Would someone please buy them a map (09/25/2008)

Here's a suggestion.

Sometime over the next four years, somebody should buy the folks in charge of the Indiana gubernatorial debates a map.

Obviously, they didn't have one this year.

How else does one explain the odd choice of venues for the three debates among Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson, and Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning?

Admittedly, gubernatorial debates seldom get the pulse racing. Watching them on television can be a great soporific.

But, just the same, it would be nice to be able to see one first-hand if a voter had a mind to.

This year, that would have entailed a full tank of gas for any Hoosier voter interested enough to see the candidates in action.

The first debate was held in Merrillville, which is not a bad choice, given the population density of "The Region."

But the second, held just the other night, was in Jasper. And the final one will be in Bloomington.

Now, Jasper's a great little city; the guys who maintain our Apple computers hail from there.

And Bloomington's one of our favorite spots in Indiana.

But as venues for gubernatorial debates they provoke some head-scratching. There's absolutely no way they could be considered convenient.

With more than one-fifth of the Hoosier population living in and around Indianapolis, one would have expected at least one of the debates to take place there. That's still a drive for residents of Jay County, but it's far more convenient than Merrillville, Jasper, or Bloomington.

If population centers were the key factor, a Merrillville, Indy, and Evansville combination might have made sense.

A big deal? Not really.

Then again, getting a map sometime during the next four years shouldn't be too big a challenge for the debate commission. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]