A Republican Plan for the Future

Below is a Letter to the Editor, written by Republican Leader Brian Bosma, published on October 19th.

With the election just weeks away, most Hoosiers are focused on the presidential and gubernatorial races. Of equal importance, however, is the race for the Indiana House of Representatives. The decision as to who leads our state in 2009 and beyond is critical. Our children’s future depends on it.

Let’s look at the record.

The reforms enacted in the Republican led session of 2005-06, were referred to nationwide as “once in a generation.” New jobs moved to Indiana in record numbers, and current employers expanded their workforce. Ratings by Forbes magazine, the Tax Foundation, Chief Executive Magazine, CNBC and others rank Indiana near the top in job attraction and economic development, a direct result of these historic reforms.

Republicans inherited a budget which was wildly out of balance, with a $550 million deficit and $721 billion in debt to Indiana schools, cities and universities. Rather than raising taxes, Republicans concentrated resources on education, health care and child protection, and cut or straight lined everything else. We repaid debts and adopted the tightest budget in 55 years with no tax increases, gimmicks or deficits, for the first time in a decade.

We placed legislative proceedings on the internet, created the Inspector General to attack government corruption, enacted historic infrastructure funding, repealed lifetime legislative healthcare enacted by our predecessors and much more.

This progress was no accident – it was a conscience effort by Republicans to turn Indiana in a new direction of reform, job creation and fiscal integrity. We overcame the politics of the past, despite the opposition crying “no” at every turn.

As November 4th approaches, House Republicans are again offering a strong vision for Indiana’s future. Our “Hoosier Families First” agenda sets out the House Republican pledge to take immediate action on critical issues if we gain the majority. You can view the details at www.housevictory08.com.

Our focus – taxpayer protection, job creation and opportunity for Hoosier students. You won’t see these details from the other guys, and you never have. They don’t have plan – really.

Our first commitment – keep more taxpayer money where it rightly belongs – in the hands of the taxpayer. We pledge as our first order of business to pass the constitutional amendment to permanently cap your property taxes. You deserve a property tax guaranty, and House Republican candidates have pledged to pass one. The opposition has not.

Our second order of business is to pass an honestly balanced budget with no tax increases. The prior record of bloated, Democrat deficit budgets speaks for itself.

We also call for a strict state spending cap limiting future budget growth to the average increase in statewide income, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

On the job creation front, House Republicans back incentives for Indiana’s 19 statewide technology parks - incubators for business growth - that will lead to thousands of additional high-wage jobs. We offer support to Hoosiers investing in renewable and alternative energy technologies, a proposal that will help reach our goal of making Indiana a leader in energy independence.

We also propose to address our next economic challenge – an undereducated workforce. Indiana ranks 44th in the nation for adults with bachelor’s degrees. We support “Hoosier Hope” scholarships for every student graduating with a B average or better. This lottery funded program will provide the equivalent of Ivy Tech tuition, which could be applied to any Indiana institution of higher education.

To help prepare those students for future success, Republicans propose to focus more funding on classroom instruction and award bonuses to teachers who pass voluntary competency tests in their area of expertise.

Indiana’s future is the biggest issue of this election. The contrast is stark — the same Democrat leadership based on the politics of the past or Republican leadership focused on a solid, successful agenda for Indiana’s future. It should be a clear choice.