Letter: Clarifying amendment won’t reverse damage

From: Bob Stillwell

Columbus

The recent passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has once again placed Indiana in the national spotlight, albeit in an extremely negative way. Whatever the intention, the passage of this law on the heels of the gay marriage law fiasco has only served to reinforce Indiana’s perceived reputation as an intolerant, red-necked state.

Like it or not, for most people, perception is reality. And the reality of this law has the potential to cause (and is already causing) a long-term, negative, socioeconomic impact on this state that will be felt for years to come. At this point it is highly unlikely that a Band-Aid fix, such as a so-called clarifying amendment, will reverse the damage. If our legislators truly have the best interest of the state as a whole at heart, they will acknowledge their mistake and repeal this ill-advised, poorly conceived law. The sooner the better.

There are so many important issues facing our state: the deplorable condition of our major highways, aging infrastructure, brain drain and gun violence, to name a few, that it is inconceivable to waste so much time, energy and resources on issues that serve mainly to promote personal political agendas and do nothing to improve the quality of life for most Hoosiers. If this is the best that can be done with a so-called supermajority, I sincerely hope it never happens again.