How can these people ever support the GOP?

Here in Hoosierland, a huge number of people, particularly in smaller communities, seem to be very concerned that someone, somewhere, might (somehow or other) be "getting away with" something. I've noticed this for years. There's a real mean streak in people here, even those who might seem nice and decent most of the time. The really weird thing is that many simultaneously seem to be trying to get away with as much as they can, themselves. There's this concern about people not being held accountable, for something. A deep-seated culture of punishment or something. Unless you're perceived as "one of us". The much-touted "Hoosier hospitality" is reserved for the Inside People. The rest get Hoosier hostility.

Of course, not everyone in the state is a mean-spirited jerk. There's a lot of that around, though. My great fear is that I may be slowly turning into one of those people. My periodic fits of grouchiness one day become my true nature, and I wake up to find that I'm now one of the mean Hoosier jerks. I tell people, y'know, that I'm from Michigan, and it's true, but the longer I live here the less convincing that is, even to me.

Man, I'm in a sour mood today. Apologies for that.

Nothing keeps you from becoming a mean-spirited jerk quite like weed and the Doobie Brothers.

Trust me. As far as you know, I'm a doctor.

An utterly fixed and irrational obsession with some nameless, faceless mass of "others" who are "getting away with something" or "getting something for nothing." Some of it is thinly veiled racism, of course, but mostly it seems to be wired directly into their personalities. They look at themselves and realize they are the kind of people who are perfectly willing to defraud any person or program that tries to help them, and then they look at the rest of the world and assume everyone else does the same thing, many of them more successfully. The resultant mix of jealousy and self-loathing is I think what ultimately drives their fixation, just as it does with closeted right-wing gays who become obsessed with punishing and/or eradicating homosexuality.

that was special. I thought it was malarkey for them to think their hospitality was better than anyone else. Just like their common sense isn't better than anyone else.

You probably hit it right with the assessment... Unless you're perceived as "one of us". The much-touted "Hoosier hospitality" is reserved for the Inside People. The rest get Hoosier hostility.

I for one will never consider myself to be a Hoosier and I despise every Hoosier that has the above attitude. To the point that I root against every sport team in Indiana.

Even some of the meaner folks can be really quite nice, if they accept you into their tribe. I've been accepted, once or twice, although never for long. Usually it was in the workplace, where familiarity and shared adversity helped create the illusion of some bond. In such a case, I found that one's qualifications for group acceptance will be tested, and any quirks or oddities can cause one to be driven out, sometimes harshly.

My father was a minister when my family moved to Indiana. A "preacher's kid" is automatically placed in the Inside People group, to be treated nicely, but a PK is also held at a distance and judged more harshly than most insiders. I didn't realize that I had been in a special category until I reached adulthood. The Hoosier harshness really came as a shock.

There's probably nothing in any of these traits I've observed which is in any way special to the population of Indiana. In any other sidewalk, it's the same old cracks. Thomas Frank and George Lakoff report on this sort of thing in their books. Special or not, though, I've seen plenty of this sort of thing in Indiana.

I just tend to root against sports teams, myself, but, y'know, I was always picked last in gym class. My sport used to be Calvinball, but now even that is tainted through recent comparison with Repug Tea Faction tactics, alas. Pretty sure this last paragraph is telling me that I've had enough coffee for now. Umm.

I would have to say there are different levels of hospitality but reality is that there is no real Hoosier hospitality. Not even for Hoosiers. It is the community that determines the level and even that can be tricky. In the case that led me to this involved a church community. From some of the stories there can be blood drawn figuratively. That reminds me of another church community story from another person. Makes me glad I am fortunate in my life that I don't have that type of adversity.

and I have to live here with these people! Being a "Proud Liberal Dem" in Indiana REALLY means something.

I wouldn't vote for a Repug for dogcatcher.

and addressed taxation issues, they didn't address this point?

Seems unlikely.

the federal government doesn't take over what the state was suppose to do? If that was not the intent they wouldn't have bothered including that option. It would had been that the states had the option of creating an exchange and no mention of the federal government's role.

Even though the repugs in Indiana hate Obamacare, Obamacare will still give subsidies to the needy in Indiana and in turn win voters. Looks like another republican loss to me.
Gerrymandering is the biggest threat to democracy and Obamacare is the biggest threat to republicans. Face it repubs, you are being cast out by your own. In this case, the party of No cannot even do that.

it's all about job creation...

If you ever watch fox news or listen to Limbaugh, its is always about people getting "free stuff" from the government, remember the free phones, and Fox ran the story about the surfer on food stamps. Right-wing people lap this stuff up. If you read the letters to the editor in the paper, you will see this, always talking about people getting freebies. It is really surprising how mean and selfish these people are. There is a huge streak of racist feelings running through their ideas even though they deny it.

I'm moving. I think I can stand it that long because I do like Indy, but living in a blue island in a sea of red is getting really old. I think TPTB are resisting ACA because they are afraid it will cost them votes once it actually starts working elsewhere. If nothing else, the "brain drain" will get even worse as more and more grow a brain and leave. If I'm pondering leaving at my age, I'm sure there must be others.

and see how they like it. It's too bad the state is over run with nutjobs.