Published in the Indiana Daily Student, October 30, 2008

To the Editor:

In your editorial of October 29, you write “neither Jill Long Thompson nor (Mitch) Daniels is running on a platform of serious change or upheaval.”

Where has the IDS Editorial Board been for the last four years? Governor Daniels has pushed through a number of major public policy initiatives, including the “Major Moves” plan to upgrade infrastructure throughout the state, Daylight Savings Time, leasing the Toll Road (which provided a huge sum of money for infrastructure improvements), privatizing aid to the poor, major property tax reform, and a balanced budget. Students should pay attention to property taxes because property taxes are a cost of doing business for landlords and are therefore reflected in your rent.

(Read more after the leap)

In addition, we’re closer to the Evansville-to-Indianapolis leg of Interstate 69 becoming a reality than ever before. Two years ago, Daniels proposed another “big idea” – the Indiana Commerce Connector, a partial loop around Indianapolis that would take some of the burden off 465 and benefit smaller communities such as Martinsville and Anderson. Whether you like the reforms Daniels has implemented or not, the entire Daniels administration has been about nothing but “serious change and upheaval”.

Your attack on Becky Skillman was borderline misogynistic. She is one of the sharpest, most experienced people I know. I first met Skillman 11 years ago when we were taking the same philosophy class at IU. Her experience in state government (she is a former president of the Association of Indiana Counties and was a state senator for 12 years) dwarfs that of Long Thompson. Daniels knew Skillman’s knowledge of and experience in the State Senate would be important to implementing his legislative agenda. It seems that the only reason to compare Skillman to Sarah Palin is her sex. Shame on you.

Scott Tibbs

This post is also available at ConservaTibbs.