Opinion

It's not often I use this space as a soapbox for pending legislation – or ask readers to contact their legislators to give it their support. Here's an exception.

First, the issue.

Many Perry Countians belong to nonprofit or religious organizations – churches, fire departments, civic clubs – that sponsor one or more festivals each year to raise money. Churches have summer picnics and shooting matches. Fire departments have similar events and other groups host charity nights, bingos, etc.

A killer once stalked me, almost snuffing out my young life. The deadly force didn't lurk around corners, sneaking quick peeks or huddle outside the shrubs in front of my house – watching, waiting.

This frightening phantom was hiding inside my chest, little by little, growing over many years.

It was coronary heart disease. The dreaded slayer takes more lives than any other disease in the U.S. and it had my number.

Natural calamities, fortunately, don’t come Perry County’s way too often. But last week’s big ice storm shows once again why it’s so important for all of us to have a plan in place when emergencies occur, no matter the season.

As we all know, the big storm closed roads and cut power to thousands of people. We know of many who moved in with friends or neighbors or hunkered down in homes heated with wood stoves or gas fireplaces. However, several took advantage of a Red Cross shelter established at the Schergens Center in Tell City.

The older I get the longer winter seems to linger. This winter in particular has seemed to be a real bear. Sadly, it's only late January and there may be plenty more cold and snow coming our way. With any luck, however, the worst may be over. Maybe the groundhog will prove it next week.  

I'm not sure why this winter has seemed so brutal. Moving from one house to another didn't help, a little post-relocation depression, perhaps. I've always been one to  rise early, and I still do, but lugging my bones from bed some mornings has been a chore.

A step critical in the efficient spending of government funds was apparently skipped before county commissioners voted this month to make a $100,000 purchase.

That idea: Look around for the best deal you can find.

If OK'd by the county council Jan. 29, the purchase approved by two of Perry County's three commissioners will provide a system for assessing the conditions of the county's 520 miles of roadway.

The 116th Indiana General Assembly convened Jan. 7 and, by law, must adjourn by April 29. State lawmakers will spend the next few months deliberating on many issues. However, the most challenging will be crafting a new two-year state budget during an ever-worsening economy.

The state currently faces a shortfall of more than $700 million for the current fiscal year. This will make the work of this session the most challenging in decades.

Whether you're watching network news, reading a hometown newspaper or visiting with a colleague at the proverbial water cooler, one topic trumps all others these days – the economy. And more times than not, the tone skews toward the negative.

Here's a positive twist to "the topic of the day," It's not going to save our automakers or reverse the direction of the NYSE. But it is a practical way for you and your family to enjoy an evening of entertainment at a price most families can afford, even in today's coupon-clipping world,

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule isn't just a religious directive but a simple guide many of us try to live by.

Treating others like we want to be treated. I try to live by this concept, though I've certainly not followed it perfectly. I break it when I judge people before I know them, when I let my temper get the best of me without a just cause and by taking advantage of others for my own gain.

It's hard to find the time I once had to rummage through old courthouse records. When I first came to the paper in the late 1990s, I would venture off some afternoons and sift through dusty boxes and yellowing tomes filled with old wills, court orders and criminal proceedings.

While decades old, the records  are open to the public and while recent real-estate transfers, criminal and civil proceedings and probate cases can be searched on computers in the various offices, the really interesting things are in back rooms and closets.