Notes found scribbled during the bombardment of Khe Sanh . . .

You know, this didn’t use to be true, but I think it’s a blanket statement that applies to a lot more of us than it used to. We love our country, but struggle with our government. It certainly applies to the hired hands in Washington, but it filters down as well.

Once again Indiana politicians are trying to take away public notices from Hoosier newspapers and hide them on government web sites. Sen. Jim Buck, a Republican from Kokomo, is helping lead the charge this year. And here’s an interesting point.

Opponents of newspapers are saying they don’t want to pay us to publish those notices, but what they don’t tell you is that THEY SET THE RATES we charge AND THOSE RATES ARE THE LOWEST WE HAVE! Also, and this is not a minor point, can you name something, anything, state or federal government does that is better than the private sector? How much does Sen. Buck think it’ll cost for government employees to take over public notices and do all the work we in the newspaper world do now AT A VERY LOW RATE?

It’s kind of like laws, or the size of government. How many laws come off the books once passed? Maybe the reason the law was created gets fixed, or becomes a moot point. If something generates money out of your pocket, chances are the government will find a way to keep it.

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WHILE WE are talking about government, here’s an idea – I’ve said for quite a while that a lot of us don’t want the hired hands to blindly vote party lines. We’d expect, well at least like, for them to use their God-given brains and hammer out the best answers for everyone, not just follow what a party boss orders. So what if we had a 50-50 balance between Republicans and Democrats? Heck, I don’t know how that would work, but wouldn’t it be great if neither side had a majority so that anything passed had to truly be a product of compromise and not simply because one side has more votes than the other side? Silly? Sure. But a guy can dream, can’t he?

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ONE MORE note on the size of government. Why do we need more buildings and more staff in an age where records and paperwork are digitized? How many government employees work 40-hour weeks? Some units have folks work 35, 36, 37 and a half . . . Again, private business doesn’t work that way. Why does the organization we all pay for get to?

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THE HUB-BUB over trans athletes continues and I struggle with this. I don’t really understand how this isn’t a simple solution. I fully agree that everyone has a right to be whoever they want, but this isn’t a rights issue, it’s a fairness of competition issue. So if someone wants to compete as a trans athlete, create a division for trans athletes.

It wasn’t all that long ago that girls were not allowed to compete in the Indiana High School Athletic Association and instead were in the GAA – Girls Athletic Association. But in the 1970s the IHSAA stepped up and created categories for female athletes. Do it again.

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QUICK NOTE on primary filings. It’s good to see Steve Loy throw his hat in the ring for county council. Speaking of private business, I am and will always be largely biased toward folks who know how to run a business, manage people, meet a bottom line. As a former bank manager Loy knows all that.

Joe Buser is running for re-election. He may be a great prosecutor, may not. My problem is the only time we ever hear from him is every four years. Not much accountability when he refuses to answer questions or even take phone calls.

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OK, THIS IS my last column for a few weeks. If you aren’t one of the regular eight or nine who read my scribblings, I’m having heart surgery and will be under strict orders from my boss, i.e. much better half. Thank you again for an overwhelming response over these last couple of weeks! In the immortal words of Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers, I love you guys.

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FOR THOSE too young to remember, the bombardment of a U.S. Marine base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam began this month in 1968 and lasted until April. More than 420 U.S. servicemen were injured and 155 tragically lost their lives. We can never do enough to honor the military. They forever have our thanks!

Two cents, which is about how much Timmons said his columns are worth, appears periodically on Wednesdays in The Paper. Timmons is the publisher of The Paper and can be contacted at [email protected].