I don’t know about you, but I found the end of this year’s legislative “budget year” session a bit like those amusement park rides that launch you immediately into multiple directions at a very fast speed only to apply the brakes suddenly. While your body tries to figure out what just happened to it, you are shuffled off to find the exit. If a legislative session could be “Gish Galloped”, this one was. [The term “Gish Gallop” became famous after the Biden/Trump debate. It is a rhetorical technique used in debates where a person attempts to overwhelm their opponent by presenting multiple arguments in rapid succession.]
This session introduced so many really bad bills and targeted so many different vulnerable communities that many of us thought camping out at the statehouse would become a necessary option in order to participate in all the public comment sessions. Shout out to incredible organizations like MADVoters, Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) and Hoosier Action for tracking bills and issuing action alerts. And yet, within the ever increasing community pushback, protests, testimonies and phone call campaigns, here we are with our Republican Supermajority not only championing federal initiatives like Project 2025, they have passed a budget that leaves Hoosiers completely exposed to the worst cuts possible. Where the Federal budget plans to pass the buck to the States, cutting federal funding dramatically under the auspices of “DOGE” efficiencies, our Braun/Beckwith administration decimated public health and public education while simultaneously passing an anemic property tax bill that passes the buck to the local municipalities to make up the difference. As the dust settles, it looks like some Hoosiers may gain a $300 cut to property taxes while most Hoosiers could incur upwards of $1300 in local income tax increases or cuts to fire protection, police services and road maintenance.
On numerous occasions I spoke with my opponent quite candidly about cuts to Medicaid and public schools. I suggested that any administrative savings could probably best be found auditing the 3rd party corporations who profit from increased paperwork churn caused by Medicaid work requirements and quarterly reporting. I stressed that rural schools will be directly impacted by increased voucher spending that subsidizes the wealthy. (In fact, one entire school district in a rural county has been forced to close even against tremendous community support.) In a packed Third House meeting, my opponent asked folks to support her in defunding the Dolly Parton Imagination Library because “wealthy children don’t need free books”. The entire room went silent trying to understand why anyone would deny a child a book. Of course, after the meeting she stood with folks from the school voucher movement taking pictures to celebrate her support. The irony apparently was lost on her. These are the moments of hypocrisy that make you scratch your head.
[Cuts to education: The state budget allocates just 2% to school funding increases, less than inflation, and defunds the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, which supports early literacy. To support the universal voucher program, On My Way PreK funding was cut 15%, and special education was cut significantly. (MADVoters)]
On the national stage, over this past month we have seen increased mobilization and large-scale protests. The 50501 Movement and Indivisible are coordinating folks across the nation to rally together to declare, “Hands Off!” and “No Kings, No Tyrants”. I have had the pleasure to speak at a few of their events and the energy is palpable. We are in that time in history where the decisions we make today to participate in sustained nonviolent action will make all the difference to our future. As the meme says, “If you ask yourself what you would have done during WW2 or the Civil Rights Movement, you’re doing it now.”
Now is not the time to stay silent, nor the time to check out of politics. Now is the time to look carefully at the two timelines we have converging: preparation for the 2026 Midterms and defending our democracy in the midst of an economic crisis. As a friend told me today, we have a PARTICIPATORY form of government. I think that idea gets lost when we use terms like Democracy or Republic. Attending a protest or voting once every two years are both participatory but not enough. The truth is we need to participate more, not less. Here are some suggested ways to Participate in Government even in these dark times:
- Register to Vote / Check Voter Registration
- Encourage and help others to register to vote
- Attend local municipality meetings (town council meetings, public hearings)
- Become a Precinct Captain or Precinct Volunteer for your neighborhood
- Join a Mutual Aid network or coordinate one in your community
- Support your local Democratic party as a volunteer
- Consider running for local office, especially township trustee (key person to help folks who need assistance with rent, utilities, and food).
No matter what tomorrow brings, I am committed to defending democracy and championing my community with everything I have. But I need you!
