Don't forget needs of people south of U.S. 30

I consider the editorial and letter sections a valuable part of the paper, but the editorial rarely drives me to respond.

The editorial lists five items our dysfunctional Legislature should act on "that could bring more immediate economic benefit to Northwest Indiana and the state." The smoking ban is a no-brainer; the only downside is that it appears to have too many exceptions.

More important, the other four are all for northern Northwest Indiana. The Cline Avenue bridge, land-based casinos, Little Calumet levee funding and bus service all appear aimed north of U.S. 30. I'm sure the I-80 corridor needs help, but things aren't a bed of roses down here either.

Some months ago I read a Times article that quoted someone from the Northwestern Indiana Planning Commission regarding the proposed Illiana Expressway toll road. The person said at the time that they didn't really have much opinion about the Illiana because most of their time was spent working on the Lake Michigan lakefront communities.

If The Times and the NIRPC don't include us in their plans, it would behoove us to move into a county or region that will include us.

- Jim Moore, Cedar Lake