Gov. Mitch Daniels appearing on Fox News Sunday does, indeed, believe there is a message to be taken from this week's Governor recall election in Wisconsin. And that message is, that it is time to do away with public unions.
Mitch Daniels is well-known during his time as Governor of Indiana for his hard line on that state's unions
Daniels had cracked down on collective bargaining for state workers as soon as he took office in 2005, six years before Walker and his GOP allies in the state legislature started down the same path -- triggering a backlash that forced him to stand for election this past Tuesday. Walker made history as the first governor to survive the recall test, beating Democrat Tom Barrett.
Daniels said that vote should send a message about the problems with public-sector unions.
There is no video available yet but here are some of his
remarks:
"I think, really, government works better without them," Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) told "Fox News Sunday," when asked whether public-worker unions should even exist
Daniels said that vote should send a message about the problems with public-sector unions.
"I think the message is that, first of all, voters are seeing the fundamental unfairness of government becoming its own special interest group, sitting on both sides of the table," he said.
He reserves his attacks for public unions only, who are hobbling governments:
Daniels said private-sector unions, while in decline in America, remain "necessary." But he suggested the public-sector unions have hobbled governments by gobbling up taxpayer resources with generous benefits and salaries and "bulletproof" job protections.
Daniels said he hopes Tuesday's election marks "some kind of turning point" in addressing the public union system
He added
"Money is being devoured by very high salaries,
With these comments he may have just endeared himself even more to Mitt Romney's campaign and shot to the top of the VP candidate list. After all Mitt Romney just put a
target on the backs of firefighters, police and teachers.
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12:55 PM PT: The video is now up on Fox News Sunday's website but doesn't embed.
Here's the link if you would like to hear what he says
http://www.foxnews.com/...
1:02 PM PT: It's actually worth listening to the interview with Daniels. Chris Wallace actually takes him to task about Daniels' own record of dealing with the public unions in Indiana.
Some of the examples he cites of improvements to the state after his 'reforms': A taxpayer can get his or her refund twice as fast now, and the state parks are 'in much better shape today'.
Wallace asks him about the statistics that Indiana is 46th in the country in public employee pay and benefits. His answer? He's never heard of that.
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