Greetings, one and all, and welcome! Thanks much for joining me. There’s plenty of mail to ponder, so what say we get right down to it and check in with The Roiling Hundreds!

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n Because certain bitter Republicans want to complain about turnover at the RPD I would like to state some facts. One officer retired and went to work for the Gaming Commission (for more money). The former chief was a patrolman who was promoted. When the new administration took over he went back to being a patrolman. He resigned to accept a job that would not require him to work nights and weekends and which paid better. Another officer had been under scrutiny for awhile, as many people know. Something came to the attention of the current administration they weren’t willing to overlook and as a result he resigned. Another officer had already been in trouble in a very public way. Seeing the handwriting on the wall he found other employment. Another officer was demoted and didn’t want to work nights or weekends. He also lost his take-home car and the gasoline furnished by the taxpayers so he resigned. I’ll also point out that prior to this administration the RPD was in a hiring mode every year. There was also constant turnover in the dispatch center. Changes that have taken place are part of the process of improving the department, something a majority of Rushville residents wanted (as indicated by the past election). I think that we can all be proud of our present police department.

n There’s a certain eatery in town that needs to do some cleaning. The floors are dirty and the cups need to be thoroughly washed.

n Regarding the comment about not having time to do it right, when will you find time to do it over?: This was my response to students over the course of 32 years of teaching. The students never used that weak excuse again.

n The person who raised the problems with the building for the helicopter crew just happens to be a taxpayer who lives near the hospital. They also write zoning ordinances for a living, so not only do they have the right to be upset, they know what they are talking about. Everyone is happy to have this great service available to us, it just needs to be done within the zoning laws. Everyone wants Rushville to grow and prosper. Don't get upset when someone bucks the "good ol’ boy" system and makes sure it's done correctly. If we keep going status quo, no companies will want to come here.

n People in this town have no shame. I used to have two trash cans and two of the green recycling bins sitting in my backyard. This past winter someone stole one of my trash cans and one of the recycling bins right out of my yard. This past week someone stole my other recycling bin. Why would you do this? If you needed one so badly just come up and ask, don't steal it. Heck, all that was in it was yard waste. If you were wanting the yard waste take the yard waste, but please return my bin.

n Raves, raves and more raves to the Parks Department for stepping up! Hopefully this (the new cameras) won’t only put an end to vandals but to the fighting and bullying going on at the park. It is a step in the right direction so that the kids that have been banned from the park by their parents can start to go and enjoy themselves again.

n “Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!” — Sir Walter Scott, Scottish author and novelist, 1771 to 1832.

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Don’t forget to remember to write down your rants, raves, and/or random thoughts and to send them to me. You can do so via the U.S. Postal Service (Rushville Republican, Rants and Raves, P.O. Box 189, Rushville, IN 46173), fax (765-932-4358), e-mail (kevin.green@indianamediagroup.com), through our Web site (www.rushvillerepublican.com – just “add a comment” to any posted story and it’s fair game), or just drop your legibly written comments off here at the office (306 N. Main Street, Rushville).

Until the next time, I’ll leave you with this:

“A civilization that is not informed cannot be free, and a world that is not free cannot endure.” — Palmer Hoyt, newspaper publisher, 1945.

Be good. kg