Proud to be a Hoosier

I don’t say this very often, but I am often proud to be a Hoosier; and it’s things like this that make me even more proud of my adopted state.

“Live free or die” is New Hampshire’s state motto.

It could just as well apply to Indiana, lawmakers and others say, based on the resistance here to passing bills that critics view as attempts to restrict people’s freedoms.

The article is talking about how two recent attempts to ban silly shit (smoking in “enclosed spaces” and talking on cell-phones while driving) dropped dead in the Indiana House.  What caught my attention are a few of the quotes that I’m cherry picking from the article now.

 

“It’s Indiana’s M.O., our mode of operation,” he [Matthew Whetstone, a former Republican lawmaker] said. “We like to keep our privacy, and our rights, and our property and, in general, if we can leave it to ourselves, we like to do that, and not force mandates on folks.”

 

But Summers and Rep. Charlie Brown, the Gary Democrat who sponsored the anti-smoking bill, say these issues are about saving lives.

Wednesday, after other legislators peppered her with questions she couldn’t answer about the number of accidents caused by cell phones and whether eating or putting on makeup behind the wheel isn’t just as big of a distraction, Summers was frustrated.

“It amazes me that you guys don’t get it,” she said.

 

Robert Dion, a professor of American politics at the University of Evansville, agreed, noting that Indiana stands out from neighbors Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.

“Indiana is not the most innovative state. We’re not at the front lines,” he said. (of reducing liberty, apparently – ed)

 

They keep saying that like it’s a bad thing.  It most certainly isn’t, especially to me.  Sure, there’s a bit of a double standard in Indiana, because on some issues like gay marriage we’re more than happy to remove personal liberty, but for the most part we’re very protective of our freedoms, even if it’s our freedom to be a dumbass.  It does make me happy to see that one lawmaker actually gets it:

 

“Is that government’s responsibility? To protect people from themselves? I’m not sure it is,” said Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel.

14 Comments

  1. Fair enough. I just hope that you’re getting here and the likely snowstorm coincides with me traveling to Vegas on business. I’ll have some beers with you when the weather isn’t shit.

  2. Oh, damn, I forgot to mention: “That explains all the fireworks and billboards encouraging smuggling”.

  3. You notice it’s the reps from places like Gary and the Indianapolis interior that propose this crap. The awesome thing about Indiana is that our cities aren’t yet big enough to dominate the legislature.

    I’m quite proud to be a native. Somehow Indiana attracted a lot of pioneers who were very independence minded. Very much a “stay out of my life” kind of place. Since we have lifetime carry licenses available now, I bet in ten years we’ll have Alaskan style carry.

  4. Billboards encouraging smuggling?

    And Tam, -8° is too cold for making snowmen. The snow won’t stick together.

  5. Stuff like this is almost enough to overcome my intense dislike of ever living east of the Rocky Mountains again. Of course, I can always move to Idaho or Montana. 🙂

  6. Considering that the People’s Republik of Massachusetts has just PASSED these laws (no talking on handhelds, no TEXTING (what idiot sends a text message while driving, anyway?) and I won’t even get into the fascistic GUN laws that they’re trying to pass, maybe it’s time for a move to Indiana. And -8 doesn’t scare me… not when I’ve had to walk in downtown Boston when it was -7.

  7. I’m guilty of texting and driving, although admittedly I only do it in rush hour traffic, so it’s more stop than go. I have a serious addiction to my blackberry.

  8. Dude, you need to turn that thing off while driving – even in stop & go, it’s all too easy to get distracted when you’re moving… and wind up crunching someone’s fender.

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