I tell people all the time that the town I grew up in, known for its mineral water, no longer brings healing. Not very many people outside of Martinsville, Indiana know about the rich history of the area.

As another Labor Day weekend comes to a close, I am reminded of the men and women who fought for and won labor rights in this country. I am reminded of my grandfather who was a telephone lineman and proud union member in northern California. The original telephone poles in Sonoma County were evidence of his work. That was pretty cool to witness. But the truth is that we all experience the contributions of organized labor every day. Manufacturing, construction, transportation, healthcare, education, hospitality, entertainment, retail and so much more.

Someone recently asked me what it was like campaigning as a Democrat in a “red state like Indiana”. To be honest, I have no other reference point. I’ve only ever been a candidate in Indiana. And you know what? It’s pretty amazing.

I’ve felt deeply connected to two rural places in my life. The first was the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas in a small town called Mercedes, about 5 miles from the Rio Grande River and the Mexican border. I was 3 ½ when I arrived at the small farmhouse on a rural route, surrounded by cottonfields. It was ½ mile to the nearest neighbor. My “swimming pool” was an irrigation ditch and some rather deep potholes in a gravel driveway. A propane tank was my “pony”. My imagination grew as wide as that Texas sky.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Indiana Rural Summit

Local House candidates band together to demand more for rural voters, kicking off a six-stop event tour at Jasper Strassenfest.

Indiana Rural Summit

A story of coming together to fight gerrymandering.

Happy Independence Day!

A reminder to reject tyranny.

Extract from a letter from Mrs. Abigail Adams to her husband John Adams

I recently finished reading “Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism” by Yanis Varoufakis, the former Finance Minister for Greece. (For an extensive interview with the author, see Wired Magazine.) It is a sobering look at what has slowly been happening in our global economy since the housing crash of 2008. As the book description explains, “Big tech has replaced capitalism's twin pillars—markets and profit—with its platforms and rents.

[In less than 24 hours, I rearranged my schedule so I could attend the public hearing of the State Board of Education as they presented the first draft of their proposed high school graduation requirements and listened to public comments. As the parent of an incoming 7th grader who will be directly impacted by these decisions, I definitely had some questions and concerns.  Seeing several glaring gaps in infrastructure, with further demands on our most underfunded schools, and lack of acknowledgment for the unique needs of rural schools (e.g.

Pictured at Greenwood Pride from L-R: Katrina Owens (Candidate for SD 32), Josh King (JOCO Dems Vice Chair), Jennifer McCormick (Candidate for Governor), Saad Tawfeeq (candidate Johnson Co. Council), Cinde Wirth (Candidate for CD 24), Michelle Higgs (Candidate for HD 60), Suzanne Fortenberry (Candidate for SD 36)