Commentary on “The Other Indiana”

John Sampson
President/CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

Covering President Obama’s Elkhart address in his article "The Other Indiana," national columnist Cal Thomas rendered a different view than what many took away from the President's town hall meetings. "Where’s our Hoosier Spirit?" Thomas demanded of his national readership.

The President spotlighted the crumpled backdrop of the RV industry to underscore the urgent need for government-sponsored economic relief. Thomas sees a different view of Indiana, which deserves equal time.

In his Feb. 12 column (which appeared in newspapers and online news sites across America), Thomas chronicled the numerous achievements and premier fiscal position now held by the Hoosier state.

These included attributes of economic vibrancy like a recognized positive business climate, a multi-year balanced budget, a budget surplus of $1.3 billion (for which Thomas unfortunately used the "million" word instead of the "b" word), responsible fiscal leadership from the Daniels administration, and widespread national recognition of statewide improvements that cannot help but attract corporate relocation and investment interest.

What does this mean for Northeast Indiana?

Our region possesses considerable assets of our own that directly contribute to the success of our state and region. Despite numerous major economic and workforce challenges over the past few decades, northeast Indiana continues to demonstrate an entrepreneurial resiliency that never gives up. We have a growing medical device industry with anchor and cluster companies alike that few other regions can compete with. Our multi-billion commercial defense industry provides a near-recession-proof haven for high-tech development and deployment. Our state public and private university portfolio remains unmatched in the region. We possess a new urgency for positive workforce development to meet the needs of advanced manufacturing. And the list goes on and on.

Do we have difficult challenges today? You bet. But we also have the critical resources in place to weather these trying times and achieve positive change. Most importantly, northeast Indiana possesses the strategic intellectual and leadership capital to both create and seize new opportunities.

In a reference to the movie "Hoosiers" – where a rural high school basketball team beat the odds through leadership and teamwork – Thomas outlined the attributes of success required to best this economic storm: catch a vision, believe in ourselves and marshal perseverance to win it all.
Now is not the time for false modesty. Now is the time to recognize what others see in us and tap into our own can-do "Hoosier Spirit."

What Thomas defined as "The Other Indiana" is very much alive and strong in northeast Indiana. In the weeks ahead let's emerge in a leadership position that finally captures our real potential.


Read "The Other Indiana"