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My friend, Dale McConnaughey, editor of the Pal-Item Viewpoints page, says people don’t read my stuff because it’s too long. O.K., for at least the next two times, I’m going to make it as short as possible (for me). I’ll start right off by doing something I rarely do: Endorse a candidate.

I’m going to vote for Mitch Daniels as Governor. I think he’s a breath of fresh air in politics, a dynamo that has turned Indiana around in the right direction. He hasn’t done everything right, but he’s willing to try new approaches to put Indiana on the right track. In the process, he has stopped our bleeding deficit so we are again financially strong so we can do things we couldn’t do before.

Oh yes, the daylight saving time controversy – a ridiculous complaint. Sure, if you don’t like it, vote against it. But the argument also ends up with people saying they don’t like to change their clocks twice a year. Twice a year! What does that say about Hoosier intelligence? Don’t forget that only two other states do not switch to DST. Are all 48 of them wrong? It puts us in line with the rest of the nation, helps business, and most people like those extra hours of sunlight. Do we have to take so much pride in our Hoosier stubbornness that we’re always last? But Daniels has taken a lot of hits for doing what should have been done long ago.

Then there is the toll road lease. That’s the big complaint up north, where he’ll lose a lot of votes because of it. Folks up there think it’s “their” highway, but what the grumbling comes down to is that they have to pay slightly higher tolls rather than the subsidized rates they’re used to – the ones that were causing deficits and cutting back needed road upkeep – because the politicians were afraid to cover the costs with higher tolls and lose their votes. By leasing (not selling) the toll road management, Daniels has raised $3.8 billion (without tax increases) that will bring up highways throughout the state to first class condition for what we like to call the “Crossroads of America.”

Yes, there are many other issues, and Jill Long Thompson is an intelligent person with some good ideas, but most of them are pretty hazy. She says that, “I can remember a time when our state stood out…with the right leadership.” Has she forgotten that for 16 years before the current administration the governor’s office was occupied by her party, not Daniels’? Both candidates agree that unemployment rates are too high, but Indiana now leads all other adjoining states in recovering from this deficit. One reason we don’t get more high-paying jobs is that our workforce skill level is not high (can’t change clocks?) We certainly feel the results of this in Richmond/Wayne County. Daniels promises that his next administration’s top priority will be to concentrate on better education and workforce development.

In my opinion, the Indiana governor’s race is more important than the national election, at least to us Hoosiers. If Daniels is defeated, it will be because he is punished for doing the right things. I don’t like that. For Indiana’s best future, he needs our support.

That’s enough for now. Next week, the national campaign. Look out!

–Vic Jose

Vic Jose :: Sep.23.2008 :: Uncategorized ::

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