COLUMN: Democrat House members trying to protect Hoosiers

Gary Morton, Guest Columnist

During the campaign last fall, Rep. Russ Stilwell was defeated by our new representative, Sue Ellspermann. Rep. Stilwell had worked tirelessly in support of organized labor and working-class families in this district.
I may have slept through this campaign but I don’t recall hearing Rep. Ellspermann make the following campaign pledges:
If elected, I hope to be able to begin the process of destroying collective-bargaining rights for Indiana teachers
I will continue the Republican agenda in this state to further reduce state funding of our public schools
I want to weaken labor- union rights to organize and fight for a living wage for their members.
I do recall some discussion of “family values.” It would seem that feeding, clothing, educating and providing housing to our children would also be a part of her family-values discussion. She also states that a right-to- work law in Indiana would “open the doors for an estimated 30-percent increase in companies interested in locat-ing in Indiana.”
If the present work-place environment in Indiana is so terribly unfair to businesses, why did Honda spend millions of dollars building an automobile plant in Greensburg? Why did Toyota make a tremendous investment to produce vehicles in Princeton? Why did Waupaca, ATTC and Webb Wheel invest millions in Perry County?
Her Perry County News article of March 3 also is highly critical of the Democrat state representatives who have fled to Illinois. I stand
100 percent in support of each of these representatives for making this stand. The process of leaving the legislature has been done numerous times in our state’s history by both parties. Just as a filibuster serves the same purpose in the federal government, denying the majority a quorum is a powerful legislative weapon. I’m sure that the Democrat representatives would come back to Indiana in a New York minute if they believed a cooperative state of compromise and discussion existed.
During the summer of 2012 when we will again have the opportunity to vote for our state representative, perhaps the following questions need to be asked:
1. If elected, what groups both inside and outside this district do you plan to support and represent?
2. If elected, what is your real agenda and how do you plan to accomplish that goal?
Morton lives in Tell City and is a member of its common council.