August 8, 2015 Comments 0 Gary Snyder

Indiana Democratic Party 8-8-15 Weekly Radio Address

John Zody delivers the INdiana Democratic Party’s 8-8-15 Weekly Radio Address: “Hoosiers want a governor who will prioritize the problems of today, but Governor Pence is so laser focused on his own ideology that he continues to neglect the overall well-being of the Hoosier State.”

TRANSCRIPT:

This is Chairman John Zody, bringing you the weekly podcast for the Indiana Democratic Party.

It was quite the week here in Indiana.

First, in light of some recent news about health clinics and testing services provided to Hoosiers, we sent a formal request to Governor Mike Pence and his administration to release all documents involved with the HIV outbreak in Scott County.

In the letter, I asked Governor Pence to explicitly disclose the specific dates on when his administration first knew of the outbreak, when the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) first received word on this epidemic in Scott County, and why the state did not address the worst HIV outbreak in state history until March 25 of this year.

All Hoosiers, whether they come from urban or rural communities, deserve to have access to health facilities that provide quality and affordable HIV/STD testing and preventable screenings in their communities.

For the sake of our state and every Hoosiers’ well-being, we hope Governor Pence expedites this request so the general public can get answers immediately.

Hoosiers also experienced headaches this week traveling on Interstate 65 when the Wildcat Creek Bridge near Lafayette was closed due to a structural problem.

It turns out, this bridge received a “poor condition” rating during an inspection by the Indiana Department of Transportation in 2012.

Indiana’s infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes, and the Hoosier economy is at risk.

With the state’s $2.1 billion in reserves, Hoosier common sense would suggest Gov. Mike Pence should use some of that cash to invest in the state’s infrastructure.

Hoosiers want a governor who will prioritize the problems of today, but Governor Pence is so laser focused on his own ideology that he continues to neglect the overall well-being of the Hoosier State.

On Thursday, GOVERNING Magazine moved the upcoming gubernatorial race from “Safe” to “Lean” Republican based on the problems the governor has created for Indiana.

No matter how you slice it, Gov. Pence’s agenda is not just hurting the well-being of Indiana, but it places his political future in jeopardy.

Governor Pence can tout his sluggish economy all he wants, but the truth is, everyday Hoosiers are fed up with his out of touch policies that have divided our state and caused hardworking folks to make additional sacrifices just to make ends meet.

Indiana Democrats will work to show that we can do better for Indiana by protecting education, building our economy and making sure the well-being of Hoosiers is right where it should be.

This week also marked the 50th anniversary of The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

However in 2014, Indiana was dead last in voter turnout, and in large part it was due to having some of the nation’s strictest voting laws.

Republicans at the Statehouse keep making our election laws worse. Look no further than this past legislative session when we had a bill to make the absentee voting process more cumbersome, or past legislative sessions, when the days to vote early before election day were reduced.

While we celebrate this anniversary of this landmark law, there is still much to do to make sure everyday Hoosiers have the opportunities to cast their ballot in each election.

And finally, Glenda Ritz announced her intentions to refocus her campaign and run for Superintendent of Public Instruction once again.

With her leadership at the Statehouse, Hoosier families can have the confidence that she and other Statehouse Democrats will work to solve the problems facing our state.

Whether it is protecting public education, reducing child poverty, or fighting to keep education more accessible and affordable in our state – particularly by working to expand Pre-K education – Hoosier Democrats will lead the charge to send Indiana in a new direction for the future.

We enthusiastically support Superintendent Ritz in her re-election efforts, and will continue the fight to elect more Democrats to join Glenda Ritz at the Statehouse.