Daniels kicks off campaign

This week, one of President Bush's closest advisors, Mitch Daniels, left Washington to come back home to Indiana. Daniels' return, after working more than two years in the White House, was for business, not pleasure.\nOn Monday, Mitch Daniels laid the initial groundwork for his campaign to be our next governor. Several Hoosier political observers have proclaimed that Daniels is now the man to beat in the election. I am certainly no political fortune teller, but the resounding support of President Bush that Daniels will receive certainly should not hurt his effort. \nBut, as such a heavy hitter -- Daniels was, depending upon who you ask, the President's closest and most influential economic adviser -- it is important to look at his work since he's had such an enormous amount of influence on the nation's budget and, indirectly, our economy.\nAs the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Daniels was responsible for developing and overseeing the President's economic and budgetary proposals to Congress. In this capacity, Daniels received a reputation as being eager to slash spending. That is, when agencies submitted funding requests to his office, Daniels was not scared of cutting pet programs and other funds. As governor, Daniels would have even greater power to determine funding levels for vital programs such as Medicaid and public education.\nHowever, until Daniels comes out with specific proposals, it would be unfair to presume what he would be willing to cut from Indiana's budget. I was glad to see that even some of his critics complimented Daniels for his budgetary fairness. In a June 9 Washington Post article, Sen. Charles Schumer, Dem.-NY, said, "We disagreed ideologically on the size of the pie … but he always wanted to divide the pie fairly."\nHopefully, Daniels, or whoever our next governor may be, will remember how much Hoosiers are helped by public education, public health programs and other slices of "the pie." But that is for a later column.\nStill, being a proud Democrat, I must have some problem with the conservative Daniels. And, indeed, I do. \nSince Mitch Daniels has taken the reigns at the OMB, the historical surpluses of the Clinton years have turned into a more than $300 billion federal deficit this year. Put simply, under Daniels' watch, we're spending $300 billion more than we're taking in. In light of such deficits, Daniels has pushed even more tax cuts that will help the wealthy in the short-run and hurt the middle class in the long-run by forcing us to pay interest on the money the government currently is borrowing.\nDaniels has already helped the federal budget surplus disappear, and I can't help but wonder what acts he'll have in store should he become governor. As products of a publicly funded institution, all of us should be wary (and vocally so) about the prospects of more cuts to higher education. Throughout the campaign, it is necessary that all students (Republican or Democrat; there will be primary contests for each party) make their voices heard.\nBut, at this early stage, those interested in politics must watch and soak in the moves of Daniels and others. I will keep an open mind on Mitch Daniels. In researching for this column, I found repeated references to how Daniels is a good and principled man (even Ralph Nader has spoken highly of Daniels' commitment to his principles). Such attributes are important, but as I look to Indiana's future in 2004 and beyond, I can't help but wonder about Daniels' fiscally irresponsible past.