FFA thanks given

To the editor:

This year's annual Jay County FFA banquet was a big success! Thanks to all the area businesses and Jay County residents who donated in any way to our student auction and banquet.

Thanks to Pete Shawver and crew who auctioneered for the student auction.

Thanks to the Purdue alumni and advisory board who prepared our delicious pork chops and the Jay School Corporation cooks who prepared the great tasting meal.

Congratulations to George Minnich for being named this year's FFA Honorary Member, Jacob Chenoweth, Cory Harris, and Colton Prescott for receiving the FFA renewable scholarship, Derek Murphy for receiving the Jim Wasson/Redkey Vet Records scholarship and Kari Hemmelgarn for receiving the Dekalb Award. Many awards were given out this year. We are very proud of all our students and what they have accomplished.

We hope that all who attended enjoyed the evening as we honored and acknowledged our young and old in the area of agriculture.

Because of the gen-erosity of our community, the Jay County FFA has been able to grant scholarships to numerous FFA members over the years.

In addition we have been able to involve more students than in past years in various judging teams and area competitions.

We are extremely proud of the achievements and efforts of our FFA members.

Again many thanks to ALL who have made this year's banquet a big success.

We are truly blessed to live in such a supportive and generous community.

Jay County FFA Advisors - Melissa Muhlenkamp, Brittany Bridges, Cody Linville

Response

To the editor:

I'd have to say I'm uncertain about doing it, but I feel as if I ought to try to respond to some allegations in a letter to the editor printed in The CR on Saturday, April 24, written by Gary Miller.

I hope to be brief, for I realize that in today's toxic political climate, few have the patience to read a long treatise of any kind, and especially would this be true when the reader may disagree with the points of view expressed.

Mr. Miller mentions hot-button issues today about which folks strongly disagree, and says "... with healthcare reform and this financial reform, you are growing the federal government bigger, not smaller.

That means more taxes have to be raised to pay for the extra people hired to administer the reforms." He goes on to say, "This is a fine example of why you should not trust the president."

In my opinion, with hearings going on this week, most Americans are not very likely to be content with the idea of the huge "too-big-to-fail" banks and Wall Street financial geniuses operating unregulated in a world of their own, soaking up TARP monies and ending up paying themselves incredible salaries and annual bonuses when in large part it was their greed and avarice which put the economy in the ditch in the first place.

Nothing is simple, but I can't help thinking that the lack of proper and serious regulation, together with single-minded, absolute determination to build their own careers and to boost the corporate bottom line, are the considerations which got us where we are today.

It seems clear to me that they will do whatever they feel they can get away with, because the ends will justify the means and their stock values will grow steadily upwards for their stockholders.

In my view, the regulators we did have were looking the other way, or were profiting personally from their lack of action, so I think we need to replace those people who are found to be complicit in the schemes, and then expand the number of such investigators sufficient to get the job done. It may cost some money, but the cost of not doing reform, in my view, will be far worse.

Mr. Miller also says that "When campaigning for office (Obama) proposed not to raise your taxes below a certain amount." I'm guessing that Mr. Miller meant those earning a certain amount, but Obama said most would have a tax cut, or pay no more in taxes.

In fact, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, a self-described non-partisan group, "the 2009 Stimulus Bill actually reduced income taxes for tax year 2009 for 98 percent of American families."

Agreeing also is Chris Edwards, director of tax policy at the conservative Cato Institute, saying some people don't want to believe it, "but though it actually happened, it is like arguing Jesus rose from the dead. Either you believe it or don't."

I believe in Obama and the need for reform. There is more to be said on these issues but that must wait until later.

Glen Priest

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