The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page E3

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM 2nd SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2006 E3 DIALOGUE LETTERS SUBMITTING LETTERS The Star welcomes letters to the editor responding to articles, editorials and events in the news. They must include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters are subject to editing. Please send your letters to: stareditorindystar.com Letters to the Editor, The Indianapolis Star, P.O. Box 145, Indianapolis, IN 46206-0145 Fax number: (317) 444-8616 By submitting a letter or opinion article, the author grants The Star the right to publish, distribute, archive or use the work in print, electronic, on-line or other format.

Say goodbye to more freedoms With passage of Senate Bill 3930, Americans should be outraged that our freedoms have been stripped away. Why aren't people more concerned that the federal government now has the power to take away habeas corpus, the right to counsel and many others constitutional rights? The only reason I can come up with is the lack of exposure, even with elections only a month away. This bill is supposed to allow for protection of detainees but instead strips them of their rights. Now, many methods of torture won't be allowed, but if they do happen the coerced admission of guilt is still admissible in court. Concern for the treatment of captured U.S.

soldiers is understandable, but this bill would do nothing to help them. I wish this issue had been given the exposure it deserves. This new law can easily be abused and lead to more political problems, as well as a striking blow for our freedoms. Ryan Winkel Indianapolis LAWRENCE JACKSON Associated Press IN LINE OF FIRE: Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (seated, left) with Senate Leader Bill Frist (seated, right) Rep. Roy Blunt, (right) and Rep.

James Sensenbrenner, responded to a reporter's question about the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley. House leadership wrong to avoid action on Foley and the student. Those who are responsible for the safety of young people need to take the necessary steps to protect them from sexual harassment Repeal property taxes: It's the only way to go A recent editorial in The Star, "Time for a major move from property taxes," is a step in the right direction. However, giving local governments additional authority to raise taxes is not the correct solution.

The only permanent solution to protect homeowners, businesses and farmers is to repeal property taxes. Consider the facts: Under the current property tax system you never really own your own home. If you can't pay your property taxes because someone dies, or loses their job, or you have unexpected expenses like medical bills, the government will take your home, your business, or your farm and sell it. Property taxes have increased dramatically in recent years. From 1981 through 2005, property taxes increased by more than 450 percent.

In 2007 property taxes could go up 15 percent or more. Property taxes could double in about 10 years. History must not repeat itself in Indiana. In the past when politicians increased taxes in exchange for lowering property taxes, the property tax reduction was only temporary. Property tax controls don't work.

If the legislature approves a plan to give local government the authority to create a local sales or income tax in exchange for lowering property taxes, property owners will lose again. After a short time, property taxes will go back up and the taxpayers will be stuck paying higher property taxes along with the other taxes that were created. Remember, repealing property taxes is the only way to give permanent protection to property owners. More information on our effort to pass a constitutional amendment to repeal property taxes is available at www.repeal-propertytaxes.com. Eric I.

Miller Founder Advance America Indianapolis I am writing to express my disgust with U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer and the House leadership for their failure to discipline Rep. Mark Foley when his proclivity for e- maihng suggestive messages to young pages was revealed months ago. I have been an educator for 34 years and an administrator for 27 years.

On two occasions at school districts where I have worked, I encoun Mark tered teachers who sent similar messages (by note or greeting card, not e-mail) to underage high school students. In each case the school board fired the teacher. In none of those cases was there any physical contact between the teacher one hope for the future. NCAA President Myles Brand and his colleagues demonstrated sensitivity and moral purpose in explaining how they have dealt with the complicated issue of mascots and symbolism. Their presentation earned the gift of a beautiful blanket from tribal chief Brian Buchanan (Indiana Miami) and tribal chairman John Miller (Pokagon Potawatomi).

Robin Kills a Hundred did a fine job of organizing and em-ceeing an inspirational benefit concert. Such cooperation in the arts and on campus is good not only for the Native American population of Indiana, but also for those of us whose ancestors arrived here from elsewhere. We all gain from what we give one another. Norbert Krapf Indianapolis from perverted adults. In the case of the U.S.

Congress, that responsibility falls directly on Speaker Dennis Hastert, whose duties include the direction of the page program. As a teacher and coach, he should know the Foley importance of taking action in these situations. Apparently, the congressman avoided his responsibility for political reasons. Philip Boley Superintendent Clinton Central Schools Michigantown Too much money, too little in return Gov. Mitch Daniels' trip to an Albany elementary school kindergarten class to promote all-day kindergarten didn't convince me that moving to a full-day program statewide is a good idea.

At a cost of $210 million for the first year, what do we get? In the words of 5-year-old Brandon Faussett, "We get to play outside and we get to play inside and we have a lot of fun." Hannah Morey, 5, gets to eat in the cafeteria. Chris Conley, the Albany school's principal, thinks the money is well spent on lessons like learning how to line up in the hallway for lunch. Three extra hours a day of "Duck, Duck, Goose" and finger-painting is not money well spent. Eric Wilson Batesville Republicans aren't helping their sheriffs candidate The public needs to see how little help the Marion County Republican Party is giving Steve Davis, its candidate for sheriff. All I see and hear from the news media are stories about Frank Ander son for sheriff.

Where is the GOP support for Davis? There is no merger between the Indianapolis Police Department and Marion County Sher Steve Davis iff's Department. It's a takeover by Anderson and his department. It's too bad that county Republicans aren't helping Davis is his quest to bring good government into the newly combined Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. With the morale of both departments low, we need a forward-looking man in the office, not another political hack. Let's see some help from the county GOP for Davis.

It's only a little more than a month before election time! Don E. Christensen Indianapolis What kids do on their PCs isn't schools' business I am outraged that any educator thinks he or she has the right to police students' freedom of speech discipline and free speech," Oct. 3). The DAN CARPENTER Driven by tunnel vision The Republicans are just going nuts with proposed constitutional amendments these days, and one of the more dubious making the rounds of this election campaign entails making a kind of lock box of the new state highway trust fund. In other words, Major Moves, fat with cash from the Indiana Toll Road lease, would guarantee its long list of projects large and small over the coming decades against any mischief by a future (Democratic?) legislature or governor who might question the value of Bypass or entertain thoughts of mass transit When I asked one of the GOP candidates whether someone in the future might reasonably determine that some of these scores of pavement allocations might be better spent, he replied firmly that the money "has to go to infrastructure." But he could not provide the specificity the question demands.

Neither can the Indiana Department of Transportation or the Daniels administration as a whole, confronting as they do a dynamic (if limping) economy whose twists and turns could turn any bridge or cloverleaf into a boondoggle by groundbreaking time, assuming that's not what it was to begin with. The trust fund legislation itself, a political Christmas tree with concessions to 1-69 opponents prominently hung on it, inspires anything but trust. The fear of alternative uses for coveted and promised highway dollars speaks to the power of certain business and labor lobbies and to a remarkable lack of imagination on the part of a regime that has managed to sell itself as a force for reform. Change in Indiana does not mean more roads. We are varicose with them.

We're not maintaining what we have. We are one of the densest states in the union in interstate highways, and one looks in vain for economic rebirth along many quiet stretches of them. If these people were offering change, we would recognize it. Change in Indiana would be reflected in protection of natural resources and rural communities against shortsighted greed. Change would be manifested in a legislature that shouldered its share of taxation instead of constantly shoving the "empowerment" down to the locals.

Change would not be mere acceleration of overspending on asphalt, of mining and logging on the people's wild lands, of high-stakes contracting with vendors on an inside track. Packing hearings, passing petitions and filing lawsuits, opponents of Major Moves argue that they have democracy, legality and constitutionality all on their side. Their current lawsuit accuses the state of violating the will of the people and the statutes, hand in hand; whereas their earlier suit, dismissed on a preposterous technicality, focused on the constitutional problems with the Toll Road deal. Not content with beating back the rabble, some powers that be and powers that would be propose to amend the very constitution that officially did not get in the way of Major Moves. I guess you can't be too careful these days, what with town boards and county councils joining tree-huggers in questioning the bold new business model behind state government.

Maybe what's new, on second thought, isn't so much the transportation and environmental policies issuing from the Statehouse so much as the uppityness with which they are being greeted in the hinterlands. Martinsville and Bloomington locking arms against 1-69? Throw up another amendment, guards! They'll be asking to get married next. Carpenter is Star op-ed columnist. Contact him at (317) 444-6172 or at dan.carpenterindystar.com. school systems that are participating in punishing students are in direct violation of the Bill of Rights.

Schools can block access to blog sites from school computers and have Internet usage policies in student handbooks. By changing the wording to include what a student says and does when using personal computers should be challenged by parents, students and the American Civil Liberties Union. I know some parents don't monitor what their kids do on the Internet, but this should not give a school system the right to become a dictator. The role of parents is to parent. Schools are trying to infringe on the rights of parents.

Teachers often are overwhelmed by workloads. How are they finding time to police the Internet to see what our children are commenting about in their blogs? Katrina K. Kinder Camby Not quite the truth about stem cell support In today's mail, I received from the Indiana Democratic State Committee a flyer stating that Kathryn Densborn is opposed to stem cell research. However, when I checked the facts on the link included on the flyer, her opposition is specifically against stem cell research using intentionally destroyed embryonic stem cells. This fact does not support the broad claim made by the Indiana State Democratic Committee in its flyer that she is against all stem cell research.

The Indiana State Democratic Committee should be more honest and less inflammatory with potential voters. Megan Herring Indianapolis COLD PLAY: Maggie Sweet squeezed an ice cube in a bag during a water experiment last year in her all-day kindergarten class at Orchard Park Elementary School in Car-mel. The kinder-gartners froze ice-cubes and then had to hypothesize about ways the ice would melt. Maggie predicted her ice would melt when she squeezed it. Star 2005 File Photo Native American conference leaves positive impression As a native of Indiana who returned home after 34 years on the East Coast, I was impressed by what I found at the recent IUPUI Native American Education Conference organized by Johnny Flynn.

Young Pokagon Potawatomi educators Joseph Morsaw and Jason Wesaw gave a moving presentation on how and why they go into schools to make their people's history and heritage come alive for non-Native students. Such conviction, dedication and understanding give Show us actual benefit of all-day kindergarten MY VIEW Every few years in Indiana there is an attempt to revive full-day kindergarten. The ritual began this time around well in advance of the 2007 legislature. At the front of the choir last week was the state's largest newspaper. The Indianapolis Star could not have done 2 more to promote full-day kindergarten than it did in its editorial section on Oct.

1. Reading the Focus section one might not even know that there really is another side to this debate. Contrary to what has been asserted, the assumptions that full-day kindergarten will help Indiana move ahead in educational achievement are based upon flimsy and even contradictory research. The most comprehensive study of this issue is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, conducted by the Clark is executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana and a past member of the Governor's Education Roundtable under governors O'Bannon and Kernan. Micah Clark day kindergarten, would start off with their best foot forward.

Near the front of its report the commission proclaims (after 25 years of research) "experts now are in general agreement there are no detrimental effects to attending full-day kindergarten." Now there's a reassuring reason to spend more than $200 million a year of Hoosiers' tax dollars. If Indiana is going to spend millions more on education, can we find a program that we know for certain actually benefits children? Some supporters do cite studies showing that children in full-day kindergarten make academic progress faster or slightly more than children in half-day programs. However, these same studies also show that the progress is only temporary. As the Education Commission report also states, "there is currently not strong evidence showing that academic gains made in full-day programs last beyond first grade." The Long Beach, Calif, Unified School District did an extensive review of various kindergarten research studies hoping to find support for full-day, but they found the results to be "inconclusive." The district reported the following for school decision makers: "Though the majority of studies claim academic gains for full-day programs, there are also many studies that fail to find academic benefits Those few studies that have looked past 2nd grade find no effect on academic performance." Like most Hoosiers, I would like to support something that really works and moves Indiana ahead educationally. Yet, when one views the bold claims supporting full-day kindergarten and then looks National Center for Education Statistics.

The study tracked 22,782 students in 1,277 schools who entered kindergarten in 1998. The 2004 report found an effect from all-day kindergarten, but not one that supporters are likely to cite. "In terms of kindergarten program type (i.e., all day or part day), there is little meaningful difference in the level of children's end-of-year reading and mathematics knowledge and skills." Of course, there is the Education Commission of the States, one of the resources so often quoted by the Indiana Department of Education on a variety of matters. One would assume that the commission, in its report supporting full- into the actual research behind this expensive proposal, it is not hard to see why one critic has said, "This is the education establishment's version of a faith-based initiative." In the past 10 years national participation in full-day kindergarten has grown from 10 percent to more than 50 percent, but reading scores have not changed. With all the problems in education today, before the Indiana General Assembly embraces this uncertain and costly government expansion, the questions surrounding actual academic benefits of full-day kindergarten deserve much more investigation and explanation..