Senate Bill is example of 'big government'

To the Editor:

Senate Bill 373 (Holdman) represents big government at its worst.

If our state lawmakers pass this bill, it will criminalize whistleblowers who expose factory farms that are polluting our land, air and water, producing foods that are hazardous to our health and violating the rights of workers.

Without transparency, there can be no accountability.

That's why SB 373 is specifically designed to protect the profits of factory farms by ensuring their long list of documented crimes will never see the light of day.

If the river my child plays in is being polluted by industrial waste, I want to know.

If the food I'm feeding my family is hazardous to our health, I want to know.

SB 373 protects the powerful to the detriment of the powerless, by providing unscrupulous employers a new tool to intimidate employees into fearing retribution if they report company abuses.

Current laws against fraud and trespassing already protect honest businesses.

Those brave enough to blow the whistle on activities that threaten the health of our communities should be celebrated, not fined or locked up.

The people's right to hold big business and big government accountable is a pillar of our democracy.

The Senate should vote no on SB 373.

Brian Askins,

Spencer, Ind.