I am writing in response to a frontpage article published last week in the Journal Review, “Baird seeks harvest fuel relief” (September 30, 2026). Any farmer in Montgomery County should respond to this article with anger. In the article, Beau Baird, our Republican state house representative, is essentially begging Gov. Braun and President Trump “to temporarily reduce fuel costs for farmers…if there are responsible steps that can be taken to lower their costs.”
“Responsible steps”? Anyone following the news can see who is responsible for these high fuel costs in the first place: Beau Baird’s father, our current congressional representative, Jim Baird, and the man he votes with 97% of the time, Donald Trump. If Jim Baird and his fellow Republicans in Congress had done their constitutionally mandated jobs, which is to determine whether our country should go to war, we wouldn’t be wasting billions of dollars on the totally unnecessary war in Iran, the direct cause for these damaging fuel prices. High fuel prices are just the current concern because it is harvest season. That’s why the Bairds are only asking for “temporary” relief.
Now I am asking my Montgomery County friends and neighbors to take responsibility and stop this spiral of irresponsible and unresponsive government. We have an alternative in our 4th Congressional District, Drew Cox, the Democrat running to replace Jim Baird. I believe that Drew Cox is the right person for the job. I’ve spoken to him and heard him speak several times, I’ve read about his background and positions on his website (https://www.drewcox.org/) and I urge you to do so before you vote. You may not agree with everything he proposes, but I think you’ll see that this man has the integrity, wisdom, and passion to represent us responsibly.
I will conclude with this quote from his website to give you a sense of who Drew is and some of what he stands for: “Born and raised in Indiana (Vermillion County), Drew is the son of a dedicated elementary school teacher with 35 years of service and a fourth-generation farmer. In 2012, he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps. After completing his military service, he used the GI Bill to pursue higher education at Indiana University and went on to earn a doctorate in music from the University of Illinois. Drew… , a lifelong Hoosier, has seen and lived the challenges that Indiana residents are facing. Inaccessible healthcare, impacts from data centers, and unaffordable cost of living are among the many issues Drew is committed to addressing.”
Drew is currently helping his father on the family farm to bring in his harvest!
Warren Rosenberg
Crawfordsville
