The New York Times has an article on Indiana’s new significance in the Democratic primary race entitled “For Indiana Voters, Talk of Change May Fall Flat.” It leads with the theme that change might not be so attractive to Hoosiers because we fear change – just look at our resistance to Daylight Saving Time. With all due respect: blow me. The resistance to DST was primarily practical. Year round Eastern Standard Time (or year round Central Daylight Time, if you prefer) simply reflected a notion that we should set our clocks for our own convenience, basing our system on the realities of our geographic location with respect to the sun.
Hoosiers aren’t so much resistant to change as they are practical. We don’t so much go in for change just for change’s sake, and I’ll admit we’re reluctant to be the earliest adopters, but when something is broken, we’re all for fixing it.
Beyond that, the article focuses on Kokomo but purports to assess the candidates’ chances in other areas of the state.
Update A comment by Brenda reminded me of how much I love the Lazy Muncie clip:
We ARE resistant to change. I mean, c’mon, look at the great proposals in the Kernan-Shepherd Commission Report, some of which had been around since the last Commission 30 years ago. We have the same local government as when we approved the Constitution in 1851.
BUT, the people making the moves in the DEM Party are the change agents. I think the establishment bought into Clinton with Evan “If I can’t be President, can I at least be your VP, please, Hillary” Bayh. That sound you hear is the a**-kissing of many Indiana DEMs who suckle at the teat of Bayh’s fundraising machine. Sadly it includes our locals who privately admit that they were pressured into supporting Clinton by Evan.
In Shelbyville, my mother used to constantly quote to me: “Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside!”
Yeah the rest of the country doesn’t understand that the time change thing was a farce because the majority of the state ended up in the wrong time zone.
*sigh* It had to be Kokomo. Well, at least it wasn’t Martinsville.
At least the author acknowledged the fact that different parts of the state will vote…well….differently.
The NYT newspaper is probably just upset that we may not help elect their “anointed one.”
Doug,
Took the words out of my mouth when I read your headline. Well, except for the “With all due respect” part. You are far more polite.
Doug –
You give them too much respect.
Tell them how you REALLY feel!
Doug:
I disagree. See, here’s the key:
What is anyone in Indiana proposing to do anything about being a manufacturing state in a world in which manufacturing jobs are leaving? We’re replacing manufacturing jobs with distribution jobs.
Neither party’s doing much, if you ask me, and neither party will face much support. Indiana residents, when faced with higher taxes to support re-educating workers or lower taxes, will choose lower taxes.
Kokomo? Mercy. The Times probably remembered the name from the town’s insane treatment of Ryan White. Of all the places to go.
Surprised it wasn’t Muncie (of Middletown fame).
If nothing else, Muncie has the excellent Lazy Muncie clip.
actually, the story reminded me of the hudsucker proxy, particularly the newsroom scenes where the smarmy manhattan reporters sit around talking smack about tim robbins’s character (a muncie man).
No disrepectin’ that. :0
Resistant to change? Yeah, that’s Indiana. Pitifully low graduation rates are emblematic of a resistance to change.
Joe has it right. Manufacturing is not coming back. So what are YOU going to do to survive (not what are Democrats or Republicans are going to do, but what are YOU going to do)?
Seeing as how our school spending is fairly generous, I don’t see anything more that the government can do to change things. There needs to be a change in culture to realize that a high school degree is the MINIMUM educational qualification needed.
Once we get that HS graduation rate up, we can worry about college graduation rates, which are similarly low.
We got our problems. Hell, Kokomo is doing better than Anderson. Yes, we have shoddy political leaders. Yes, we still have people who think they can get by on a high school education. But there is – in my opinion – a real desire for change to a better life here instead of having to move out of state. And, Doug, blow me was way too nice .
Our school spending may be generous, but our results stink.
“With all due respect: blow me”
Doug….You’re my hero.
You need better heroes. :)
Our school spendng is “generous” because we overpay administrators who have about as much of a clue as doorknob. They’re usually good schmoozers, but their only education-related idea could be classified as “solution du jour” (remember school choice?).
Sheesh, the woman went to Kokomo and came back with three identical quotes. Q.E.D.
And this is the New York Times which pledged it was going to get to know Red State America a couple years back. Turns out to be full of corn-fed Gomers with a great big love for Jebus and the US of A. There’s a shocker.
Guys, it very well may be that our school spending is not well targeted. My only point is that $8000+ per year per student is a pretty high number. Spending more is not going to get you any bang for the buck.
But streamlining administration, or whatever, could very well help a little bit.
But what really needs to happen is that students and parents all take school a lot more seriously. Academics need to be as popular as athletics. It’s a hell of a lot more important for the average student’s future.
Doug, The “Lazy Muncie” utube is hilarious. It was interesting seeing the venues around Muncie in the clip. It’ll be interesting how the Indiana primary winds up and the Kentucky primary two weeks later. There was an article in today’s Louisville Courier-Journal that the race is neck and neck in Indiana with Obama holding a slight lead. Clinton is expected to win in Kentucky, it seems mathematically impossible though for Clinton to get the nomination.