1. Taxes:
In Calumet Township U.S. Steel Corporation does not pay its
fair share. Currently it is assessed at $106 million, a sum
$11 million less than the assessor of Ross Township believes
Southlake Mall is worth. The Reason: House Bill 1902, supported
by Charlie Brown, took away the power of our elected officials
to assess USS and gave it to unnamed bureaucrats in Indianapolis.
2. Conservation:
Lake Michigan is our greatest natural resource. It is our Rocky
Mountains and Grand Canyon, not our garbage dump or sewer system.
I will not compromise this resource.
3. Taxes & Conservation:
Currently our wages, our homes, our purchases, our gas, cigarettes,
alcohol, even our marriages are taxed, but we don’t tax
pollution. Science has demonstrated that global warming is caused
by pollution. It is time to tax pollution, not people. My opponents
will raise the fear of lost jobs. We have lost thousands of
jobs in Northwest Indiana without a pollution tax-but we have
gained precious few of the non-polluting jobs of the new economy.
Why? One answer is that while we have lost the jobs, we have
not lost the pollution. In Lake County alone over 396 million
pounds of air pollution per year are reported to the federal
government by our major pollutors. It’s time to tax pollution-not
people and their homes.
4. Political:
Why do we have to declare a party to vote? Why can’t we
have real choice in Fall elections? Let’s open the Primary
system and let everyone compete.
5. Railroad Crossing Safety:
Each year hundreds of people are injured or killed going around
down railroad gates. We can solve this problem by insisting
on double gating at all gated crossings. Railroads must put
an 800 number on their gates to be contacted by motorists blocked
by malfunctioning gates or parked trains blocking intersections.
Like seatbelts and air bags, we can save lives now.
Thank You,
George A. Rogge
