Most of America has watched in horror as Donald Trump has insulted, sputtered, and fumbled his way into a republican nomination. Most who support him are citing the fact that he isn't a politician (Americans aren't fans of those), or that he's going to shake-up the establishment. Surely, there is no lack of people sick of the establishment, so that much is understandable, but Trump is not the issue. Mike Pence is the problem. The mere concept of President Trump is laughable, but as someone who lived under a Pence-ruled state - Pence is terrifying. As a hoosier, finding out that the man to represent my state is Michael Pence was horrible. I've found many write-ups of exactly why hoosiers hate pence so much, and decided to do my part.
1. His budgeting is nonsense
Mike Pence's predecessor was a relatively well liked man named Mitch Daniels. Daniels was so well liked because he matched well with Indiana's atmosphere at the time - unconcerned or uninterested in social politics, and focused upon the budget. And Daniels did well, entering the office with an $800 million deficit and ended his second term with a $370 million surplus. One of Pence's first acts as governor was to propose an income tax cut of a whopping 10%, which was negotiated down by congress, which was largely republican at the time. Predictably, because of his tax cuts, the surplus has shrank to $50 Million, and is dwindling fast.
2. He disregards the people he represents and their opinions
In 2013, gay marriage was the big debate that was on everyone's mind. Mike Pence has repeatedly and unashamedly opposed any and all protections, rights, and respect for LGBTQ+ people. Though finding any specific instance is a bit like a needle in a haystack. However, all of his opposition ran opposite to the general consensus of Hoosiers, which was at worst an almost even split between support and oppose, and at best a large majority supporting LGBTQ+ rights and marriage. He has pushed his conservative agenda regardless of public opposition. Which has led him to the next problem.
3. The "Religious Freedom Restoration Act"
Indiana senate Bill 101, also known as the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," was an embarrassment for the entire state and country. The title of the act comes from an earlier bill passed by Bill Clinton, which applied to the federal and governmental level. The bill proposed by Pence would apply to individuals and even businesses. The result was widespread outcry and ridicule from in and outside of the state. even the republican then-mayor of Indianapolis criticized the bill, and Pence. The fact that Pence has repeatedly been under fire by both parties is worth noting.
4. He is an underhanded bully to those who disagree with him
Democrat Glenda Ritz was elected to be the state Superintendent of Public Instruction around the same time as Pence. Her positions ran counter to many that He supported, and this caused friction. And thought the history behind Mike Pence and Glenda Ritz is long and sordid, it is deeply troubling. First, he went behind her back to create a new agency that replaced her entire position, dedicating state funding and taxpayer money to create an entirely new educational agency - just because he disagreed with a woman who was elected to a job he had little to nothing to do with. But what's more, just a year later he then dissolved this replacement agency, and changed the position of Superintendent of Public Instruction to be a position appointed by the Board of Education. Of course, the Board of Education was largely appointed by Pence.
5. His policies resulted in an HIV outbreak
Scott County Indiana has been without an HIV testing center since 2013, when the sole provider of HIV testing - Planned Parenthood - was forced to shut down. In fact, five Planned Parenthood clinics have been forced to shut down since the funding had been slashed from $3.3 million to $1.9 million. This was a direct action of Mike Pence and his amendment to de-fund the medical health provider. The result was an outbreak of HIV, with over 20 new cases reported a week until it was brought under control. The measure that stopped the epidemic was the introduction of a needle exchange program, intended to prevent the spread of disease through sharing needles in drug use. This measure was opposed by Pence as he believes it would promote drug use. It is worth noting that none of the clinics shut down provided abortion services, which were the reason the de-funding was proposed.
In summary, Mike Pence is a bigger problem than Trump. He is a problem because nobody has paid attention to how rabidly he has pursued presidency. His pursuit of presidency has led him to show his true colors: the exact same shade of rotten orange as his running mate. But nobody notices or mentions his insanity because the man to hate is Trump. Donald Trump is insane. Donald trump is openly and proudly horrible to everyone, and we know what to expect from him. Mike Pence is hiding his own dangerous ideas behind a smokescreen of media covering Trump. And that is why he is a bigger problem.
