Just a reminder to GET OUT AND VOTE!!! I was to my polling place just before noon and if the number of signatures I saw in the book are any indication, the turnout is going to be light. It’s a sad commentary when the news polls show Congress and the President with approval ratings in the basement, but then when citizens have a chance for input in the elections they can’t be bothered. The majority of seats up for consideration in this primary election are for State and Local positions. Not as controversial, but still important. I told you why I was supporting Francis Ellert previously here. There are many other important candidates to support on the ballot as well.
As a closing note, please make your vote an informed vote. Even at this late hour it’s not too late to find out about the candidates and vote responsibly. If you’re not going to do that, then I retract my opening request. I should have said, Get out and Vote… RESPONSIBLY!
Kevin Berger presenting ABC's endorsement and check to Francis Ellert at Coca-Cola Bottling in Plymouth
I had the opportunity to meet with Francis Ellert recently and present him with a check and endorsement from Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana (ABC). Easterday Construction has been a member of ABC for nearly three decades and I have served on the organization’s State Board of Directors through four terms. Francis has attended several ABC events and the organization has found him to be a like-minded individual that will fit well in representing our Free Enterprise cause. I consider Francis a personal friend and I was pleased to be able to relay our support.
This is Francis’s second run at the Indiana House District 17 position. I supported him in his first run (see here) and will do so again this time. Currently he has a primary challenger, but no Democrats have filed to run for the position in the Fall. Turnout will still be important in the primary. Since the Republican candidate for President has been decided before the Indiana primary, it’s important to make your voice heard in this local issue.
Lest you think voting isn’t important in the primary, there seems to be a real divide in the campaigning. I see very few Harman signs in the Culver area where Francis is well represented. I see mostly Harman signs in the Bremen area where Tim is well known. Culver in particularly shouldn’t be complacent and assume that Francis has it sewn up! We need to get out the vote and support him.
I can’t say anything bad about Tim Harman. From what I know of him, he is a good person, has run a clean campaign and has the best interests of District 17 at heart. But he’s not the known candidate that Francis is. Francis ran a hard campaign against Nancy Dembowski in 2010 and I think he benefited from it. Not only did it help him better define his positions, but it helped him make contacts that will be crucial when he joins the General Assembly next year. Those contacts are what have garnered the support of the Indiana Chamber, the Indiana Manufacturers Association and the Indiana Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.
Please consider helping me support Francis in the primary. In less than a week we’ll be making this choice. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to voting for a candidate that I can truly support rather than choosing the lesser of evils. I don’t think Francis tells election fairy tales.
The Culver Kiwanis Club is holding a benefit Raffle with chance to win a cash prize or money towards a new car! Easterday Construction Co., Inc. is happy to help them in this endeavor.
Good Luck to the Kiwanis on a successful fundraiser and good luck to all who help them out by participating!
I had the opportunity to introduce Kris Bex of The Remnant Trust to the Culver Kiwanis yesterday. The Remnant Trust is an organization that collects and preserves documents from the 19th century and older. They concentrate their collection on documents that promote the concepts of Liberty and Dignity. They currently have 1206 cataloged works with more being added to their collection as important works become available.
Kris has been President of The Remnant Trust since its inception in 1997. He explained how the idea for the organization came about for this group in the late 80’s/early 90’s. He also spoke about how they came to be located in Winona Lake. It is obviously very much a personal mission for him and he explained how some of his family inspired the creation of the trust. He has board of directors that he reports to which he said, “Limits his Indiana Jones style adventures…”, but he does travel the nation with examples of the works held in their trust.
One of the unique things about their organization is their belief that these documents should be shared with the public. Members of the Kiwanis Club were afforded the opportunity to see some of these documents up close. The opportunity to actually see an original copy of the Federalist Papers is a unique and exciting event. That document was included in the samples brought for the club to examine. Authors represented in the trust include Aristotle, Adam Smith, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Milton, Plato and Alexis de Tocqueville among others.
The Book Vault at The Remnant Trust in Winona Lake
Kris spoke about the care that is taken in preserving and presenting the documents under his protection. He kindly acknowledged our help in creating their facility in Winona Lake and briefly discussed the systems in place to protect them. Not unlike the protection systems some of you may have seen in the movie Angels and Demons, humidity and temperatures are controlled tightly and a specialized fire suppression system is employed that will squelch a fire by removing oxygen from the room while avoiding any residual chemical damage to the books. Unlike those books and documents in the movie, The Remnant Trust believes their collection should be shared with the public. Access is obviously controlled, but they do hold public events. If you are interested in attending one, there is a list of public exhibit dates here.
You can find some additional information on our part in constructing The Remnant Trust facility in Winona Lake here in our blog. Just search for The Remnant Trust in the search box on the right. It was also interesting to learn that Kris attended Hillsdale College, though the group has no affiliation. Some of you may recognize the Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College that I have included in the miscellaneous links in the side bar of this blog since its origin.
This is a project we’re extremely proud to include in our portfolio and I was pleased to be able to bring a piece of it to Culver for my friends at the Kiwanis Club to experience. Thank you Kris for making yourself available to give an interesting presentation.
Just a reminder to GET OUT AND VOTE!!! I was to my polling place just before noon and if the number of signatures I saw in the book are any indication, the turnout is going to be light. It’s a sad commentary when the news polls show Congress and the President with approval ratings in the basement, but then when citizens have a chance for input in the elections they can’t be bothered. The majority of seats up for consideration in this primary election are for State and Local positions. Not as controversial, but still important. I told you why I was supporting Francis Ellert previously here. There are many other important candidates to support on the ballot as well.
I had the opportunity to introduce 
Kris has been President of The Remnant Trust since its inception in 1997. He explained how the idea for the organization came about for this group in the late 80’s/early 90’s. He also spoke about how they came to be located in 