County piles on new tax as additional punishment
It seems that the opportunity to assess a fee is one that Allen County commissioners cannot pass up, especially when the target audience is the despised and generally destitute sex-offender, whom we have already forced by law to register on an annual basis, punishing them even after their sentence is served.
It is almost impossible for these brothers and sisters of ours to find acceptable housing as it is; here we are asking them to ante up $50 a year additionally, and more if they must change addresses.
Now that this unanimous vote has taken place, the appropriate gesture would be for the commissioners to donate this fee on behalf of these marginalized citizens. I challenge them to do so, as this would be a relatively inexpensive contribution to the real justice they seem to be avoiding by their feeble legislative efforts.
AARON SMITH Fort Wayne
Ideological purity not GOP’s top priority
The Allen County Republican Party will be reorganizing on March 2. Steve Shine should be re-elected as our chairman. He has helped our party retain the House seat held by Marlin Stutzman and the Senate seat held by Dan Coats. The party is in great financial shape because of his leadership; and Republicans hold all the County Council seats, six of the nine Fort Wayne City Council seats, and seats on numerous town and township boards because of Shine’s leadership.
It is not time to change into a politically “pure” party that pontificates instead of leading. We do not need armchair quarterbacks who second guess but never offer to help our party. We need experience and character. Shine is that leader, and we need to re-elect him.
PATRICK SEFTON Fort Wayne
Agri-giants act contrary to consumers’ interests
“Indiana farmer takes on agri-giant” (Feb. 11) is the story of every farmer’s predicament, and it will end up ours too when the unsuspecting public is exposed to longtime consumption of Monsanto Roundup-Ready seed. If you think it’s OK because it’s “only fed to animals,” think again. Who eats those animals?
Two strains of genetically modified grain are banned from export overseas, especially to Europe, where the use of any genetically modified grain is banned.
One is a corn strain, one is soybean, created by Monsanto and DuPont.
The main grain processor in the U.S. uses only one type of corn for ethanol, but who knows whether contamination exists since all the same equipment is used and not cleaned between strains? Have any genetically modified crops created by the Monsanto monopoly ever been tested for safety in the U.S.?
It was Dow and Monsanto that insisted in the 1960s that DDT, dioxin, 2-4-T and Agent Orange were harmless. Now there are veterans on disability or who have died from exposure.
The main problem is Monsanto has “patent power,” which prevents any independent scientists or the FDA from cultivating seeds for research; and all Monsanto’s files are kept confidential.
Prop 37, the “right to know” (requiring food labels to disclose whether any genetically modified ingredients are in the food), failed to pass. Agribusinesses raised $45 million dollars to oppose it, while the “vote yes” campaign (consumers and the organic industry) raised $6.7 million.
It’s more about money than science or the well-being of the American public.
TAMMY DRISKILL Decatur
