Mimi Pruett

This is a medical issue that has been turned into a political issue. It is an issue stripping individual rights and liberties from Americans. I think physicians and medical professionals need to be the ones giving their insights on the best options for any laws in this area. Women’s lives are in jeopardy because of the wording of these laws when we try to make their choices for them put their lives in jeopardy. We need to stay in our own lane. I was 12 when the Roe V. Wade decision came down. Being a Catholic girl, my family did not agree. With time, I came to understand that my personal beliefs did not mean that I should legislate my beliefs. After I became an adult and had some professional experiences working in hospitals or in health care in other ways. I came to understand all the medical complexities I had no idea of when I did not work in the field. For the most part, the Supreme Court in 1973 did a pretty good job of balancing facts with what is believed to be true. While some religions believe life begins at conception, others believe it doesn't start until the first breath is taken. When the Justices looked at the facts, they determined that they used the time when the fetus was viable outside of the body with medical care. I think if we listen to medical professionals, make exceptions for severe medical anomalies that cannot be determined before that time but for which life will not be viable, we should have a law that is fair. It will not make everyone happy. But those who want a total abortion ban may need to focus only within their religion. I no longer have a uterus, and I could never have an abortion personally unless it was for a medical reason, but I hold dear the first amendment of the constitution. And the first part of the line of the first Amendment is "'Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion..." To recognize conception at when life begins is legislating the belief of a few Christian religions violating the 1st Amendment. My daughter had to have a d&c when she miscarried her first pregnancy and that was considered an abortion. In some states, she would have bled to death because of laws written by people who based it on their religious believes and not on medical facts. Those laws, not only legislate religion, they strip rights from women to make medical decisions. What if a law were written that said men who found out they had testicular cancer could not have any treatment until they were no longer of a child producing age as determined by someone's religion. I'm not sure most people who be alright with having a man's right to seek medical care to save own life, So, in short, I believe the answer is before the fetus is viable outside of the womb or under other extreme medical circumstances, but the law should be written with strong medical supervision and advise of medical professions specializing in these areas.

Strongly Disagree

Planned Parenthood provides much more than abortions. As a matter fact 97% of their services are not abortions. They are Pap smears for women with no insurance or Medicaid who can’t get a doctor any other way, it’s AIDS testing for men and women, and other services that are invaluable to our community. When we pulled funding we had an AIDS crisis in Scott County Indiana. Yes, they deserve funding.

Neutral

I know of no such law in Indiana. I agree with palliative care and hospice services where we have medical services that provide for comfort which sometimes is pain management but it is not assisted suicide and it is not making Desk come sooner. Actually if hospice services are done properly not only as quality of life improved but With pain managed, life is often extended as well

The tax code is far too complicated. We’ve got to do some thing to simplify it but it seems like every time we do it makes it more crazy. And it really does need to be more fair. I’m sorry but it’s not fair when a millionaire like Warren Buffett pays less in taxes than his secretary who makes $60,000 a year. And nobody can tell me that that’s fair. The wealthy benefit just as much if not more from our military from our highways and from all the other things that are tax dollars go to cover, and they should pay their fair share. That might make our share a little more fair.

I’m not seeking a federal office. I’m pursuing a state office. And I never intend to pursue anything but the state office. I do not intend to be a career politician. My career has been as a social worker, or any of the other number of jobs I have done in my 63 years. The states budget is already balanced.

Agree

Yes, but not just college, the trades as well. There are many careers that have specialized training that actually will be provided by the trade Unions. Not all good careers require college, but trade school or other education should be offered to make sure we have a great workforce

Strongly Agree

People should not use their religion to discriminate against others in the United States of America. The pilgrims came here because they were being persecuted for being different than the state religion of Britain. I don’t know how we’ve gotten to this point that we don’t remember that. Even the first part of the first line of the first Amendment of the Constitution addresses this, and it was put in place to protect the churches from being told by the government what they have to believe.

When it’s a public health crisis. My husband and I contracted covid 19 in the very first wave before any safeguards were put into place and my husband did not survive. He was a big, strapping man who worked 16 hour days and people were shocked that he went from that to sick over night, then dead within less than a month. The God I know would never want anyone to be spreading or contracting a disease in His house. Church can be held anywhere, it isn't in a building.

A combination of A and B. If the average person had any idea how much money was wasted having to verify every little detail and different requirement of everyone's individual health insurance then cater to it and how many employees that have nothing to add to your health care are needed to be employed by your healthcare provider to jump to the wishes of your insurance company, you would be horrified. If we all had the same basic health insurance and we all knew we had coverage we would see a reduction in costs from the excess employees alone, not to mention the uninsured and uninsured (which we pay for now as well because they get treatment that is often much more expensive than it should have been, but that is a whole other question.) We should allow people or their employer to allow supplemental or additional insurance if they want to have it, but I know that having a basic comprehensive insurance for every person from cradle to grave would have to be phased in and would be an emotional anxiety provoking situation for us, but after working in the system from the insurance side, the health care side, and then the advocacy side I know it is the best choice. We are Americans and we can come up with our own American system. We don't have to do things the way that anyone else does it. We can look at what works from others and what we think would work in our culture, but we can come up with our own, All-American system, Ameri-Care if you will. However, again, since I am running for the state house, this is out of my area.

For as long as I have been alive the government has required vaccinations to go to school. I have a smallpox vaccination scar on my arm (yes, I am that old) that I had to have before going to kindergarten. I remember getting the oral polio vaccine before starting kindergarten, and the shot later. When other vaccinations came into being, such as rubella, and were being required, again, yes, I am that old, I had to take those or not be allowed in school. I don't remember that ever being a problem. I guess I don't know why this has become such a controversy now? I don't know if it is because of the people who have said that vaccines have caused Autism, which is patently untrue, or at least there are absolutely no studies that have verified this. Or if it is because we have so many more than we had years ago. Or if it is because we have so many people who believe in alternative forms of medical treatment today. I don't know. But I think I guess in the case of any illnesses which have the possibility of causing pandemic illnesses or mass death, or disability they should be able to require it. If you are a health care agency or a provider of healthcare you also should be allowed to require certain immunizations such as the flu shot for communicable illness as the people they will be working with will have impaired immune systems which make them higher risk for contracting the illnesses then having a worse outcome, thus making it more imperative to quell infection within the employees. And the government, its employees and then in the case of a public emergency I don't know that I am the most objective person to ask because again, I watched my beloved husband of 42 year die over FaceTime on an IPhone. The last time I saw him was when he was being wheeled off by people in what looked like hazmat suits while I sat helpless in my van praying he would be alright. I would not wish that kind of heartache on anyone. I would take every kind of immunization twice it would bring him back to me, but it will not. Sometimes I think we need to put things into perspective. But, I know I am not answering your question. I am not a constitutional scholar or a Supreme Court Justice and I think that is what it will come down to if we ever have to live through something like that again. I understand that we live in a free country, but there is also a standard that your right to swing your arm ends at my nose. And if your refusal to vaccinate causes me to get ill, or causes the vaccination I got to no longer be effective because the virus didn't die, it was kept alive by enough unvaccinated and ill people so that it mutated enough to "get around" the vaccine, then that's like hitting me in the nose. If you choose to in a pandemic not vaccinate then maybe you might have to have some other form of accountability. I don't know what it would be or how it would be enforced. I am saddened in many ways. I think to my parents, and Grandparents. I think of the sacrifices they made without winking an eye. They were the true Patriots. We are so selfish, thinking of ourselves. We never think of the good of the country or of others, just of ourself and what is in it for us. We would complain if we were given rationing coupons today for food, or asked to have meatless Tuesdays as they did in WWII. Sometimes I really think we need to be more like our parents, grandparents and great grandparents.

way beyond the scope of an Indiana lawmaker. Way beyond the scope of most of us. But one thing we shouldn't do is to be terrorists within our own borders to people of the Islamic faith, nor to ignore all the other forms of terrorism within our country including our unfortunate homegrown terrorism.

Choose not to answer

I really don't know much about it, so I don't want to answer something that I don't know about. I am transparent. I won't pretend to know everything. I don't think this will have a lot to do with being a state level lawmaker though in Indiana

Neutral

We just need to overhaul our immigration policy all together because what we have is clearly not working and hasn't worked for a very long time. We have had a problem with this for my entire lifetime and more. I lived in California in the 60's and it was an issue then. But again, Indiana doesn't border any other country so as a State lawmaker it will not be an issue.

Not an issue of a state lawmaker. I can only say that my heritage is British, Dutch, French, German, and Irish. I am glad they were all allowed to immigrate over to the US and I know that many of them suffered discrimination as well, were told to "go back home" and were not welcomed at first. I think we can do better than that.

Disagree

I am the product of public schools and I received an excellent education in public schools. These programs rob funding from public schools making is more and more difficult to have adequate programming. Children with special needs are left behind because these special schools such as charter and private schools do not have to accept special needs children the way that public schools do, plus they are not held to the same standard. It's poor use of our public funds.

Strongly Disagree

Our founding fathers, did not want our country to become a theocracy. Our country was not founded to be a Christian nation even though we have had various forms of Christianity interlocked into our past and present. Many of our founders were believers of various kinds, some Christians, some not at all. But we have the Blessing of the Liberty to worship, or not, in whatever fashion we choose.

Strongly Agree

We just need to open up our hearts and be a little kinder to each other. I don't think it is alright to be mean to other people just because they are different.

Strongly Disagree

If you are talking within the bounds of recognition within a church where that is their beliefs, yes, that is alright. If you are talking in the government of the United States of America where not state sponsored Religion exists, marriage is only a contract to share personal assets, and to provide for the financial and physical care and wellbeing of any children that come into the marriage. My church can tell me that, my government cannot.

Choose not to answer

I don't know enough about CRT to know if that is a true assertion about it or not. I am a social worker and I was never taught anything about CRT. My understanding is it has been mostly taught in Law Schools for Civil Rights law.

I believe that these are very personal, but I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but I no longer attend. I was baptized, confirmed, made first communion as a Catholic. I have attended other churches. I am a minister in the Universal Life Church and have officiated many weddings. I like their philosophy of acceptance of religious thought. I personally believe that whatever good we do for each other and in the world is what we are intended to do in our time on this earth. I pray that we will get to see our loved ones in the afterlife. My values are to try to be the best I can be and when I fail to ask for help and admit it as quickly as possible. Also to help others as quickly as you can if you can. Much of my time grieving my spouse has been spent in giving to others in need in his memory. I love my family and they are the most important thing to me. My husband, our kids, and our grandson were together always. My favorite prayers were the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: Make Me a Channel of your peace. And then the song./Prayer "Let there be peace on Earth". I believe in Peace, in love, in acceptance, in trying to work against our nature to judge, others which is not our place to do, but instead to love them. For example the questions above about Marriage and Gender Identity. We can let people live as they want, accept them, and let God judge. Then we have created Peace on Earth and/or we have been channels of His peace. Sometimes I think we just need to remember our place, which is not to judge.

Agree

Yes and no. I think to get the original voter registration, yes but after that I don't think it's that much of a deal. And it mostly limits people and strips people from their right to vote, which I hold dear to my heart. I work the polls almost every year and have seen too many people rushing to get to vote and forgot their drivers license and can't vote. I live in a small town. We know most people so they couldn't vote as someone else anyway.

First of all, I think voting should have to have a paper back up that the voter can look at, see how their votes were cast, put into an envelope and put that into a larger box for "recount" if needed. that way would have something know that their vote was really counted they way they cast it. I also think we do too much to limit it from the voters, and that is why we have low turnout. We need to move election day from a Tuesday to weekend day Nationally or make it a national holiday. We should adopt some practices nationally that have worked well in other some other states and see if we could adopt them nationally. I also think offering an additional tax credit for voting would be a good idea that might improve turn out. I am not sure the average person understands how secure our elections are. Stuffing ballot boxes and printing of own ballots cannot be done. they votes would have to. be initialed properly, be the correct ballot numbers and markings on ballot. I think it would be good to have a strong national framework that is universal sets that basis for the states.

Yes I think it is but in all it's forms. Racism is hatred. It is a negative force that works against us, not for us. I think we need to address our conscious and subconscious racisms and understand, that we are all in this together as Americans, so the sooner we remember that and get to work, the better off we all will be. There is inside each of us something called implicit bias. No matter how much we do to overcome al of the ideas, thoughts, images, and stories we have been exposed to over our lifetimes, and understand that even though our conscious thoughts may not be outwardly racists, we still have that exposure working on our thoughts and emotions.

Agree

I am not sure how to do it, but I can understand this one in many ways and not just for black Americans. For Japanese Americans who lost real estate and other property during the internment as well. While many Black Americans were being enslaved and denied their basic civil rights, their right to own property was also out of their reach. This means that they were unable to amass any kind of wealth, while the owners of the property and the slaves became wealthy.

B Stricter environmental laws and regulation do not have to cost jobs or hurt the economy and actually if done smartly can grown the economy. The opportunity to enhance the economy with Green jobs is unlimited and frankly the future. If we can't breathe and have no safe water, we have no economy. We are seeing the horrible storms from the changes in our environment, and that costs our economy. We have got to get smart and get our head out of the sand. It is time to realize that we need to move to cleaner energy. We want to grow our economy and keep all that we have, but we are trying to hang on to old fashioned ways to run it. Our energy grid is old fashioned and open to failure, just ask Texas, they know. We must look to modernize it, and modernize all the energy systems. Environmental Laws and regulations could be a part of that. Sometimes it is all in the way you look at something. If you look at a it as a problem, it is. If you look at is as opportunity, it is. Let's look at this as an opportunity--an opportunity to have less dependence and a chance to stop funding countries that mean us harm, less damage to our air, water, and land, and time to get a newer safer grid that won't leave us in the dark when it is really hot or really stormy.

Neutral

That is a tricky question because it can be done properly but it also can be done improperly and cause really bad damage. Our natural resources, like our water and air, are precious and needed for life itself. We must protect them from contamination. Done improperly, hydraulic fracking can be worse than some of the dirtiest energy. Natural gas has some problems but is pretty good, but fracking must be done with a lot of oversight.

We the people of the United States of American in order to form a more perfect union establish justice and insure domestic tranquility provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States. That in my mind is the purpose of government. 1) form a more perfect union 2) establish justice 3) insure domestic tranquility 4) provide for the common defense 5) promote the general welfare 6) secure the blessing of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity. I can't say it any better than that,

Moderate

Here's the thing. I live very conservatively--I am a heterosexual woman who lived with the same man for 42 year in a monogamous marriage, went to college, never did a lot of "partying", had 2 children etc., but I have a very open mind when it comes to what other people do and I very much defend that other people should not have to be forced to make the decisions I make. I live conservative, think liberal, end up moderate. I think a lot of Hoosiers are like that.

I don't know that there is anything to verify any of it except my marriage record or articles in the paper about my marriage when my husband died. I am a person who embraces the belief that people do not have to be like me to live in the USA. I have been interviewed by the Greensburg daily news for community theater or other events over the years. There is an article in the Shelbyville news and also in the Addison Times on line paper.

No.

I want to move my district and my state forward. I want to return to the time when we talked to each other and listened even when the letter behind our names was different (R) (D) (L) (I). We yell and name call too often today. Tv commercials and Meme's on social media are filled with insults, half truths, or lies and worse. We don't even associate with each other any and that is sad. I miss that good old fashioned Hoosier Hospitality and I'm doing my best to bring it back. I also want to put a stop to the criminalization of mental illness and addiction that has gotten out of control in our state. Our friends and family with drug or mental problems don't need jail time, they need help. We are not going to incarcerate the addiction out of them. We are just going to make it harder for them them to get a job, a decent place to live, and have a good life. Next is Rural Broadband. Should have been done, but let's get it done now. It's an economic development issue, a rural and Ag business issue, a medical support issue, and an education issue. 'We have to stop making e-learning days into hot spot scavenger hunts. I also want to work on the closest and most local level of government, the Township Trustee. Instead of abolishing it, we need to strengthen it adding more check and balances for the Trustee and the Advisory Board--they are a key piece for our most rural areas, for the farm families, the volunteer fire departments, the small shop owners and the retirees. It is a lifeline for those people and we have to make sure we are taking care of it. District 73 is a diverse but rural district. Shelbyville is the largest city and Greensburg then St. Paul are the next largest. They all 3 of course sit along the 1-74 corridor. But the rest of the district, off of the corridor, is much more rural with many different needs. The other townships in Shelby county for an example, are agricultural. The Townships in Bartholomew County, are all rural, and for example in two of the charming towns, Hope and Hartsville, getting a cell signal is nearly impossible. If a resident needed a signal for a medical device, they might have to live in a nursing home instead of being able to be at home with this device. Or if a farm family was trying to stay competitive with corporate operations, using AI equipment to harvest crops could be just the ticket to keep them afloat, but the broadband doesn't exist. Crossing over to Decatur County, Clay Township, and Sand Creek township fare better as far as internet service, but they are almost 100 % farm land. The sole Township in Jennings County in the district Geneva, is a vast district, with Country Squire Lakes community and several others, more than half of the homes in the township are mobile homes. And of late, the residents are struggling with methamphetamine use / arrests. Obviously they are not the only township in the district with substance use issues. Washington Township in Decatur county is home currently to 2 mens and 1 women's sober living recovery homes. Many of these residents are paying for very costly house arrest fees, probation fees while working in lower wage jobs due to having felony convictions and difficulty being hired on some jobs. I want to establish treatment programs that would prevent this, that would address the drug problem and provide the needed treatment without burdening our already overburdened criminal justice system. Shelbyville has a mental health group home, and likewise people with a mental health diagnosis too often end up in the legal system as a result of their treatable condition. Care not criminal records just makes sense and saves more than cents. It is very costly to put these folks into our system and it puts a huge dent in the county budgets needlessly. Homelessness has hit these communities as well with people finding wooded areas and making tent cities, often a result of substance use or mental illness or both. Additionally, I have spent time with the people of Adams Indiana where their Volunteer Fire Department has recently lost the contract with the outgoing trustee. A large number of residents are concerned about their safety, about the loss of funding for the fire department, about the upcoming tax increases from the Fire Territory the Trustee has pushed through. They are the everyday unsung heroes of our communities. The farmers, the small business owners, the Volunteer Firemen, the Factory worker, the horse trainers. These people don't have to be there, they want to be there. These are the people I will represent in Indianapolis. From the CEO at the largest operation to the person who just move out of their tent into an apartment, From Shelbyville to Elizabethtown, From Hope to Waldron, I will have your back, I am one of you, you are my priority. Let me know how I can earn your vote. Because when I do I think you'll agree that Indiana needs a Mimi in the House.

Strongly Agree

If they are truly abiding by department policy yes. However, police are in a position of great power. They are doing a very valuable and dangerous job. I appreciate what they do. But they are in a position of power over individual citizens that can impact lives as we've seen. I support our Law Enforcement Community, but I also Support Black Lives Matter. They are not Mutually Exclusive. I have family members who are in law enforcement or who have retired from the same.

Agree

I actually think it would be better to have programs where mental health specialists work in the police departments and are available to deploy when needed. It would save taxpayers money, help take unneeded stress off the officers having to deal with areas outside of their realm, and benefit the mentally ill person who is not traumatized and harmed in the situation.

Much is said about mental health, frankly I worry about physical health, too. When you get a driver's license or a pilot's license you have a battery of things to do. Physical/Mental health, eye test, sometimes skills test--and different levels--operator, motor cycle, chauffeur, cdl, etc. we could do something similar with guns. We could have testing and exams and different levels. I do agree that access to personal protection is needed, especially for rural folk, but something has to be done. And when our forefather wrote the 2nd Amendment muzzle loaders were the norm, not AK47's. Volunteer Militia's were needed because we did not have law enforcement in many areas. And grocery stores with meat available at your fingertips was not a thing either. So denying someone a gun could mean starvation, or death by animal attack. But today we have city police, county sheriff departments, state police department all for protection, then we have DNR, Animal Control, and County Extension Offices, and finally we have grocery stores and plentiful restaurants so we will not starve without a gun. That being said, many of. us live in the country where a rabid animal could arrive in your yard and you may not have time to call animal control. I think responsible gun owners want other owners to be responsible as well. I do not currently own a gun, but my husband and I have had them in the past. I find it shocking the way many people do not treat their firearms with proper respect storage and handling, leaving guns out in the reach of children often with tragic consequences.

Strongly Agree

I hate to say yes, but I have come to agree with it. Especially the weapons like the AK47 which should never, in my opinion, be marketed for a civilian buyer. It is a weapon of war and should remain that. We do not buy rocket launchers because they are not marketed to civilians. I think we need to be very serious and brave. But we also need to be civil. Again, the yelling, name calling keeps us from a solution, and out kids are being slaughter, and our Law officers are being murdered, too.