An Interesting Take on Salem, Indiana and it Corruption Issues

That's the main problem that Salem has is that they want to be a retirement community with poverty level jobs with the people that live there. It might be more quiet crime wise than other places in the country or even where I live (Jeffersonville) but that doesn't make it that great of a place. I've lived there and lived there 25 years growing up and seen how things were conducted and if you like good old boy cops, relatives in politics all over the place, the government run by only a few small families that want to keep it that way then Salem is for you. If you like a town where the cops know who the drug dealers are and refuse to do anything about it, then that's Salem. Or that the legal eagles around town are some of the biggest drug dealers, that's Salem. Or that the judicial branch of government knows who these people are and no one ever goes to jail except nobodies, then that's some more Salem. Add in the fact that Washington County has tons of low wage retail/service jobs and not much in the way of higher paying professional or technical jobs much less many factory jobs left, then that is more of the problem. Which is why people get hooked on drugs and hang with bad elements. Add in a poor educational system where the Salem Schools get C and D rankings at the Elementary School and Middle Schools, etc. Not my type of environment for sure where these problems are known and no one raises a finger to do anything about it. Why? Because the local yokels like it that way and choose to keep the same corrupt politicians and family members in the same offices for years. Washington County had the same sheriff for the better part of 20 years and he was once replaced after his son was boinking an inmate while working at the jail. What happened? They turned around the next election after he was thrown out because they didn't like the new sheriff cleaning house and not allowing all the crap that had been going on. So all of the morons and inbreeds turned around and voted the same corrupt one back in. So now you perhaps understand why some people have such an antipathy towards their own home town which is where they were born and raised. Add in the fact, that the same people have ran the courthouse and county offices in Salem for years and most of them have the same family names around town same as the previous sheriff whose jail was staffed with his relatives. I had a friend that worked for the Washington County Sheriffs Office until 2010 and he had to leave because the stench was so bad that he went back into the military because he was tired of the corruption and family butt kissing that was going on. Same goes with the judicial system where the same judge keeps getting voted in because he has the right name and no one has the fortitude to run against him or probably even paid off. The same judge has been in office almost 25 years now and his own father was a prior mayor for about 12 years. That's the kind of crap that goes on in Salem and Washington County. Its not what your qualifications are, your education, your public decency, its all about who you are related to. That's why about half or more of my graduating class in the 90s left Salem and have never returned there to live. Even the ones that wanted too found it to be too economically limiting and not enough to do. The town doesn't really care about bringing in new businesses that would threaten to take employees and workers away from the businesses around town that want to keep paying substandard wages. The only thing that they've actually did in the last 10 years was finally get a WalMart in November 2016 and Dollar Tree, Goodys and a few other smaller stores in 2009 or so. That's their idea of economic development to keep wages low, people where they can't better the community, and things in control of the old cronies and the criminal syndicate that keeps running Salem. You would have had to lived in Salem to understand the level of political, law enforcement, and judicial corruption and nepotism to understand. If you lived in some state like Kentucky, West Virginia, or some other backwards state you would understand Salem completely. Just as this write this, I've been reading about Salem having a flood and its about 30 miles away now as I live near Louisville. This kind of flooding has happened a couple times in the past but the city fathers and city council/political syndicate members along with the county doesn't bother to get flood protection and proper drainage for the town/city of Salem which might as well be a town. That's the thing is that they've had years to assess ways to prevent these types of storms, rebuild infrastructure and develop roads and new development. Outside of a bypass around the town and some stores that's all they've did. Anyone that wants to make a good living has to drive elsewhere including 40 miles to Kentucky in Louisville or other parts of Southern Indiana that have economically exploded over the years and grew jobs and sustainable economics where people can live, thrive, and achieve. Salem doesn't believe in that and will not adjust to modern thinking. For some reason, change is not in the DNA of these people both running the town and even most of the people in the community. They are impervious to economic progress, jobs, development, etc. It was so hard to try to get people to figure out that a Wal Mart wouldn't be such a bad thing for the town as they were paying twice as much for products at the local stores or having to drive to Scottsburg, Paoli, Bedford, Seymour, Corydon or Clarksville/New Albany just to shop at Wal Mart. While Paoli, IN population 3500 has had a Wal Mart for 20 years and Salem has twice the population of Paoli, etc. Same with other towns in the region that they have had other shopping for years while Salem had nothing and the town almost blew away in the years of 2000 to 2012 or so when they finally started figuring out they couldn't totally be cut off from the rest of the world. That's why Salem has been the way it is and that's also why drugs have been ignored as a problem because the local syndicate didn't want anyone taking over their business. That made for a profitable business for the lawyer class types that have been busted in Florida trying to bring their stashes back to Salem all the while the local cops and prosecutors ignored the problem along with the local judges. There's plenty more to be said/written but there's only so long to discuss these problems. Just giving people a heads up. Read more: https://www.city-data.com/forum/indiana/8351-salem-indiana-4.html

Washington County Indiana Government Is A Laughingstock

One thing about Washington County government that never changes is the sheer amount of stupidity of many of the local officials. Before I get blamed for smearing them with a wide brush not all of them are stupid but there are many stupid ideas and even more stupid opinions that expressed by these people that call themselves county officials. Washington County government has been a total laughingstock for as long as I can remember and that's going back to the 1980s but its gotten much worse over the years. 

From the crummy way the local politicians and good old boys treat the public with total contempt from the way that they could give a damn less about what the public thinks about various proposals. From hiding records from the citizens groups wanting change and reform to violating Indiana's Open Records Law and Open Door policies to just plain hiding things or trying to sweep them under the rugs. 

 It's well past time for the citizens of Washington County, Indiana to start putting these small town hoods and tyrants back in their rightful place at the ballot box and also by going to their meetings, questioning their actions, motives and intentions behind their clown games. The stakes are too high for this community because once a community gets a bad name for corruption, drug problems, criminality and such it is very difficult for the community to recover without a vast change in fortunes. 

Washington County is at a crossroads both economically and socially with massive changes coming to our country in economics, politics and such. We have sat still for far too long and let the good old boy system run things and they've FAILED at being competent managers and stewards of the public trust. Instead, they make their backroom deals and cover-ups so that they don't get roasted by the general public. 

The same could be said of the Salem School Board in 2018 running a Friday afternoon meeting in order to levy another 13 million dollars in taxes and more property taxes for those living in the areas covered by Salem Community Schools. All so they could get their 13 million dollars underhanded as usual and basically saying screw the public and the taxpayers. 

It's time for total transparency in government at the state, local and federal levels. It's time to start calling out crooked public officials not only a sizable number of them in Washington County but also the State Of Indiana as the United States. It's time for Washington County citizens to be good stewards of what we have and to always EXPECT MORE.

The Salem Parks Department

It seems that the Salem Parks and Recreation Department needs to get on the ball and start doing their job in cleaning up our local park and recreation facilities. From the vandals and lowlifes that trash our public facilities such as public park bathrooms and the shelter houses, to those who willingly and wantonly throw out their trash at the parks in our town.

Instead of doing something about it and cleaning up our public parks from those who are illegally smoking and leaving their cigarette butts around the parks they have did little to nothing. These  places include the Parkview Baseball Fields and Depauw Park along with the worst park in the area called Lake Salinda.

Some of this mess has been left at these places by campers who are illegally camping there overnight while the City of Salem Police Department is sleeping on the job while these individuals are illegally camping in our public parks. One might also notice the traffic from and to these parks at hours that are prohibited from public use such as at midnight or three or four am or anywhere in between.

Some of that sort of activity going on late at night in our public parks is obviously people up to no good including drug abuse and other criminal activities. Such behavior is being tolerated by the local police force who aren't any longer making rounds to check for people illegally camping in our parks and therefore leave their trash, food wrappers, cups, styrofoam, condoms and other disgusting waste in our parks. Especially Lake Salinda though I have regularly seen needles at both Lake Salinda as well as the Parkview Baseball Complex even around shelterhouse and along the roadside on occasion.

I guess the City of Salem Parks And Recreation Department doesn't really care about doing anything about cleaning up our public parks that we pay taxes on other than mowing grass for 6 months out of the year. While the facilities are beyond disrepair and nasty in many cases and need to be cleaned up. Including teaching a good cross section of people to respect the environment and cleanup after themselves which seems to be a common problem in Washington County.

Furthermore is the trash that one finds on the banks of Lake Salinda and Lake John Hay as well by those who are camping in those areas which are both illegal to camp in yet there is vast evidence that people have been camping and leaving their trash and refuse everywhere for someone else to pick up. That and being washed into the waterways to be inhaled by fish and other wildlife including deer, etc.

Since the director of the Parks and Rec gets paid 41,000 a year plus and has a decent sized staff that they can't get off their duffs and actually make sure these parks are cleaned up and not having trash all over the banks of the lakes. Not to mention the local Salem City Police cracking down on people that are leaving their trash everywhere as well as the drug abuse problem which leads to needles in our parks and along our roadsides.

Would you want your child or family member to step on a dirty disease filled needle that got left by the roadside or in the park because the slugs that use them are too lazy to clean up after themselves? Tbink about it!

So why isn't Salem Mayor Troy Merry and the rest of the City Council getting on the ball and working on fixing the drug problem in Salem along with the Washington County Court system and the two LAW and ORDER judges that allow this sort of travesty to continue.

Not to mention the good old pork rind eating boys at the Washington County Sheriff's Department which are often too chubby to even bother with chasing down criminals judging by the weight that some of them carry around over their protruding belts. Try some professionalism guys and at least try to get in shape. Instead of coddling the criminals that you know and are more than likely related to.

While we are at it, why don't we ask why the Washington County Prosecutor's Office why they are more interested in staging theater activities in our public courtrooms rather than prosecuting hard core criminals and those in society that have bad intent and bad actions towards their fellow people. Let's ask why is it that the good old boy local lawyer network at the Washington County Prosecutor's office is more interested in doing Masterpiece Theater in front of the local judge and juries than putting hardcore criminals and those endangering others into jail.

Would it because if they weren't showing off so much they would actually have to do their jobs and focus on putting drug dealers, thieves, burglars, domestic violence abusers, child molesters and various other people who commit crime behind bars. Wonder when the good old boys and few girls of the Washington County Prosecutor's Department will do their job. That will be covered in a future topic.
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Salem's Increasing Hobo Population

Salem, Indiana is generally a relatively nice community with people who really do care about their neighbors, their community and have a sense of civic pride at least to some extent.

That being said, the quality of life in Salem, Indiana is being brought down by a variety of factors including the local drug use problem that exists in most counties and most communities in America. Salem is now starting to have problems with homelessness which in past times was hardly a problem but since the economic crash of 2008 and 2009 and the illicit drug trade in Salem, Indiana the homelessness problem has skyrocketed.

The point is that the homeless problem that is increasing in Washington County is having bad effects on the community at large along with the local economic situation which could use a definite improvement.

From some of my sources, I've been told that there are now homeless camps in a couple of areas of Salem that have sprung up in out of the way places that are harder for law enforcement to monitor and patrol. Not having seen these two places I would suspect that this is largely due to the drug problem in Salem and with the inability of the local population to hold jobs or at least try to stay clean.

Why isn't Washington County stepping up public safety and security to make sure that in Salem and other communities these people are in some decent level of shelter and housing instead of allowing a hobo encampment to remain in the city limits in one place and at the edge of the city of the City of Salem

One of the places that one finds much in the way of trash and refuse is along the Salem By Pass carrying State Roads 60 and 135. Of which it is alleged that inside of the bypass in the area between SR 160 and the Wal Mart Supercenter these is now a homeless camp somewhere in that area. Why is this allowed if true because obviously there is no law enforcement activities against such camps to encourage those to find shelter.

Instead what this allows is for more petty crime, violence and criminal activities against those in society that are following the law, paying their taxes and without being bothered or harassed by such individuals. Another such encampment was at one time in the center of Salem behind a local shopping center however that area did flood severely in 2017 so its quite possible nothing is any longer at that location.

With our community having problems due to opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine and other serious drug issues, this isn't the type of public policy that we should be allowing or encouraging. Not to mention the trash and waste that is being produced without any oversight by government bodies such as environmental agencies and health departments. This is leading to more problems by tolerating such activities that create more problems and more dependence as well. It's time for Salem City government and the Washington County government to start cracking down on these activities including the rampant drug use in our city and county and finding ways to combat the problem.

Not by encouraging these behaviors because they just want to push the issue out of the way and behind closed doors like they have with political corruption and corrupt police and politicians and lawyers. Active Search Results (ASR) is an independent Internet Search Engine using a proprietary page ranking technology with Millions of popular Web sites indexed.

Judgment Day!!!!!!!! Hypocrisy Much

Interesting that the Court officer in charge of the Circuit Court in Salem, Indiana mentioned about people smoking pot all day. Very interesting that Salem, Indiana and its low law enforcement, judges, legal eagles and the like have turned a blind eye to drug abuse along with heroin, meth and other drugs over the years. 

All the while talking out their rear end about the problems that drug abuse cause in our communities. Meanwhile, court officials, cops and lawyers in Salem, Indiana have spent decades covering up for those who bring drugs into our communities and only arrest those who are lower level users and offenders. Not the drug kingpins that sell drugs to the general population through their street level dealers. Salem, Indiana so called family values and definite hypocrisy. 

All the while higher level offenders and those who know who are bringing drugs into our community turn their head the other way while they know who is bringing in the dope to our community. Hypocrisy much? All the while putting low level offenders in jail while the drug pushers and mid and upper level drug dealers rake in the profits from others misery and ignorance. Meanwhile the local law enforcement and local legal community gets to rake in the profits from the incarcerations, job security by locking people up and covering for their known and well heeled dealer clientele. Hypocrisy in the highest order in Washington County, Indiana.  Active Search Results (ASR) is an independent Internet Search Engine using a proprietary page ranking technology with Millions of popular Web sites indexed.

Salem School Board Misplaced Priorities

Quite interesting that the Salem School Board in Salem, Indiana only decided to fund the project to fix the pool at the Salem Middle School for 3 million or so dollars as we are told. Guess they had too much community opposition for the 13 million dollar wasteful projects that was wanted by the Superintendent in order to spend more community resources including money for an artificial turf football field that was only going to get a few uses a year for football games for the high school and middle school at a cost of 1-2 million dollars.

Not to mention the other massive waste of resources by a school system that complained in 2016 about not having enough computers and resources for the elementary school at Bradie Shrum. Of course the system couldn't be bothered with getting enough computers that actually work for the students instead of spending a couple million on a football field and some new band quarters at the high school.

You have to wonder about the priorities of these community do gooders and the good old buddy system that exists in the school corporation and among the school board members that are always patting each other on the back for a job not so well done. Active Search Results (ASR) is an independent Internet Search Engine using a proprietary page ranking technology with Millions of popular Web sites indexed.

The Nincompoops of the Salem School Board and Salem Community Schools

Interesting that the Salem School Board in Salem, Indiana along with the Superintendent in 2016/2017 were wringing their hands about what to do in regard to the computer problems that were facing Salem Community Schools students during the ISTEP test. Of which these computers crashed and were unavailable for usage during those tests therefore having to reschedule the tests.

However, they all of a sudden came out of the woodwork in March and April 2018 and started pushing for 13 million dollars in upgrades to the existing schools including a new band room and auditorium at the high school, new artificial turf football field and repairs to the middle school swimming pool.

However, they couldn't be bothered with promoting the actual educational goals of our students and children and instead of more wasteful projects that won't result in a better educated workforce and development of everyone's potential.

Instead, they like the tax and spend set in government want to throw money at a problem and thinking it will go away without any accountability for results.

Interestingly they wanted to spend between 1 and 2 million for new artificial turf for the football field

However, that same 2 million dollars that would have been wastefully spent on a football field that only gets 4 high school varsity games, 4 JV games and 4 middle school games a year should have been proposed for computers. How?

2 million dollars would buy every classroom at Salem enough computers for all 2000 students or so in the system provided only about $1000 was spent on each computer. However, it seems our superintendent and the school board isn't too good at math. Especially considering that at our local big box store a desktop computer runs about 450 to 800 dollars.

Of course, they'll make some excuse why they can't get George or Susie a computer for their classroom but they can spend 13 million on a bunch of pet projects.

MAYBE the school board and the school administration needs to take remedial math.

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