RED, WHITE & YOU #5 (APRIL 28, 2026)
- Vicki Weger
- Apr 28
- 5 min read
We're getting close to election day and candidates are beating the bushes for votes. If you haven't made up your mind, it's time for you to take a hard look at the ballot before you vote. You can go online and find a list of candidates. If you haven't had time before you go vote, just get there a bit early and take a look at the ballot outside the poll before you go inside to vote. It's not a long and complicated ballot this spring. And don't be discouraged by all the nasty and negative ads that are blaring on TV. Those are straight out of Washington, DC, bought and paid for by the big money agencies who think you don't have enough brains to figure out for yourself which candidate is decent and honest and works for your best interest right here in Vigo County.
A gigantic crowd turned out to welcome BO BAYH to the VIGO COUNTY DEMOCRAT CLUB last Tuesday night at the VFW. BAYH, the 30-year-old, drop-dead good looking former Marine, Harvard grad attorney, seeking the office of Indiana Secretary of State. And he lit the place up with his logical talk about putting the Indiana government back on a path to practical and affordable Hoosier values. This guy is gonna be tough to beat!
A perfect day on Sunday to recognize "Workers' Memorial Day", now annually the fourth Sunday in April. A nice turnout at the Debs home and kudos to those folks who tirelessly toil to raise safety standards for the workers who suffer injuries and too often lose their lives laboring to raise our standard of living. It is through the efforts of labor unions and government agencies that worker safety has been recognized as a priority. However, it is critically important that we remain vigilant to hold our government responsible to workers — not only companies — in oversight. That is something big to think about when you mark your ballot.
Here's some really good information you can use! If you need an EMERGENCY ROOM — GO TO UNION-REGIONAL. Now pay attention. Union Hospital now owns and operates Regional Hospital. Everybody who has an emergency runs to Union E.R. And you have a hissy fit because you have to wait and wait and wait to get into the E.R. Well, Union now runs Regional E.R. It's called UNION REGIONAL ER. Great doctors and you can get in immediately.
Obviously unknown to political newcomers, but there is etiquette involved when putting up your political signs. For the uninitiated, it is considered civilized to post your political sign so it does not obstruct a sign already posted by another candidate. Just as you should not jump up to speak when another member of your political group is speaking, it is considered good form to never obstruct another candidate's sign. By the same token, if you intentionally post your sign to obstruct another, your sign may be messaging to public: "The person who posted this sign in front of the others is a jackass!"
Harrison Township Trustee STACY TODD is as beautiful as ever after a bit of illness. She is an absolute whirlwind taking care of folks who need help. She and her remarkable staff can do wonders to aid those in need and, me oh my, there are so many folks struggling these days.
That $4+ a-gallon gas and $6+ a-pound hamburger might be do-able for the high and mighty, but what do you do when you're po' folks? And so many of us these days are po' folks.
I saw MIKE & JULIE LATTA toolin' around town the other day — and get this... they're gonna be Grand Mama & Grand Papa! If that's not the cutest thing I ever saw in all my born days...Mike is totally over the moon!!! Now I know lots of folks have grandchildren. But — this is MIKE LATTA. Big ol' burly Mike Latta. And he is entirely silly and goofy and giggly. It is just totally loveable! But then, Mike is really loveable from the git go!
And this is only if you're curious. The phrase 'OK' stands for ""oll korrect,"a comedic 19th -century misspelling of "all correct." According to references, it was first published in 1839, in the Boston Morning Post as part of a slang trend to signify that things are fine. Seems like it caught on pretty OK. And for those of you who keep asking the County Assessor, or the County Council, or the Commissioners, or the Mayor, or the City Council, : Why did you raise taxes?" ..... Taxes were raised by none of the above.
The following is a serious explanation of why taxes were raised:
County Assessor KEVIN GARNER assessed our various properties and of course, we had all filed our various legal deductions, like homestead and agricultural and senior and disability, and so on. And you know over the years, over recent years, property values — houses and land -- have gone way, way up — in value --
like what your house would sell for today compared to what it would have sold for, let's say 6 or 7 years ago, is a heck of a lot more. And Kevin also tried to give homeowners a bit of a break for that, as well where he could and not tax them so much for that rapid escalation in the resale value of their homes.
But then here's where the stink bomb came in. The State has control at this point. There's a yearly tax cycle set for the county assessors in the state. The State of Indiana has what is called 'STATE-LEVEL COST SCHEDULES.'
And for every one of the last 8 years — every year — the value of our homes has been going up, but the state has never increased the Cost Schedules. And that made Indiana look like a great low tax rate state. Cheap place to live, attractive to industry, etc.
But this year, the State came along and gave us a Cost Schedule that — by law — we had to use -- and that cranked up the Cost Level percentage to make up — in one year -- for all 8 years of that Cost Level they had never ever increased!
And that's why, when some people opened up their property tax statements this year, they hollered so loud their hearing aids backfired and blew the pockets out of their shirts!!! And really, can you blame 'em???
Oh, and another thing — when you look at this year's election ballot, none of those Indianapolis guys are on the ballot this year. That sure isn't a surprise!
But there are a lot of hard-working folks on the ballot.... and that includes me. I'm running for another go on the Vigo County Council. I do work hard and I love to serve all the good hearts and gentle people here in my hometown. If you got something you need to find out — or get done, just give me a call and I'll do my best to help.
That's not all we know, but it's all we're telling — till next week!
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