View Comments to Weekend Reading

1. daw-g
   May 24th, 2009 at 10:06 am

   That’s very amusing and coincidental; My favorite governor characterized by one of my favorite movies!

2. Think Again
   May 24th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

   I read the article; it’s very interesting. Fictional, of course, in most respects,but interesting. Funniest crack about Mitch: “He’s not Palin.”

   Amen to that.

3. GP38-2
   May 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

   Good lord, does anyone call him The Blade anymore, really? Daniels has cut virtually nothing. Call him The Penknife, maybe.

4. Greg P
   May 25th, 2009 at 11:08 am

   How about a dull butter knife????

5. arnie
   May 25th, 2009 at 11:53 am

   How about just dull.

6. Nick
   May 25th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

   Flas Back:

   Mitch the Knife
   January 31, 2005

   Mr. Daniels made a big issue of this Democratic spending when he campaigned last year, and he had a point. The legislature has been raiding the state’s teacher pension fund to feed its spending habit, and sooner or later it will have to repay some of the nearly $400 million. The state also plays a shell game with local governments, reimbursing them for property taxes they don’t collect. Local politicians have naturally taken that money and run, since they get to spend without having to propose tax increases themselves. Mr. Daniels is sensibly proposing to freeze state reimbursements at their current levels and let local governments levy their own taxes if they want any more money.

   http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110713918359940783,00.html

7. Greg P
   May 25th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

   $400 million to the State Teachers fund……check your facts..this has been going on for years …it is almost $5 billion dollars unfunded. it got go bad that several years ago they started a new fund for new teachers that must be fully funded every year…in the meantime, the original fund is missing billions of dollars……

8. Think Again
   May 25th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

   There are to levels of the teacher fund, Greg…you’re right. The actuarials are having a fit over that, but after a certain date–I believe it was 1997—the fund is technically solvent (teachers hired after that date).

   Nick–I’m not sure what you’re talking about regarding the local property tax shift. What you’ve posted is not correct. The Property Tax Replacement Fund–begun as an ill-advised hat-tip to legislators under Bowen–was funded with an increase in sales tax (at the time).

   The Bayh administration began a shift in timely payments to local units of government…to artificially balance the books. It caused havoc, and increased borrowing forshort-term bonds, at the local level all over the state.

   It was a hayday for Ice Miller, the state’s biggest fill-in-the-blank bond counsel.

   Please explain better, Nick.

9. Think Again
   May 25th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

   There are to levels of the teacher fund, Greg…you’re right. The actuarials are having a fit over that, but after a certain date–I believe it was 1997—the fund is technically solvent (teachers hired after that date).

   Nick–I’m not sure what you’re talking about regarding the local property tax shift. What you’ve posted is not correct. The Property Tax Replacement Fund–begun as an ill-advised hat-tip to legislators under Bowen–was funded with an increase in sales tax (at the time).

   The Bayh administration began a shift in timely payments to local units of government…to artificially balance the books. It caused havoc, and increased borrowing forshort-term bonds, at the local level all over the state.

   It was a hayday for Ice Miller, the state’s biggest fill-in-the-blank bond counsel.

   Please explain better, Nick.

10. really
    May 25th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    I must laugh. During Mitch Daniels term as director of the OMB, Daniels oversaw a $236 billion annual surplus turn into a $400 billion deficit during his 29-month tenure. From there, it snowballed. In 2002, Daniels helped discredit a report by Assistant to the President on Economic Policy Lawrence B. Lindsey estimating the cost of the Iraq War at between $100-$200 billion. Daniels called this estimate “very, very high” and stated that the costs would be between $50-$60 billion. Currently, isn’t the US goverment spending rougly $8-$10 billion a month for Iraq operations? And now we wonder why Bush let him go. Daniels also sold the Indiana Toll road to an foreign firm to shore up the budget and that did not work. So my question is this, why should Hoosiers be suprised that the Indiana budget is so out of whack based on Daniels track record. Wasn’t it Mitch Daniels who said “You are entitled to all the lousy, crummy, graft-ridden government you want and are willing to pay for.” during a town hall to Lake County Residents meeting March, 2009? On top of that, his support for property tax caps is now causing the layoffs of fire (Muncie, IN), police (Gary/Elkhart) and teachers (almost every IN school district). And he has not taken the lead to reform state government under Kernan-Shephard which could potentially save Hoosiers millions a year in efficiency(if done correctly). But we did get Daylight saving time. Yeppie.

11. Dobie
    May 25th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    really – Please stop blaming Daniels for what happened when he was the director of the OMB. That position has absolutely no control the budget that the Congress passes and the President signs into law. As for the Iraq report – it was accurate given the assumptions he was given, namely that we would only be in Iraq for a short period of time. Again, he had nothing to do with setting the assumptions. If you have problems with him please let them be concerning things he actually had control over.
    .
    As for leasing the toll road – at least that was his decision. Personally, I support the decision. It is why we currently have funds to spend on other road projects even in these horrible economic times.
    .
    As for the budget begin so out of whack under Daniels, I think you are forgetting the many ways Indiana is doing so much better than other states. One of the big arguements over the budget was on whether or not we should use our surplus. Do you know how many states would like to have to figure that out?
    .
    As for property tax caps causing local government to cut spending – I’m in favor of it. And I am not about to fall for the idea that you have to cut cops, firemen and teachers – not until you close golf courses and stop funding art fairs and swimming pools. Of course cutting that spending doesn’t look as good in the headlines. Would you prefer in these times that cities instead raised property taxes?
    .
    I do agree that implementing the proposals under Kernan-Shephard would save money – but with who we have in the statehouse, there isn’t much chance of it passing. The governor can’t do it alone.
    .
    Again, I know that I am in the minority on this one, but I like daylight savings time. I know it has its downside, but if the rest of the country can deal with it so can we.

12. Greg P
    May 25th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    Dobie, much of the major moves money is gone due to poor investment choices by the Daniels administration…there is no way that he can escape blame for that…..as for his expert opinion that the Iraq war would cost between $100 to $200 billion…he was a critical part of the Bush administration and must accept accountability there also…….

13. Taxpayer 834512
    May 25th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    The miscalculation of Iraq bears many, many culprits. How about George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld up the list more than a wee bit ahead of Governor Daniels? Also more than a wee bit is the culpability of BOTH Indiana parties in the statehouse for failure to dismantle a township government they wanted zero part of disassembling in the first place. You think we can afford to raise taxes in this economy? Best compromise I’ve got is maybe, maybe one taker on a dollar-for-dollar match in raises-to-cuts. That’s better than the let’s-keep-on-spending-magic-buckets-of-money-we-really-don’t-have theory, but basically means we stand pat.
    .
    Anybody wants to pile-on with the IP&L stock episode, I’m with you.

14. pascal
    May 25th, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    One class act thing Mitch has going for him is that I haven’t heard the first word about the dolts who preceeded him in office. Contrast this with our affirmative action hire President who has no class at all. As to Muncie, journalist Larry Riley has covered the depredations of the Muncie Fire Department for the past, at least, five years. Their manning level can easily be cut in half with no risk to the public and it should be cut in half-assholes mostly making $50,000 a year for little in the way of out put. Who do they think they are, teachers? Just the next group of prima donnas who collect more than what they measurably produce like any other good socialists.

15. Greg P
    May 25th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

    You are judged by the company you keep……Daniels chose to throw in with Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney etc……

16. pascal
    May 25th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

    Do you think public safety will be compromised by the layoff of 40 firefighters?

    Total votes cast: 746 Go to thestarpress.com to see how locals view the matter-not that polls are reliable indicators of truth or anything but that the folks in this poll know more about the Muncie situation than those who would cite the situation as some support for their foolish position. Mitch is in good company with Rumsfeld, Cheney and even Bush. The affirmative action hire has noted that we are now out of money as he and his accomplices have blown it down all their favored ratholes with NO RESULT OTHER THAN INCREASED DEBT AND INCREASED TAXES. Not to mention roaring inflation which has to occur and put another hit on retirement funds. By the way, theft of retirement funds is endemic and your current congress is seeking to take over 401 K plans looking to Argentina for the planning of how to steal them.

17. Rico
    May 26th, 2009 at 12:33 am

    You are judged by the company you keep? Forgive me for changing the subject, but do the names Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Jeremiah Wright mean anything to you? Just once it’d be nice to see some consistency from you Mitch haters.

18. Rico
    May 26th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    ……those who choose to defend this nation versus those who clearly hate it….
    hmmmmm?
    that should be a clear choice! (at least for some of us)

19. Think Again
    May 26th, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Oh, Rico, take your meds

    The “defend” versus “hate” is so, well…Bush. Voters heartily rejected that warmed-over Reaganistic view last fall.

    There are issues, the “war” among them, that transcend politics and philosophies. And it’s always nice when you’re making up your mind, to be told the truth.

20. Daw-g
    May 26th, 2009 at 8:56 am

    >Voters heartily rejected that warmed-over Reaganistic view last fall.
    .
    Did the heartily embrace nationalization of health, insurance, finance, and auto manufacturing? Did they embrace the “damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead” approach to combating the myth of catastrophic global warming to the point of potentially taxing the living hell out of everyone in the US by drastically raising the costs of power production? What I find funny is the media and democrats and RINOs keep telling republicans to move to the center (as if they’re that far from it now) but the democrats have done a mad dash as far left as they’ve ever been.

21. Shorebreak
    May 26th, 2009 at 10:08 am

    Rico – Don’t worry. A discussion that revolves around criminal negligence, lies, deception, and gross misconduct by members of the Bush Administration doesn’t imply innocence in the Obama Administration. That’s a typical nonsensical Hannity/Limbaugh type of ploy.
    .
    The argument makes as much sense as saying “I’m not gonna give credence to anything you say about my hero Al Capone because when you talk about his misdeeds, you’re omitting everything that was committed by Idi Amin”. Just because the crimes of subject A are being discussed, it does not negate the crimes of subject B. Neither does the lack of mention of subject B negate the acts of subject A. Those are the childish playground tactics used by the propagandists to allow BOTH sides of the redomopublicratican party to continue to rob, steal, use, and kill us in order to achieve their globalist agenda.

22. CrankyBadger
    May 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am

    I live in Muncie, and what’s going on with the Muncie fire dept isn’t Mitch Daniel’s fault – even remotely. The layoffs could have been avoided for one thing if the fire department had worked with the mayor, and the city government has been a mess for years and refused to cut spending.

    There’s a lot of backstory here – it’s due to years of unwise local spending, not property tax caps. Of course, the Muncie paper has great suggestions to make up the shortfall. Every single one of which is different taxes (excuse me, some are involuntary “fees”) the city could levy on taxpayers. They’re not getting it.

    And then people wonder why Mitch is a very popular governor in Indiana. This Hoosier thinks the world of him and would happily vote for him in just about any office he wants to run for.

23. Think Again
    May 26th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    You oversimplify, Daw-g, so I’ll over-simplify, and answer your question:
    yes.

    You frame the issue in Hannity-esque prose, and typical all-or-nothing agenda-talk, but it doesn’t change the real picture.

    I’m not telling Repubs to move to the center. Keep the party to the far right for all I care. Isolate yourselves on the wrong side of history and the facts for as long as you choose. Set up straw dogs and false arguments, and preach away to your own choir. Have Gov. Palin, Rush, Sen. Sessions, Sen. Chambliss (that 14K fraud) and Cheney carry your banners forever. Knock yourselves out.

    Justice Santomayor. Sounds great. Beat that with a stick.

24. Greg P
    May 26th, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    Daw-g…your beloved GOP is so far to the right….Look at who your popular leaders are and they are all wingnuts…any repub with any sense is treated by the right wingnuts like they have so horrible disease……

25. Think Again
    May 26th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    I actually respect the view Cheney is putting forth regarding national security. It is a view that needs expressed in this discussion.

    But he is the wrong messenger…he has no credibility. The foreign policy-national security brains among the GOP are not even being quoted now. Altho Powell is righteously pushing back.

    Wait for awhile…the same view, in better terms, is likely to be put forth by a Republican with credibility.

26. PB
    May 27th, 2009 at 4:21 am

    You are judged by the company you keep……Daniels chose to throw in with Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney etc……

27. Taxpayer 834512
    May 27th, 2009 at 5:48 am

    Rico- that’s for listing the examples that flashed to mind for the Democrats in post 17. There’s plenty of data and issues to debate about Governor Daniels and President Obama before even getting to guilt-by-association.

28. Taxpayer 834512
    May 27th, 2009 at 6:51 am

    “thanks” not that’s

29. Daw-g
    May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    >so I’ll over-simplify, and answer your question:
    yes..
    .
    Polls would say, like many things you blather about here, are wrong.

30. Daw-g
    May 27th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    >Daw-g…your beloved GOP is so far to the right….Look at who your popular leaders are and they are all wingnuts
    .
    lol…I’ve not associated myself with the GOP since 1998 and the main reason is they are weak and far too liberal for me.
    .
    And yes, behold that far right wing crazy guy McCain! It’s like Reagan possessed him or something.

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