If we agree with those builders of our mighty Republic, all humanity is equal, should we not also insist they be governed, even punished equally?


In nearly every report of Indiana’s impending hate crime legislation we read: Indiana is only one of five states without hate crime legislation. It appears to be a condescending slight suggesting Hoosiers are little more than a bunch of valueless conservative rubes intent on forever camping out in the frontier of morbid bigotry. These reports are no doubt intended to inflame the unacquainted and thrust the previously defeated legislation on citizens who have qualitatively objected in past legislative cycles.

The governor now attempts to rank the citizens of Indiana and make us answerable to special classifications: old, gay, poor, minority, majority, etc. It appears Gov. Eric Holcomb, like LBJ before him, measures minority people and sees them as inferior and helpless. Is it proper for the state to judge people categorically inadequate or should we expect to be accepted simply as citizen, human, and equal?

The legal establishment of classes and castes is, by its very nature; special selection, classism, bigotry, and existential inequality. This is far different from the equality of all men envisioned by our founding fathers who recognized the laws of nature, and of nature’s God, the sole grantor of universal equality. If we agree with those builders of our mighty Republic, all humanity is equal, should we not also insist they be governed, even punished equally?

If equality is virtuous and right, then establishing inequality by statute makes the state without virtue or equality and unfit to demand citizens line up by ranks of varying value and legal status. Therefore, hate crime legislation is not the way forward, it is undoubtedly and contentiously arousing a spirit of segregation.

Andrew Reum

Fort Wayne 

Without a hate crimes bill, Indiana takes a step backward

With the removal of hate crime protection from our hate crimes bill, we as a state are saying that we don't support minorities, people of color, or people from the LGBTQ community. We are taking a step backward as a government. We are no longer standing for the values that I, as a Hoosier, have always found to be most important. With this change, I have lost faith in the state I have been proud to call home; the state in which I was born. I will no longer be proud to be a Hoosier if this continues. Indiana needs to be a beacon for the future. We need to be a state that stands for what matters and refuses to let those marginalized by society to be left on the sidelines, targeted by ignorant people. Will Gov. Eric Holcomb let our state fall into the hands of those who cannot see past their own skin — who cannot find humanity in those who are different?

Hadley Rankin


Both sides lack compelling argument in hate crimes debate

In the hate crimes debate, passions have boiled as one side contends that Indiana is uninviting without it, and the other states that special protected classes are unfair to everyone else. Neither argument persuades me. This legislation doesn’t make hate crimes illegal. They have always been illegal. Will bigots, racists, or homophobes repent of their sins because of tougher sentences? Does someone come to Indiana thinking, “If I’m assaulted, my assailant won’t be punished as harshly as they would in Illinois?” The other side decries protected classes as unfair. I don’t understand this argument either. Do I care if my assailant gets six months, when someone else’s assailant gets one year? Judges already have the authority to adjust sentences. This also won’t be a new invention.

I personally don’t see the need for this legislation. Everyone is protected equally under the law. However, issues like this are not powered by logic. Instead, emotions rule the roost. If 45 other states have it, would it really hurt for us to adopt it? My mom used to ask, “If everyone jumps of a bridge, should you? I guess that depends on what you believe is below.

Josh Albrecht


Make teacher pay a legislative priority in Indiana

If Republican lawmakers really believe that improving teacher pay is a legislative priority then why don’t they put their money where their mouth is? I am a fifth year music education student from Ball State University currently student teaching in the Fort Wayne area, and although I’m not even a teacher yet I am fed up with our current government.

These lawmakers vote against measures that would raise base teacher pay to $40,000 a year while securing funding to turn teachers into armed security guards. They lament the state of our public schools while defunding them by increasing the both the amount of charter schools and their funding. They talk of teacher shortages while offering pay increases that barely keep salaries adjusted for inflation.

I am only a student teacher and there have been times that I have worked 65 hour weeks. I do this for free because I want to be a teacher someday. But knowing that once I graduate, all of the hours I’ll put in trying to give my students an educational and engaging experience will earn me less than I could make working in the factories in my hometown is disheartening. I guess I can take solace in the fact that I live close to Michigan, so maybe I can get a job in a state with the highest teacher pay in the nation.

Alex Pobocik


Indiana fails to move into the 21st century

Once again our state legislature blew an opportunity to move our state forward by rectifying the image of Hoosier bias and prejudice so blatantly exposed during the Pence administration.

By excluding sexual orientation and race from protection under the current hate crimes bill our much touted image of inclusiveness of all citizens has been once again exposed as a falsehood. 

In all certainty prejudice and bias is alive and well and not confined to the halls of our legislature. How can we expect the passage of a comprehensive and just hate crimes law when the very matter of the bill is so obviously pervasive among a notable body of state lawmakers? Support for this ill conceived amendment serves only to confirm a broader negative view of the Hoosier state by those who otherwise might wish to relocate to Indiana as well as potential investors both domestic and foreign.
It is truly unfortunate in name and in deed that Indiana has been unable to muster the moral presence to move forward intelligently and equitably into the 21st century to fully capitalize on the image of Indiana as a welcoming place to invest and call home.

Ted Thiesing


Indiana must invest in higher education opportunities

Amazon's withdrawal from New York City was a win for New York's citizens. Indianapolis should take note: cities with crumbling infrastructure must not provide corporate welfare to monopolistic businesses. With small government activists at the state level removing funds needed to run communities, cities cannot gamble with outside investment projects that can be discontinued at the whim of billionaire investors.

If states want to attract business, they need to invest in an educated workforce by putting more money into higher education opportunities, thus creating a workforce ready for the challenges of a 21st century economy. They also need to make a legal statement that racial and sexual bigotry are not tolerated in the community. Amazon was quite clear that they would not consider a state that lacked hate crimes legislation.

Wesley Street


Indy's disintegrating infrastructure is a 'disgrace'

I know our roads are absolutely terrible, but then I saw how an outsider views them. My daughter who grew up here is visiting from Seattle. She is horrified at the condition of entire long stretches of road (i.e. Stop 11 Road from St. Francis Hospital to Shelby Street) that have so many deep, damaging potholes they can't be counted. She says it is a disgrace that our city and state governments have allowed this disintegration of infrastructure to occur in Indiana. I agree. So I called the Indianapolis Mayor's Action Center three times, was told by a recording to wait for the next available person three times, and was disconnected three times. I have little hope for improvement.

Louise Peddycord


Without specific protections, governor should veto hate crimes bill

The stripping of the hate crime bill is appalling. Current laws and a general direction to judges allowing discretion isn’t enough. The state of Utah has had that law and it’s never been used in 20 years. In order to send a message and deter further crimes rooted in specific targeting because of race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, the law must be specific to those classes. In addition, attracting companies to do work in Indiana will be difficult when we’re in the minority of states without a law against hate crimes. Polling shows that a majority of Hoosiers and U.S. residents support bills of this nature. Not once have I seen outreach by Sen. Jack Sandlin or Rep. David Frizzell via email, mail, phone, social media, or other communications seeking comment from their constituents about this bill. While they represent our district, and are our voice, they should be voting with their constituents in mind, not just themselves. Gov. Eric Holcomb should veto any bill that comes to him without these specific protections. As a gay man myself, I would feel safer knowing my state doesn’t just give judges the option to enhance a sentence based on hate or bias, but requires judges to do so.

Tony Dale


Read or Share this story: