Dominic is a sophomore political science major and writes "Dominic's Politics" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Dominic at dabordenaro@bsu.edu.
Once again Indiana has proven what everyone else already knows.
We are not tolerant. “Hoosier Hospitality” means nothing.
At least that is how it seems.
The Indiana General Assembly has again failed to show its tolerance by refusing to pass a Hate Crimes law.
The bill was never even voted on. The Republican Chairman of the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee killed the bill after Republicans failed to reach a consensus, according to the IndyStar.
Tony Cook of the IndyStar wrote “A hate crimes bill died last year on the same day the Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis received bomb threats. The year before that it failed to advance despite a record 69 hate crimes being reported to the state. The measure also failed in 2015 as Indiana was in an uproar over religious freedom and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
This sickens me. There is obvious need for hate crimes legislation to deter these horrendous criminal acts. Indiana is once again on the wrong side of history, joining Georgia, Wyoming, Arkansas and South Carolina to be the only states in the nation to not have a Hate Crimes law on the books.
I believe because of this decision Indiana will suffer the consequences.
Earlier this year, Amazon listed Indianapolis as a finalist for their second headquarters, and it is a tight competition. States have been bending over backwards changing laws and offering huge tax incentives to draw Amazon in. The IndyStar has also reported that state lawmakers are considering removing the light rail ban for the Indianapolis area that was just implemented in 2014 in hopes of pleasing Amazon.
Part of Amazon’s diversity statement on their website states “We believe that diversity and inclusion are good for our business, but our commitment is based on something more fundamental than that. It's simply right. Amazon has always been, and always will be, committed to tolerance and diversity.”
Indiana is not committed to tolerance and diversity, and, because of this terrible decision by our elected officials, I believe that Amazon will not pick Indianapolis for its second headquarters.
Not only do I think they will not, but I believe they should not.
For a company that promotes a diverse workforce of tolerance and acceptance, Indiana is not the place to be.
Amazon, until Indiana can prove that we are tolerant, we are loving, and we are actually filled with what we call “Hoosier Hospitality,” stay away. There are better places to be.
Now, in no way do I hate Indiana. I love this state. This is my home and I may never leave.
We just have a lot of work to do. If we want opportunities such as a headquarters from a billion-dollar company to arise, we must be better people, better citizens and a better state.
So, as always, I have hope. I choose to stay here because I recognize the problems of my home, and I want to make it a better, safer place for anyone and everyone that wants to be called a Hoosier.
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