I still think this is a bad idea:
Indiana's House Ways and Means chairman laid out a plan Tuesday to give $5 million more for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and $80 million to pay for full-day kindergarten.
Seven people died and 58 were injured after a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair last summer. The state has already paid out $5 million to the families of those who died and the injured victims.
Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale, said his plan would give Gov. Mitch Daniels authority to give out another $5 million. The amount would provide another $400,000 for each of the families of those who died and cover the unpaid medical bills for those who were injured.
Espich's plan would also give schools an amount equal to roughly $2,400 for each student to cover the cost of full-day kindergarten.
The first part anyway. One-time exceptions to the law create a precedent, inviting others to seek special privileges and weakening the overall meaning of the law. If there's a case to be made for having a higher payout cap when there are multiple victims, make it, then change the law so it applies to all future incidents.
Not that crazy about the second part, either. I think the benefits of all-day kindergarten have been vastly oversold.
