TERRE HAUTE —
The gesture by the extreme conservative Republicans in the Legislature seems astonishingly generous.
Their political arch-rival, the Indiana Democratic Party, lingers mainly through its name recognition. It wields no force in state-level government, with Republicans holding super majorities in the House and Senate, and the governor’s seat. Most of all, the Hoosier Democratic Party has long lacked an identifiable personality with whom voters can identify. With Evan Bayh — the former governor and U.S. senator — out of public life, Democrats have no equivalent of a Mitch Daniels or a Mike Pence.
The hard right of the GOP is working on that.
By appearing to be controlling, paranoid and politically vindictive in their legislative response to Glenda Ritz becoming the new state superintendent of public instruction, those zealous Republicans have unwittingly highlighted the stark contrast of her rational, likable style for millions of Hoosiers to see. Once she defeated charismatic and controversial Tony Bennett in the lone Statehouse Democratic victory in November, stunned Republicans could have let Ritz drop the GOP education reform steamroller into a lower gear — as voters overwhelmingly chose her to do — and return the superintendent’s role to a less-headline-grabbing situation.
The extremists chose otherwise. As a result of their intransigence on the public stage, households from Angola to Mount Vernon now know Glenda Ritz. She is the new face of the Indiana Democratic Party.
It would be hard for Hoosiers to dislike what they are seeing in her. She is appealing in ways that those trying to undermine her are not. Ritz has treated Republicans in power as if she and they are members of the same team. (Such a concept is rare nowadays, but in Ritz it is a virtual reality; she was a life-long Republican before switching parties to take on Bennett.) Ritz solicits Republicans’ input on policy changes and has promised to properly manage reform programs she opposed. She has focused on common-ground education improvements, backing Gov. Pence’s push for revitalized vocational training in high schools.
Yes, Ritz has no choice but to accommodate the majority party, given the political realities in the Statehouse. Still, Ritz has sincerely embraced compromise — a trait the people want but party-line politicos detest.
Her reward?
Last week, Republicans unmoved by her outreach forged ahead with bills to strip her authority and pointlessly penalize teachers unions that supported her campaign. House Bill 1342 threatened to shift oversight of the private school voucher program from the Indiana Department of Education (headed by Ritz) to the Office of Management and Budget (controlled by Pence). Why? To guarantee that vouchers would be handled by an “impartial” manager, the bill’s author told the Indianapolis Star.
Impartial? Really? Pence, a staunch voucher proponent, is no more impartial to the concept than Ritz, who opposed them. To her credit, she told the Star, “I took an oath to uphold the law. I may not personally agree with vouchers but I have a responsibility to uphold the law.” Pence told the Star he supports the takeover bill.
Admirably, House Speaker Brian Bosma — increasingly a voice of reason in the capital — interceded and dropped HB 1342, for now. But two other political payback bills — one forcing Ritz to share oversight of the grading system of schools, and another prohibiting districts from permitting voluntary payroll deductions of teacher union dues — stayed alive.
Through it all, so far, Ritz has stuck to the high road, approaching quality education as a nonpartisan issue. Her detractors look petty and manipulative. Hoosiers are noticing. Those images will be hard to forget.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: GOP ‘payback’ action may help re-energize Dems
As a target, Ritz’s profile brightens
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EDITORIAL: A timely call-out of NSA critics
As if it couldn’t get worse, politicians in Washington have again tied themselves in knots.
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EDITORIAL: Insisting on ISTEP quality lawmakers’ primary duty
Now that everyone, on both sides of the aisle, seems backslappingly happy to agree that this spring’s ISTEP school testing debacle was unacceptable, that at least some of the results lack credibility and that the issue carries high-stakes significance, what next?
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RONN MOTT: Not hurried a bit by 21st century tech
Unlike so many of you, I do not get up in the morning and run to turn on my computer. In fact, if you need to reach me in a hurry, I would say that 19th century invention of Alexander Bell’s would be the best way. If you do email me or use some other electronic convenience, better give it a couple of days because I am not in that big of a hurry.
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EDITORIAL: And now we wait for justice
It is a word we would rather never have on our front page — homicide. That we had to use it twice on Wednesday’s front page is sad, but unavoidable.
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EDITORIAL: Remembering Sister Jeanne
Terre Haute is mourning the loss this week of an accomplished and beloved community activist and leader whose life’s work is an inspiration to all who strive to serve.
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EDITORIAL: Embrace the value of traffic planning
Never underestimate the value of a good plan to deal with a crisis, large or small, even if the final analysis of the management of a specific crisis is, “It could have been worse.”
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EDITORIAL: It’s time to assess ISTEP
Later this month, the company behind this spring’s abysmal online administration of ISTEP testing for 27,000 Hoosier schoolchildren is being called to the principal’s office.
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EDITORIAL: Fix fraud, don’t punish needy
Waste and fraud in government programs should be rooted out vigilantly. Legislation should fix a problem with a fitting solution, not punish the needy.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: An anniversary to honor
The anniversary we observe today is one that will forever live in the soul of America.
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EDITORIAL: Highway 40 — where are you?
Area residents have been trying to come to grips with the Indiana Department of Transportation’s decision to change the official route of U.S. 40 through Terre Haute and Vigo County.
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EDITORIAL: Indiana’s workforce problems require broad-based solutions
The issue of Indiana’s “skills gap” arose during a community jobs fair Thursday at Hulman Center, hosted by 8th District Rep. Larry Bucshon.
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EDITORIAL: Happy trails for Hoosiers
Indiana has an abundance of natural treasures that should never be considered hidden treasures.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
While not much has been spoken or written recently about the Indiana 641 corridor through southern Vigo County, rest assured development continues and the approximately six-mile project linking U.S. 41 near Ivy Tech to Indiana 46 and Interstate 70 remains — mostly — on course.
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EDITORIAL: Terre Haute Tomorrow seeks to reignite community momentum
Long-range planning that brings together diverse local interests in an effort to collaborate on community improvements often launches with a flourish but then settles onto a shelf to gather dust. That was remarkably NOT the result when the group known as Terre Haute Tomorrow emerged on the scene about 10 years ago.
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EDITORIAL: Women in uniform must be treated with respect, dignity
As the nation pauses this Memorial Day weekend to remember those who have served their country, it is appropriate to reflect on the contributions of women in military uniform of the U.S. armed services. They are many, and their impact is great.
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The celebration season
Spring has been a bit elusive at times in 2013, which is its nature.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: MVC tourney an event worth having
It’s been a long time since the Missouri Valley Conference chose Indiana State University to host its post-season baseball tournament, but Terre Haute had never been more prepared for an event such as this.
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EDITORIAL: Cleaning up voter rolls
It’s not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but the $2 million designated in the recent session of the General Assembly will begin the messy but necessary process of cleaning up Indiana’s voter registration rolls.
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EDITORIAL: Waging the ‘readiness’ campaign
Almost every Hoosier who starts college intends to finish. Unfortunately, those who arrive on campus unprepared in key academic areas are far less likely to fulfill that aspiration.
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EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
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EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
Our kids, truly, are ‘Making a Difference’
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Some words in praise of boring government — Indiana’s
A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government leads to major changes in public policy. This did not happen in 2013 in Indiana.
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EDITORIAL: Doc’s prescient prescription
Viewed through a 2013 prism, Doc Bowen’s response to the AIDS epidemic looks merely prudent, routine.
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EDITORIAL: Education remains worth the cost
Within the next few weeks, each of the local colleges will have conducted graduation ceremonies. A few days later, a different Class of 2013 will don caps and gowns for commencement — the seniors at five Vigo County high schools. It is still a smart, worthy aspiration for those high school grads to replicate the achievement of those college students by earning a higher-education degree.
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EDITORIAL: Good news for downtown
For decades, it seems, downtown Terre Haute has been in the throes of change
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EDITORIAL: Overall, state budget step in the right direction
For average Hoosiers uninterested in political point-scoring, the budget crafted by the Indiana Legislature inspires only muted, if any, fanfare.
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EDITORIAL: The lessons of organ donation
The range of emotion surrounding life-saving transplantation of a vital organ is extreme. It is the ultimate “good news-bad news” scenario.
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READERS’ FORUM: April 26, 2013
• Pence’s tax cuts benefit wealthiest
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