Daniels right to sell stock

Recent television advertisements by Gov. Joe Kernan have attacked his opponent, Mitch Daniels, for pocketing close to a half million dollars by selling shares in the Indianapolis Power and Light Company while serving on its board. Daniels had voted to sell the company to an out-of-state firm, and the stock suffered shortly after Daniels got out.\nKernan contends Daniels' vote cost many Hoosiers their jobs and savings, while Daniels then walked away with an estimated $500,000. While that's all true, Kernan's attack leaves out a few details -- namely that Daniels was on his way to work under President George W. Bush as the director of Office of Management and Budget and that federal law stipulates he had to sell any privately held stock in such a position.\nThe situation is a sticky one for sure, but Daniels did the right thing. Although he knew the stock would fall, Daniels was only complying with federal law. He really had no alternative, save resigning from the position, which was an unreasonable option, or publicly announcing the IPALCO sale, which would have been unfavorable to anyone. Had Daniels made an announcement, the stock would have simply fallen earlier than it did and the shareholders would have lost money anyway. \nKernan's advertisement campaign boils down to a desperate attempt to jump ahead in a governor's race promising to be one of the closest in Indiana history. Kernan should cease the ads and focus on all of the facts, not just some of them.