Beacon Apr 2024

Page 2A THE BEACON April 2024
By
Tamara
Taylor
Opinions-
Everybody Has One
I think Brussell sprouts
are the best. (Yes Mom, it’s
true. But then, add bacon to
anything and I might say the
same thing!)
I also think that horses are
better than cows. For one
thing, have you ever tried
to hug a cow? Now go hug
a horse. The response and
understanding are tenfold that
received from a bovine. And
besides, horses smell better.
Suffice it to say, I have
opinions. We all do.
A friend was recently told
that I would not support him
in his political endeavors.
Seriously? First, the comment
was unfounded. Second, I
was honored that whatever
my opinion was presumed
to be, carried any weight. I
mean how much can a “hill of
beans” weigh?
To the person who inaccurately
reiterated my opinion,
thank you. I am honored that
you consider my opinion to
be so impactful. But do me a
favor and get it right.
The Primary being held on
May 7, 2024, is chock full of
opinions. In the last few hours
of being able to sign up to be
on the ballot, the clerk’s office
was overrun by potential
candidates. While the instigator
of this overrun was, in my
opinion, trying to round up
the troops to cause a ruckus,
he actually accomplished
an interesting phenomenon.
A large number of residents
stepped up to represent the
community, ready to take on
the responsibilities that being
an elected official requires.
Very cool.
On the other hand, many
of those who signed up to
run for office were not aware
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A very cool, very loud falcon
stood guard above the
massive oak doors at the
Statehouse.
of the requirements to run
in the primary. According to
the Indiana Election Division
Candidate Guide, “To
seek nomination in the May
7, 2024, primary election, a
candidate must belong to the
Democratic or Republican
Party. This is determined by
1) the political party ballot
requested by the candidate
at the two (2) most recent
primary elections in Indiana
the candidate voted, or 2) the
candidate files a certification
from their county chair affirming
their membership in that
political party. The declaration
of candidacy for primary
nomination (CAN-2) requires
the candidate to affirm their
party affiliation and attach the
certification, if required.”
Sadly quite a few wellmeaning
residents who
wanted to run didn’t qualify.
For those who went for the
“gotcha” moment, stirring up
theories about personal intent
and corruption, only exacerbated
the situation. They
may have caused disgust in
citizens who would otherwise
have been incredibly great
public servants.
But that’s just my opinion.
In other news, I recently
visited the Indiana Statehouse.
Wow- what an eye-opening
experience. My deepest
thanks to Rep. Lyness and
Sen. Maxwell who graciously
2024
ELECTION
DEADLINES
Voter Registration
Deadline Apr. 8 at
close of business for
in-person or midnight
online.
The Indiana Statehouse
showed me around and
explained what was going
on in both the House and the
Senate. The level of activity
in the common areas is quite
different than what I have
seen at the county and local
levels. And what these elected
officials have to review, listen
to, decipher, and discuss is
overwhelming. All to represent
little old us here in southeast
Indiana. My hat is off to
those who put their “toe” in
the water to represent us at the
State level.
As most of you have
already figured out, I am a
nut about cool architecture.
Hillforest, Veraestau, Union
Terminal, etc. When I walked
up to the Statehouse, I was
struck with awe by the intricate
details that were everywhere.
Beautiful woodwork.
An amazing stained glass
dome. Stunning floors. All of
which had been the backdrop
for so many historic political
decisions since 1888.
Except for the intricate light
fixtures. Imagine my surprise
when I walked the stone
stairs, admiring the brass
chandeliers hanging right
in front of me, only to learn
from the person next to me
that these were not the original
light fixtures. The originals
were scrapped between
1917-1920. Thankfully, under
the direction of then-Governor
Robert Orr, the Statehouse
underwent a major renovation
to restore its original appearance.
The forty original brass
chandeliers were restored, and
an additional sixty-seven were
replicated.
The moral- change is not
always good.
Several people have been
mentioned in my column thus
far. It may come as no surprise
that my selection for a
person of interest this month
is... YOU! Whether you are
running for office or currently
hold an office. Whether you
are a director of an historic
property (Hello Mitchell
Knigga at Veraestau!), or a
caretaker of an historic home
that you have been blessed to
occupy for a lifetime. Whether
you grew up here or made
the conscious choice to make
this your home. YOU are the
greatest ambassadors of our
community.
Which brings me to ask a
favor...
You may have heard that a
total solar eclipse is predicted,
the likes of which have occurred
only fifteen times in
the past one hundred fiftyseven
years.
In the United States, skywatchers
in fifteen states will
be able to see the moon almost
completely cover the sun. The
total solar eclipse will cross
North America, passing over
Mexico, the United States,
and Canada. It will begin over
the South Pacific Ocean, and
Mexico’s Pacific coast will be
the first location in continental
North America to experience a
total eclipse. The path continues
through the United States
in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky,
Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New York, Vermont, New
Hampshire, and Maine.
Weather permitting, of
course.
Guess what- we are in, if
not pretty darn close to, the
path of the total solar eclipse.
What does that mean? A lot
more than a hill of beans, to
reference an earlier analogy.
Tens of thousands of visitors
are expected to visit or at
least travel through our neck
of the woods to experience
this phenomenon. Aren’t we
lucky- we live here!
Now is your chance to step
up and share all that you know
about your community. The
pride of how great it is to live
here and why. (Imagine what
Andy Griffith would say.)
The next total solar eclipse
that will be visible from the
contiguous United States will
not come around until Aug. 23,
2044. Where will you be twenty
years from now? Hopefully
still enjoying all of the wonder
and amazement our corner of
the world has to offer.
But that’s just my opinion.
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