Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Terre Haute Tribune-Star. July 8, 2021.

Editorial: Another tragic loss for community

'~You will not meet a finer person'

Startling. Shocking. Maddening.

It is simply not possible to use words to describe the news of another Terre Haute police officer being gunned down while on duty serving the citizens of this community, state and nation.

Much is yet to be learned and revealed about the circumstances surrounding the shooting death on Wednesday afternoon of Detective Greg Ferency, a 30-year veteran of the city's police department. What is clear is that this law-enforcement officer was a highly respected and well-regarded member of the force. His experience and expertise had led the Federal Bureau of Investigation to include him as part of its local task force that dealt with sensitive investigations involving drugs, human trafficking, domestic terrorism and other criminal activity.

Ferency is the third Terre Haute police officer to lose his life in the line of duty in the past 10 years. It is a sad and disturbing record.

In 2011, K9 Officer Brent Long was shot and killed as he and other officers attempted to serve a felony warrant. Long was 34 years old when he died and had been on the police force for six years.

Officer Rob Pitts died in 2018 when he was shot while pursuing a suspect in a local homicide. Pitts, 45, had been a city police officer for 16 years when he was killed.

In the wake of this tragedy, many kind words have been said about Ferency and what he meant to the police department and community. None are more meaningful than those spoken by his police chief, Shawn Keen, during a press conference Thursday morning.

'œYou will not meet a finer person,'ť Keen said of Ferency. 'œYou don't spend 30 years in this profession without being dedicated, and he was absolutely dedicated. There is not a thing that he did that he didn't put 110% into. He was an amazing person, whether it was about meth labs or human trafficking, he would do everything possible to find out everything about that particular crime.'ť

We join the community in offering our condolences to Ferency's family and the police department. The grief they are feeling is undoubtedly intense and excruciating. As they mourn, the community mourns with them.

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Anderson Herald Bulletin. July 9, 2021.

Editorial: ACA effective, popular, constitutional

The efficacy of the Affordable Care Act is borne out by this number: 31 million Americans use it to secure health insurance and access health care.

Even so, Republicans have continually tried to undercut the ACA, the 2010 law more commonly known as Obamacare.

The latest effort met a resounding defeat last month in the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a 7-2 decision, the high court turned back a challenge by GOP-led states and the administration of former President Donald Trump to upend the entire law. The plaintiffs claimed that the ACA's mandate that Americans carry health insurance coverage is unconstitutional.

In penning the decision, however, Justice Stephen Breyer explained the court's finding that the challenging states were not harmed by the mandate, since Congress in 2012 had already reduced the tax penalty to zero dollars.

The June decision marked the third time a federal court has protected the ACA from political attacks by Republicans.

Nine years ago, a 5-4 Supreme Court decision held that the ACA's individual coverage mandate was constitutional. And in 2019, a federal appeals court, while ruling the mandate unconstitutional, declined to issue an opinion about whether the rest of the massive 2010 law could stand.

The high court's decision in June was even more significant than the earlier rulings, given the profound health care crisis and economic hardship triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increasingly, Americans have turned to Obamacare for affordable health care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in June that 31 million people have ACA health coverage, including more than 11 million enrolled directly in ACA plans and nearly 15 million more low-income Americans who've signed up for Medicaid expansion coverage.

The administration of President Joe Biden established a special ACA enrollment period from mid-February through mid-August of this year. Already, more than 1 million more people have registered.

In short, the Affordable Care Act is a highly popular and effective public health initiative that's made insurance and care affordable for tens of millions of Americans. And, as the Supreme Court has ruled again, it's constitutional.

It's high time that Republicans recognize these truths and stop treating the ACA as a political football.

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KPC News. July 11, 2021.

Editorial: Have fun, safe, respectful fairs

It's that time of year - fair week!

Noble and LaGrange counties are off and running this week and Steuben County's fair is coming up next week.

After a pile of cancellations last year - 4-H shows still went on but most of the fair was dropped in 2020 - we're sure people are looking forward to getting back out to the fairgrounds for some annual fun.

While fairs are getting mostly back to normal this year, it's a good opportunity for a reminder to be considerate of other fairgoers, in several aspects:

'¢ COVID-19 is down, but it's not out. A lot of people are acting like the pandemic is over, and although new activity is way down right now (it was down a lot in summer 2020 before making a comeback in fall, remember), it's not gone.

There won't be masking and distancing at fairs, but there's still risk for the virus to circulate if people aren't careful. Also a reminder that about 6-in-10 people in Steuben and Noble counties and more like 8-in-10 people in LaGrange County aren't vaccinated and aren't protected from the virus.

Wash your hands. Cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough. And, most importantly, if you're sick, stay home. Even if it's not COVID-19, be considerate and don't spread your illness at the fair.

'¢ Remember, 4-H is for the kids. Yes, we're talking to you, the parent who takes animal shows way too seriously. We've all seen the adult or two who acts like the fate of the world depends on whether their son or daughter wins their class showing their hog or goat or whatever.

Animals have bad days. Judges can have subjective tastes. 4-Hers are trying their best. The kids get lots of support from the community and crowd, make sure they're getting it from Mom and Dad, too.

'¢ Be considerate. Let's face it, after COVID, we're all out of practice when it comes to interacting with other people in large groups. Take crowds and lines and add heat and people can get cranky fast. Some people may need to brush up on their manners.

The fair should be a place of fun. Don't ruin your day or someone else's by getting worked out about some trivial incident.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone back again and enjoying the fair. Check out kpcnews.com and your daily newspaper for photos and stories from the fairs each day and then keep your eyes open for the annual 4-H special sections that run with all the participants and winners following the fair.

Stay safe. Be respectful. Have fun. We'll see you out there.

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South Bend Tribune. July 2, 2021.

Editorial: Indiana senator supports '~diversity of thought.' Well, sometimes

Indiana Sen. Mike Braun has been very clear on how he feels about diversity of thought and the importance of making sure students have the information they need to make up their own minds.

Except for when he hasn't been.

In fact, if you listen to him in two recent examples, you might come away confused about his views on the subject.

Braun came out strongly in defense of the Clay High School teacher who was put on paid administrative leave after what the administration called an 'œunauthorized'ť class visit from Right to Life Michiana.

In a May 14 statement, Indiana's junior senator called for the reinstatement of the teacher.

'œThe classroom should be a place that holds a diversity of thought, and students should be given all possible resources to make their own informed decisions, 'ť Braun said.

Braun's emphatic support made his position crystal clear.

Until three weeks later, when Braun signed on to another statement, this one about critical race theory, a way of examining America's history through the lens of race. Braun joined Sen. Rick Scott's resolution with Sen. Marsha Blackburn condemning the use of CRT in K-12 schools and teacher training.

'œAmerica's kids need to know that the fundamental values of our country are liberty, equality, and opportunity for all - not racism and oppression. I'm proud to join my colleagues in speaking out against divisive political agendas being pushed in our classrooms,'ť Braun said.

CRT has drawn a disproportionate amount of buzz, especially when you consider, as a recent Associated Press story noted, that there is little to no evidence that critical race theory itself is being taught to K-12 public school students.

But midterm elections are coming up, so that might help explain the urgency.

Defending the military's offering instruction in CRT, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it is important for military members to be open-minded and to be exposed to unconventional ideas.

So, open-mindedness and exposure to unconventional ideas. Sounds like the 'œdiversity of thought'ť that Braun supported in his May 14 statement. Or maybe not.

In that statement, Braun also argued that teachers must not be targeted 'œbecause of politics.'ť

Yes, Senator Braun, let's leave politics out of this.

END