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Mitch Daniels

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Mitch Daniels
49th Governor of Indiana
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2005
LieutenantBecky Skillman
Preceded byJoseph Kernan
Personal details
Born (1949-04-07) April 7, 1949 (age 75)
Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCheri Daniels
Professionhealth care executive, office manager

Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. (born April 7, 1949 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania) is the current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his four-year term as Indiana's 49th Governor on January 10, 2005. On June 16, 2007, Daniels announced he was running for re-election in 2008.

Early life

Daniels moved to Indiana from Pennsylvania when he was in grade school. Upon graduating from North Central High School in 1967, Daniels was named Indiana's Presidential Scholar – the state’s top male high school graduate that year – by President Lyndon Johnson. Daniels earned a bachelor's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1971 and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979. Daniels is a first-generation Syrian American, and is a proud supporter of the Arab-American Institute, having been honored by them for his work in the community.[1]

While a student at Princeton in 1970, he was arrested for possession of marijuana and spent two nights in jail. Throughout his professional career, he has always been forthcoming about his arrest; disclosing it on job applications and in a 1989 Indianapolis Star column.[2]

Private sector work

In 1987, Daniels returned to Indiana as chief executive of the Hudson Institute, restoring the organization back to financial health. He then left Hudson in 1990 for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company. From 1993 until 2001, Daniels was employed as Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Policy at Eli Lilly.

In January 2001 Daniels sold $1.45 million in Indianapolis Power & Light Co. stock, just before the value of the shares plummeted. The Indiana Securities Division investigated the sale and found no wrongdoing, but political opponents in his 2004 gubernatorial campaign charged that Daniels got rich while other employees suffered financial hardship. Mr. Daniels claimed that he sold his shares because of his appointment by President Bush (see below).

Office of Management and Budget

In January 2001, Daniels accepted President George W. Bush's invitation to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He served as Director from January 2001 through June 2003. In this role he was also a member of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

While it is thought that President Bush nicknamed Daniels "The Blade" for his determination to cut social services spending, in actuality this nickname originated in Daniels's days at Princeton University, where his skill at the poker table led his fellow Charter Club members to label him with this moniker. It would seem to apply equally to his noted acumen at budget cutting.

Daniels instituted a first-of-its-kind accountability system for all governmental entities. Ironically, Daniels came under fire for overseeing a $236 billion annual surplus turn into a $400 billion deficit during his 29-month tenure. Supporters argued that Daniels was one of the few in the administration working toward restraint, and that ultimately he had to take marching orders from the administration.[citation needed] Opponents argued that Daniels was yet another conservative bent on protecting corporate interests under the guise of "fiscal responsibility".[citation needed]

Daniels was mentioned as being involved in the insertion of the "Midnight Rider" of the Homeland Security Act which was signed into law on November 25 2002.[citation needed] The bill contained a provision that was added at the last minute that would block lawsuits against Indiana-based Eli Lilly and Company over the use of thiomersal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative. Parents of autistic children claim this preservative has caused autism in thousands of children. Their claim is controversial, as some evidence may dispute external causes of autism. [3] The claim has not been confirmed by reliable studies.[4]

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.[5] As of 2007, the cost of the invasion and occupation of Iraq has exceeded $400 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office in August 2007 estimated that appropriations would eventually reach $1 trillion or more.[6]

Governor

While campaigning for governor Daniels traveled the state in a white RV covered with signatures of supporters and his trademark "My Man Mitch" campaign slogan. "My Man Mitch" was a reference to a nickname the President Bush called him while he was OMB Director. He visited all 92 counties at least three times. On 2 November 2004, Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana garnering about 55% of the vote compared to 45% to Democratic incumbent Governor Joe Kernan, who had assumed power after Frank O'Bannon's death. In his first State of the State address on January 18, 2005, Daniels sought to improve the state's fiscal situation by calling for strict controls on all state spending increases and proposed a one year 1% tax increase on all individuals and entities earning over $100,000. The move was controversial for a conservative governor and the state legislature did not act on it. As governor, Daniels has pushed through controversial proposals that had the state adopt Daylight Savings Time and privatize the Indiana Toll Road. In 2007 Gov. Daniels proposed a cigarette tax raising Indiana's 55.5-cents-per-pack tax by at least 25 cents. The proposed increase failed to win approval in the Indiana House, after a bipartisian effort in the 100-member chamber voted against it.Not to mention he is the worst Govenor in Indiana history.[7]

Property Tax Reform

In 2008, "Daniels proposed one percent cap of assessed home value would be instituted as the highest yearly property tax on homes. Property tax ceilings would be two percent for rental properties and three percent for businesses. The move would be permanent, making Indiana one of the lowest property tax states in the country," according to Connersville News-Examiner reporter Seth T. Whitecotton. The plan was approved by the Indiana House of Representatives, with minor changes, and is awaiting action in the State Senate, if passed it will lock in low rates for homeowners, businesses, and rental properties.

Visit to South Korea

Daniels, as part of a 12-day trade mission in Asia, visited Indiana soldiers serving in the Korean Demilitarized Zone on the 56th anniversary of the start of the Korean War and laid a bouquet of white flowers at the base of a plaque listing 900 soldiers from Indiana who died in the war. Daniels also stopped in Japan.[8]

Electoral History

Indiana Gubernatorial Election 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mitch Daniels 1,302,912 53.2
Democratic Joe Kernan (Incumbent) 1,113,900 45.5

References

  1. ^ http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/81391.pdf
  2. ^ http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/people/d/daniels_mitch/daniels.html
  3. ^ Freitag CM (2007). "The genetics of autistic disorders and its clinical relevance: a review of the literature". Mol Psychiatry. 12 (1): 2–22. doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001896. PMID 17033636.
  4. ^ Rutter M (2005). "Incidence of autism spectrum disorders: changes over time and their meaning". Acta Paediatr. 94 (1): 2–15. PMID 15858952.
  5. ^ Wolk, Martin (2006-05-17). "Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-10. Back in 2002, the White House was quick to distance itself from Lindsey's view. Mitch Daniels, director of the White House budget office, quickly called the estimate "very, very high." Lindsey himself was dismissed in a shake-up of the White House economic team later that year, and in January 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the budget office had come up with "a number that's something under $50 billion." He and other officials expressed optimism that Iraq itself would help shoulder the cost once the world market was reopened to its rich supply of oil.
  6. ^ Bender, Bryan (2007-08-01). "Analysis says war could cost $1 trillion". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-03-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/LOCAL19/703110377/1008/LOCAL19
  8. ^ "Governor visits Indiana troops in South Korea". Indystar.com. 25 June 2006.
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Preceded by Director of the Office of Management and Budget
2001–2003 		Succeeded by
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