A Citizen's Guide to Indiana

The Indy Star has an article entitled Daniels heartened by 55% job approval. It mentions Daniels won the election with 53%. So far, I think Mr. Daniels has done an adequate job except that he seems focused on cleaning out the environmental agencies before FSSA and his apparent indifference to employee rights. But, I think the real test will come after Daniels’ budget initiatives take hold — including belt tightening for schools and various social services.

The Indy Star has an article entitled Daniels heartened by 55% job approval. It mentions Daniels won the election with 53%. So far, I think Mr. Daniels has done an adequate job except that he seems focused on cleaning out the environmental agencies before FSSA and his apparent indifference to employee rights. But, I think the real test will come after Daniels’ budget initiatives take hold — including belt tightening for schools and various social services.

Journal and Courier Editorial on the symbolic mandates the General Assembly is force feeding (SB 332) our schools. They say:

Count on legislators, when they think they have nothing better to do, to return to unflagging shows of patriotism to lift their spirits.

The General Assembly this week sent to Gov. Mitch Daniels a copy of Senate Bill 332, a measure that requires schools to display a U.S. flag in every classroom, to provide a daily opportunity for students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance and to establish a daily moment of silence in each classroom.

Now who could vote against that? But do schools really need the state to force feed them patriotism and individual reflection?

Their proposal: beef up civics classes, teach them why the symbols are important. Teach them what the First Amendment means. This is a great point. I seem to recall hearing that not all high schools require or even offer civics classes. That’s disappointing. We need to teach our kids what it means to be citizens as opposed to just consumers or workers or voters or flag-waving partisans.

Previous commentary: here, here, and here.

Lafayette Journal and Courier Editorial on daylight saving time: 1) They’ll believe it when they see it; and 2) Why the rush to enact DST “midstream” (in June, apparently) instead of just waiting until next April? Good question.

Hoosier Standard Time has been good enough for all these years. And, while I contend, it is better for Indiana because of our geographic situation, if the General Assembly does intend to condemn us to dark April mornings, putting our toddlers down 2 hours before sunset, and fiddling with clocks, surely it can wait until next April.

Two stories, maybe they’re related, maybe they’re not. But they seemed to compliment each other. The Evansville Courier Press has a story entitled Indiana Has a Hard Time Keeping College Graduates According to the story, Indiana ranks 46th in the nation in terms of adults with college education. 21.1% of adult Hoosiers have a college degree, compared to a nationwide average of 28%. But it’s not because we don’t educate our kids. 63% of Hoosier high school graduates go on to college, 10th in the country. But they don’t graduate and they don’t stay – Barely half graduate within 6 years and, of those who do, 20% leave for other states. The article says that the jobs for graduates are located elsewhere, and the manufacturing jobs we did have are going away.

After reading that, I was struck by a story in the Palladium-Item reporting that Lt. Governor Becky Skillman was touting farming growth as a major component of her administration’s economic plan.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t see agriculture keeping our kids who graduate in the state. Perhaps our economic development resources should be directed elsewhere.

The Indy Star is reporting Daylight Saving Time clears big hurdle. The House Committee on Public Policy & Veterans Affairs stripped a Senate Bill that would have raised speed limits from 65 to 70 and inserted legislation that would require Indiana to switch to Eastern Daylight Time between April and October (starting June 5 this year for some reason) unless it was a part of the state that is currently in the Central Time Zone.

Good news: you’ll be on the same time as Ohio. Bad news: it’ll take you an hour longer to get there.

The legislature’s website seems to be slow updating today so I haven’t been able to look at the legislation. I wonder if anyone has done a study asking how much it’s going to cost Indiana businesses to revamp all of their timekeeping systems by June 5. (Given that proponents of DST cite the supposedly prohibitive costs of setting up for Hoosier Standard Time if they want to do business in the state.)

Silence is golden, but bill isn’t needed The Indy Star has an editorial on SB 332 which mandates a moment of silence in schools, mandates a U.S. flag be hung in each classroom, and requires the Attorney General to provided a defense to any school that gets sued over these mandatory provisions. The Star suggests that these matters could be considered at the local level, notes that the Governor would have a hard time refusing to sign the legislation, and states that the General Assembly shouldn’t have put him in that position. The Star points out that the General Assembly has better things to spend its time on.

I have previously offered some commentary on this bill similar in nature to that offered by the Star’s editorial board here and here.

Senate Bill 0015 Absentee ballots. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to sort through this bill. But it looks like a provision was added that requires individuals voting absentee before the circuit court clerk or a satellite office to provide ID. Adding that provision was a close vote — 49 to 44, but I don’t see a roll call available just yet. Obviously, it would be hypocritical for a legislator to vote in favor of ID at the polls and against it when a voter is voting absentee.