Editor:

Now the school referendum is on the ballot on May 7th primary election and actively asking your support to Vote “Yes!”. However, we are also fully aware there are many voices of concerns against the referendum as it involves your tax money.

We can delve into the “pennies” to show you all the details. Please visit Brown County Schools website www.browncountyschools.com and you have no other choice but look at “2024 Referendum” and its all data, and calculate your tax dollars. Furthermore, please call cell 260-460-7873 of our dear Superintendent Emily Tracy as she is willing to talk to any resident till May 7th to get you onboard. However, at the end, the decision is about YOU and if you are willing to make a sacrifice for children and their education. Let’s say from one McDonald combo to very nice dinner at Hard Truths per month or maybe even more based on what value of home you live in now. And I do hear the painful feedback from our dear retiree friends who must suffer from the higher expenses when they have to live with their fixed income. At the end, its more about inhumane or inconsiderate tax policy toward our seniors but nothing like their unwillingness to support our schools in Brown County. So let’s little bit delve into financial infrastructure of our society as a frame of reference.

Basically, the majority of grassroots American have lost their money power since pension got dropped out in 1980s. Before then, there was not much worry about savings for the future. They went to work, came home, watch TV, raised their children and their life was “set” after they retire. However, ever since 401k (to simply to include all other investment related retirement plan like 403b, IRAs etc) kicked in as our major retirement option, the burden of making a retirement check fell from the boss to us the employee, grassroots people. And what do we know? And what do even our financial advisors know? We all have been misguided believing in 401k is the answer and now retirees have to watch their asset balance dancing along the market, and some run out of money too soon. And can you believe it was the Government who thwarted the pension plan because they were lobbied by the mutual fund industry to kick out the insurance industry? Therefore, 98% Americans (that probably includes you) now “gamble” their retirement without proper preparation, mostly without being fully educated by retirement 101 knowledge “Sequence of Market Return Risk” that even your advisor can’t answer from the top of their heads. The risk alone can expose you naked into the market volatility and it is my true horror to witness this disparity of knowledge even among financial professionals. Plus, Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman, despite their splendid media presence, are misleading millions of Americans into this losers’ matrix. They are the saviors to the train-wrecked, but not you who can stand on your own feet. Definitely not the answer for your retirement plan. Period.

So it’s my daytime job as a financial professional to awaken our people to this “scary” reality and help find the solutions, and on the other hand, I have to still share the reasons why we have to support the school referendum. Our goal in life is not just to make the biggest money,

but to spend well. Spending with philosophy and principles. That’s how money is reborn as values. When you do a right thing, even though you may have to bear some sacrifices, you will be compensated by the larger scale of life. Children come first regardless. Less money in education means bigger troubles. A very barometer to create the next generation leveled down. If our students lost 1.2 million dollars, then that much, they suffer and we end up suffering as well as a community and society.

Therefore, instead of scrutinizing into the pennies, or snarling the baseless criticisms towards our educators for their salaries (if I can, I want to make sure every single teacher and staff can make minimum $100,000 per year, which will definitely make our world a better place), let us mediate on principles and not to forget a bigger perspective. Per Leviticus 26:3-5 “ If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commandments, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in a safety in your land.”

Before my conclusion, PLEASE send your generous money, even though you can’t claim for tax exemption, to PAC, P.O Box 1243, Nashville, IN 47448, a check payable to “Brown County Kids Are Worth it PAC.” If you contact me in person, then I will be more than happy to drive any distance in Brown County to pick up your donation. Thank you, God Bless, and Brown County Kids are Truly Worth our Love and Support!!

Sincerely,

Clara Stanley,

PTO Council / Referendum PAC Fundraiser Chair