Issues

During the upcoming months of my campaign, I look forward to talking to fellow citizens in District 44. I want to listen to their concerns and aspirations. Enjoy getting to know people. I also want to share some of my hopes and dreams for the state of Indiana.

I will continue to add to the Issues section of my Web site, so make sure you regularly check-out my Web site. Also, be sure to check out my blog. I’m going to be writing about various events and people.

Please keep in mind . . . I believe in the innovative power of individual Hoosiers and their families to work hard, to enjoy a good education, and also believe in creating new jobs in our state and district.

Jobs

We need to attract and create new jobs in our state, while simultaneously reinventing and reinvigorating our current workforce with education and training. Hoosiers have always been resourceful people. Women and men who are have an excellent work ethic. Hoosiers want to work hard, support their families, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. This kind of “can do” attitude should be marketed to prospective business owners in hopes of attracting new business.

We are now undergoing a major social change in our state, moving from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based society. We must embrace this change with hope and flexibility. I believe in empowering people to innovate. Encouraging people to seek out opportunities. Supporting people in using their knowledge and creativity to succeed. I will do everything I can do to help attract new business to our state, support our current workforce, and help individuals and communities as they face an ever-shifting economic landscape.   

Education

I believe that education and jobs and quality of life are all fundamentally connected. As a child grows up, in addition to needing a strong, loving family, he or she needs to be nurtured with literacy programs, excellent pre-school programs, and a fully-funded all-day kindergarten program. This needs to be a priority for all Hoosier families, and I will do everything I can to support young children, their families, and will strive to make public education in the state of Indiana second to none!  

I also believe that as children move through our public school system, they need to be challenged in the form of high quality teaching and intelligent, standardized testing. Benchmarks are good for students; they are good for educational institutions. As the son of a public school educator, I have great appreciation for what our teachers and principals do each day to make a difference in the lives of young people. When these students graduate from high school, they need to understand how important higher education can be in their lives, and they should also be able to access affordable education in our great state. I would hope that highly qualified teachers graduating from Indiana’s stellar universities will want to stay here and teach throughout the state, passing on the gift of knowledge and education.  

I have great appreciation for the higher education institutions of our state and the role they play in educating our workforce. They also provide cultural enrichment and a common bond among all Hoosiers. (After all, there’s nothing better than a good IU vs. Purdue basketball game to capture the imagination of our state!) Our universities are also important economic centers, and for that reason are important to the well-being of every Hoosier family. We need to find even more ways for our universities to support the challenges of our new economy, focusing on innovation, biotechnology, nursing, computer literacy, to name only a few. People in Indiana understand that education, like labor, demands our very best efforts. I will work to ensure that these efforts are maximized and nurtured for all our citizens, from the very young in pre-school to those attending one of our fine universities.

Agriculture

Living on a small family farm and growing up the grandson and nephew of farmers, I understand how hard it is to make a living and support a family through agriculture. It’s hard work. It’s rewarding work. Indiana’s farmers are some of the most resourceful people in the state. When prices for a certain crop go soft, they find a new crop to sow in their fields. When technology makes more productivity possible, they embrace the future with flexibility and enthusiasm.

At a fundamental level, Indiana’s farms and farmers not only need to be protected, they need to be encouraged to change and evolve and continue participating in our global economy. Interestingly enough, as people hunger for better, cleaner, and more humane sources of food, it’s only good business to make sure our farmer’s can compete competitively in these new growing markets. Locally produced food is fast becoming part of the new economy, and I think Indiana farmers will meet the challenge.

Obviously, the need for clean, renewable energy is on the forefront of all our minds, especially when we stop at the gas station to refuel our cars or trucks. I support the continued research and production of bio-fuels, and believe Indiana can continue to be a global leader in this critical area. Over the past twenty years, computer technology dominated the global economy; I think we’re about to enter a period where the production of high quality food, as well as safe, clean, sustainable sources of energy, will move to the forefront. I see no reason why Indiana cannot lead the way!    

Taxes

No one likes paying taxes, but everyone understands their essential value for our society. Our current legislature continues to squabble over Indiana’s finite amount of resources. This impasse highlights, among other things, why District 44 needs a change in Senate leadership. I’m ready to roll-up my sleeves and begin working on fiscal restraint and taking the necessary actions to find new sources of revenue for our state. Just imagine . . . Wouldn’t Indiana be better off today had legislators spent as much time trying to figure out to make a bigger pie, rather than fighting about how to divide-up the pie we have?   

Property taxes have traditionally supported our public school system. For that reason alone they are important to our state and have provided a steady source of support. Many politicians believe we can have it both ways. They are willing to make a risky bet on our children’s future by eliminating the property tax in favor of less steady sources of income. To be sure, I’m in favor of monitoring and reforming property taxes, but I am not willing to gamble away critical support for public education. Education is not a bill we pay or a line item we fund; it is the best investment we can make in the future of Indiana!  

Labor

I support the right of collective bargaining. Our history of hard work in this state demands that we treat our workers with respect and dignity. I will fight for workers to make sure that they are given their rights when hurt or exploited. I will also promise to help corporate leaders to understand that treating worker’s fairly is the only way to do business in Indiana. It’s the right way; it’s the most profitable way. There’s a way to create “win-win” situations for the workers in Indiana and for those who invest in locating their companies here.   

Land

We need to reaffirm Indiana’s commitment to working with our land, living on it as both stewards of its beauty and cultivators of its productivity. Our rivers and lakes and hills and valleys and farms, all deserve our finest efforts in this regard and our commitment to protect and improve the environment with every action we take.

More Will Be Added . . .

I will continue to update my issues page, but if you have an issue you would like to discuss, just send me an email at info@colglazierforsenate.com. I want to make myself available to all the citizens of District 44. Your support is greatly appreciated in the upcoming May 6 primary.