Monday, February 21, 2011

Is Mitch Daniel's "Fiscal Acumen" All Just Smoke And Mirrors?


It's no secret that Mitch Daniels is rapidly becoming the GOP establishment's new show pony, now that Mitt Romney's chances for 2012 seem to be going up in flames. Daniels is wrong on most issues, but the one's singing his praises continually point out that he's some kind of "financial genius, " and therefore, our only possible hope.

Of course, they said the same thing of Romney, until people learned better.

Stacy Drake wrote an excellent piece reminding us he was President Bush's budget guy [something his supporters would rather you forget] and was a massive failure.

One of our readers, keatssycamore, offered up even more devastating evidence that Mitch Daniels is not for real:

So Mitch Daniels has been Indiana’s governor since the beginning ’06 and is positioning himself as the fiscally conservative republican of citizens’ dreams. Yet halfway through his second term, I find that the following information about Indiana’s fiscal house:

"The state faces a $1 billion gap between the state’s revenue and expenses in the state’s next budget, which includes the need to build up reserves by $500 million.[6]


The Indiana State Budget Committee held hearings in November and December 2010.[7] Committee Chair State Sen. Luke Kenley estimated that lawmakers will need to reduce current spending approximately $1 billion to avoid a tax increase.[7]"

And I find that the Mitch Daniels’ plan to close part of that BILLION dollar gap in Indiana revenue and expenses is the following:

"Governor Daniels’ budget to the State Budget Committee on Jan. 13, 2011. The budget proposal calls for spending $13.76 billion in FY2012, and about $13.98 billion in FY2013. At the end of the biennium, the state will have a surplus of about $725 million, bolstered in part by shifting $200 million in unused accrued interest from the state’s Public Deposit Insurance Fund that has languished since the 1930s.[11]

So basically Mitch went to Washington in the early 2000s and learned how to steal money from a government program (Social Security trust fund raids under Bush become Public Deposit Insurance Fund raids in Daniels’ Indiana) that was designed and agreed to and passed into law and practice for one particular reason and, because the program was/is successfully running a surplus, Daniels simply takes that money and spends it on a bunch of other general fund stuff it was never intended to fund when legally created. All while claiming the budget deficits aren’t as "big" or "real" as we all know they would be if not for all the robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Indiana state budget – Sunshine Review

These facts are sadly emblematic of the honesty-level present when listening to today’s crop of Democrat and Republican "fiscal hawks". Where’s H Ross with some charts when you need him?

Look, I'm not an unbiased writer. I do have a dog in this fight. But I am becoming increasingly troubled by voters who are finding themselves infatuated with Mitch Daniels, or any politician who gives a good speech or talks a good line.

It worries me deeply that people aren't doing the least bit of research into these "flavor of the week" candidates before touting them as the second coming. There are some deeply flawed candidates being thrown out there. Folks without the most basic understanding of the condition we are in, as a nation, or the ability to do something about it.

It doesn't matter who you think may be "the one," you must take a hard look at their career, their record, and who they associate with. If not, we are going to be in big trouble. As stated, I have a horse in this race, but I only came to choose her as the one to support after studying her career for years, and watching her walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.

As a voter, it's your duty to research these potential candidates and their records. This next election is too important to get fooled again.

There's a lot more to come on Mitch Daniels, and let's suffice it to say, none of it's encouraging.

Thanks to keatssycamore for the additional information.

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