Gov. Mitch Daniels has brought Indiana out of the darkness. We are now seeing a state that is making money and paying off old debts, as well as being vibrant with both the successes we are seeing right now and those successes the future has in store for us.
Indiana's checkbook is seeing a remarkable turnaround. The numbers do not lie. When Daniels took office in January 2005, Indiana had a deficit of more than $600 million. The state now has a surplus of $370 million as of the end of the fiscal year, according to the Indianapolis Star.
For those out there who wish to see the proverbial glass as being half empty, they can. The state still owes various local governments around $466 million. Daniels has stated that repaying all of those debts is one of his top priorities.
Another large expense that the governor hopes to take on is full-day kindergarten for every Hoosier family that wants it. Advocates for full day kindergarten say it is essential for strong development to have a full school day starting in kindergarten. Opponents recognize that this is simply a case of parents wanting to have a form of taxpayer-funded daycare for their children. The program is estimated to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $140 million.
Indiana's revenue turn around didn't happen overnight. It came as a result of hard work on the part of our governor and his staff. Daniels has stated numerous times that the key to this success was "spending restraint". This financial recovery is evidence that fiscal conservatism and responsibility lead to financial gain.
Daniels is also quick to point out that if we get too excited about this turn of events and start spending money on too many projects, we could undo all of this progress and end up back where we were when he took office. The longer we work with what we have and are careful about future expenditures, the more successful we will be in the long run.
Some critics will also say that the state will obviously have a surplus when we've recently leased out an Indiana road system for more than $3 billion. This money is nowhere in the state budget. In fact, it goes directly into a trust fund for the state. This money will do wonders for the state of Indiana someday and was a great investment for the future.
The fact remains: Mitch Daniels has done more for this state than anybody ever expected him to. He is extremely proactive and a diligent, hard-working man.
Last Halloween, Daniels dressed up as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz because his daughter bought him the costume. This is very ironic because when looking for an adjective to describe Gov. Daniels, cowardly is one of the last I'd pick.
With him in charge, we can expect the future of the state to be a bright one. He has the know-how to get Indiana out front as an economic leader. And one day in the future, we might even see Daniels occupy the seat he was born to sit in - the one in the Oval Office.
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