Obama wrong on recess appointments

You don’t have to be a legal scholar to understand the U.S. Constitution, but apparently if you are the president, a congressman or the media, you lose all comprehension of the English language. Why do I say that? I’ll tell you.

Article 2 Section 2 of the Constitution states, “The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that MAY HAPPEN DURING THE RECESS of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.”

During the time of our forefathers when they crafted the Constitution our Senate was not always in session. Knowing that, they gave presidential power to appoint an individual in their absence. The key point here is “may happen during the recess.” There is no amendment that changes this presidential power.

So simply put, if the Senate does not confirm a nominee and the president waited until it went on recess, why would we even need to have language to define a procedure? Because it was necessary to insure any vacancy could be filled when such occurrences “may happen during the recess.”

No president past or present has the authority to make a recess appointment for any vacancy that was known while the Senate was in session. That means the vacancy didn’t “… happen during the recess.” By definition “may happen” means it might occur and “during” defines when it occurred and “recess” defines the status of the Senate.

The argument about whether the Senate recently was in session or in recess is irrelevant. The argument is when did the vacancy occur? In this particular case the vacancy was known while the Senate was in session and thus cannot be filled by the president for any reason whatsoever.

Let me make this perfectly clear, our president has just violated the U.S. Constitution and should be held accountable for his action. The legislative and the judicial branches of our government should take immediate action. The oath of office is “swear to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

— Jim Bloom

Terre Haute

Thanks for honoring

‘Soup’ at his passing

We are writing this letter for the purpose of offering a simple “thank you” for the graciousness and professionalism of the Terre Haute Fire Department as well as many of our past and present city and county leaders. On Jan. 2, our family lost the physical companionship of Clarence R. “Soup” Harris with his passing at the youthful age of 85.

Soup served the City of Terre Haute for 22 years as a Terre Haute Fire Fighter. After retiring in 1980, he undertook a second career with the Terre Haute Waste Water Treatment Plant before retiring once again in 1997.

Though he’s been out of the work force for many years, he was not forgotten by so many throughout our community as he continued to function in the roles of precinct committeeman for Precinct C of the Fourth Ward, member of the Board of Public Works and Safety, member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, and Indiana State Delegate. A proud and dedicated leader within the Democratic Party, Soup spent the latter half of his life trying to serve others in each of his endeavors. His funeral was attended by several of today’s political leaders from both parties as well as many who have long since retired from public office.

It is difficult to see your loved ones lose their battles with life here on earth. But the ICU nurses, respiratory therapists and staff at Terre Haute’s HCA Regional Hospital, along with Dr. Bhuptani, Dr. Deshpande, Dr. Dultz and Dr. Singh, are to be commended for their efforts on his behalf. They provided Soup with the opportunity to pass away with dignity and allowed for our many family members to feel comforted during his final days.

Additionally, a special thank you is extended to the fine people at Roselawn Funeral Home for the services they provided and to the Rev. Bill Herb for providing a beautiful eulogy.

Jeff Fisher, Terre Haute fire chief, and Terre Haute Fire Department’s Honor Guard provided a tribute to Soup that was very touching to all in attendance. It was moving to see he hadn’t been forgotten by the profession he was so dedicated to for so many years. Thanks go to good friend, Mick Bolinger, for contacting Mr. Fisher to arrange the ceremony on such short notice. Soup must have been so proud to have been saluted by fellow comrades in that way. All too often their contributions to our community go unnoticed. But this day, we noticed and we really appreciated their honoring him in that way. Special thanks also to the friends and family members who sent such beautiful flowers to the service and for the overwhelming amount of food and drinks that were brought to help us get through those first few days.

In closing, we just want to publicly recognize on behalf of our family members that we are very blessed in the City of Terre Haute and in Vigo County to have so many wonderful people in leadership positions. They seem to rise to whatever the occasion might be and never forget those who have mattered to them. Not only do they perform the fundamental tasks that are job-related, but they go the extra mile to do these things with class and compassion. Though we cannot possibly return the favors provided to all of us, we do want to simply say “thank you”. Thank you for helping at a time we needed it most. Thank you for making our last memories of Clarence R. “Soup” Harris pleasant ones.

— Sharon Turner, Patti Denny, Farris Ellinger Jr., Rick Ellinger,

Bill Harris and families

Terre Haute

Mercury more danger

than coal emission?

As I read the 1/21/12 issue of the newspaper’s letter section I was struck by the letter you published from a rather illustrious group of defenders of the environment. The issue in their letter discussed how wonderful it will be to finally regulate the “toxic” emissions from coal-fired power plants that are soiling the environment.

As all reasonable persons are aware, these metals are part of the environment. I am surprised that the average American has been able to survive given the anxiety highlighted in their letter. As a matter of fact we are living longer than ever before in our history.

So maybe there is another angle to their view. The EPA has issued these regulations with minimal regard to the costs of complying with the rules. It is clear that many power plants will be adversely affected, as Duke Energy among others have stated clearly that they will have to retire plants such as the Wabash River generating station. The cumulative effect will be a less reliable power system. As we are supposed to transition to electric-powered vehicles over the next 10 years or so, I wonder where the power will come from. Maybe from the wind or solar will provide the necessary power. Let’s just hope we have 24 hour sunlight and never-ending breezes!

Lastly, to document the fallacy of their argument most, if not all, the writers are favorable to placing compact fluorescent light bulbs in our homes by mandate. It has been documented that the mercury present in these devices is so dangerous to our health and safety that if one breaks in your home you have to conduct a hazardous waste cleanup to comply with the rules.

I will venture a guess that the mercury released by this mandate is far more detrimental to our health than the power plant issue, yet there is no mention of this hazard in their letter. I also have to question how many people will dispose of these devices in recycling centers when I see the amount of trash that is disposed by citizens wherever they find a convenient place, such as the street. To me it as plain as the nose on your face that these folks could care less about my and my family’s health than to control how I live my life.

— Raymond E. Broshar

Terre Haute



Beware employers

who cut corners

It is always good practice for an employee to keep good record of your hours worked, job numbers or any other important information to your job.  If your employer ever tells you that they cannot make payroll and for you to collect unemployment instead and then tells you that when he can make payroll and he will deduct that amount from your check, do not do it.

This is a federal and state crime and is fraud. You need to contact the U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett, State Attorney General Greg Zoeller, the Department of Labor and Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt. All can assist on this type of employer criminal activity.

Terry Modesitt does not pay favoritism and is one of the best prosecutors since Eric Abel and will prosecute no matter your social status. Also, beware if your employer wants you to bank your hours and file unemployment. I know a place where this is being done.

It is also a good idea to keep track of any retirement accounts to which your employer may be contributing. It is always a good idea to make sure they are contributing as agreed in your contract.  Another tip is to make sure that if your employer is providing insurance to one employee that it is being offered to all employees. This is a state law and you must sign a form stating that you are declining the coverage.

These people can spend time in a federal penitentiary because the employer only pays 5.9 percent in unemployment tax and the remainder of these funds come from federal and state money.

 It’s also law that your employer must not destroy any company records; they are supposed to keep them for the duration of the company. That is why it is a good idea to keep your own record of what you work.

It is time to stop this illegal activity with employers scamming the federal and state governments. If you need any assistance, I am including my phone number, (812) 208-3770, to contact and I can help lead you in the right direction. 

— Steve Ferree

Terre Haute

All beliefs need

to be respected

First and foremost, thank you, Ms. Holden, for having the courage of your convictions and writing a rebuttal to my letter which I submitted to explained why I am a liberal.

However, I do take issue with being labeled a one-sided, biased, radical, left-wing liberal. I don’t need to search on the web for the meanings of these labels. I know them by heart as every conservative has thrown them at me for more years than I can count. I don’t see the humor in believing that I am tolerant, open-minded, free from prejudice and bigotry. I truly believe all of these characteristics are in my makeup and in my core values and beliefs.

I know you were being sarcastic when you said you thought I was making a joke. Believe me, I am not.

I dislike having my convictions critiqued and disallowed by someone who is made uncomfortable by landing in a city that was having a gay rights parade. As an adult, you have the right to disagree with anyone you want but you must realize that what people do in their private life is none of your business. If you were uncomfortable, remove yourself from the area. Just because a person is asking for equal rights doesn’t make them less of a citizen than you are. Talk about biased and one-sided. 

While I do not like your insinuations or you deliberate attempt to ridicule my basic beliefs, I know you have the right to your opinion. I wonder why you cannot extend the same courtesy to me about my beliefs. We live in a free country where each individual is entitled to his or her beliefs. I am sure we both want a better tomorrow for our children and their children. Perhaps instead of mocking me, you could put your energies to better use by trying to work with all groups of people (even liberals and gays) to make our country safe and prosperous in the future.

Without the mutual exchange of ideas and respect, how can we become a better society where everyone is accepted as equals? There are so many issues that need to be resolved such as hunger, education, unemployment, home foreclosures, civil rights, the death penalty, etc. I feel liberalism offers better solutions to these problems, but I am more than willing to accept that your beliefs may have equal value. I am willing to listen and exchange ideas. Are you?

— Shirley A. Thomas

Brazil, Ind.

People’s decency

becomes evident

On Dec. 26, my wife and I were traveling westward on I-70, and as we got closer to Terre Haute, we noticed that we were becoming involved in a traffic jam. The jam continued to grow and we wondered what was happening.

After waiting in the jam for what seemed like an hour, one of the truckers who was also stopped but who had a better vantage point than we did got out of his truck and began spreading the word about what had happened. I believe among other things his communications equipment allowed him to get information that we couldn’t. This information helped us feel a little better about the situation. Of course,  we also learned of a tragic death that had occurred.

The trucker’s assistance helped with an understanding of the situation, at least for the drivers in the traffic jam near us. We eventually got off I-70 and began to work our way to U.S. 40.

This took a while to achieve, but we finally reached this goal and got off the highway to eat. As we were eating, a number of customers began to talk to us about their experiences on I-70 and suggested ways of dealing with the situation if we were thinking of using I-70 again. We were, but west of Terre Haute.

It is situations such as this that provide the opportunities for people to display their basic decency, as they did.

— Harold Strangeman

Charleston, Ill.