Here is a view of the hell that I'm living in called Indiana: Arizona-style anti-immigration, South Dakota-style anti-abortion, and anti-gay legislation that were clearly crafted by a gaggle of homophobes:
Hoosier lawmakers keep busy with hot-button bills
It was a week of heated debates as lawmakers in Indianapolis tackled "red meat" issues.
Debates raged over issues such as abortion, illegal immigration and same-sex marriage at the Statehouse. Most legislators have promised work on job creation and school improvements, which also garnered discussion, but the hot-button issues captured many of the headlines over the past few days.
"This is red meat for their core constituencies," said Bert Rockman, head of Purdue University's political science department.
While the idea that these topics are easy to address is debatable, Rockman said they're less complex than issues such as economic growth and education reform.
"Nobody knows how to produce jobs, unless you put the government to work as the employer-of-last-resort and that costs money," he added.
Some such as Elizabeth Robinson of Frankfort, who works as a teacher's aide in Lafayette, said these social issues should not be monopolizing legislators' time.
"I'd rather see them work on more important things -- like putting more money into the education system," she said.
But plenty of people are riled up on the issues that took center stage this past week.
Harper Otawka, a junior at Purdue, attended hearings on several bills that deal with illegal immigration issues. She's opposed to any measure that would limit access to education for any Indiana resident.
The bill proposed by Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, would require police to ask for proof of citizenship or immigration status if they had a reasonable suspicion that a person is illegally in the country.
"I definitely don't think (lawmakers) are representing the interests of people in Indiana," Otawka said. "One of the biggest things they're feeding off is that people in Indiana are going through hard economic times ... and they're taking their troubles and turning them against the wrong people."
http://www.jconline.com/article/20110212/NEWS02/102120344/Hoosier-lawmakers-keep-busy-with-hot-button-bills
Indiana House committee passes proposal to ban gay marriage
INDIANAPOLIS — Republican lawmakers in Indiana have resumed their push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
A GOP-ruled House committee voted 8-4 along party lines Monday to advance the proposal, which now moves to the full House for consideration.
Indiana law already bans same-sex marriage, but amendment supporters say changing the constitution would add another layer of protection to traditional marriage.
The proposed amendment states that only marriage between one man and one woman is valid in Indiana, and prohibits civil unions by stating that a legal status "substantially similar" to marriage for unmarried people is not valid.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/feb/07/gop-takes-another-shot-indiana-gay-marriage-amendm/
Indiana Culture Wars Watch: New (old) anti-abortion legislation & increased fees
An Indiana Senate panel has approved anti-abortion legislation this past Thursday requiring doctors to inform women seeking an abortion that life begins at conception and that a fetus may feel pain at or before 20 weeks, as well as requiring those performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-indianapolis/indiana-culture-wars-watch-new-old-anti-abortion-legislation-increased-fees
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