Letter to the Editor
To the EDN:
To the Community of Estherville,
On behalf of the ELC School Foundation, I would like to thank the many businesses and members of our community that made our 15th annual “Champions in Education” banquet a great success for us.
This year’s honorees, the late Hugh & Jan Greig and family, life long residents of Estherville, are shining examples of what is great about our community. Thank you to the Greigs for their dedication, generosity, and commitment to our town and our schools. And thanks to the family, friends, and many colleagues that attended the banquet to honor them.
Our foundation relies on banquet sponsorship to cover our costs and to ensure continued growth to support our grants and scholarships. This year’s 36 sponsors are a wonderful display of the support we have in our community for the educational needs of our youth. We thank all of our sponsors and urge everyone to return their support by doing business locally. They are listed here.
Mark & Deb Almquist
Henry-Olson Funeral Home
Avera Holy Family Health
Houseman Oil/Riverside Sinclair
Bank Plus
Dave Howard LPA Firm
Drs. Blake & Meyer, DDS
Hy-Vee Store
Blum & Leonard Agency
Iowa Lakes Elec Coop
Bob Jensen Agency
Lester Dental Office
Brinkman & Reed CPAs
Motor Inn Inc
Edward Jones Investments
Nelson, Gayer, & VerSteeg CPAs
Emmet County State Bank
Northstar Bank & Agency
Estherville Building Center
Northwest Bank
Estherville Foods
PEO Chapter ON
Estherville Medical Center
Racine’s for Him/Her
Estherville Noon Kiwanis
Randy’s Body & Wrecker
Estherville Rotary
RWC/Bob & Jean Grems
Eyecare Centre
Romantic Treasures
Fitzgibbons Law Firm
Roy’s Auto Body
Greig & Co
Dennis & Patricia Tyrrell
Mark Hanson Ins Service
Woody’s Pizza
We also thank Fifth Street Gifts for our centerpiece, Clarken Auctioneering for helping with our dessert auction, KILR & EDN for publicity, Four Seasons Greenhouse for Greigs’ bouquet, Dollar General for the guest book, Estherville Elks Lodge for a delicious meal, Estherville Chamber, and cat tales anteeks.
The foundation also recognizes George Shadle for helping us with our presentation that night. The Shadles are another great example of a family with a strong commitment to our community.
Our beautiful desserts were made by Bobby Jo Lupkes at the Elks, Laurie Olson of KUOO, Treats to Treasures, Avera Holy Family, Lois Creech, and the foundation board’s own Doug Wagner. The auction was a great success, and we say a special thank you to those that purchased the desserts: Northstar Bank & Agency, Avera Holy Family, Estherville Medical Clinic, the Eyecare Centre, Moreau Chiropractic, and Greig & Co.
ELC School Foundation projects include scholarships, recognition of valedictorian and salutatorian, purchasing books and extra learning materials, helping to fund field trips, as well as working to increase our endowment fund. Our Key Grants benefit every class from K-12. We’re able to continue these projects because of our banquet sponsorships and ticket sales, from memorials, through donations of stock for estate and tax planning, by establishing scholarships in a loved one’s name, and also through payroll deductions made by many of the employees within our school system.
I would also like to say thank you to the volunteers that make up the ELC School Foundation Board of Directors. They are Theresa VerSteeg, Dave Howard, Kevin Sander, Mary Beardsley, Edith Clarken, Bernadette Duitsman, Becki Hall, Mark Henry, Barb Houseman, Shirley Limberg, Jody Schroeder, Doug Wagner, and Molly Jo Anderson, our school board liaison. These people give up their time to promote the foundation’s mission to improve education, and I appreciate their help and support. The board secretary is Betty Ann Rosfjord, and she’s a great help with everything the board does. Thank you, Betty Ann.
Again, a sincere thank you to all who have helped our foundation grow, and to the many “Champions in Education” that give their time and support to improve our school system.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa Dreeszen
President, ELC School Foundation
Letter to the Editor
The Cap & Trade bill will do just that. It’s called H.R. 2454, the Waxman-Markey bill. This bill has already passed the House. The Senate is debating it now. This bill is bad news for everyone. It will effect anything and everything you purchase or pay for.
For instance, this legislation will require you to retrofit your home before you can sell it. The government will measure the energy efficiency of your home. Whatever standards the government requires, which your house does not meet – siding, roofing, windows, doors, electrical, heating, air conditioning, appliances – you will be forced to spend money on compliance or no sale. The cost for the seller to bring the house up to compliance will be passed on to the seller or buyer.
This bill, if passed, will create the largest tax increase any of us has ever experienced. Taxes passed onto us from taxes imposed on factories, farmers, livestock producers, packing plants, truckers, oil companies, utility companies, etc.
Here is a list of products, consumables, services, etc, that will cost more. How many more can you add to this?
Gasoline 58 percent
Heating Oil 55 percent
Electricity 90 percent
Diesel
Pesticides
Oil
Natural Gas
Coal
Paint
Groceries
Beverages
Clothing
Footwear
Tools
Poultry Production
Cars
Trucks
Boats
RVs
Tractors
Farming
Road Equipment
Hunting Supplies
Fishing Supplies
Golfing Supplies
Water
Sewer
Movies
Cable TV
Crop production
Satellite
Pet Food
Fast Food
Motel Rooms
Rental Housing
Home Construction, new or remodel
Home and yard maintenance
Amusement Park
Concert fees
RV Park fees
Computers and electronic equipment
Vehicle repair and maintenance
Golf course fees
Livestock production
Info taken from the Heritage Foundation: Because agriculture is energy intensive, it would be disproportionately burdened by Waxman-Markey. Higher gasoline and diesel fuel prices; higher electricity costs; and higher natural-gas-derived fertilizer costs all erode farm profits, which are expected to decline by 28 percent in 2012 and average 57 percent lower through 2035.
Energy-intensive and “trade-exposed” industries will undoubtedly be at a competitive disadvantage in relation to companies in other countries that do not put a price on carbon emissions.
This bill would take the nation down a job-killing path. Some jobs would be destroyed entirely. Others would be outsourced to nations that don’t drink the cap-and-trade Kool-Aid.
China, India and other developing nations have wisely stated that they won’t accept similar global warming restrictions on their own economies, and for good reason. They know full well that the policies giving rise to green jobs kill many more jobs in the process.
We can’t accept this. In the 1970s it was going to be a new ice age. Now the earth is going to burn up due to your daily activities. Scientific facts disprove this.
Call your local, state and federal reps today and let them know what you think of this bill.
Federal phone # 202-224-3744
Ron Smith,
Tea Party Patriot