If ever you were going to explain to someone the beauty of America's democratic process, a quick examination of the unemployment insurance crisis in Indiana would probably do the trick. To recap, Indiana was faced with a stunning amount of debt last year due to our bankrupt unemployment insurance program. To address this issue, the General Assembly -- with bipartisan support -- passed a "fix" involving a modest tax increase on businesses. Governor Mitch Daniels then signed the bill into law.
Fast-forward to this week, where those very same Republicans are confronted not with a budgetary crisis, but something far more sinister: an election year.
Republican lawmakers say the recession has lasted longer and cut deeper than anticipated, putting other states in the same predicament and raising the possibility of federal action. Therefore, they say, the state should delay the tax hike by at least a year.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said that allowing the new rates to take effect would be a job killer. He has lobbied the General Assembly for a one-year delay to see if Congress acts.
"If (lawmakers) want to really be helpful, that would be the single biggest thing they can do" to protect Hoosier jobs, Daniels said.
This coming from the same people who want to set in stone a series of tax caps based on the theory that revenue fluctuations would never necessitate a restructuring of our tax base.
Democrats, for their part, are set to unveil a jobs plan in the coming days. Jobs also being incredibly important when it comes to protecting Hoosier jobs.
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