Church charity fosters clean living

Significant benevolence lies beyond Fort Wayne’s accurate nickname “City of Churches.” Our church-operated charities are superior in fundamental ways to misguided government attempts to relieve suffering.

Government programs are subject to massive abuse, while competent church ministries carefully screen people for actual need and commitment to improve personal situations. Government handouts frequently end up enabling addictions, especially food. Competent church programs distribute basic nutritional foods, gently used clothing and direct payments to utilities and landlords.

Government programs have created multigenerational dependency. Competent church programs are designed to provide temporary emergency care and spiritual empowerment. Comparing the systems demonstrates that a wise society would direct the less fortunate toward church benevolence.

However, a disturbing issue clouds both government and church benevolence. Both systems have allowed an attitude of entitlement to grow. Victim-dependency thinking does not empower people to work or teach accountability. Enabling dependency harms individuals and the economy. Moreover, infected with entitlement mentality, weak, self-centered politicians threw public funds to equally diseased recipient voters. As individual initiative has been destroyed, entitlement children did not become adults and society has decayed.

Federal and state government agencies are corrupt and dysfunctional by nature. We should quickly dissolve them in favor of local non-government benevolence. If the U.S.A. wants to be a viable nation, hard work and clean living must become required elements of citizenship.

DONALD BECKER Fort Wayne

Democrats need to just grow up

Rather than doing their jobs, the whining Democrats again band together to stop needed legislation. Their antics should not be allowed.

The right-to-work bill is no threat to unions, as it only lets the worker choose to join or not.

These immature brats need to be voted out of office this November, and more responsible people elected. The majority in the House should not buckle to their inane maneuvers.

This is why politics are so hated by the country.

WILLIAM TROEHLER Fort Wayne

Letter writers have it right

Thank you for printing the letters by Ehren Gerdes, Jeff Uecker and Steve Dunn regarding the right-to-work issue. They said it so well. “Right to work” usually means the right to work for less.

DOROTHY HELMECZI Fort Wayne

Rate-setting process a mystery

I want to thank Frank Gray for writing about NIPSCO’s new charges and policies in his Nov. 3 column (“Shutting off gas heat to save money carries price”). In November 2010 NIPSCO raised the service charge (which is not shown on your bill) to $11 per month for residential customers and $30 per month for businesses with additional charges for canceling and restarting service.

The new charges penalize people trying to conserve energy and those who do not use much gas. People who spent money on heat pumps, new windows or insulation are not benefiting like they should.

Small businesses are hit especially hard. In my case, the $360 annual service charges are more than my entire charge for gas. My bills have increased $240 from the previous year.

A gas company representative explained transportation fees had been decreased so customers who used more gas actually got a decrease in their bill. The representative told me that I had not been paying my fair share before.

I still do not understand why the rates were changed and why the increases seem to be placed on those who can least afford them. If there were some benefits the smaller user was receiving – which never were explained to me – they certainly aren’t there now. As it stands, smaller businesses and homes are subsidizing the big users.

The past head of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is under felony indictment in Marion County. The charges stem from accusations that the members of the board were far too close with the utility industry.

I think the board’s actions should be reviewed, along with any rate changes and rule changes. The process needs to be more transparent. The residents of Indiana deserve to understand exactly how their rates are set.

STEVEN C. BALL Fort Wayne