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Subscribe to RSS“U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2008 Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll revealed that Indiana had the fewest public employees per capita. Illinois was just behind, and Wisconsin was ranked third,” Real Clear’s McPike reports. “As [Indiana Gov. Mitch] Daniels ponders a bid for the presidency in 2012, the example he set with the Hoosier State's government could set a tone for contenders in the GOP primary now that limiting government has emerged as a leading campaign issue for Republicans this year.”
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I lived in Indiana for 25 years. Less government = bad, more religion = good.
They are proud to be called 'Hoosiers', but when you ask them what it means, you get several different answers, usually preffaced wtih "no one really knows for sure, but...." I bet a lot of Hoosier money has made it's way to Delaware and Neveda this year, too.
(sorry, Ron- I know it's a pretty broad brush and does not apply to everyone)
Either the stats are off, or they forgot to count local government employees. Illinois has the most units of government of any state - governor down to local library boards. Yes, Indiana has fewer public employees, but then the state doesn't build/repair roads, it takes a year to get INDOT to review a request to re-time traffic signals, and the waiting list for community services for the mentally disabled goes back to 1998. If there are no employees, you can't even apply to get timely services, like unemployment compensation.
Too bad it's not a complete story.
To tell the rest of it....The referendum policy he and his hoosier GOP pals pushed thru on school construction BEFORE the recession, started putting the A/E-Construction industry on the unemployment line MONTHS before the recession nationwide.
The reason we have so few government employees is because of the AWFUL job Daniels has done w/ Budget Estimates. "Unexpected" budget shortfalls for 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 months straight. You'd think after the third month in a row he'd start to catch on.
All he's done is make knee-jerk reactions and cut people. Of course, all that does is put people on the unemployment line so it accelerates the flow of tax dollars going OUT. Only defense he's had is comparing us to other neighboring states, which doesn't work now because they have now recovered quicker from a deeper hole, while Indiana has remained stagnent on unemployment.
When we lived in Illinois (St. Clair County), the county had multiple school districts each with its own superintendent and school board. The school our daughter went to was the only school in its district. The school of 400 kids (Pre-k thru 8th grade) had a superintendent, a principal, a vice principal, and a guidance counselor. All were making in excess of $100,000. The district had taxing authority so there was no impetus to live within a budget. All they had to do was raise property taxes. We paid more than double property taxes on a house that was worth less than the house we currently live in here in Virginia. The point I am trying to make is that there is no way I believe that Illinois has less government.