-The governor will has called a news conference for tomorrow to discuss October revenues.  That can’t be good news.

-Mike Pence is joining GOP National Chair Michael Steele in a 12 hour Internet town hall to battle the Democratic health care plan, putting that talk show experience to work.

-Invitations are out for the Fall GOP State Dinner.  Mitch Daniels is the featured speaker.  Is that because they couldn’t find anyone better, or because there is no one better?

That’s what Governor Mitch Daniels wrote in a letter to the Indiana Congressional delegation today.  The letter goes on to say that the bill would expand Medicaid, eliminate the Healthy Indiana Plan, and kill jobs.

He encourages Congressmen to follow the lead of Senator Richard Lugar who says now is not the time for health care reform.

Yet when Governor Mitch Daniels unveiled quarterly revenue figures less than two weeks ago, they showed a shortfall of $250 million dollars from the state forecast over just three months.  The bad news continues on that front.  It’s why Daniels questioned the unemployment figures at the time.   He suggested that more people must be out of work than what the numbers show, because of the poor economic performance. 

But what if the numbers are right and spending habits have changed?

That’s why the governor also made a request for the revenue forecast committee to develop new formulas for predicting state income.  That’s necessary if  people are holding on to more of their money, spending less, and therefore paying fewer taxes even if they are back to work.

-Daniels appeared on PBS and Fox News within four days recently.  Does that cover the waterfront?  How much can he be on national television without running for something?

-The Nobel Prize in Economics given to Indiana University Professor Elinor Ostrom is a great reward for her and the state (and the governor captured that in a statement released today.)   But how many people around here now have to change their tune now about the meaning of the Nobel Peace Prize going to Barack Obama?

He says he granted the interview because he considers Rose “very insightful” and a fair interviewer. 

Anybody want to wager that the interview touches on White House ambition and gives the governor another chance to explain why has none?

It’s all part of a marketing campaign by the Hoosier State Press Association.  The story on 24 Hour News 8 at 6.

Carson takes issue with a number of points made by the governor including a concern about passing the cost of health care reform to the states.  Says Rep. Carson, “Pushing unfunded mandates onto states was a bad habit of the previous presidential administration, and I do not want to see a repeat of that with health reform.”  Carson says he spoke out against an amendment that would require states to pick up 10% of the cost of new Medicaid enrollees.

Carson also says the effect on the Healthy Indiana Plan is difficult to determine.

The governor and his delegation return to Indiana tomorrow following nine days of activity in China and Japan.

“Indiana would bear the brunt of many of the reckless policies being proposed,” writes the governor.  In particular, he says that many of those enrolled in the Healthy Indiana Plan would be forced into Medicaid.   The additional Medicaid burden, he says, “would overwhelm our resources.”

Daniels does say that reform is necessary and promises to assist in the effort to find solutions he finds acceptable.

Bush came to Indianapolis at the invitation of Governor Mitch Daniels to share the reasons for improved student progress  over the last 15 years in Florida.  4th grade reading proficiency there increased from 53% to 70% from 1992 to 2007.   During that same time period in Indiana 4th grade reading proficiency stayed flat at 68%.

State School Superintendent Tony Bennett called the Florida example, “A model to what we should be doing.”  It includes more school choice and virtual schools.