I think the media moguls want Daniels to be a cont...

2010-09-13T18:24:01.759-05:00

I think the media moguls want Daniels to be a contender.

I welcome the attention on Governor Daniels' r...

2010-09-13T18:06:17.902-05:00

I welcome the attention on Governor Daniels' record coming from national publications (even if they are currently, typically positive) - and I welcome his more official run for President starting next year. The microscope of more proper examination than our relatively paltry local newsmedia (although we mercifully have the blogs), we finally start seeing what many people have seen all along and what I have seen the last three years - that Governor Daniels is not the messiah of fiscal conservatism I once voted for in 2004, but is more aptly a fiscal fraud.

Luckily bloggers like you, Gary, and others, as well as blog submitters like "I know", keep mentioning problems - serious problems - within Daniels' administration. I have constantly mentioned the numerous problems with the Department of Workforce Development. I am not a lone nut dissenter or disgruntled employee, as I have essentially been called by the kiss-ups and some of the "Lead Team" there, but someone who wants to see the right change there to make sure the Daniels' DWD does not keep costing the department, the employees, the claimants, the state's employers, and the taxpayers money and further grief.

DWD did not have a good year last year, 2009: according to estimated figures recently released on the US Department of Labor's website, Indiana overpaid its unemployment claimants by $626.7 Million; of this amount, Indiana's DWD was completely or partially responsible for $497.8 Million in overpayments. The former amount is the most in the country and over $54 Million more than the next closest state, California. The latter amount was also the most in the country and over $357 million more than the next closest state, Louisiana (and $236 Million more than Indiana's total last year, which was also the worst).

Using DOL's figures from 2006 to 2009, Indiana overpaid unemployed claimants more than every state in the country except California and Illinois (Indiana's overpayment figure is $1.157 Billion). No other state's unemployment program in the country was responsible for more money lost to claimants (that should not have been paid) than Indiana's Workforce Development. DWD was responsible, wholly or partly, for over-paying claimants $860 Million during that time.

Keep in mind, Indiana currently owes the federal government over $1.781 Billion right now; also keep in mind businesses in Indiana will have to pay that amount back, and also are the ones who have paid for the $1.157 Billion in overpayments to claimants.

If anybody wants to know where to find this information, please leave a message and I will show you where to find it.

I haven't even really mentioned the two-fold increase in deputy commissioners and upper management at DWD, the loss (or forcing-out) of thousands of years of unemployment experience and knowledge, the common practice of breaking of state laws, the unnecessary increase of paper/printing/mailing costs caused by a modernized system that is not functioning correctly - and all of these things within the last 5 years.

Then there is the "modernized" unemployment system itself (contracted in 2005 to Stephen Hilbert's Haverstick Consulting, as Gary has mentioned before) that is now 2 years late in full implementation and untold millions of dollars over-budget. The system, save maybe the inept leadership of DWD, is the PRIMARY reason Indiana overpaid its claimants so much the last 4 years. If you all only knew the full extent of the $BILLIONS wasted at DWD alone, you would all fully understand that Mitch Daniels is anything but a fiscal conservative.

"I've tracked a number of hits on my prev...

2010-09-12T15:56:12.464-05:00

"I've tracked a number of hits on my previous post on that failed privatization deal to the Justice Department in Washington. Who knows what a good-ole fashion criminal investigation might turn up there."

If the Justice Department would just indulge themselves within the Indiana Gaming Commission and the state appointed officials that have been allowed to write their own contracts, create sweet heart multi million dollars deals among their fellow members of sub committees appointed by the State Legislature the Justice Department would have another good ole fashion criminal case as they did with the concrete fixing probe that sent people to prison.

Violations of criminal law and defaulting on two multi million dollars bonds certainly should also get the SEC involved. However, the AG, the IG and the Governor's Office don't want anyone from the Justice Department swimming around as they might find a gold nugget at the bottom of the pool.

The Governor needs to clean his house or the closets will be too full of skeletons!!!!

Comments on Advance Indiana™: Newsweek Looks At Daniels Presidential Bid

I think the media moguls want Daniels to be a cont...

I welcome the attention on Governor Daniels' r...

"I've tracked a number of hits on my prev...