State of the State

Ladies and gentlemen, Mitch Daniels has been governor for eight days. In this week-plus he's been in office, he's created more layers of government, cancelled collective bargaining contracts with state employees, visited flood-stricken areas of the state, and now, proposed a tax increase.

The way I understand it, Gov. Daniels wants a one-year, one percent increase on income taxes of individuals and businesses making over $100,000 a year. Some of you are thinking, they're rich, they can afford it. My question is, what about the small-business owner who's struggling to meet government regulations as it is, and now will have to pay at least an extra $1,000?? That could mean that Small Businessman X goes out of business, and the economy suffers. Gov. Daniels says that the money generated from this temporary revenue adjustment (don't ya love the spin on that) will balance the books for the state and he can begin his economic plan.

Once again, a "slash and burn" Republican is acting like his "tax and spend" Democrat counterparts. A libertarian solution, flatlining or a uniform cut in spending (ten percent is a good start), is much more palatable to everyone versus raising taxes. I hope Governor Daniels realizes this isn't a budget spread over 295 million people, but only five or six million, so the effects of his plan will hit home a lot harder. 27 lawmakers, 25 of them Republican, signed a no new taxes pledge. It will take more than the Republican name to push this legislation through a GOP Assembly. Let's see if those 27 can make the stand they said they would.