DEI, MEI, Silliness and More

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Fred Allen.

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DIVERSITY. Equity. Inclusion. Who can argue with the value and importance of those three words. Indeed, many of our country’s principles and notions are based on exactly those.

But ever since Gov. Mike Braun and President Donald Trump took office and began fixing the glaring issues with DEI programs, too many folks have lost their minds. Indiana ACLU director Chris Daley said that one proposed law would “prohibit state agencies and public universities from funding any meaningful efforts to prevent discrimination and harassment in state employment. This will leave tens of thousands of employees without effective protection from unlawful employment practices.”

Really? All the other laws that ban discrimination are going away?

On Braun’s second day in office, he signed an executive order dumping DEI from the state government. That included closing the office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer. Braun said instead of DEI, he wants MEI – merit, excellence and innovation.

How refreshing.

Look, the simple truth is that as a government – we surely ought to be above the ridiculous behaviors that reflect bigotry and stupidity. Does that mean that’s true of all people? Of course not. Stupidity is hard to outlaw. But having a system that rewards people simply for the color of their skin, their differences, leads to a denigration of society.

No, no, no. That is not to say that society goes downhill when minorities or gays or others who benefitted from DEI are involved. Not at all. Everyone from all walks of life have the opportunity to step to the front of the line through their hard work and achievement – regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they came from or how they choose to live.

And that’s the way it should be. C’mon, can’t we agree on that?

Oh, the other thing that has the left up in arms? Braun telling state employees they have to return to their jobs by July 1. Or in other words, no more remote working.

Let’s think about that for a second. A lot of folks were allowed to work from home during COVID. Made sense then. But COVID is no longer what it was and the state has more than 10,000 workers who are still not reporting in person. Braun, that heartless tyrant, is now demanding they return to work! And he gave them a ticking clock to do so! Almost six months!

The audacity!

This, dear friends, illustrates one of the problems we have in our world today. The rules in government – and let’s be clear, the government that would have no money without our taxes – have been very different from what us chumps in the private sector have. From less than 40 hour work weeks to very, very attractive benefit plans, a government job is often a lot cushier than the clock you and I are punching.

Braun, with his executive order, is at least adding some accountability and more common-sense standards to taxpayer-supported jobs.

It’s way too early to say what kind of governor the man from Jasper will be. But this is not a bad start.

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WHILE ON the subject, have you noticed how some Democrats and much of the national (and state) media haven’t got the memo that more than 77 million Americans voted for Donald Trump?

I’m not smart enough to know if that number qualifies as a mandate, but I do know that when almost all the swing states went red instead of blue it signaled loud and clear that a lot of this country had had enough.

Yet listen to the TV news, or the hired hands in Congress and a lot of them are still singing the same song. A U.S. president and vice president lost their jobs over this. So have some of the members of the media. You would think others would learn . . . but apparently not.

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DID YOU know that every Indiana county (except Marion) is preparing to conduct an annual count of the homeless tonight and tomorrow? According to the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, the purpose is to provide an easy-to understand data point that helps state and local leaders measure progress toward ending homelessness and helps plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs.

So how is it handled here in Montgomery County? Macy Simmons, the director of addictions and recovery support services for Integrative Wellness, told The Paper that volunteers begin tonight and wrap up tomorrow. They check with shelters, warming centers and then, sadly, will check tomorrow at places homeless might be found.

The info is then compiled and passed to the IHCDA and is used in various things like HUD vouchers and such.

As our pal Honest Hoosier might say, here’s a big tip of the seed corn cap to Simmons and all the volunteers who take on this task! (And thanks to county administrator Tom Klein and county health department administrator Adrianne Northcutt for their help on learning how this works.)

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THANKS ALSO TO many of you who reached out via email and texts on Biden’s last day in office. Most were outraged with his last-second pardons and asked if I was going to write something. One that made me laugh out loud said there was enough material there to give me three months’ worth of columns. It’d be even funnier if it wasn’t so true.

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LAST NOTE: Today is Jan. 29, which means in 48 hours the calendar flips to February – truly a month that can be as cold as a witch’s heart. However, it also is one more step toward spring. For those who hate the cold as much as me, take heart. T-minus 50 days until the vernal equinox!

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OK, BE honest. How many of you knew that Fred Allen was the host of Texaco Star Theater? What started as the most popular radio show in the country, turned into a hugely popular TV show. It actually was where Milton Berle got the nickname Mr. Television. Texaco Star Theater was on the radio from 1938-49 and on TV from 1948-56.

Two cents, which is about how much Timmons said his columns are worth, appears periodically on Wednesdays in The Paper. Timmons is the publisher of The Paper and can be contacted at [email protected].