tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post5478683082870154251..comments2023-10-17T08:48:44.310-07:00Comments on Hoosiers For Fair Taxation: False claims made by Indiana Department of Health about the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children’s HomeM Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01892309818226431745noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-17904591368871163372009-05-12T16:42:00.000-07:002009-05-12T16:42:00.000-07:00Proposed addendum to Home Camp Petition:
If The S...Proposed addendum to Home Camp Petition:<br /><br />If The State of Indiana will save $10 Million per year (their figures) by closing the Home, but destroy the normal and logical congregation site for Alumni and Legion activities in the process, then the Home Camp Petition is a more than reasonable request, and deserves maximum support from all sides. Further, if this parcel of land were to be deeded jointly to The Home Alumni Association and the American Legion, Department of Indiana, it would go a long way to assuage the hurt feelings of all those involved in the vitriolic Home-closing dispute. If we do, in fact, lose access to the actual "brick and mortor" we all love and feel a need to gravitate to periodically - at least the principles on which the Home was established will come away still-valid and untarnished by this whole sordid affair.Homiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16595645775022185678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-29037977800396643102009-05-05T12:29:00.000-07:002009-05-05T12:29:00.000-07:00Please sign HOME CAMP PETITION
Thank you.
http://...Please sign HOME CAMP PETITION<br />Thank you.<br /><br />http://www.petitiononline.com/issch123/petition.htmlHomiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16595645775022185678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-90137982504960417482009-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:002009-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00To:
The Hon. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Governor o...To: <br />The Hon. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Governor of the State of Indiana, Indiana House Leader Rep. Patrick Bauer, Indiana Senate Leader Sen. David Long, all other Representatives and Senators of the Indiana General Assembly, and all concerned and interested Citizens of The State of Indiana.<br /> <br />Thank you in advance for your consideration of the following:<br /> <br />LEGACY<br />If it becomes the irrevocable will of the State of Indiana and its' elected Officials to cease funding and operation of the historic State Institution known as the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home, located in Rush County near the town of Knightstown, please concurrently declare the small land parcel known as The Home Camp property, located in far-eastern Hancock County - detached, and some distance from the Home proper - to be surplus State-owned property, and deed said property and improvements to the Home's Alumni Association for the sum of $1.00, so that the Alumni Association and its' many members may continue to perpetuate the noble and still-valid principles and ideals both the Children's Home and its' Alumni Association were founded on. By taking possession of, possibly, the last vestige of the beloved Home of their youth, the Home Alumni will also continue to have, without infringement on the Main Home Campus, a familiar and inviting place at which to conduct regular Alumni Meetings, annual Homecoming Events, and other suitable activities and traditions that are consistent with, and beneficial to, the stated purpose of the Home's Alumni Association and its' many supporters - now, and for the foreseeable future.Homiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16595645775022185678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-5578950007641670222009-02-25T21:51:00.000-08:002009-02-25T21:51:00.000-08:00Thank you so much for all you have done. I hope we...Thank you so much for all you have done. I hope we can still make this a success to all the children. God bless you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-19037811058200325642009-02-02T18:10:00.000-08:002009-02-02T18:10:00.000-08:00Believe in Miracles!Nearly 150 years ago, in the m...Believe in Miracles!<BR/>Nearly 150 years ago, in the middle of beautiful central Indiana farm country, there was a place well-known to the Native American People and the early settlers in the area called The Knightstown Springs. The site had been frequented since antiquity for its' many mineral-water springs and clean country air - far removed from the dirty, crime-ridden, and smoke-filled cities of that time. The property, with just a few scattered buildings, was purchased by The State of Indiana as an ideal location for a Veterans Home to house the many destitute Union Civil War veterans, and the children of those veterans - many orphaned by wartime - that were filling up the urban areas and putting great financial strain on local governments. Keeping them all away from temptation was also mentioned as a consideration - even then. It was decided that those veterans who could, would work the fertile fields surrounding the newly-established Home to help defray some of the cost of their care. The children from the beginning had their work as well, and were taught life-skills, and trades, so that they would become good productive citizens, and not perpetual burdens on society when they finally left their Home. When a fire destroyed the veterans' quarters, the veterans were transferred to a Federal facility in another State - leaving the several hundred children and their caregivers as the sole occupants of the Home. And then, a Miracle happened! At that desperate time, a Moral Imperative took root in the form of The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan's Home, as it was first called. From that time forward, the People of Indiana pledged to care for their needy children in perpetuity. In the face of violent extremes of weather, frequent epidemics, two World Wars and other military conflicts, and many hard economic times - some much worse than now, the Home never failed; in fact, it thrived, with an average population in the hundreds! Whenever the need became greater, the Home was enlarged - not closed - because the support of the people never waived. That was, and still is, an investment we can never afford not to make. The People of Indiana have always risen up to throw their protective and nurturing arms around their children - no matter what came! Even the Great Depression, that brought the entire World to its' knees, could not destroy Indiana's commitment and dedication to its' children - its' Future. At one point during my time at the Home (1939-1950), there were over 1,000 children living, learning, and thriving there - much to the benefit of our total society. Over the years, just this one Home for at-risk children has produced; Doctors, Lawyers, Movie Stars, Journalists, Military and Religious Leaders, Professional Sports Figures - and thousands of well-adjusted, productive, and good everyday people. Of the large number of Home Alumni that have served our Country in wartime, many did not return - giving the last full measure of devotion defending ideals instilled in them during their childhood days. Now, once again, this is a time to double, triple, or even quadruple the size of this magnificent facility, and prepare it to take in as many of the thousands of floundering Indiana children of this generation as possible. With Problem Agencies all over the State coming under intense scrutiny and the cost-cutting ax, The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home remains, as it has since its' formation, the one bright, shinning example of the State and People of Indiana showing, over and over again, that they know in their innate wisdom how to Get it Right! Many of my fellow- Alumni have already detailed their own time spent at the Home, and I concur with each one. The Home Alumni Site has over 1,000 members. You may have noticed that the common threads that run through our narratives are Security, Opportunity, Hope, and Service.<BR/>JCL '50<BR/> <BR/>Addendum: The State of Indiana (The Indiana State Board of Health) wants to cease funding and shut down this remarkable facility, but not for health reasons; they refer to it, not as a Home and School, but as "just brick and mortar". The plan is to turn it instead into a correctional facility, and send its' current residents back to the neighborhoods and schools they were rescued from. Please go with a video crew and document it while you still can. Film the beautiful campus, soak up its' aura, feel its' history, and talk to the Staff and Students there. You may help the thousands of Knightown Home Supporters to keep this vital residential school open; or, at least, create a permanent record that it ever existed at all. Thank you.<BR/> <BR/>The following comments were originally posted by me on the Home Alumni Site, and since they may have a slight "edginess" to them, they are included here solely as additional background information:<BR/> <BR/>"Random thoughts on the Closing Dilemma.<BR/>There is a lot of misinformation being bandied about by the people who want to shut down the Home.<BR/>1. The size of the Home keeps being referred to as 50 acres - implying there is no more room for expansion. The last time I checked on a State database - which, by the way, has now been taken down, the Home property was listed at well over 400 acres, with room to expand in every direction.<BR/>2. The oft-quoted cost of caring for each child in the Home is $91,000 yearly; I wonder what the cost of the three-year study was? A few years ago, the per capita cost of caring for The Home Children was only a few dollars a day. They can't be serious; You could send each child to medical School for $91,000 a year! If they want to do something that shows fiscal logic, just put the $91,000 a year into an interest-bearing account for each child, teach them how to manage that money on their own before they leave, or have an executor of the trust approve any withdrawals for a set period of time.<BR/>3. I noticed that the spokesperson for the State Board of Health - during an attempt to belittle the scholastic achievements of the Home students - used such poor english herself, that it could have been corrected by any Middle-School child.<BR/>4. My last thought (for now) on this subject is so very disturbing that I hate to even mention it. In the rush to shut down the Home, those who want to make that happen are completely ignoring some obvious issues that will come back to haunt (and cost) them, and should make their misguided plan a non-starter - despite an alleged three-year study. What will they do with the Home Cemetery? Isn't it, after all, a Federally-Protected Military Burial Ground - not to mention the many Home children who are buried there? Will convicts join them now to desecrate this sacred site, or will they just plow it all under and pretend it was never there. The cost, alone, of adequately maintaining or re-locating the cemetery and its' many occupants would be staggering, and possibly violate Federal Law!"<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> "Every few years, it seems, someone tries to make a political name for themself by changing the direction and purpose of the Home - often without ever seeing the Home. In each instance, the public has risen up to demand, in no uncertain terms, that the Home is brought back to the reality of what it is, and why it exists. Hopefully, the current crises will turn out to be just another attempt by elite thinkers to alter the usually-tranquil atmosphere at the Home, and the students can get back to the serious business of preparing themselves for their future; wasn't that the idea from the beginning? Those who want to do social engineering should maybe try video games as an outlet for their rule-the-world mentality."<BR/> <BR/> "When the OSSCH at Xenia, Ohio closed a few years ago, the property was finally sold to a Church organization to be used as a Divinity School. As an olive-branch gesture to deflect public criticism (separation of Church and State issues, I would guess), the new owners sat aside a day for Alumni to have their traditional annual Homecoming. In addition, a building on the grounds was put at the use of the Alumni as a permanent Office and Museum. It may sound tempting, but don't take the olive-branch - if offered. I doubt we could ever go back later to revisit this issue, so keep fighting for adequate funding now, and realistic record-keeping and accountability in the future."<BR/> <BR/>"I just received an email from Dr. Judith A. Monroe, State Health Commissioner. Someone must have forwarded her something I had written re: the Home closing. I can't forward her entire email; there is a confidentiality notice attached to it. In essence, though, she basically reiterated her incalcitrant position on the Home closing issue.<BR/><BR/>Throughout the early years of the Home, The Superintendent filed an annual report directly to the Governor of Indiana. That seemed to be what the Legislature, which provided the funding for the Home, wanted, and it seemed to work well; everyone who needed to be, stayed informed and up-to-date on the operation of the Home. "The Model" (if that is the term Dr. Monroe used) never broke or needed radical attention, as it was fine-tuned on a regular basis by those involved and informed in the Home's operation and needs.<BR/><BR/>About 50 years ago, for some strange reason, it was decided to place the Home under the control of the Indiana State Board of Health and have the Home's Superintendent file his annual report to the State Board of Health's Commissioner. The State Board of Health's own website states that their mission is to oversee the overall health of the state's population. Why someone thought that qualified them to do a better job of raising children and operating institutions than those who, for the most part, have dedicated their lives to doing just that, totally escapes me! <BR/><BR/>When the State Board of Health was given control of the Home, it became their responsibility to keep the Home's "model" viable, and have a hands-on approach to the operation of this noble institution. After 50 years, it is they who have failed, and have now chosen to just walk away from the whole problem.<BR/><BR/>The affairs of the operation and funding of the Home should be put back in the hands of the Governor and Legislature of Indiana, and their appointed and accountable Home Committees. A Liaison or full committee member should always be appointed from the ranks of the Home Alumni Association, which would assure at least one knowledgeable and non-political vote.<BR/><BR/>I would remind Dr. Monroe and her peers of their Hippocratic oaths (paraphrased): "If you're going to try to fix something - first, do no harm! "Homiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16595645775022185678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679367111526265280.post-29925520798656659912009-01-29T15:16:00.000-08:002009-01-29T15:16:00.000-08:00Ryan,We cannot begin to thank you enough for the t...Ryan,<BR/><BR/>We cannot begin to thank you enough for the time and consideration you have taken to support us. They say you rarely win against the Government; but, we are optimistic this time around. Thank you for your support. Hopefully, the opportunity replace tears with smiles of those children fearing what will happen to them if the Home closes will be the true reward! God bless you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com