It has been my custom to write weekly during the legislative session and periodically during the 'off-season'. Several kind people have remarked that they miss my articles. Admittedly, I have taken some time off from writing. The farm, hog business, personal business, family and a little vacation have occupied my time. All of that is folded into legislative and constituent concerns that come very frequently. So - here we go with several various thoughts. My wife, Ann, just surprised me with a birthday trip to Gettysburg for a couple of days. We stayed in an old bed and breakfast in the downtown historic area and it was a wonderful experience. The Brafferton Inn, built in 1786, is a beautiful place that I would recommend to anyone! On our trip, we hired a licensed guide to drive our car around the 60,000 acre Gettysburg National Military Park and give us his tour of all the memorials. There are 1,357 different monuments and it is impossible to see all of them in detail, but we enjoyed a wonderful overview. The Indiana memorial is impressive and our guide spoke of Indiana as part of the 'Iron Brigade', a famous and successful part of the Union effort. Just to view the whole park and imagine that this battle of our great Civil War was the deadliest and most decisive is difficult to comprehend. We, in modern society, cannot imagine that in three short days there would be 60,000 dead on the ground around a town of 2,500 citizens. The proper burial and clean up was overwhelming! I could talk much more about this trip to Gettysburg, but I will simply recommend that each of you experience this historic place for yourself. It was an awe-inspiring as well as a sobering experience. Families are having reunions and get-togethers all summer long. Ours is no different. Ann was able to travel to Illinois recently for the big Steve Miller Amish reunion. It was the usual grand event with relatives from all over the country in attendance. Many are Amish, many are not, but they attend this reunion to respect and reconnect with their brethren. These reunions are hard to describe to folks who have never experienced one. The environment, people, and food make it an amazing event to participate in. I stayed home this year to help out and observe the Mini 4-H Pig Show for my grandson, William. That show is, as well, a great thing to observe. Hopefully, we all can have great reunion experiences. On a much different subject, the state finances finished on a positive note. Indiana has over a billion dollar surplus at the end of the fiscal year. Our situation is far different from most of the other states. Management of our funds has been complimented and criticized, but the end result is very positive. Our state is far from out of the woods, but we are in a great position to create jobs and grow the economy. On a very sad note, on our return from Gettysburg we discovered that our close neighbor, relative and friend, Leroy Mills, Jr., has passed away. 'Junior' has been a stand-up member of the community for many years. He served the area in many ways, but most notably on the North Miami school board. I remember him talking to my dad over the fence while 'us boys' did the field preparation to our adjoining farms. Probably the most memorable event for me was a hearing on the proposal for a new building project at North Miami schools. The superintendent at the time presented and advocated for the project. After some public comment the school board conversed and Junior (a board member) said, "What part of no don't you understand?" Junior Mills could certainly influence a meeting, and he did on that evening! My family and I send our condolences to the Mills family. Please continue to contact me with problems with the state government. I will do my best to work to solve them. More Later, WCF
-30- State Rep. Bill Friend (R-Macy) |
