Putting Politics Aside: It’s good for everyone.

Gov. Mitch Daniels’ campaign picked up some meaningful endorsements today. Labor leaders from across the state announced that Mitch is their man for the 2008 election. Getting endorsements from such a historically Democrat quarter is pretty interesting; especially when you consider one of the reasons cited by a union official in “The Region”. According to Dave Fagan, an officer with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 in Merrillville, Major Moves was a big factor in their endorsement. “Major Moves has brought in about $4 billion with interest for infrastructure. And with that infrastructure is employment, jobs for construction workers across the state.”

For those of you who aren’t from the northern part of the state, Major Moves is (maybe these endorsements single it is now a “was”) a political charged issue. Some quarters successfully painted a picture of the Governor selling the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign entity. Although they didn’t say it, you almost had to wonder if some of these folks were picturing this private company coming into the state and rolling up the Toll Road and taking to some other place. Local political leaders from the party that does not hold the governor’s mansion right now publicly decried the “sale” (they didn’t want to understand the concept of that legal and business devise known as a lease) while privately expressing elation about the money they were getting.

Let’s face it, when you put the politics aside, the Toll Road lease was one of the smartest things Mitch Daniels has done as governor.