Indiana's Democrats
by Amanda Lanzarone

Indiana was admitted as a state in the year 1816.  Population wise, Indiana ranks 14th in the nation.  In 1996 the estimated population of Indiana was 5,841,000. Of that population, 89.6% was white, and of the white population 86% was Protestant. 7.7% of the total population was black, 1% Asian and 1.8% Hispanic. Indiana has few immigrants and does  not have a very culturally diverse population. In the presidential elections of the last generation, the state typically voted republican. The main industries are agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation and service industries. The most prominent agricultural commodities are corn, soybeans, hogs and dairy products.In 1996 Indiana was the #1 steel producer. In the past decade Indiana has had Democratic Governors. The Governor now is Democrat Frank O'Bannon.  The Indiana Democratic Party strives to help all people from Indiana achieve their goals. It supports and fights on behalf of working families, small business owners, children, the elderly and minorities.  It aims to create jobs to help get people off of welfare. It also has been successful in not raising taxes significantly.             The Democratic Party of Indiana holds education as a top priority. They hold the belief that a good education is the best weapon to fight against poverty. Indiana Democratic Governor Frank O'Bannon has pushed for funding for many educational programs. He had funding approved for the Safe Haven Schools program, which provides organized after school programs for students, to keep them from seeking trouble on the streets. Funding was also approved for the Tech Prep program, which familiarizes students with real world employment activities; and Bright Beginnings packets, which encourage early intellectual stimulation for children.  The Indiana Democratic Party also supports smaller class sizes, more training for teachers and expanded alternative programs. They also believe that higher education should be accessible to all students regardless of financial need.              The Welfare system in place, and supported by the Democratic Party is the Welfare-To-Work program. Work Opportunity Tax Credits and Welfare-To-Work Tax Credits are given to businesses to entice them to hire TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients. The businesses may use these tax credits to help train these new employees. Last year, the O'Bannon administration contributed large sums to help cover child care expenses for the working poor, to the Healthy Families Program, and to the Children's Health Insurance Program These reforms helped to reduce the number of families receiving AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) payments.             The Indiana Democratic Party also believes that all people should be entitled to quality health care whether they are youth, senior citizens, poor or uninsured. They support protection of senior citizens' rights through different programs and strict enforcement of standards in nursing homes and other regulations by the Indiana State Department of Health.               The youth is another group that the Indiana Democrats work for, to protect their rights and fairly represent them. They support programs that encourage positive youth development. The O'Bannon administration helped develop the Indiana Youth Commission on Leadership and Service, and increased funding for the Youth Services Bureaus.   Health Care for infants and pregnant women is critical in the view of the Indiana Democratic Party. They support expanding Medicaid coverage as well as offering a variety of programs to pregnant women who are below the poverty level. Some of these programs would be prenatal substance abuse prevention programs and immunization programs.             The party also acknowledges domestic violence as a serious health issue which must be addressed. Victims need to be protected by local enforcement officials, and these officials must be properly trained to deal with situations of this nature. They also think that programs such as the Victims Notification Program should be expanded as well as carefully monitored. The Indiana Democrats see the HIV/AIDS virus as a serious health threat to the people of Indiana.             They encourage battling the epidemic through prevention programs and widespread education about the disease.    The Indiana Democratic Party supports Campaign Finance reform. They believe that  information on all contributions to candidates should be made available throughout the election. The provisions of the League of Women Voters Code of Fair Campaign Practices should be followed as well.             The Indiana Democrats also struggle for equal opportunity for all people regardless of race, sex, religion, age, physical disability, sexual orientation or economic background. They do not however believe that companies should have to fill quotas hiring women, minorities or disabled. Instead , they support commending companies that hire a diverse work force. The Democrats believe that a major role is played in protecting the rights of these groups by the state Civil Right Commission and the Indiana Commission for Women.              Economically, Indiana has the largest budget surplus of any state.  It s also one of only two states in the nation that has not had a major tax increase in the past ten years. The creation of new jobs is key to much of Indiana's economic success. The Democrats support expanding Indiana's export industries, such as agriculture, in order to create these jobs.              The Indiana Democratic Party encourages solid waste management and recycling programs. They also assisted in slowing the disposal of out of state waste into Indiana landfills. They encourage improving air quality and support the Indiana Heritage Trust Program which helps preserve Indiana's wetlands, forests, wildlife preserves and recreational areas.