V17, N17 Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 Eyes peeled on Daniels’ last reform Governor finds change runs slower than his proverbial ‘freight train’ By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - A fact of life for a governor of Indiana is that the walls in his Statehouse office are full of eyes from the past, peering down from bygone eras. Over the governor’s conference table peers Gov. James Putnam Goodrich, who presided over the agrarian state beginning in 1917, overseeing the Great War efforts, along with planning the state’s highway system while creating the Department of Conserva- tion. There is Gov. Harry G. Leslie, the former Republican House speaker who was elected in 1928 after the scourge of Gov. Ed Jack- son’s Ku Klux Klan era and presided over the beginning of the Great Depression, pioneer- ing in Indiana what would become known under President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Work Progress Administration. And, of course, there is Gov. Thomas R. Marshall, who attempted to write a new Indiana constitution after the General As- Continued on page 3 Gov. Daniels with reporters on Friday. Portraits of Govs. Orr (top) Marshall and Leslie. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) The politics of Right to Work By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mitch Daniels and Repub- lican legislative leaders say that with the unemployment rate continuing to hover at an unacceptably high 9 percent, “Zany is not what we need in we need “every tool available” to attract jobs. Thus, the Right to Work legislation a president. Zany is great in a has become the No. 1 priority heading into the 2012 short session. campaign. It’s great on talk I’m not necessarily for or against radio. But in terms of a Right to Work. But I have a propensity for calling things like they are. Like, if president, we need a leader.” we have casinos in Indiana, they once had to be “riverboats” and developers - Mitt Romney, on Newt Gingrich had to dig inland moats to put them HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Monday. Dec. 19, 2011 in. Stupid! Or, if marijuana is to be phone-bankers in Indiana gubernato- legal, it has to be “medical marijuana.” rial politics for decades – would have Dumb! Just decriminalize it and treat been neutered. it like a traffic ticket, or legalize it as Now the historic opportunity is 16 other states and Canada have done to end mandatory union membership www.HoweyPolitics.com and tax the hell out of it. What we with Right to Work. My Democratic have now clogs the courts, our jails sources acknowledge that should this and prisons. occur, union membership across the Howey Politics While Right to Work is board could plummet in the 50 to 75% Indiana a tool in the job development box, range. The UAW and the Indiana State is a non-partisan newsletter it really is the final union-busting Teachers Association – the massive based in Indianapolis. It was maneuver of the Daniels’ era. And funders of gubernatorial, Congressio- founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. Republicans can do it because, like a nal and legislative campaigns in Indi- dog licking himself, he does it because ana – won’t have nearly their historic he can. Indiana Democrats became so clout. Brian A. Howey, Publisher vacuous, so devoid of ideas, this past So there is a significant politi- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington decade, and so mean at campaigning cal component to Right to Work, and Jack E. Howey, editor that Hoosier Republicans have won anyone who denies it has a bridge to Beverly K. Phillips, associate two straight governor races, have a sell you in the Arizona desert. super majority in the Indiana Senate I have viewed the unions and editor and a 60-40 majority in the Indiana the business organizations like the In- House, with a good chance of making diana Chamber and the Indiana Manu- Subscriptions that a super majority next year. facturers Association as bookends. $350 annually HPI Weekly That’s what happens when Both have Political Action Committees you have a mind trust like House Mi- that fund gubernatorial and legislative $550 annually HPI Weekly and nority Leader B. Patrick Bauer. races. They’ve been doing this for de- HPI Daily Wire. In the Daniels’ era, the GOP cades, and while Indiana is known as 'Call 317.627.6746 has systemically knocked out the sup- a “Republican state,” the two parties porting trusses of the Indiana Demo- compete at the gubernatorial, legisla- cratic Party. Secretary of State Todd tive and Congressional levels. If you’re Contact HPI Rokita created a statewide voter file a Republican, Right to Work will crimp Howey Politics Indiana to clamp down on redundant voting. the unions and, thus, the Democratic 6255 N. Evanston Ave. Former District Attorney Joseph Van Party. When they peer into the future, Indianapolis, IN 46220 Bokelen took on the Pastrick Lake they envision a “Gov. Mike Pence” and www.howeypolitics.com Democratic machine with RICO laws, two super majority legislative houses. and former Attorney General Steve In that scenario, you can kiss modera- [email protected] Carter went after millions of casino- tion goodbye. 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 generated East Chicago Second Cen- Why do I think Right to 'Washington: 703.248.0909 tury funds. Work will be more like a little crescent 'Business Office: 317.627.6746 On his first full day in office, wrench in the economic development Gov. Daniels ended collective bargain- tool box, as opposed to a power drill ing for state employees and watched or a pneumatic nailer? © 2011, Howey Politics Indiana. as unionized membership tumbled by Because Indiana has seen its All rights reserved. Photocopy- 90 percent. Daniels ended the per- union membership drop over the last ing, Internet forwarding, fax- sonal license plate money that used half century from the 40% to about ing or reproducing in any form, to go to the political parties, costing 10% today. And the jobs that Indiana whole or part, is a violation of Indiana Democrats $750,000 a year. is trying to grow and attract – life Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock sciences, logistics, advanced manu- federal law without permission – with Gov. Daniels cheering him facturing, orthopedics, agri-science, from the publisher. v on – tried to stop the Chrysler/Fiat nanotechnology, information technolo- merger. If Chrysler and General Motors gy – aren’t unionized segments of the had collapsed, the United Auto Work- economy. The Indiana Chamber and ers – one of the biggest funders and legislative leaders like to point out that HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 a third to a half of the firms looking relocate, cross Indiana Right to Work as an issue when deciding whether to locate off their lists because of our current Right to Work laws. in LaPorte County. “They want to know about taxes, about But I can’t think of a recent company relocating a competent workforce, about good schools,” he said. here during the Daniels era that has been unionized. Not The Indiana Chamber counters by saying local Honda, not Medventure, not Amazon, not Dreyfus. When officials never hear about such companies because they are InterPac announced it was moving in from New Jersey to crossed off the lists of states without Right to Work before Lawrenceburg recently, Gov. Daniels said, “InterPac’s deci- they explore. sion is further proof that Indiana has the best business cli- I’ve heard many Republicans over the years talk mate in the country. This decision will bring important new about true job creation that comes in small businesses and jobs to Dearborn County and continues a national trend of homegrown companies like Conseco and Cook Group that companies relocating to Indiana and reaping the benefits of began as little startups and grew into Fortune 500 status. our low-tax economy and highly skilled workforce.” And these types of companies don’t tend to be unionized State Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, became either. An NPR “This American Life” story several months one of the first Republicans to line up against the measure. ago on state and local economic development describes a He used the country club analogy, telling the Michigan City small pool, with municipalities cannibalizing each other to News-Dispatch, saying, “It is as if the members pay dues add a sliver to the economy and get some big headlines. because they want to use the golf course, but they let Right to Work is likely to pass in January. But it’s other people who don’t pay dues use the course too.” Der- more about politics than job creation. v mody said economic development bodies have never cited nine months before Daniels would take office, consistently Governor, from page 1 calling for a reform agenda to help transform the state into a powerhouse at the Crossroads of America. sembly refused his call for a Constitutional Convention. The Daniels is now facing his final legislative session, proposed Marshall Constitution would have increased state dogged by a persistent 9% jobless rate, his party’s secre- regulatory powers, set minimum wage, protect unions and tary of state under fire for election fraud, and campaign provide for referendums. finance ties to indicted Tim Durham and John Bales cast- Directly across the room from Daniels’ desk is Gov. ing an unwanted eye on the grimmer Robert D. Orr, who offered Dan- aspects of campaign finance. iels the U.S. Senate seat being He made headlines twice last vacated by Vice President-elect week: Backing the controversial Dan Quayle in December 1988.