Freedom of association is one of the foundations of a free society. The Founders clearly understood this, which is why they sought to protect this God-given right in the First Amendment. While the Dubois County Freedom Makers support the right of every American to join a private sector union if they wish, we believe, that…
Oklahoma, the most recent state to pass a “Right-to-Work” law (2001), between 2002–2004 saw a 6.4% loss in manufacturing jobs and a 10.6% loss in information-field related jobs. When all 22 current “Right-to-Work” states were examined, wages dropped significantly for workers in all demographic categories. The report estimates, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics…
Recently, the subject of a new Interstate in Dubois County has arisen. While running for Jasper City Council I had heard about this while on the campaign trail, and did my own research into the subject. We need to understand, as a county, that if we truly want economic growth and to entice our kids…
January 4 marked the first day of the 2012 Legislative Session, but the House has yet to be able to begin its business. Due to the fact that most of the House minority party has chosen not to be present on the House floor and do the job they were elected to do, a bill…
Week one of session and… it was “déjà vu all over again” as Yogi Berra would say. We showed up to our first General Assembly day on Wednesday, January 4 and had just three Democrats colleagues in the House withholding a quorum to do business. I remain optimistic about this session and my Democrat colleagues…
Right-to-Work I completely support the rights of those who choose to be a member of a union. How could I not? My paternal grandpa was a member of Teamsters and my maternal grandpa was a member of the UAW-CIO. My mother’s dad worked in Michigan at the Ford Plant and helped organize the union there…
I was watching ‘A Christmas Carol’ the other night (the ’84 George Scott version). The ghost of Christmas present shuttles Ebeneezer into the Cratchit home for the holiday dinner and Scrooge is uncomfortably struck by the plight of Tiny Tim. What pricked my ears up was this bit of dialogue: Ghost of Christmas Present: If…
Every year the members of the General Assembly mail out a survey to their districts to get a better idea of how the members of our communities feel about specific issues. I’d like to fill you in on what is included in mine so that when yours arrives in the mail in the coming weeks,…
Nov. 25, 2011 This story assumes that all students struggling with same-sex attraction always must be identified as gay or lesbian, no exceptions. What about those young people who, despite this struggle, desire to obey the Christian prohibition against homosexual acts? Is there any place for them in the homosexualist agenda now on display at…
My wife and I are very blessed to have four children that have enriched our lives. Being a parent brings great responsibility, but it is a joy that I hope that those who wish for it are able to experience. That being said, it is an unfortunate truth that there are more than 107,000 children…
