Well Represented

Our part-time state legislators have completed their annual session. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

• A tax cut for businesses. That sounds like a good thing, especially since the budget is balanced. But that tax cut was paid for in part by cutting unemployment benefits by 25%. But businesses will take that tax cut and hire all those unemployed people, so it’s all good.
• A bill to put on the ballot a proposal to amend the state constitution to discriminate against gay people. It’s not enough that that’s already the law, our state legislators want to enshrine hatred in the state constitution.
• A bill to cut all funding for Planned Parenthood. Our lawmakers (the same ones who feel there’s no need for everyone to have health insurance) assert there’s plenty of access to family planning services. Those who can’t afford it should get a job.
• Now having restricted access to family planning, which logic would lead you to think unwanted pregnancies will increase, the Republican statehouse turned around and restricted access to abortion. Part of this law requires doctors to give medically unsound advice to women seeking abortions.

  Whatever your feelings on the abortion issue, do you really want politicians using their religious views to dictate what advice doctors give their patients?

• A bill to expand the governor’s authority to build new toll roads using public-private partnerships. It is an article of faith that private concerns can do anything better than a government agency. Let’s just forget about the fiasco of Governor Daniel’s attempt to privatize Medicaid and food stamps processing with IBM. Although that will provide jobs for lawyers as the State and IBM sue one another over that for the foreseeable future.
• A bill restricting local government agencies ability to control guns. Among other things, allows law-abiding citizens to pack heat in our public libraries. I’m feeling safer already.
• Sweeping education reform. Since the Republican legislators think the public schools are not doing a good job, they voted to restrict the ability of teachers to negoitate benefits and voted to funnel our tax dollars to for-profit and private schools. Let’s see, cut teacher benefits and send funding elsewhere, there’s a recipe for improving our public schools.
• A bill to crack down on illegal immigrants. As State Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, put it “Lawmakers today sent a clear message that Indiana will no longer be a sanctuary for people who are in our state and country illegally because of our federal government’s failure to act on illegal immigration.” Senate Bill 590, requires most Indiana businesses check the immigration status of new employees, forbids distribution of state aid to illegal immigrants and prohibits local governments from refusing to abide by federal immigration law.

  Wow, guess we showed those Feds how to get tough, Hoosier-style – by requiring local government to, well, follow federal law.

That’s just few highlights of what the Indiana State Legistlature brought us this year. Check back later as the fun is just starting. The leading candidate for governor in 2012 is the 6th District’s own congressional representative, Mike Pence, who famously said,

Facts aren’t important when you’re serving a higher cause.