter Carriers in Bloomington to protect six-day mail delivery and in support of the U.S. Postal Service. Robert has met with local business leaders and shares their concerns about the negative effects on tolling bridges across the Ohio River. He organized education roundtables to listen to educators and take in their input as opposed to simply cutting them down again and again with mandates, restrictions, budget cuts and testing.

There has been a lot of talk from candidates about how they support the middle and working classes. Robert does more than just talk. We need a congressman who is leading the charge on our behalf. We need a leader who will stand up for us and not simply adhere to ideological beliefs or the instructions of a party boss. That’s the representative I want to send to Washington. Robert backs up his words time and time again and that is why I support him.

I encourage everyone on May 8 to show their support for Robert Winningham, and help us reclaim our district.

— Nathan Kintner, Corydon



Reader relates personal story of Lugar



Sometimes the little-known stories are the ones that would change a mind or solidify an opinion. I have one about Richard Lugar. For our 4-year-old son, Sen. Lugar is a hero and in large part why he is home today and not languishing in an impoverished orphanage in Vietnam.

His adoption was caught in a political mess, and we waited more than three years to bring him home to Indiana. Other senators from whom we asked help showed little or passive interest, but Lugar came to our aid and fought with us until our adoption was complete on Christmas Day 2011.

We met him in Washington, D.C., last summer when the outcome of our story was still unknown and tensions were rising amid the bureaucratic circumstances surrounding our case. Lugar gave us a strong hand-shake promising to continue to fight for justice for our little boy, collaborating with other senators, both Republican and Democrat.

Political I am not; grateful I am to Sen. Lugar for seeing that a family in New Albany needed his wisdom and influence to help save our child from a sad future. Ten other toddlers, in the same desperate situation as our son (including three others from Indiana), are now home with their families as well because of the genuine concern and persistence of Sen. Lugar.

This is the kind of man I want in office. “Retire Lugar” would retire a man of strong, exceptional character. My family learned personally that Richard Lugar is still working hard for his constituents, 4-year-olds included.

— Stephanie O’Neal, New Albany





Candidate’s relative takes issue with letter



Folks who throws stones may not be wise to live in glass houses. And it really is in poor taste that folks who feel threatened think they have to attempt to degrade someone else’s character in order to promote their own.

I have known Todd Caufield, candidate for Floyd County Coroner, for 15 plus years and am proud to say I’m also related to him. He, like all of us, has made mistakes in his life because not a person reading this is perfect. Most people can respect someone who admits their mistakes and makes positive changes in their life as a result, just as Todd has.

That is certainly more respectable than someone who tries to point out others’ flaws while knowingly hiding their own. It’s very disheartening that Leslie Knable would stoop to negativity as a basis for her votes in this election. I’m sure she has a family, as does Todd, and that the negative comments hurt the family worse than the person they are meant for.

I’d like to point out that Leslie Knable misleads the citizens of Floyd County in several ways. First, the author of the letter to the editor written on her behalf [May 2] was actually written by her husband, Jeffrey Mathewson, whose name she didn’t take, so that he appears to be a resident wanting to keep her in office rather than just her husband slinging mud. Second, she goes around telling everyone she’s a “doctor” and uses the initials “M.D.” behind her name.

If Leslie Knable cannot run for office on her own merit alone, then maybe she is not the person for the job.



— Rex Smith, New Albany