A public hearing at the Indiana Assembly's House committee on insurance was aired live on the Internet 2 weeks ago. I did my best to give a preview in a prior diary (see http://bit.ly/... about Indiana State Rep Lehman's efforts).
A CNN article reported that more than 75% of Americans lives paycheck to paycheck, with not enough savings in the bank to make it through 6 months of living expenses.
So if you are an Indiana elected state representative, whose perspective should you believe? The handsome, charming and well paid representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and State Farm Insurance? Or the single African American mother of five making just over the minimum wage who traveled 200 miles on bad knees in subarctic temperatures to testify about how the product saved her life after working a nine hour shift and taking the day off from her job to make her appearance? This witness was likely the only one in the room who knows what it is like first hand to be part of that 75%.
Well, several state representative made clear during the hearing that they believed the charming gentlemen from the US Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and State Farm.
They bottled up their skepticism and saved it for this African American mother of five. Not satisfied that this woman needed to access legal funding to make the $400 payment on her Dodge Durango, the representative interrogated her about her efforts to advocate for legal funding. They apparently felt the paid advocates of the US Chamber, Indiana Chamber and State Farm, who likely make more in an hour than this witness makes in a week, more convincing.
After the hearing, one of the more aggressive representatives cozily walked down the State Capitol corridor with the Robert Wagner looking Indiana Chamber spokesman, and was later seen heading out of the State Capitol in a fur coat. She must either be out of touch with her constituents, or have a district made up of the 25%.