Ken de la Bastide: Ken de la Bastide column: Indiana red for all the wrong reasons
Jan. 22—Every four years, during presidential elections, the news networks are usually quick to declare Indiana voted Republican.
Normally the Hoosier State is among the first of the 50 states that are called for a presidential candidate. It's a distinction that undoubtedly the GOP leadership is ecstatic about.
Unfortunately, the state is "red" for all the wrong reasons.
Our state leaders should be "red-faced" with shame for allowing the pandemic to remain unchecked in Indiana.
GOP members of the Legislature are now trying to limit a governor's ability to declare a health emergency in the state.
They believe a special session should be called and legislators should vote on any emergency declarations.
Every Indiana county has been coded red — the highest level on the state's COVID-19 dashboard — as a result of rising COVID-19 cases and positivity rates.
That status is not likely to change in the near future as the number of cases continued unabated as of Friday.
The latest figure for Madison County shows a positivity rate of 29% and an average of 1,521 weekly cases of the virus.
That positivity rate is probably on the low side as many people either have not been tested and, with testing supplies now running low, the number of tests being administered will remain diminished.
This county lacks when it comes to the percentage of people who have been fully vaccinated. To date, 537 local residents have died from COVID-19.
The county's vaccination rate is 54%, and for the entire state, only 55% of Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated.
Almost 20,000 people have died in Indiana since the pandemic started in 2020 and hospital workers continue to be overwhelmed with the number of cases on a daily basis.
We're currently in the second variant of the COVID-19 virus and health experts believe more variants are likely.
What's extremely hard to believe in a state that proudly proclaims it's a "right to work" state is that Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly want to pass legislation that effectively ties the hands of business owners.
If passed, the legislation will prevent employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated or be tested on a weekly basis.
What's important to remember in the Hoosier State is that any employer has the right to terminate an employee without stating a reason.
Attorney General Todd Rokita proclaimed that the data from the Indiana State Department of Health is not accurate and dishonest and misleading at best.
Were his comments meant to garner votes for a gubernatorial run in 2024 — meanwhile putting Hoosiers at risk?
Senior Reporter Ken de la Bastide's column publishes Saturdays. Contact him at ken.delabastide@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4863.
