HERE WE GO AGAIN

I usually only discuss issues having to do with New Albany but this really got to me. I just read in the "Tribune" that David Camm's conviction has been overturned by the Supreme Court (Indiana).

Unbelievable.

POOLS, POOLS, AND MORE POOLS

I must admit to being a little confused. There was an article in the Tribune today about the need for a new swimming pool in the area of Community Park. Right below was a picture of the three pools at the YMCA which were barely occupied.

Would someone please explain to me what is wrong with these pools?

The article went on to say that the children who live in public housing are transported to the YMCA twice a week to swim for free. I think this is a wonderful idea and I commend the management of the YMCA for doing this service.

Still, the administration sees a need for more swimming facilities. Can't the Camille Wright pool be rebuilt? I know it was expensive to repair but there is already a hole in the ground...

Just wondering.

COMMUNITY SERVICE IN NEW ALBANY

I called Mr. Don Harshey, the Floyd County Director of Community Corrections today and left a message on his voice mail. He returned my call very quickly and gave me a lot of information about community service.

As it turns out these people are kept quite busy. Following is a list of some of the projects these people perform:

• Upkeep on the Township cemeteries.


• Clean up the parking lot behind the old Schmitt Furniture building (city owned property).


• Pick up the driftwood and debris along the riverfront after a flood.


• Maintain the area near the exit ramps from the expressways.


• Upkeep along the Greenway.


• Clean the outdoor enclosures for the animals at the shelter.


• Work with the Code Enforcement Officer to clean out and board up abandoned houses.


• Help the Veterans organizations and other non-profits.


• Unload the trucks taking food to the Food Bank every Thursday.

He said this plan has been in effect for over twenty years. They do not go down Main St. and pick up candy wrappers because the prefer to have the workers do ongoing projects, especially for charitable organizations.

Mr. Harshey said that plans that work never get recognition but if there was a problem they would be all over the news, sad but true.

HOW CAN WE REALLY CLEAN UP NEW ALBANY?

There was a lively blog discussion on another blog the other day about placing trash cans in different areas of the city. Some people liked the idea while others thought this would encourage more people to bring their trash to these areas and sometimes "miss" the trash cans resulting in
piles of trash on the ground.

Another thought was having the non-violent offenders at the Floyd County Jail pick up trash around town.

The idea of placing trash cans around town sounds good to me. Maybe people will get the hint and realize that people in this town want our town kept clean.

I also like the idea of offenders picking up trash. There was talk about the problem of liability and insurance. What if people were offered community service instead of jail time for minor, non-violent offences? This would help with our jail overcrowding and clean up our city at the same time.

Thoughts anyone?

OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK

Hi Everybody,



I have not commented on Monday's City Council meeting because there is nothing more to add to the great reporting done by Daniel Suddeath of the Tribune. He explained how the ordinances were passed and the discussion that took place in a very easy to understand manner. Unfortunately, I do not know how to link the article, I am so computer illiterate. Therefore it will be necessary to check it out online if you wish to read it.



Another much more talented writer is John Gonder. I highly recommend that you check out his blog, Gonder for New Albany At-Large. He gives the best reasoning for single payer health care that I have seen in a long time.



So that's all I have for now, not out of laziness, I just know talent when I see it.



Shirley

A GREAT DAY FOR A HEALTH CARE SEMINAR

The health care seminar was a great success. All of our speakers were very eloquent and enthusiastic as well as the audience. The attendance was better than expected and everyone showed a lot of interest.

Rep. John Conyers was fantastic as well as the always entertaining Dr. Rob Stone. Dr. Claudia Fegan just blew everyone away.

Thank you to everyone on the Kentucky and Indiana committees.

EVERYBODY IN NOBODY OUT

There have been several news releases about this event but I just want to remind everyone because this is so important. There will be a health care seminar at IUS in the Hoosier Room tomorrow from 8:30 to 12:30. Yes, I know this is early for a Saturday morning but I can guarantee that this is worth it.
The impressive list of speakers include:

Representative John Conyers (D-Mich) author of House Bill 676.

Representative John Yarmouth (D-KY) one of 88 congressional co sponsors of the bill.

Dr. Claudia Fegan of Chicago, past president of PNHP.

Dr. Rob Stone of Bloomington, state director and founder of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan.

On a personal note, I joined this group because I felt sorry for the uninsured people including members of my family and friends. I felt fortunate to have "good" insurance (Anthem) which was provided by my employer. Of course over the years the premiums have increased drastically and so my employer was forced to select a lower level of coverage. It was either that or ask the employees to contribute to a portion of the premiums.

I had a real wake up call a few days ago. I had out-patient surgery on April 30. No big deal, right? Not until I received my bill from Floyd Memorial that is. After Anthem paid the hospital approximately $5,000 and the hospital wrote off around $4,000 I was left with a bill of $2,367.25 or only $2,130.53 if paid before June 13. Needless to say I don't anticipate benefiting from the 10% discount. It just goes to show, you might think you have decent coverage until something happens, then you realize you don't have such great insurance. I know, I work as a medical biller and should have checked out my policy beforehand. But I'm just like a lot of other people. I don't think about something until it happens. Besides, I had little choice, my gallbladder was screaming "get me out of here".

So please come to the seminar tomorrow and hear the truth about single payer health care, not the propaganda on TV and in the papers.