Public education is under attack. With a push towards the private sector and potentially new, unrealistic standards, students in the Hoosier state are not being given the opportunity to have a quality education. Private schools typically come with a higher price tuition fee, which in those cases, parents have the means to cover the cost. However, public school funding keeps getting cut and led to a significant teacher shortage, inability to construct new schools to allow for appropriate student to teacher ratios, and greater strain on families. Ultimately, this means our students are not getting the needed attention to be successful and if legislators continue to allow the system to be mismanaged eventually the Indiana education system will fail altogether.
The Indiana State Board of Education is working on redesigning our high school diplomas, named Indiana GPS & GPS+. The redesign is to create a workforce by making freshmen in high school decide a career path, wither it be employment or enlistment, their high school career will be set to that career of their choosing. At this time, neither diploma will be accepted by colleges, however, the state is in the first draft and working with colleges to get the GPS+ diploma up to their standards. This new diploma will remove the performing arts from schools, world history, and foreign languages. if you'd like to know more, go to https://indianagps.doe.in.gov/.
Public education as a whole needs to be a priority to help the households that rely upon it; not only the low income households, but those that have a firm belief that public education is the best choice for their family. Officials said that the state of Indiana started the 2022-23 fiscal year with a surplus of $6,124,700,000. With such a significant surplus, it is concerning that it isn’t more apparent how it is being used in the schools. Teachers not only have the everyday expenses of living, just as everyone else does, but they are also required to cover their continuing education as well as materials for classrooms to help students.
The attack on public schools is not limited to the schools themselves, families are now targets. House Bill (HB) 1001 disallows siblings of differently abled and extra needs students to receive financial assistance for education. For families that are already financially and time strained caring for a child with additional support needs, this makes providing supplies and necessities for siblings an additional barrier to get past. HB1093 dismantled work restrictions for children over the age of 14 under the guise of being another means to provide for their
LEAP, or Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace, is an industrial project in Lebanon, Indiana that was launched in 2015 by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). The 10,000-acre project is intended to be converted into an industrial park that will include energy and water-intensive industries like microchip factories, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and data centers. The IEDC hopes to attract large investments to the region, particularly from the tech sector.
This may sound like a project that is looking to improve certain parts of Indiana, but it is only taking away from other cities or towns to put water into Lebanon's industrial park. This is driven purely by corporate profits and will only hurt Tippecanoe & Clinton County's water supply. HB1305 would limit water withdrawal to at least 10,000,000 gallons/day. There have not been enough studies conducted for the environmental impact that would have on the counties.
The IEDC spent $126M on Boone County land purchases to create the LEAP district. That is $126M of taxpayer dollars going towards corporations as well as taking resources from Hoosiers. This is another example of legislation only looking out for corporations. That money could have been spent on public education, infrastructure projects, and affordable housing which are a more pressing need for our communities.
Representative Genda has not come out in support of or against the pipeline. While he claims to want transparency from the IEDC, he will not publicly state what his intentions are with the pipeline. This is not an issue that the State Representative for District 41 can remain neutral on. Action must be taken to keep safe, clean water in our communities; to check the IEDC’s unmitigated power; and to craft legislation that requires environmental impact and feasibility studies to be conducted prior to multi-million dollar projects to be approved.
Women's rights have always been a topic of major discussion, whether it is voting rights , equal pay, healthcare, or overall equality in society. Indiana made the list with the ninth largest pay gap between males and females, with a gap of $13,000. Hoosier Men were found to be paid nearly $60,000 annually, while women were found to be paid a little over $46,000 annually, a difference of 25%.
It is no secret that Roe V Wade was overturned, but since then, Indiana has come up with some of the strictest laws against abortion. Make no mistake about it, ABORTIONS ARE HEALTHCARE! The government has no right to place any law on women's bodies. HB1426 allows medical professionals to deny giving any type of contraceptives to anyone that gives birth based on religious beliefs. This is a huge government overreach and can be a stepping stone to more overreach and the state ban contraceptives in total.
Representative Genda is pro-life and believes women do not have a choice in their healthcare.
Throughout Dan’s campaign he has been going to Town Halls for the communities in District 41. The major issue facing a lot of the small towns is the need for new water/wastewater treatment facilities. It costs approximately $5,000,000 to repair existing facilities in a small town. The state has proven they have funds to do several projects for corporations to come in, but no one is fighting to bring funds to the smaller cities. Without functional water/wastewater infrastructure in our small towns, they will continue to see a decline in population and income. This is not something we can stand for. Our small towns provide families with an affordable place to live; a safe place to raise children; a strong sense of community because we are able to know and love our neighbors; a place to retire to and enjoy a new season of life. We can combat the epidemic of people moving away from our small towns through re-investing in them to make them as vibrant as they once were.
“Each town hall I have been to, minus Frankfort, everyone has said they do not get support from Representative Genda. These small towns need the support and help from their state to fix their water issues, but Genda has been nowhere to be seen.” It’s time to stop voting for Representatives that do not care about our small towns and vote for a candidate that wants to breathe new life back into them!
Having served in the Army National Guard as an Infantryman, Dan has witnessed first hand how veterans are treated and how the system lets them down time and time again. We need to stop cutting funding to the veterans and show we are truly grateful for their service. Soldiers have signed a blank check with their lives payable to America, now it’s our turn to ensure that service doesn’t go unrecognized.
The legalization of cannabis is a crucial step towards promoting justice, generating revenue, and ensuring public safety. By legalizing and regulating cannabis, we can dismantle the failed policies of prohibition that have disproportionately harmed marginalized communities and fueled mass incarceration. Moreover, legalization presents an opportunity to create new jobs, stimulate economic growth, and generate much-needed tax revenue for essential services like education and healthcare. As your candidate, I am committed to advocating for sensible cannabis policies that prioritize social equity, public health, and responsible use. Together, we can move towards a more just and equitable society while embracing the economic and social benefits of cannabis legalization.
Recent legislation is proving rights for the LGBTQ+ community are under fire. A government should never force a person to live a certain way or pass laws to take away rights for a group of people just because they do not understand them. When the constitution was written, it stated, " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." With certain legislation being submitted or passed, it is clear that our unalienable rights are in danger.
Although slavery was abolished in 1865, and even the civil rights movement and the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black Americans still struggle to have equal rights, whether it is voter suppression, pay inequality, lack of proper healthcare, or the inability to afford a proper education. We need an inclusive economy and society, and the lack of laws to prevent the injustices that occur need to be changed. This will part of my mission if elected to ensure that every Hoosier is afforded the same rights and opportunities.
But it is not just the Black Americans that suffer these injustices, but all non-white Americans can go through the same hardships and experience hate. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” We must honor MLK's words, and create a better, more understanding state for all Hoosiers, and for all Americans!
Unions are essential for ensuring that workers have a collective voice in negotiating fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. In a landscape where corporate interests often dominate, unions level the playing field by empowering workers to advocate for themselves and secure better livelihoods. They are instrumental in protecting workers' rights, from fair pay and safe working environments to job security and non-discriminatory practices. Unions also play a critical role in addressing economic inequality, ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are shared more equitably among all workers, not just the top earners.
Moreover, unions are vital in the political arena, advocating for policies that benefit the broader working population. They lobby for legislation that supports minimum wage increases, stronger labor protections, and comprehensive healthcare and retirement benefits. By standing up for the rights and interests of workers, unions contribute to a more just and equitable society. Supporting unions means supporting a stronger, fairer economy where the voices of everyday workers are heard and valued.
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