Friend Report Many of us have experienced the frustration of trying to do a job that is just too difficult to accomplish. That was the situation this past week in the Statehouse as the Democrat majority presented three one-year budgets for consideration. The majority party has determined that our economic conditions are so dire we should only plan one year at a time. They also have decided that our traditional budget should be divided into three parts. There are separate budgets for education, welfare and everything else included in a traditional state budget. Each spending plan is presented for one year, in direct opposition to the biennial budget that has served Indiana taxpayers well over the years. Democrats seem adamant that the future is so bleak, we can only plan one year at a time. They are discounting the reason for the short session held in even years. It was implemented back in the 1970s to deal with financial emergencies and other adjustments to the budget. Republicans think the two-year budget should be maintained and adapted next year as the economic position becomes clearer. To retreat to a one-year budget is simply one more demonstration of a lack of confidence in our system. Republicans chose not to offer their filed amendments because they would make a bad budget bill only slightly better. So many are afflicted with this lack-of-confidence mentality. The stock market, banks, insurance, mortgage and auto industries are among its victims. Thanks to the media's negative concentration on the economy, it seems the whole population believes we are in a hopeless situation. There is no question this is a serious chuckhole in our economic highway. But it is not hopeless. Unemployment, job loss and business failures are very serious indicators in a sour economy, but the first way out of the doldrums is to adjust our attitude. President Ronald Regan said, "There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination and wonder." He was not only the Great Communicator but also a great optimist. He really believed we could be tremendously successful as a people and economy and as a system of government. His philosophies helped to defeat communism. His confidence was a major factor in a very successful presidency. My suggestion is we all should consider some of President Regan's optimism and confidence. On a different note, House Bill 1585, dealing with vehicle-deer collisions, has passed the House and will next be heard by the Senate. This bill would, for the next three years, double the bag limit for deer in the top 30 counties for the most deer-related auto accidents. This bill is only focused on the public safety issue of vehicle accidents. It has nothing to do with damage to the deer population. Some critics have said I am seeking to decimate the number of deer. That is not my reason for the bill. Some counties are experiencing as many as 28 percent of auto accidents involving deer. If that number could be blamed on human error or failure, the public would be outraged. My goal is to help manage the number of deer so the motoring public is safe to travel in Indiana. Budgets, attitude and deer are just a few of the issues being considered by the legislature. The multitude of ideas that are considered is truly diverse and some understanding of all of them is necessary to make intelligent votes. With confidence and resolve, the General Assembly can make proper decisions. We cannot look past confidence and resolve if we are to be proper and effective examples of good leadership. More Later,
Bill Friend |
