Searching for that Hoosier treat

Indiana lawmakers are back to being their useful selves this legislative session. State Sen. Allen Paul wants to have the sugar cream pie anointed Indiana’s “Official State Pie.” The Indianapolis Star called the dessert a “distinctly Hoosier delicacy.”

Although the state Senate might indeed wish to encourage the propagation of worthwhile state traditions, the dire economic times and the wrangling over next year’s state budget make us wonder whether pie should be at the forefront of the Senate’s agenda.

In many ways, though, we should think of the Senate’s pie conundrum as a saving grace. While this initiative may essentially throw away taxpayer dollars, the state pie is otherwise a relatively harmless issue. When allowed to set its own agenda in the past, the General Assembly has come up with outright harmful initiatives such as constitutionally banning same-sex marriage and registering and fining bookstores for selling adult content.

Comparatively, pie-based concerns should be thought of as positively successful.