Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers

The Evansville Courier & Press. Dec. 9, 2015.

We are thankful for a generous community.

In this season of giving, you can make our community better.

We don’t always think about it, but the positioning of two major holidays in the final two months of the year is worth noting.

First comes Thanksgiving, on the final Thursday of November, when we pause to give thanks for the bounty that has been provided.

It first took place in 1621, when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn feast.

It continued on various dates in various places until 1863 when, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday.

A month later, on the 25th of December, comes Christmas. Even many non-Christians join in the celebration, decorating trees and enjoying parties with friends and family.

Where Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, Christmas is a time of giving, representing the Bible verses when the Magi, described in song as three wise men or three kings, brought gifts at the birth of Jesus.

In recent days, we at the Courier & Press have been thankful to be able to share stories of our generous community.

We’ve described programs that take Thanksgiving dinner to those who can either not afford one or have no one with whom to share. And now, as part of our 12 Days of Caring series, we’re describing groups that give back every day and in every way.

That’s why we’ll also be happy to celebrate, on Friday, the conclusion of another United Way giving campaign.

Volunteers set the goal high, raising last year’s total of $4.1 million to a target of $4.5 million, which is used to help fund and coordinate helping hands from 31 distinct nonprofit member agencies.

As of Wednesday, the goal was tantalizingly close.

That’s why many of those same volunteers have been on the telephone, giving of their time to encourage others to share.

You can still do your part by texting “PUSH” to 71777 or by calling the United Way of Southwestern Indiana office at 812-422-4100 with a donation, no matter the size.

Better still, you can join in the celebration - worth our while whether or not the goal is met - from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Friday in the lobby of the Ford Center, when the final tally will be announced.

You also can, if able, help out the organizations that we are profiling during this season of giving, or any other that strikes a chord in your heart.

It’s our pleasure to live in a community that cares for its fellow citizens and to share so many wonderful stories.

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The Indianapolis Star. Dec. 11, 2015.

What kind of state will Indiana be?

The decision on whether to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the civil rights law ultimately comes down to this question: What kind of state do we want Indiana to be?

Will we be a state that abhors discrimination against our co-workers, neighbors and family members? Or will we continue to deny LGBT Hoosiers the legal means to fight back against discrimination?

Will we send the unmistakable message that people of all backgrounds are welcome here? Or will we signal that some are shunned in Indiana because of their sexuality?

Will we step confidently forward into a future where diversity and inclusiveness are highly valued for everyone? Or will we step back toward a past when fear and prejudice were allowed to fester?

In the weeks ahead, Gov. Mike Pence and the 150 members of the Indiana General Assembly will have to contemplate those questions as they consider Senate Bill 100, legislation that for the first time would extend civil rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens in employment, housing and public accommodation.

Their answers will shout to the world a great deal about Indiana.

Embracing rights for all proclaims that we as a state truly want to compete for the world’s best talent and that we fully support the businesses that require that talent.

It signals that we are a welcoming, inclusive place to visit, work and live.

Even more important than the message sent to those outside our state is one we will send to ourselves. All of us who love Indiana and are proud to call it home know there have been points in our history that we look back on with deep regret. Points when prejudice was allowed to harm our fellow citizens. Points when fear drove out compassion.

We have learned a great deal from our mistakes, and so we are not the same state that 30 years ago first ostracized a young AIDS victim named Ryan White. We are instead the state that later embraced him and came in time even to hail him as a heroic voice for the sick and dying.

After a false start, a bad start, Hoosiers eventually made the compassionate choice. The right choice.

Now, we must choose again. What kind of state do we want to be? A state that shuns some, or a state that embraces all?

We choose rights for all.

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The Anderson Herald Bulletin. Dec. 11, 2015.

Empowered parasites make strange bedfellows.

What sway does this tiny creature have over local government?

Does it have incriminating photographs? Inappropriate text messages? Insider knowledge of corruption? Or perhaps it has a war chest for bribery?

Whatever its methods, the humble but wicked bed bug has Madison County cornered.

The bed bug, you see, is a bloodsucker of the worst kind - the kind that ambushes you in the sanctity of your bed. It also gets up under creases in your wallpaper and into crevices in the walls and into seams in your mattress and box spring.

Let us pause a moment to say this: Ewwwwwwwwww!

Even in death, the bed bug haunts us, leaving bloody telltale rust spots on your walls and your furniture. In Madison County, bed bugs always get the last laugh.

Who could love a bed bug?

Apparently, our county, which does not fine or otherwise force hotels and landlords and other places that are infested with the nasty little creatures to get rid of them.

Bed bugs, about a quarter-inch long, can be seen with the naked eye, but you really have to look hard. They’re good at hiding. And they’re good at blood sucking. And, locally, they’re good at not being legislated out of existence.

Why wouldn’t the county lower the boom on those who harbor bed bugs?

Well, because bed bugs are not known to carry diseases.

Yeah, but neither are lions and tigers and bears - and the county (we hope) wouldn’t allow them to roam free in apartment complexes and hotels.

Another thing bed bugs are good at: hitching a ride. They ride on clothing. They ride in the folds of your skin. They ride in your luggage. Heck, they’re not picky - they’ll hitchhike on anything that can take them from one place (like a hotel) to another (like your home) where there’s a fresh supply of human blood to be sampled.

Bed bugs are getting worse all the time in Anderson and other Hoosier locales. One local exterminator says calls to eradicate bed bugs tripled this fall.

That’s because bed bugs are above the law; they’ve been pardoned by the county.

Does Madison County really want that kind of reputation? Next thing you know, Dracula will be emigrating from Transylvania.

Are you listening, Madison County Health Department and Madison County Commissioners? Whatever power bed bugs have over you, it’s time to buck up and do what’s right for local citizens: Empower the people, not the parasites!

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The South Bend Tribune. Dec. 11, 2015

A prescription for ending meth scourge?

For years now, many have argued that the best way to shut down Indiana’s meth labs is by making pseudoephedrine available by prescription only. On Wednesday, the Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys added its voice, urging legislators to ban over-the-counter sales of this prime ingredient in methamphetamine.

Advocates for this change point to declines in the number of meth labs in other states with the requirement. Oregon, for example, went to prescription-only pseudoephedrine in 2006, and saw the number of meth labs discovered in the state fall from 192 in 2005 to nine in 2013.

Such measures haven’t gone far in the General Assembly, however: Last year, no vote was allowed for a prescription requirement bill. Some blame the legislators’ failure to act on the influence of the pharmaceutical companies and retailers that make and sell the nonprescription cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine, who fear a drop in sales.

But now House Speaker Brian Bosma has identified the issue as a top priority for the upcoming legislative session. “We’ve become the meth-cooking capital and we’re going to take some action on that,” Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said in a recent interview. “I’m prepared to advocate for a prescription for pseudoephedrine. I know that’s inconvenient … but people are cooking this into a drug that is killing our children, our adults in this state.”

In previous comments, we’ve cited concerns about the burden a prescription requirement would place on law-abiding consumers. That’s a valid concern, but it shouldn’t be the only consideration in battling this scourge.

The state, which had 1,488 methamphetamine busts in 2014, leading the nation, can’t afford to take this potential solution off the table, or avoid the possibility of implementing it here.

Having the support of Bosma means that Indiana may be ready to seriously consider a prescription requirement, which has been endorsed by so many who are on the front lines of Indiana’s meth problem. It’s about time.

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