Mike Pence Announces Run for Governor

Today we officially kicked off our campaign for governor of Indiana.  Karen, the kids and I were joined by supporters from around the state in my hometown of Columbus and we were overwhelmed by the response.  We are looking forward to the months ahead.  I thought you might be interested in my remarks at today's rally, which I have attached below.

June 11, 2011

"Thank you Michael, Charlotte and Audrey, and thank you to the love of my life and my first lady for 26 years, Karen Pence. Isn't she great?  You know, Karen and I met at a little church across the street from the governor's residence in Indianapolis back in 1983. Honey, I think these people want us to go back to where we started!

"I am especially grateful to be joined by so many distinguished guests, party leaders, elected officials, supporters and friends who have taken the time to attend.  Welcome to my hometown, Columbus, Indiana!

"I was born and raised in this town.  I grew up in a small house not far from here with big dreams and a cornfield in my backyard.  My grandfather was an Irish immigrant who came to this country in 1919. My parents came to Indiana before I was born and raised a family of four boys and two girls. I was raised to believe, 'To whom much is given, much will be required,' and our folks required a lot of us.

"At our house, we worked.  My first job was washing dishes at Gene's Cafeteria. After that, I worked for five years as a gas station attendant up on Highway 31 to help pay my way through college.

"I went to college down on the Ohio River, went to law school in Indianapolis, met the girl of my dreams, raised a family, started a business and spent ten years traveling this state, talking with everyday Hoosiers from the airwaves to co-ops, to county fairs.

"And then I had the chance to fulfill a boyhood dream representing Indiana in our nation's capital, which brings me to today.

"On behalf of my family, here and gone, on behalf of all those who have stood with me for so many years, on behalf of conservative Hoosier values, I am here to make it official:

"I'm Mike Pence, I'm from Columbus, and I'm running for governor of Indiana.

"Next to being a husband and father, serving Indiana as governor would be the highest honor of my life but that's not why I'm running for governor. There are really three reasons.

"First, I'm running for governor because I love this state, and I believe Hoosiers are the best people in America.  Anybody will tell you, I do love Indiana.  I love everything about it.  From the Ohio River to the Golden Dome, from high school basketball to the Oaken Bucket, from the steel mills to the Speedway, Indiana is special.

"But it's the people of Indiana who make it special.  I've heard it in the wisdom of everyday Hoosiers who called me from kitchens, shop floors and tractors.  I've seen the character of Hoosiers in the patriotism at Fourth of July parades and at quiet Memorial Day services.

"I've seen it in the eyes of Hoosier soldiers from Camp Atterbury to Kabul and Jalalabad, Baghdad and Ramadi. There's a reason Indiana has one of the largest national guards in America: Hoosiers believe in serving their country.  And through it all I've seen the goodness, generosity, decency and wisdom of everyday Hoosiers.

"Like three years ago this week in the aftermath of a 100-year flood that devastated this hometown of mine, including my boyhood home on 31st Street.  As I drove through one neighborhood in a squad car, the police officer told me, 'A few hours after the flood was over, the only thing you couldn't find in this neighborhood was a parking space.' I said, 'What do you mean?'  He said, 'People just started showing up from all over with coolers full of food and water, toolboxes and pickup trucks to help families put their lives back together.'  One man at a shelter told me, 'These fellas showed up the day of the flood, said they was from the Baptist church and were there to fix my house. I told 'em, "But I'm not a Baptist," and they said, "We don't care.""

"That's Indiana: decent, generous, modest and hardworking.  And that's why I want to be governor.  Because I think the people of Indiana are the heart of the heartland.  There is nothing the people of Indiana can't accomplish if we work together with the common sense and common values that make this state great.

"Second, I'm running for governor because I believe Indiana is on the verge of an era of growth and opportunity like no other in my lifetime, and we can't go back now.  After 16 years of leadership at the Statehouse that left our state with record debt and higher taxes, with our state roads and bureaucracy crumbling, thanks to the leadership of Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana has balanced budgets, lower taxes and improved state government in countless ways, including the most promising education reforms in the country.

"Because of what Hoosiers have done together, Indiana has become the fiscal envy of the nation and had the third fastest growing economy in the country in 2010.  But despite all the progress we've made, we can't afford to stop.  For as we gather here today, thousands of Hoosier families are hurting, struggling to find work. Some are trapped in failing schools. Others are going home on unsafe streets or to families in crisis.

"Despite some recent good news, unemployment in Indiana is still over 8 percent, and thousands have quit looking for jobs altogether.  Food stamps and welfare rolls are swollen.  These are hard times for too many in our state.  So, our work is far from over.

"Everywhere I've gone in Indiana over the past six months, the message is the same: Hoosiers appreciate the progress we've made. But almost to a person they say, 'We gotta keep it goin'!' And they're right. We gotta keep Indiana growing, but that won't happen without a fight.

"Right now, Hoosiers are faced with an avalanche of unfunded mandates, regulations and taxes that threaten our freedom and stifle our growth. To keep Indiana growing, we need to be willing to put Indiana first.  We need to be willing to say 'Yes' to Indiana and 'No' to Washington, D.C.

"Those who know me know I fight for what I believe in, and I believe in Indiana.  As your governor, I'll fight for the freedom of every Hoosier to live, to work, to run our schools without unnecessary federal intrusion and Indiana will lead the fight against cap and trade and ObamaCare.  To keep Indiana growing, we need a positive vision that builds on the success of the recent past, which brings me to my third and final reason.

"I'm running for governor because I have a vision for an even better Indiana.  Good jobs, great schools, safe streets, strong families.  And everything starts with a good-paying job.  Some think you stimulate the economy through government borrowing, spending and bailouts.  Hoosiers know better. The best stimulus plan is simple: less taxes, less red tape and more fiscal responsibility equals more jobs.

"To keep Indiana growing, we need to continue to live within our means, and as your governor, I'll fight to keep Indiana on the path of fiscal responsibility and reform.  But we won't just keep taxes low, we'll fight for more tax relief for working families, small businesses and family farmers, cut red tape and encourage investment, jobs and growth in the city and on the farm, until Indiana becomes the best place in America to grow a business or start a business in the city or on the farm.

"To build an even better Indiana, we have to continue to recognize that we cannot succeed in the marketplace if we fail in the classroom.  I believe education is a state and local function. That's why I opposed No Child Left Behind. We don't need bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. telling us how to run our local schools, but we do need to stay on the pathway to reform.

"As your governor, I'll look for ways to continue to fund excellence in education by cutting federal red tape, empowering parents and teachers, and promoting equality of opportunity for every Hoosier child through choice, more charter schools and innovation until Indiana has the best schools in America, period.

"And, to build an even better Indiana, our families and businesses have to be safe. Our prosperity depends on your security.  As your governor, I will fight against the drugs and violence claiming Hoosier lives and give law enforcement, fire, public safety and the National Guard the tools and resources and reforms they need to protect our families and come home safe to their family. We owe them no less.

"And, finally, to build an even better Indiana, we must recognize that our present crisis is not just economic, but moral.   At the root of these times should be the realization that people in positions of authority have walked away from the timeless truths of honesty, integrity, an honest day's work for an honest day's pay and the simple notion that you ought to treat the other person the way you want to be treated.

"To restore our economy we must reaffirm our respect for the institutions and traditions that nurture the character of our people: the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and the importance of organized religion in everyday life.

"On a day like today, I can't help but think of my dad.  He's gone now 23 years, but his influence and example are still a guidepost for my life.  He was like a lot of you in this room.  Grew up in the big city, he put on the uniform, went to Korea, came home with medals that went in the drawer and were never talked about again.  He married the daughter of immigrants, talked her into moving to Indiana to follow their dreams.

"He built everything that matters: a family, a business and a good name.  He left me, my three brothers and two sisters too soon with a legacy of hard work, faith, patriotism and a few words to live by.

"My dad said two things more often than any other: 'Not my will but thine be done' and 'Climb your own mountain.'  And as we face the challenge of putting Indiana first, getting Hoosiers back to work, restoring opportunity for every Hoosier child, securing our streets and strengthening our families, let's think about those who went before.  Who, in their time, made the sacrifices, faced the hard times with faith and courage.  Who climbed their own mountain. Now it's our turn.  And this is not my mountain, it's ours.

"Our journey begins today.  Our past behind us, the future before us.  We ask you to join us.  If you love Indiana and believe in the people of this great state, join us.  If you see how far we've come and know we can't stop now, join us.  If you believe we can build an even better Indiana for every Hoosier with good jobs, great schools, safe streets and strong families, join us.

"This is our challenge: to build an even better Indiana.  And as we build an even better Indiana, I believe with all my heart, Indiana will continue to lead the way for a better and stronger America, so help us God.  I'm Mike Pence. I'm running for governor. And I ask for your support."

Abortion Attitudes - May 24, 2011

     ABORTION.  There are lots of topics we discuss that could be described as “hot”.  In other words, they generate more division, more passion, more derision than any other topic you could choose.  The abortion topic is right there at the top.  That makes me wonder why the News and Tribune chose it to “fall on their sword” over.

     Certainly, this hot topic will generate more discussion and controversy than any other.  That can result in increased readership which might ultimately make more profit for the newspaper.  It may be a smart business decision.  But, taking one side of the argument unfortunately defines your paper and can alienate, in this case, half of your readership.  At the very least, it sacrifices any claim you may have to being unbiased.

     Without question, this issue divides us locally and nationally like no other issue.  I asked one of our New Albany mayoral candidates how he justified his campaign with what he confessed to me was his stand on abortion.  He rather naively told me he didn’t think abortion was an issue for New Albany.  I asked him to tell that to his constituents representing Choices for Women and Planned Parenthood.  It is easy to see, if by nothing more than reading the comments on the recent Tribune articles on this topic, that New Albanians, Southern Indiana Hoosiers and Americans in general are very passionate about this topic.

     What seems to come through loud and clear in these discussions is that the issue is polarizing.  On one side, it is true that the Supreme Court has declared this procedure legal.  Of course, if you actually read the ruling on Roe vrs. Wade, you will find that the Supreme Court only ruled that it is a woman’s “right to privacy” that would not be violated and that she has a right to do with her body whatever she wants to.  The Supreme Court flatly refused to even consider rendering an opinion on whether the baby inside the mother was life or not.  If they had ruled it life, of course, then they would have been obligated by the Constitution to protect it.  Half of us believe that it is life while the other half insist that it is just a tissue.

     I would ask those who would choose to judge our Governor for his “irresponsible” actions in agreeing with the majority of our elected representatives to defund Planned Parenthood in Indiana to remember that his decision does represent the opinions of at least half of us Hoosiers.  I would even go so far as to suggest that in our area where most Southern Indiana Hoosiers describe themselves as “conservative” that number is way over half.

     As the GOP chairman, I’m always amazed by Democrats who call themselves “pro-life” Democrats…..especially since the platform of the Party clearly identifies itself with the pro-abortion or pro-choice stand.  I always emphasize that your vote not only identifies you with an individual but with a set of beliefs that that individual and his Party represents.

      I would encourage each of us to return to an attitude that continues to respect the differences of opinions we all have without resorting to objectionable behavior to win our arguments.  I would also encourage us….as I have done many times…..to truly decide who to support and vote for this November, not just for what they can give us but for what they stand for and truly believe.  It takes time and work, but it produces better elected officials and helps us stay involved.  In the end, we get the government we deserve…..unless of course, you’re one of those individuals who doesn’t even vote.  But that is a topic for another time.

Congressional Budgets - May 13, 2011

     OH PLEASE!  Am I the only one who notices the disconnect and hypocrisy in former Congressman Lee Hamilton’s article, “This Is No Way to Run a Government?”  Can he seriously deride the current Congress because it can only pass a budget in the “last minute” while purposely ignoring the fact that the only reason Congress is wasting their time doing this is because the previous Congress, represented by his Party, failed to do the job while they were in office?

     According to Mr. Hamilton, “the way Congress used to work, budgets were crafted by a series of committees holding public hearings and debating separate appropriation bills.”  I assume he is acknowledging that if this had been done in September 2010….when it was supposed to have been done by the Democrat Congress…these “last minute” measures in April of 2011 would not be necessary.  And are we to assume that Mr. Hamilton was never involved in measures of Continuing Resolutions as a Congressman himself?  Check the records!

     Of course, it’s easier to criticize the Republican majority in Congress for using Continuing Resolutions to reduce the deficit than it is to blame the President of his own Party for producing the debt in the first place…a debt which threatens to make us slaves to our creditors (the Chinese) for generations to come.  It sounds to me like someone is “stumping” for next year’s elections for President and Congress in an attempt to get rid of those who would actually expect us to be accountable for our excessive spending and our debts.

     Lee talks about a “deal put together behind closed doors by a handful of people” which was “presented to the bulk of Congress for a take-it-or-leave-it vote”.  Is he talking about the budget or health care?  It is always effective to use the same arguments against your opposition as they used against you to get elected.  That way, we might forget who and what got us into this mess in the first place.  Oh, and Lee, we are a Republic, not a Democracy.  If our Congressmen don’t know the difference, how can we expect our high school students to?

     This is the same, tired old rhetoric that is used every time we actually get representatives who try to bring spending back under control.  Congress has gotten into the habit of out-of-control spending that must stop.  It is time to take the credit card away from Congress and cut it up.  We don’t need more taxes….we need less spending.  Let’s see, is there any other way I can say this?  Stop spending like drunken sailors……no disrespect to drunken sailors.  You get the idea.

Mike Pence: Servant Leadership

Congressman Mike Pence in a forum in Washington D.C. January 12th stated the following:

"Challenge yourself to think about servant leadership. Challenge yourself to ask the question, where am I needed most. If you do that in a way that puts your faith and family first, then America will be better for it." -US Rep. Mike Pence

I encourage everyone to view the video at:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/297453-7

By the way, Mike Pence will be speaking at the Floyd County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, March 18th.  Plan to join us to meet Mike!

Obama Oil

Obama’s Ultimate Betrayal

January 12, 2011 by John Myers 

     Welcome to 2011; another year for President Barack Obama, whose energy policies are dictated not from the White House but from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.  Obama’s Christmas gift to the nation was the December announcement by the President himself to clamp down further on domestic oil and gas drilling. Welcome to the New Year where pump prices now average more than $3 per barrel.
Despite the worst recession since the Great Depression, we are paying the highest gas prices since 2008. All thanks to Obama’s need to go Green, which is enriching Arab oil producers while putting America’s future at risk.
     Obama regulators have been busy slipping in ill-advised energy policies. First came the pre-Thanksgiving announcement that oil exploration and drilling in Alaska would be curtailed. All for a good cause, said the Obamaites, to help save vast expanses of polar bear habitat. Then Obama’s Department of the Interior made a pre-Christmas policy change that would further cut domestic oil supplies by making energy-rich lands untouchable.
     It seems that Obama forgot that designating Federal lands as wilderness areas was supposed to require an act of Congress. Yet the day before Christmas Eve, Obama’s Department of the Interior did a coup d’état. As a result, the Obama administration alone is able to judge where oil can or cannot be drilled. In doing this, Obama has thwarted George W. Bush’s policy that restricted unilateral action by the White House.

     Then there is the drilling in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. Nearly three months after the Obama administration lifted its ban, oil companies are still waiting for approval to drill the first new oil well in the Gulf. In fact, the petroleum industry expects the wait to continue until the second half of 2011, and perhaps well into 2012.

     This long delay by the Obama administration is costing Big Oil billions of dollars that they have tied up in Gulf projects; projects that are now on hold while petroleum companies pay out thousands of dollars every day on rigs that stand idle.

     Last week the Wall Street Journal wrote this indictment of Obama’ energy policy:

“Their impact goes beyond the oil industry. The Gulf coast economy has been hit hard by the slowdown in drilling activity, especially because the oil spill also hurt the region’s fishing and tourism industries. The Obama administration in September estimated that 8,000 to 12,000 workers could lose their jobs temporarily as a result of the moratorium; some independent estimates have been much higher.

“The slowdown also has long-term implications for U.S. oil production. The Energy Information Administration, the research arm of the Department of Energy, last month predicted that domestic offshore oil production will fall 13 percent this year from 2010 due to the moratorium and the slow return to drilling; a year ago, the agency predicted offshore production would rise 6 percent in 2011. The difference: A loss of about 220,000 barrels of oil a day.”

     All of which leaves America more susceptible to an Arab oil embargo. The last one happened in the 1970s when the U.S. was pumping twice as much oil as it is now.  With the U.S. gulping more foreign crude than ever, Arabs could bring America to its knees. You would think that a President as smart as Obama would understand the risk he is putting the nation in; a nation which he has sworn to protect.

     Perhaps the greatest waste of American resources is out West where there is potentially hundreds of millions of barrels in oil reserves and trillions of cubic feet in gas deposits; all of it just waiting to be drilled and pumped to a thirsting nation. Yet our President is obstructing America from meeting its energy needs.

     Ben Lieberman of The Washington Times explains:

“Utah is particularly hard hit, with up to 6 million acres in jeopardy of being locked away from development. Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah Republican, told The Salt Lake Tribune, “[This decision will seriously hinder domestic energy development and further contribute to the uncertainty and economic distress that continues to prevent the creation of new jobs in a region that has unduly suffered from this administration’s radical policies.”

     But there is more. Two days before Christmas the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undertook a Pearl Harbor-like pre-emptive attack on U.S. refiners with an order that will place severe limits on carbon-dioxide emissions. The EPA, in language Joseph Stalin would have been proud of, said: “The details have yet to be determined.”

The Moroccan Candidate
     The bottom-line is that under Obama, Washington is certain to increase the cost of converting oil into gasoline. If you are looking forward to spending $5 per gallon at the pumps, you will love Obama’s bold new move to make America more green.

     The $5 per gallon is not just a number I picked out of the air. The former president of Shell Oil says that’s entirely possible as high demand pushes the price of crude oil higher and higher.

     Culminating some time by the third quarter of 2012, retail pump prices in places like California and New York will reach roughly $5 per gallon, said former Shell Oil president John Hofmeister.

Former energy secretary Bill Richardson was asked about Hofmeister’s stark prediction: “I hope he’s wrong, but this is a very volatile energy market and we haven’t moved as fast as we should in America towards reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.”

     Hofmeister underscores the urgent need to develop domestic oil production and he even accuses the Obama administration of being anti-oil.  “I have no problem moving beyond oil but not today, not tomorrow, not 2011 or 2012. We can’t. It’s simply impractical and unreal,” Hofmeister said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) has put out a statement saying it will continue to pursue responsible oil and gas production while focusing on vehicle efficiency standards and investing in electric vehicles, bio-fuels and mass transit.

     Obama’s DOE must think America alone can make the Earth green. What the President seems to forget is the fact that China, India and Russia, along with a host of Third World polluters, are using coal and even wood furnaces to drive their industries.

     It appears to me that Obama’s Green policies are nothing more than collateral damage to a nation that needs domestic petroleum and the jobs that that industry provides. Instead Obama’s policies seem to be helping Arab oil exporters.

     If you think I exaggerate, consider this from the Dec. 29 Economist, not known as a bastion of conservative ideals: “Mr Obama’s team of managing the Middle East is even more inept than Mr Bush’s. The American right and many Israelis think he is too pro-Arab.”

Dubya Billboard: “MISS ME YET?”
     People in the petroleum industry don’t believe Obama is pro-North America, at least not when it comes to energy. Canada’s oil sands — which help keep America on the road every day—have been labeled “dirty oil” by Obama Democrats (as if the crude they pump out of the Saudi desert was somehow clean). And given the political realities that exist in many parts of Alaska, Sarah Palin has a greater chance of hitting a gusher with an errant shot from her AR-15 than Big Oil has with a drill-bit.

     Despite Bush’s multiple mistakes in the Middle East, he was a patriot who at least wanted to ramp up domestic oil and gas production. That’s not true of Obama, who seems intent on increasing America’s dependency on Arab oil.

     As I write to you, oil has topped $90 per barrel. I believe that by summer it will break over $100 per barrel. That makes Big Oil a good investment. But at what cost?

     Under Obama’s presidency we are headed for an energy crisis worse than anything President Jimmy Carter could have engineered. Just how high oil prices will go I don’t know. Much depends on what happens in the 2012 election.

We Got Them There....

OK.....we got them there.  Now, let's see them actually fix the budget that the Democrats have done such a fine job messing up.  Look especially at our friends from Indiana...THREE OF THEM...Rokita, Stutzman and Young on this committee.  Go to it guys.......learn quickly......remember the vows:  Smaller government, lower taxes, responsible spending.  Watch this space!

GOP names 11 freshmen to House Budget Committee

By Erik Wasson

The House Republican Steering Committee on Thursday named 11 incoming freshmen and two returning members to the House Budget Committee. The newly elected fiscal conservatives are expected to back GOP efforts to pass an austerity budget resolution next year.

The incoming GOP freshmen are Justin Amash (Mich.), Bill Flores (Texas), Tim Huelskamp (Kan.), Mick Mulvaney (S.C.), Jim Renacci (Ohio), Reid Ribble (Wis.), Todd Rokita (Ind.), David Schweikert (Ariz.), Marlin Stutzman (Ind.), Todd Young (Ind.) and James Lankford (Okla.).

The returning GOP members are Todd Akin (Mo.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.)

“The fiscal and economic challenges before us will require policymakers committed to reform and unwavering in their convictions. For this reason, I am excited to welcome an impressive group of new members to the House Budget Committee, each of whom bring considerable talent and energy to help get a grip on the explosive growth of government spending,” incoming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a statement. 
McClintock's office noted in a statement that as a fiscal hawk in the California legislature he introduced "hundreds of specific budget reforms, including tax, spending and borrowing limitations; contracting out of state services; pension, welfare and education reform and bureaucratic streamlining."

Does it pay to succeed?

Why Work Hard When Wealth is Being Redistributed So Effectively?
     There is an astonishing study posted this week at National Review Online of a look at disposable income and household economics that is rather concerning. Does it pay to work hard and avoid scamming the system anymore? It is a question that points back to our foundational principles and the observation made by founders like John Adams who noted that our system of government is made only for a moral and virtuous people, it is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
     There is a lot of talk about the rich paying their fare share. Yet, it seems that it is not just the rich who are getting soaked, but also the middle class who are paying for others' lifestyles.
     The study compared a one-parent family of three making a minimum wage of $14,500 a year with a middle-class family making $60,000. What they found is that the $14,500 household may have more disposable income at the end of the day . . . and you, the taxpayer, are footing the bill under current government policies. Take a look:

Perhaps the president and those in congress should spend more time looking at this problem instead of complaining that the rich don’t pay their fair share.