Rep. Ed DeLaney / Special to IBJ

Half of our college students end up with debt, with average debt for those Hoosier college students at about $27,000.

These failings are the result of a lack of imagination and fear of the upcoming Republican primaries.

Without accountability and political competition, there is no way to keep continuing neglect or ideological fanaticism in check.

A partisan redistricting process allows the Republican supermajority to systemically craft elections that are no longer competitive.

Let me suggest a simple start for Holcomb’s move toward real leadership: Require the hundreds of schools that are not reporting their COVID cases to do so.

Gerrymandering has allowed a modest-sized majority to convert itself to a supermajority.

The supermajority was ill-prepared for this largesse. It has had only two ideas: Cut taxes and build the surplus. There were too many dollars for this.

“The core idea behind conservative support for red-flag laws is that the problem is not with the gun, but with people.”

If you have gerrymandered districts and long-serving members from safe, rural districts, you get ‘rural rule.

A number of the governor’s ideas are positive. But I don’t see them as strong enough to take us to the “next level.”

There always will be pay differences between school districts. But the growing reliance on referendums to increase pay presents a novel threat.

School districts do not have enough money to support our teachers.

The supermajority in Indiana has rebuffed every effort by Democrats to look into the real issues.

The governor wants to improve teacher pay somehow, someday, as long as the increases are “systematic” and “sustainable.” Those are lovely words. The governor needs to start by committing to a substantial pay raise, based on state dollars. He also needs to act now.