Published: January 21, 2008 07:33 pm            

Letters to the editor - Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008

County has lost man of integrity

Regrettably, I just read the obituary for one of the finest businessmen I have ever had the pleasure to deal with. Jeff Schwierman. You may not recognize the name, but you will recognize his business, Triple Nickel Roofing.

In the days where you hear, read and see TV reality shows about customers being taken advantage of by businesses people with no desire to provide a quality product at a fair price, Jeff Schwierman lived by the rule that you treat your customers with respect, deliver what you promise and service the product, thereafter.

His employees were always courteous and well groomed. He always made sure they took pride in their work. He would not allow anything else.

Jeff Schwierman conducted business the old fashioned way. He looked you in the eye, shook your hand and gave you his word. Nothing more was needed. Without a doubt, that guarantee was better than any document that the world’s finest attorneys could draw up. He prided himself on the understanding that if a man’s word is no good, that piece of paper that says “warranty” on it is worthless.

He would give you all the necessary paperwork that came with the job, but the customer knew it would never be needed. You had the warranty you needed when you signed the contract and he shook your hand.

I didn’t know Jeff Schwierman on a personal level. I would see him at Woody’s in Alto or some other place, and he would say hi and call me by name, shake my hand, ask how my parents were doing and always ask how his job was holding up. He would finish our short conversations by telling me if anything went wrong to call any time, day or night.

Howard County has lost a man of great integrity and character. Jeff Schwierman will be missed by many loyal customers like me.

Jim Watkins

Russiaville

House GOP backs cut now, cap forever

The three top issues for the General Assembly this session are property taxes, property taxes, property taxes. We must end Band-Aid fixes to Indiana’s outdated system, and House Republicans have endorsed a bold plan for immediate relief and permanent tax reform.

• Immediate property tax cut by May 2008. Homeowners must receive an immediate property tax cut of at least 40 percent by this May. No rebates, no gimmicks.

• Permanent state and local spending caps. Both local and state spending must be controlled. State spending increases must be permanently limited to the growth in personal income in the state and exceeded only with a two-thirds vote of the legislature.

• Permanent 1 percent of assessed valuation homestead cap. Savings to homeowners: $215 million, beginning in 2009.

• Remove schools and welfare from property tax. Removing these state burdens from local property taxes would bring $1.1 billion in property tax relief.

• Make caps and levy removals permanent. These taxing and spending limits should become permanent through an amendment to Indiana’s constitution.

• Referenda for local construction and budget increases. Taxpayers should control how their tax dollars are spent by voting on major local construction projects and budget increases that exceed local spending caps.

• School construction projects built on local option income tax. Statewide, school debt constitutes 37 percent of the increase in our property tax levy. Placing projects on a voter-approved optional income tax would end that.

• Fund all cuts with sales tax alone. According to the Legislative Services Agency, a one-penny sales tax increase would provide almost $1 billion in property tax relief in 2009.

• Single assessment official in each county. Hoosiers deserve consistent and predictable assessments.

• Permanent elimination of homestead property tax. This is the key to truly ending Indiana’s property tax crises. House Republicans support the elimination of homestead property taxes by 2012, and the process should start this session.

We face a great challenge, but also a great opportunity. Other matters will demand legislative attention, but all else shrinks before our current property tax crisis. Our plan to cut taxes now and cap them forever offers immediate relief and permanent reform.

Brian Bosmo

Minority Leader

Indiana House

        

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