Mr. Speaker, members of the Assembly, Hoosier friends and neighbors, thank you yet again for the privilege of this platform.
For most of us, one of the strongest memories of our youth is that great school teacher, that magical man or woman who somehow reached us, and stretched us, and in the process left indelible recollections. For me, one of those was Bob Watson—still, today, Mr. Watson to me—who introduced us to the mysteries of the periodic table in high school chemistry. In addition to mixing potions that suddenly turned purple, and terrifying pop quizzes, Mr. Watson was famous for his aphorisms, little sayings so often repeated

by Mitch Daniels
Wall Street Journal on Friday, September 10, 2010
________________________________________
How about a payroll tax holiday, funded by a federal spending, hiring and pay freeze?
Ronald Reagan enjoyed telling of the elderly Blitz victim rescued from her demolished London flat in World War II. A fireman found a bottle of brandy under the ruins of her staircase and offered her a nip for her pain. “Leave it right there,” the matron ordered. “That’s for emergencies.”
A look around the American economy suggests that it’s time to break out the brandy. By any measure, growth is anemic—alarmingly so for this time in what is supposed to be a recovery period. The administration’s wild foray into trickle-down government spending has clearly failed. Funneling borrowed billions to government workers hasn’t stimulated anything where it

Governor Mitch E. Daniels Jr. (Republican) $95,000,00

lt. Governor Becky Skillman (Republican) $76,000.00

Sec. of State Todd Rokita

All good things come to an end

 

Keeping costs down is an important part of my job as Indiana's chief election officer. Like I do here in Indiana, I also advise the federal government on how to make elections more efficient and cost effective. Earlier this month, I completed six years of service as an advisor to the federal government on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Board of Advisors and other boards. During my time on the EAC, I urged the federal government to use technology to increase the efficiency of the voting process. Greater efficiency leads to greater confidence in the system, which ultimately leads to greater participation.

I encouraged the EAC to recommend to local governments that all costs be considered before purchasing voting machines. Local governments need to evaluate their entire voting process before investing in more voting machines. During my final EAC board meeting, I made a motion to ensure the accountability of the Commission. This motion requires the EAC to be held accountable to its state and local advisors. The motion passed unanimously.

Requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls is one of the ways that we in Indiana have increased efficiency and accountability in the system. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a case against Georgia's similar photo ID law. I attribute this to the fact that Indiana has already established that Voter ID is not only fair, but also creates more accurate and accountable elections. With the denial of the Georgia petition, the Supreme Court has further validated this.

Voter ID, of course, was only the beginning. My office was able to implement changes that allow us to operate on the same state general fund budget, unadjusted for inflation, as that of the secretary of state in 1987. We continue to dedicate ourselves to bringing Indiana into the 21^st century through innovation. For example, three counties participated in our Vote Center pilot during the last election. These Vote Centers reported a significant decrease in operational costs compared to previous elections. This is the kind of technology and thinking that can keep Indiana on the cutting edge in the 21^st Century.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

Indiana Secretary of State

"This is Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana.

"The role of the loyal opposition is important in our democracy.  It imposes a duty to wish for the nation's success, to express not just disagreements, but agreements where they exist, and to leave partisanship at the water's edge.   "I do wish President Obama well.  I support his education reform ideas, anti-fraud initiative in social programs, and the great example he and his family are setting for families across America.  And I endorse wholeheartedly his stated commitment to 'government that works.'

"One policy being pushed by the President and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is, I regret to say, a poster child for government that cannot work.  The scheme to radically change the sources and the cost of American energy through a system known as 'cap and trade' may be well intentioned, but it will cost us dearly in jobs and income, and it stands no chance of achieving its objective of a cooler earth.

"The national energy tax imposed by Speaker Pelosi's climate change bill would double electric bills here in Indiana, working a severe hardship on low-income families, but that's only where the damage starts.  In a state where we like to make things, like steel and autos and RVs, it would cost us countless jobs, many of them heading off-shore to China and India.  Our farmers and livestock producers would see their costs skyrocket.  And our coal miners would be looking for new work, while we leave affordable, homegrown energy idle in the ground.

"And all for what?  Even if one believes the Administration's own computer models, which they claim can predict temperatures fifty years away, the CO2 reductions from their bill will not budge the world thermometer by a tenth of a degree.

"It's become clear that the Pelosi bill has little to do with a cooler planet and everything to do with raising money for the out-of-control federal spending now underway in Washington.  Please excuse us Midwesterners for feeling a bit like the targets of an imperialistic policy, devised in places like California, New York, and Massachusetts for their benefit, at our expense.

"We have here a classic example of unwise government: The costs for all Americans will be certain, huge, and immediate.  Any benefits are extremely uncertain, miniscule, and decades distant.  Surely there is a better way.

"Here in Indiana, we are active in pursuing a better energy future and proving that we can protect the environment, lower energy costs, and create jobs at the same time - all without raising taxes.  We have rocketed to national leadership in biofuels.  We are the nation's leader in the new technology that can use coal more cleanly.  We are serious about major advances in conservation; the best way to reduce both pollution and CO2 is to use less energy in the first place.  And last year, we were the fastest growing state in wind power.

"There is tremendous risk in being pushed into an unfair and ultimately counterproductive national energy tax that will cost us dollars today and jobs tomorrow.  Let's take a breath, slow down, and work together on conservation, the infrastructure to bring on more wind and alternative energy, and the new technology that will let us use our abundant homegrown coal in ways we can all support.  That, Mr. President, would be 'government that works.'

"Thank you for listening."

 

Governor Daniels will be a guest on CBS Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer.
The program will broadcast live at 10:30 a.m.

-The governor will be interviewed by Chris Wallace on the Fox News Network.
The interview will be broadcast live at Noon.

This will be on Sunday morning 2/22/09

Review shows reserves typically exceed annual budgets
By Mark Alesia, Tim Evans, Heather Gillers and Mark Nichols
Posted: February 11, 2009

Indiana's 1,008 townships have amassed more than $200 million in taxpayer money that is stashed in reserves, yet no one -- township officials, state officials or lawmakers -- has made any effort to curb the property tax collections that generated the surplus.

A review by The Indianapolis Star shows that in some cases, the reserves represent more than 10 times the

(STATEHOUSE) Jan. 23. 2009 – State Reps. Tom Dermody (R-LaPorte) and Sean Eberhart (R-Shelbyville) have announced the filing of House Bill 1488, a bill that requires state agencies to verify the lawful presence in the United States of certain individuals who apply for public benefits. In addition, employers would be required to use the E-Verify system to confirm the legal status of its employees.

Under the bill, unauthorized residents who attempt to apply for public benefits would be charged with a Class D felony. Additionally, the bill broadens the authority of law enforcement officials when dealing with employers of unauthorized residents.

“I believe, given these especially though times, that public benefits must only be given to Hoosiers,” said. Rep. Dermody. “We simply cannot afford to be freely giving taxpayer benefits away to people who are not legal residents of this country. This legislation would go a long way in guaranteeing that.”

“This is still a big problem,” said Rep. Eberhart. “We haven’t heard enough about it this session. This is still a major issue, and Hoosiers are calling for action. People want to know what is being done about it, and it needs to be addressed.”

(STATEHOUSE) Jan. 21, 2009 — Sales of cargo trailers to out-of-state consumers would be exempt from state gross retail tax under a bill filed by state Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Jimtown) and Rep. Wes Culver (R-Goshen).

“The RV industry affects so many people in Elkhart and northern Indiana,” said Rep. Walorski. “Now it’s more important than ever that they are able to stay competitive. I hope this bill will help the industry draw customers from out of state.”

House Bill 1533 affects cargo trailers are designed to be pulled by a motor vehicle and that weigh at least 2,000 pounds. The purchaser must be a nonresident who w

Thirty states, comprising almost two-thirds of the country’s population, have approved constitutional amendments defining and defending marriage. Indiana should join that list.

State Reps. Dave Cheatham (D-North Vernon) and P. Eric Turner (R-Marion) are co-authors of the Defense of Marriage Amendment during this session of the General Assembly. If the resolution is passed by two consecutive terms of the General Assembly and Hoosier voters as part of a referendum, it would become part of the Indiana Constitution.

The language of the proposed amendment is simple: Only a marriage between one man and one woman should be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized

If this constitutional amendment gets to the floor, I believe it will pass overwhelmingly with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Cheatham. “Marriage between one man and one woman is a fundamental value in our state and should be protected by placement in our state constitution.

Governor Mitchell E. Daniels Jr.

Fellow public servants and fellow citizens.  Together again! Thank you as always for the privilege of this assignment, and of this podium. 

  We gather annually to review the state of our state, but rarely at a time of such national and even international alarm.  For Indiana, tonight is of course a night for facing difficulties, but doing so with confidence, and even pride.

  I awake every day glad for many reasons that I am a Hoosier.  And though we meet tonight in an hour of great stress, we have cause if not for gladness then at least for relief, that it is in Indiana we are meeting.  For, thanks in large part to the people here assembled, we can speak tonight of challenge, but not crisis; issues, but not emergencies.  We will examine the state of our state soberly, but with satisfaction in the knowledge that

Dear Friends,

We sincerely thank you for all of your hard work on behalf of Mitch's campaign.  Because of you, we all can be a part of Indiana's Comeback with the best team at the helm.  Thank you for all that you did to spread our message and engage Hoosiers in our cause.

As Mitch said on his Victory Night, "Change just won and won big in Indiana.  This is less an endorsement than an instruction.  This is less a victory than an assignment.  And what the people of Indiana have said is they want us to press forward with change and improvement and reform."  Thanks to your support and hard work, we will.

  All the Best,
The Mitch Team

By Nate Smith, Staff Writer
Washington Times, Washington IN

JASPER —

Republican incumbent Mitch Daniels, Democrat Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andrew Horning traded barbs back and forth during Tuesday’s hour-long debate in an attempt to woo undecided voters with six weeks to go until Election Day.

In preparation to dispute the records, press representatives from both the Daniels and Long Thompson campaigns distributed information trying to set their records straight before the cameras went live at the Arts Center in Jasper for the second of three debates.

And when the red lights went on, the hits just kept on coming.

Candidates took six questions on topics from heating costs to transportation, but during their

I watched the debate between Jill Long Thompson and Governor Mitch Daniels last night and I basically learned nothing except that Jill Long Thompson does not like the governor and she believes that he has done absolutely everything wrong.

Jill Long Thompson complained about everything but offered no solutions for any of it. Now I'm not sure about everything that each of them said but I suppose that it would be relatively easy to check out what Governor Mitch Daniels said as there should be public records available concerning the success or failure of his actions; Jill Long Thompson offered no proof of her accusations of gross mismanagement of the State of Indiana by the governor.

The debate turned out to be a she said he said event with

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A $227 million plant that converts waste into energy may be built in Wabash county rather than DeKalb County.

New Jersey-based ForeverGreen Enterprises says it will build the plant in LaFontaine (lah-FOWN'-tuhn), about 40 miles southwest of Fort Wayne.

Associated Press -
September 11, 2008
News 10

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A lower sales tax - and no property taxes on homeowners? Two state lawmakers say it's possible if the sales tax is applied to more services.

Republican Senators Mike Young of Indianapolis and Brent Waltz of Greenwood presented the plans today.

Under one plan, the state sales tax rate would be lowered from 7% to 5.5% and be applied to all services except medical and legal. Under the second plan, the sales tax rate would be lowered from 7% to 4.5% and be expanded to all services, including medical and legal.

Either way, the proponents say that would bring in more than $2 billion that could be used to eliminate property taxes on homeowners.

Associated Press - September 10, 2008
News 10

TERRE HAUTE — Democrat Jill Long Thompson followed through on her promise to file a formal complaint Wednesday morning against Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels regarding use of state vehicles during an election year, while the governor’s office reiterated its statement calling the action a “political stunt.”

Long Thompson, Daniels’ opponent in November, began issuing a media release last week asking Daniels to produce flight logs, staff e-mails and other travel records involved in what she alleges was misuse of state vehicles.

She announced Tuesday afternoon in a media conference at the Terre Haute International Airport that

The Issue: Indiana scores highest credit rating. Our View: Success is difficult to debate.

Editorial
 Evansville Courier and Press

Four years ago, the result of moving state funds around without really controlling deficit spending found Indiana in a financial mess. We described it at the time as a perfect storm bearing down on Hoosier property tax payers.

  That proved true for property owners in some parts of Indiana last year when extremely high tax bills led to an uprising of sorts, and eventually a major property tax relief package.

  Some critics of the state would suggest that Indiana is still redistributing money - the sales tax was increased to fund property tax relief - but the truth is that Indiana's financial standing has been strengthened by a number of steps carried out by Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration and agreed to by a majority in the Legislature.

  The proof is in a report Tuesday by Courier & Press staff writer Bryan Corbin that Indiana state government's credit rating has been upgraded to a top score of AAA by Standard & Poor's. It is a first in state history.

  State Treasurer Richard Mourdock of Evansville said the AAA credit rating means state and local governments are eligible for lower interest rates if they apply for loans.

  That's nice, but in addition it tells others, including those who might invest in the state, that Indiana is a solid place to do business.  

Indiana has come a long way from the period between 1997 and 2005 when S&P downgraded the state's credit rating three times.

  When Daniels came into office, state government was facing a $600 million deficit that was showing no sign of dissolving on its own.

  Almost immediately, Daniels started pushing hard for caps on spending, especially for local government and state assistance to local government. It was not well-received by local government, particularly school systems that received smaller than expected state payments.

  But Indiana ended the next fiscal year with a balanced budget, and has since repaid most of the back payments owed by the state to schools. Just last week, the state reported that it ended the last fiscal year with a $321 million surplus.

  Mourdock told Corbin that S&P took into consideration Indiana's unemployment, job creation and new capital investment. Corbin reported that the property tax restructuring plan also helped boost the rating.

  No doubt Daniels' Major Moves program helped, too. The state leased the Indiana Toll Road to a private concern for $3.8 billion, which is now being used to modernize the state's highway system.

  It is a state election year in Indiana, so we are going to hear criticism of the administration and legislators - some of it deserved - but under the heading of the state financial standing, it will be difficult to argue with their success.

Posted: July 1, 2008

TERRE HAUTE, Ind (WTHI)-  Another new Indiana law. This one should help victims of domestic abuse.

Starting on July 1st anyone arrested for a crime of domestic violence will be held in jail for at least 8 hours.

The law allows victims to have enough time to go somewhere safe and gather personal belongings.

"The time right after abuse happens is probably one of the most volatile times is when the victim actually leaves," said CODA executive director Susan Hall.

Counties in Indiana with a longer hold time are not mandated to lower their requirements to match state law.

Report by Jane Santucci, WTHI.    Senate Bill 0015 2008 Regular Session   DIGEST OF SB15 (Updated January 24, 2008
Property tax credit and deduction filing deadlines. Extends the filing deadline for the homestead credit and various property tax deductions from June 11 to October 1. Provides that a person is entitled to claim a homestead credit or certain property tax deductions if: (1) the person owns the property on October 1 of the year in which the credit or deduction is claimed; or (2) the person is, on October 1 of the year in which the credit or deduction is claimed, buying the property under a contract requiring the person to pay the property taxes on