The Braun administration has offered a rural economic development plan for Indiana. It looks a lot like plans offered by GOP and Democratic governors over the past 75 years. Indeed, the only element distinguishable from such a plan in the 1960s is broadband. Back then, we were worrying about better phone service.
Braun’s plan discusses improvements in public services to farms and an increased focus on attracting manufacturing jobs. It calls for reducing taxes. Puzzlingly, the document mentions climate when talking about farms — not something one expects from the GOP. It also mentions protecting Hoosier farmland from China — a statement meant to placate voters with, it must be said, mediocre intellectual gifts.
Hicks: Immigration is the only hope for Indiana’s dying small towns…