#MondaysWithMichelle

Most images I choose for this blog post are meant to depict the theme. This week’s image actually inspired it. I was trying to find a picture of a domino run with a hand blocking falling dominoes. It was to represent the question, “If you could prioritize any issue that, if properly addressed, would prevent other issues from escalating, what would it be?” It has been a great conversation starter. (For the record, my “single issue” right now would be mental health.) I had planned to go further into why this has been a helpful analogy for me, when the above picture caught my eye.

[Image: Morgan County Democrats and the Indiana Rural Summit participate in the 65th Annual Morgan County Fall Foliage Parade in Martinsville, IN]

As we hit the final stretch of the campaign season, every event, every conversation, every door knocked, every postcard mailed and every phonecall or text message matter.

"The charter sector, now saturated with impersonal national chains and for-profit management corporations, has strayed far from the original mission of charter schools. A few states follow that vision; most do not. We regularly receive calls from charter school parents, teachers, and public school advocates raising concerns. The Center will educate the public with facts and provide information on how best to address concerns," said Carol Burris, the Executive Director of NPE.

“Significant and compelling evidence regarding the policy implications of S.B. 1 and its effect on medical professionals in particular was presented. However, the Court cannot substitute its own policy preferences for that of the Indiana General Assembly.” - Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Kelsey Blake Hanlon (https://www.newsweek.com/indiana-judge-rejects-abortion-providers-challenge-near-total-ban-1952441)

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.