House Democratic Leader Pelath: Governor’s road plan is a sheepish approach to a serious problem

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath from Michigan City today issued the following statement in response to the “major infrastructure announcement” made by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence:

“The sheepish proposal offered today is typical of the way this governor and his brood have handled Indiana’s crises. They hear the cries through the wall, read the poll numbers, and attempt the bare minimum to make them go away.

“As you may recall, the governor and his House and Senate supermajorities forgot our roads and bridges were falling apart until the day after the 2015 legislative session was over. They waited until the day after the session was over before they admitted we might have a problem, and they’d set about fixing it sometime in the future.

“After a summer of interminable detours and closures, it turns out we really shouldn’t be waiting. Something needs to be announced now, or at least long enough before the true start of a gubernatorial campaign where our governor’s inaction will be made accountable. Of course, there is a certain amount of wonderment here, since the governor and his minions announced just last week that their plan to fix Indiana’s infrastructure was fine.

“So what can we expect from this tip-toeing?

“Not too much for now, since the 2015 construction season is just about over. There will be no aggressive, Teddy Roosevelt-style ambitions to become a true Crossroads of America. There will not even be an unshackling of local communities to let them solve their own problems.

“If you have to navigate local roads and bridges—which are in some places more potholes than pavement—you’ll be left to fend for yourself. This plan is all about bigger projects. It’s a nose job when all the arteries are clogged. If the street on the way to work remains a Martian surface, things aren’t getting better, are they?

“And, of course, we will be relying upon the supermajorities in the House and Senate to cough up their own solutions. While mired in the RFRA debacle, those are the same supermajorities that defended the status quo at every turn.

“In other words, what we are getting today is exactly what we should have expected: quarter-measures that don’t solve a problem beyond the upcoming campaign season.

“Indiana deserves more practical vision than what we got today. This is kicking loose change under the couch.”