That evening welcome too the second of two debates organized by the independent nonpartisan indiana Debate Commission. We are live in the studio at w fyi in downtown indianapolis. And sumi will be hearing from three candidates on the ballot who what to be your governor. On the debate moderator for the evening, my name is nadia brown. Im an associate professor and University Faculty scholar at Political Science and africanamerican studies at the university. Now, to introduce the candidates. They are incumbent republican governor eric holcombe, democratic challenger doctor woody myers and libertarian challenger donald rainwater. Candice, thank you for joining us and giving voters an opportunity to hear from you. As you will notice, while we are here at w fyi, we are all in separate spaces. With safety concerns in light of covid19. Despite the separation, we look forward too having robust discussion on the issues tonigh tonight. The first debate my colleague andrew downs asked the candidates about an orton issues facing hoosiers. They talked taxes, the environment, guns and the fundamental role of government. The Debate Commission and i have elected tonights questions of hundreds of ideas from across the state paid the topics have not been shared in advance of the candidates. The rules for our debate are simple. The candidates will be given one minute to make an opening statement. And then, the questions will begin. Each candidate has one minute to respond to each question. Candidates may request an opportunity for 32nd rebuttal different rotating ordinance predetermined drawn earlier this month. Lets pick of the opening statements, will be hearing from governor holcomb first. Governor, you have one minute to make an opening statement. Thank you nadia. Good evening to everyone who is watching. Hopefully again, thank you for joining us. I hope you also express your voice, by voting no later than november 3. For all eligible voters judging by the turnout already, many of you already have. I spent the last four years, primarily focused on three key areas. One, putting people first. Two, making sure we are building and maintaining our infrastructure every which way that we connect with each other. And markets. And also focus on making sure we are cultivating this pro growth economy that we have in indiana. I will do the same over the next four years. It also address issues that may come our way, think at covid19 et cetera part of the court to having this discussion tonight. Next, will hear from mr. Rainwater. You have one minute. Thank you. And good evening. In the preamble to the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson said that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Last tuesday night, governor holcomb made it clear that he believes his power comes from the infinite wisdom of the General Assembly and not the people of the state of indiana. Icom on the other hand, side with Thomas Jefferson. I believe that you, the citizens of the state of indiana empower government. And not the other way around. And i ask you to join me in doing just that. Bringing the power of Government Back to the citizens of indiana. Thank you. And finally, we will hear from doctor meyerson. You have one minute. Spent good evening everyone. Thanks again to the Debate Commission and w fyi for the extraordinary effort in setting these debates up. If you were listening a week ago, i told you that my name is doctor woody myers i am a physician. I am the former Indiana State Health commissioner, im a father and a grandfather. You were listening a week ago you heard us discuss covid19 in some detail. We have spent, one week apart from each other. But the covid virus has not been silent at all. We have had almost 16000 new cases in the last week brady Positivity Rate has gone from 13 to 23 . And 152 hugh hoosiers have died just in the last week. We now have about 1700 people in the hospital in the states. Virtually a new record. There is a lot more to do. And right now, we are not getting the response we need from State Government to get it done. Thank you candidates. Now we will go to the first question. A motor asks, many hoosiers who have to be on government assistant do not want to be reliant on the state put in my area great majority are provided living wage for people with or without College Degrees have shut down. Their main jobs to not come with wages without assistance pray for those of us who cannot move to where the jobs are located, how will you help the our local economy to break free of government assistance programs . The first question goes to governor holcomb parries to act that is a terrific question of what we wake up every day getting at. That is making sure that again our state Economic System is growing, that ecosystem. And making sure that the jobs are everywhere. I mentioned last week there 109,817 to be exact on today jobs throughout the state of indiana. There 26000 new jobs coming at an average wage of 27 plus. The key is for us to scale up hoosiers. Thats the importance of having ivy tech. The university its important to having all over the state of indiana to connect with you, our goal is to move more havenots currently into the have category by economically empowering them. This is how you get to social, upward mobility. And so the jobs are there. The jobs are coming. Keep for the next decade is to scale up our workforce. And it is close. Thank you, mr. Rainwater . Thank you. We first have to realize that many of the folks that were mentioned in the context of that question are unemployed because the governor shut down the economy. In one of the first things we can do is make the pledge that and governor of the state of indiana, i will never again say some hoosiers are essential, some are not. Some jobs are essential, some are not. What we need to do is reinvigorate Small Business community and the family farms in indiana to ensure that hoosier jobs are created by hoosier businesses. And that those jobs are allowed to stay open, even in a crisis. Thank you. Thank you. Next doctor myers. You know, and indiana we have lost about 5300 manufacturing jobs by january of this year. Because of the trade policies enacted by our president. Since february, indiana has lost 34000 manufacturing jobs. Only 60 of which have come back. The expectation is about 40 or 14000 are not going to come back. Some of those were in muncie from the person asking the question this evening. Weve got to do a lot more and education. If got to do a lot more to economic development, we have got to breed of 21st Century Companies to the state of indiana. And not depend on the old approaches that just arent working anymore. And that is what we are going to do innate myers wasit administration. Thank you we have a rebuttal from governor holcomb. Yes, back we hunkered down for about a month in april, we have bounced back. Again i just mention the 26000 jobs itd commend this year, 4. 9 billion cap x. Indiana remains number one manufacturing the country. Capita. 2009, we are number two in the country for manufacturing jobs coming. About 75000 of them. We have to be future proof. That means if Technology Takes or jobs we need to scale you up. In their battle for mr. Rainwater . Thank you. You need to ask yourself as a hoosier, and i Getting Better economically . Is what the governor talking about helping me personally and my family . He talks about skilling up. What he is really talking about is a very Bernie Sander ask style of college for all, paid for by the state. And i dont think that is the answer. Thank you. In our final rebuttal for this question comes from doctor myers. You know indianas behind a lot of different ways including income. Our income in our state just have not kept up. That is because the policies of republican governors over the last 16 years have not worked. Weve got to change that. Indiana needs to change at all levels. The statehouse the number one target. Thank you. Our second question tonight comes from a voter in kyndell bill. Good affordable and reliable internet is still a problem in a rural area. Im starting a business that might help next year. Having unreliable internet is a big concern. Other voters wrote into bring up unreliable broadband connection. Its making it difficult for students living at home and Senior Citizens were trying to stay connected with family, order groceries and receive services. How will you help expand reliable internet to all hoosiers . Mr. Rainwater you may go first. We need to do is d regulates the broad band industry in. Which will allow new innovative businesses and technologies to come in and provide the types of broadband in rural areas that currently they are not able to do. Because they cant compete with the government manipulated monopolies that are here in the state of indiana. So theyre Less Government we can actually create a scenario whereby we get better competition, and better technologies. More innovation and actually give people the types of services they need in the private Industry Market instead of pushing that with government funding. Thank you. Thank you, doctor myers. 60 of Small Companies in indiana tell us they do not have sufficient internet. 80000 hoosiers, kids in our state. About 70 or 80000 do not have the internet they need to do their schoolwork. One invites families do not have broadband interstate or good access to it. The programs and put in place of far just arent working. Weve got to change our approach. A hundred Million DollarGrant Program is not the answer. The answer is to treat the internet as a utility. It is no longer a luxury for someone to have internet. It is not just for watching your favorite show. It is for paying your bills, its forgetting your healthcare. Its for paying your taxes. Its forgetting your job done if you are a remote worker. Our approach to broadband in the state has failed. And this time for us to do much much better than we have. Smacked thank you. Finally, governor holcomb . Yeah, we did not wait on this problem and it did not take over 19 to wake us up. We sought a program thats investing the biggest cash infusion into a state program to connect people with high speed, affordable internet. Oort telehealth reasons, for tell education for telecommuting. Virgin that before covid19. Were also partnering with the corporate sector to make sure that we get out to, indianas about 83, 84 silt farm or forest terrain rocky terrain, expensive terrain. We can expand that Playing Field by partnering with the corporate sector. We have already done 79 million. That is brought in another 70 plus million. Got another 20 mind to go on the third round. Thats in addition to the 61 million we took and listened to schools quite frankly you need devices . Do you need training . To the kids needed . To the kids needed . We infuse at 61 million right before covid19 or as it was washing up on the shore. Thank you governor holcomb. We have rebuttal for mr. Rainwater. Thank you. Hoosiers, what you are hearing are Big Government solutions that involve Big Government programs and more of your tax dollars taken out of your pockets, where you decide how they are spent. And put into the pocket of corporations so that they can get richer while you still continue to struggle. That is all these programs are. Thank you. Thank you. Doctor myers. I would not describe it as partnering with the companies. I would describe it more as protecting the companies paid the hundred Million DollarGrant Program has a lot of restrictions around it. Such that if a big Company Assignment for your area. Even though you do not have Access Internet services, that Grant Program does not apply. Its time for us to put real competition into providing broadband services. And that communities have more options and giving their internet not fewer. Thank you. And governor holcomb . I would just be clear, we heard hoosiers. They said they wanted us to find a way to expand the Playing Field and connect students how they do not have to do their homework and a Fast Food Restaurant or drive back to the School Parking lot at nine or 10 00 p. M. To do their homework. That was unsatisfactory. We went out and creatively found a way to pull in the private sector and speed up that development and connectivity. Thank you. Inventory third question. Many voters wanted to know your position on decriminalization or legalization of marijuana. A voter from shelbyville noted there are currently 33 states of the usf legalize marijuana for medical use. And 11 a fully legalize marijuana. Should marijuana be decriminalized in the state of indiana . What is your position on medical marijuana interstate . This question goes first to doctor myers. My position on this has been very clear from the beginning. Its time to decriminalized simple possession of cannabis in the state of indiana. It makes no sense to be on the border between indiana, illinois, walk across the board and become a criminal. Its also time for us to legalize medical marijuana and indiana. That is going to be a big step for our states. But it is an important one that its now time to take. I read the literature carefully. And i know for a fact that there are conditions that respond to the kenaf noise. That includes cbd and thc. It is time to allow indiana physicians to be able to prescribe those substances for their patients. Its also time to make sure our veterans are getting the substances they need, the thc that they need in order to treat ptsd and some of the other complications that they have suffered as a result to their service to our nation. Same for indiana to change. Thank you. Governor holcomb. Yes thank you. I have been very clear and consistent from the very outset in 2017 when this issue first came out. I mentioned that taken a couple of posts in my lifetime. One witness in the United States navy in one when im sworn into this office but i do not have a luxury to pick and choose which laws to legalize at the state level while they are illegal at the federal level. To deal with this though, i said i will directly write to the federal government, i did, and offered partly at one of the best egg school in the best medical school in the country. We wrote to the fda, we wrote to the cdc we celesta some medical research on this. That is the focus group you want, just like any other controlled substance or drug that needs to be approved. In the meantime there are alternatives to those who are in pain. Im not against researching this medically but it needs to be done before we respond in an intelligent way. Thank you. Mr. Rainwater . Thank you. I am for the complete deregulation and legalization of all forms of cannabis. First of all, let me make one thing really, really clear. What you have heard from the other two candidates in a nutshell is we want to reward big pharma with medical marijuana and keep it from the citizens of indiana, and that is wrong. It is plain wrong. Give it economic crisis in our states. And we have the ability to create new agricultural manufacturing and retail opportunities for hoosier Business Owners, just by legalizing and decriminalizing cannabis. And any other discussion needing to research something that has been around for decades is just misinformation and frankly should be insulting to every hoosier. Thank you we have that rebuttal from doctor myers burst back 34 states have already done the research governor. They looked at very carefully. They have come to the same conclusion that i have. It is time for a change but including our nextdoor neighbors, michigan, illinois and ohio part of sure that let us take a look at their research if we need to. I also believe that it would be good for our farmers in the state of indiana for the facts are that hemp and corn grow very wellin the same kind of terrain, same kind of soil. So it will be a boon to her Agricultural Community as well. It is a win win as well as the tax dollars that will come from it. Thank you. In a rebuttal from governor holcomb . Yes im very suspect about looking to legalize controlled substances for revenue reasons. This needs to be medically research. And it has not been. I dont do things just because 34 other states have looked the other way and said we dont need federal approval part we will break the law. This is achish business. You cannot have bank accounts. Hemp is legal in the state of indiana. It went through the right process but thats exactly the same process any controlled substance these to go through. We have a responsibility to make sure it does. Thank you. And next for mr. Rainwater. Thank you. Lets be clear about something. The ninth and tenth amendments to the constitution of the United States says that anything that is not specifically allocated as an authority to the federal government falls to the states and the people. And it is the governor of the state of indianas responsibility to grab the ninth and tenth amendments until the federal government when they are overreaching. And i believe this is one of those times. Thank you. Thank you. Moving to our fourth question tonight is on vaccines. Democrats and republicans and libertarians and independents all want to know your policy on vaccines. Should the Covid Vaccine be mandated once its available . And what is in the exception should be allowed for this and other medically vaccines . This question goes first to gov