In a message dated 8/14/2005 5:00:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time, INDYTALK-the
Richardsons writes:
wanted to create an index like the WPA's. Randolph is one
of the counties that didn't get indexed. Both times the man that is in the
Health Dept. has denied me.
I have an email from the State Health Dept. saying it is ok for me to do
this. I also was given a copy of the state laws that states they are public
record and there are penalties if someone is denied.
I have had problems with bureaucratic clerks such as this guy in the Health
Department you mention. They seem to be obstructionist types, who, if they can
get away with it, will lie to you and laugh as you walk away defeated. The
best thing to do, it seems to me, is to go in there and try to get a different
person to wait on you. (Go at lunch time?) And if that doesn't work, have
the copy of the state laws with you and show it to them.
I wasn't even aware of WPA lists like this. They should be in book form
somewhere, I presume. How do we get hold of these lists? I'm definitely
interested in them for Spencer County.
In California, where I live, a few years ago the governor offered the birth
indexes for sale as a way to make money for the state. There was such a furor
raised they withdrew them. Some alert people did buy copies, though, but I
wasn't one of them. And KY offered death records about the same time but it was
my understanding they were withdrawn, also. With all the upset over identity
theft, I think they've been changing laws about releasing records. Here in
California, their excuse is that we have lots of illegals from Mexico who try
to steal identities through publication of records. It's a crock, though.
They can go downtown anywhere and buy phony papers on the street. Nobody goes to
the trouble to try to steal someone's birth or death information.
Peggy Guinn Bowen
Spencer Co. IN Coordinator