Twice daily I quick-step to the end of the driveway where I retrieve my newspaper. In the morning it is the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette and in the afternoon the Bluffton News-Banner. I cannot drink my morning coffee until my newspaper is carefully unfolded and prepared for proper perusal. Soon, jelly stains, toast crumbs and brown coffee cup impressions litter the pages as I lean in out of necessity to read through 73-year-old eyes.
As a kid it was the Marion Chronicle that delivered essential daily reports and statistics on my beloved Milwaukee Braves and my favorite players. Today I spend more time in the editorial sections than anywhere else. Here my spirits are buoyed by opinions and writers who promote ideas I agree with, and I am disgusted and weary of those that displease. However, I do try to read both. I especially like reading Letters to the Editor in the JG. Some are insightful, and others just plain crazy. Some are kind, and some are cruel.
I can believe, for reasons we know well, the newspaper business must be a tough business. The pressures of delivering the news everyday or six times per week must at times be crushing. The Marion Chronicle of my youth is now just a shell of its former self. On Sunday mornings I sit and stare through the mailbox window and pine for the Sunday Journal-Gazette that never comes. What am I to do?
So, forgive me if I perform my old man whine as I visit the warm and loving homes of my beloved children and find no newspapers for casual survey, or even for packing material. It’s a sign of the times. One more thing I cannot control. Admittedly, I am a failure as a parent. They say, “Dad, no one gets the paper anymore.” As they flash their iPhones in my face.
As defense and example, I learned from the pages this week that 93% of all K-12 students in Indiana attend public schools. Private, mostly religious, schools educate 7% of Indiana students, but will receive 36% of new money. Since 2011, the percentage of the state budget allocated to K-12 education has dropped by 5%. Indiana’s private school voucher (subsidy) program is available to any family of four that earns up to $220,000 per year, while the median annual income for school age families is only $67,000. The voucher system has cost taxpayers over $1 billion since its beginning. All compliments of our Republican legislative super majority.
Many articles detail Indiana’s Career and Technical Education opportunities as a practical and profitable choice for students. I am in favor of such opportunities; however, as Ball State economist Michael Hicks and others tell us weekly in the NB and JG, Indiana’s college graduation rate is falling, especially among boys, and our biggest impediment to future economic success is that we have the lowest bachelor’s degree attainment level (42nd nationally) among citizens of all Upper Midwestern states. The result is a lack of human capital (college graduates) necessary for attracting high income paying corporations in search of qualified employees. Good luck in finding all of that in one place on your iPhone.
As close as I can tell, I (we) have subscribed to the News-Banner for 49 years. And even though the opinion page is more conservative than I would prefer, I plan on maintaining my subscription as long as I can read, and maybe longer. The News-Banner is an invaluable asset in our community, and we are fortunate to have a daily newspaper. I have known and respected the work of many there throughout the years, their names too many to mention. Thank you to them all, past and present.
Here’s The Thing: What about the election? As we approach November 5th, I have feelings of great anticipation and great dread. As for previous writings I have penned critical of Donald Trump, I make no apologies. I have received much support from readers who encourage me to continue saying what they cannot. I am grateful for their support.
ken.ballinger@yahoo.com
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles and opinions written by a group of retired and current teachers — Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. While the columns normally appear on the Community Page, this week’s “Here’s the Thing” was moved to the Opinion Page due to its political nature.
