Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, already caught in two lies in recent weeks, is revealed to have been peddling yet another falsehood—on the very day he’ll give the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. 

Throughout the long debate over Right to Work, Governor Mitch Daniels has argued that Indiana can't grow jobs without busting up the unions. He says it's for workers' own good. "The good news is when Indiana gets a chance to compete for new jobs, we're winning -- two thirds of the time. But we get cut out of a third of all deals because we don't provide workers the protection known as Right to Work," he said, in one ad. 

But new data reveal that Indiana is doing pretty well without a so-called “right to work” measure in place. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released new figures for employment in the states. How’s Indiana doing? 

After getting slammed senseless during the recession, the federal government says Indiana gained 15,100 jobs last month (much of it from the private sector, in the state's best month for job growth in a decade). 

So contrary to Gov. Daniels’ unsubstantiated insistence that the so-called “right to work” bill his Republican cronies are attempting to ram through the state legislature is necessary to create Indiana jobs, the state is nearly leading the nation in job creation AND protecting workers’ rights and paychecks. 

Now Gov. Daniels is peddling a new story. He alleges that Indiana lost a Volkswagen plant to Tennessee because of their “right to work” status. 

Interestingly, news coverage of the VW plant’s opening mentions specifically that Alabama and Michigan were considered as alternative sites for the plant. Volkswagen Group of America’s own press release specifically lists Tennessee, Michigan, and Alabama as the three states under consideration.  

How do you lose a bid for an auto plant when you were never even in the running? 

So many lies, so little time. Will he slip a few into his GOP response to the State of the Union? Or will he simply attack President Obama for the country’s fiscal woes—woes that Mitch Daniels helped create? 

Daniels comes to such a discussion with baggage, however, having headed the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003, when the country’s projected budget surplus of $236 billion ran down a sink hole where it became a $400 billion deficit. 

… When the economy dipped, Bush’s expanding deficit ballooned. Some fiscal conservatives at the time howled, including New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who pointed at Daniels as a major part of the problem, saying that he had “carried water for some of the Bush administration’s more egregious budgets [and...] made dubious public arguments in support of his boss’s agenda.” That agenda included the war in Iraq, which appeared on the books under Daniels as an invasion without longterm estimates accounting for the inevitable occupation. 

Will Gov. Daniels will stick to the facts tonight, for a change?

As President Obama strives to maneuver his jobs plan through Congress and Democrats in states across the country work to create real solutions to their states’ unemployment and budget crises, a Republican lawmaker in Florida is pushing his own big idea for job creation. 

GOP state Rep. Ritch Workman, whose “zeal for repeal” and crusade to diminish Florida’s government are well-known among his colleagues, wants to get Big Government and its regulations out of the way and re-legalize dwarf tossing. 

So Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, filed a bill this week to bring back "dwarf tossing," the barbaric and dangerous barroom spectacle that was imported from Australia and thrived briefly in Florida before it was outlawed in 1989. 

"I'm on a quest to seek and destroy unnecessary burdens on the freedom and liberties of people," Workman said. "This is an example of Big Brother government. 

"All that it does is prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get," Workman said. "In this economy, or any economy, why would we want to prevent people from getting gainful employment?" 

Yes, this Florida Republican’s proposed response to the gargantuan task of reducing unemployment is to reinstate a degrading and dangerous practice that poses specific risks to a select group of people. 

Workman's efforts to create employment opportunities for little people willing to be objectified as flying objects was not done after consultation with anyone eligible for this line of work. 

"The people who were thrown were alcoholics with low self-esteem," said Robert Van Etten, 62, of Stuart. "Many of them were injured. One committed suicide." 

Van Etten, a 3-foot-5-inch engineering consultant and former president of Little People of America, has worked with his wife, Angela, for years to educate people about the physical and psychological dangers of dwarf tossing. 

This bill is the latest in a long line of the GOP’s extreme proposals to improve their states’ economies. Past greatest hits include 

• Loosening child labor laws
• Reinstating some iteration of the gold standard
• Attacking minimum wage laws. 

If proposals like legalizing dwarf tossing are representative of the GOP’s new solutions to the nation’s economic woes, we hope their next big idea at least involves less potential for personal injury.

Young people: they don’t deserve voting rights, they shouldn’t speak up about public policies that effect them, and now they don’t deserve a decent wage either, at least according to GOP state legislators.

Over the weekend, a Tea Party inspired bill went into effect in New Hampshire, finalizing the total repeal of that state’s minimum wage. The GOP legislator who sponsored the bill took the occasion to argue that repeal was necessary because younger workers don’t deserve the princely sum of $7.25 for an hour’s work:

State Rep. Carol McGuire, the Epsom Republican who sponsored the bill, acknowledges it changes little and could be restored by lawmakers at any time. She would have liked to have repealed the minimum wage entirely and let the free market dictate wages, she said.

"It's very discriminatory, particularly for young people. They're not worth the minimum," she said.
[emphasis added]

Contrary to Rep. McGuire and her GOP cohorts’ opinions, the facts tell a far different story. Most minimum-wage workers are already, in fact, young people (60.5% are younger than 30). McGuire and the GOP are saying, in effect, that these workers don’t deserve what they already earn.

But the minimum wage also provides a crucial stop-gap for older workers, as well – those whose Social Security benefits don’t quite cover the bills or whose prescription drug costs fell into the Medicare “doughnut hole” until the President’s health care reform closed it. (Or those workers who might lose health insurance entirely under the GOP Medicare elimination plan.) Workers 65 and older are actually more likely than the average hourly employee to earn at or below the federal minimum wage, probably because it's harder for these individuals to find willing employers.

Someone should ask Rep. McGuire if these workers are also “not worth” $7.25. Or better yet, Rep. McGuire herself should ask the next such employee she encounters – of any age – whether he or she agrees with McGuire’s opinion of their “worth.”

Thankfully, most New Hampshire workers are still protected by the federal minimum, but New Hampshire Republicans say they also want to eliminate the federal minimum wage. Rep. McGuire’s sentiments above were merely echoing those of GOP House Speaker Bill O’Brien, who called for the elimination of “job-killing regulations like the minimum wage.”

But once again, New Hampshire Republicans have it backwards, as fifteen years of research support the conclusion that a higher minimum wage increases economic growth.

As is the case all across the country, the GOP’s anti-growth agenda – including their ideological crusade against working families – is holding back job growth for everyone in America.

[h/t Blue Hampshire]

Ohio Republicans are having a banner week.

Late Sunday afternoon, “embattled” GOP state Representative Robert Mecklenborg announced his resignation from the House. Mecklenborg, sponsor of Ohio’s proposed voter ID legislation, had been under pressure to quit from Republican leadership since news of his Easter weekend DUI arrest broke the same day his bill to dramatically reduce early voting opportunities passed the legislature. Ironically, 

Mecklenborg didn't have a license when he sponsored a photo voter ID bill after his arrest back in April.

On Tuesday, reports surfaced that cast a shadow of domestic violence allegations on Republican freshman Senator Kris Jordan. His wife Melissa Jordan called 911 during a fight last week, but hung up when the emergency dispatcher answered. The dispatcher called her back, and hushed, frantic exchanges followed. At one point, Ms. Jordan
whispered, “He’s mad; he’s got the gun.”

Ms. Jordan later declined to press charges against Sen. Jordan and told the Columbus Dispatch things had been worked out.

On Wednesday, a Quinnipiac Poll revealed that GOP Governor John Kasich’s approval rating had dropped to an abysmal level. Only 35 percent of Ohioans approve of his performance as state executive.

On Thursday, Ohio’s Secretary of State certified that the petition process to repeal the draconian anti-public employee law known as SB5 had met required signature thresholds and would be placed on the ballot for a referendum this November.

DLCC board member and Ohio House Democratic Leader Armond Budish appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show last night to discuss SB5 and other legislation representing “radical, extremist ideology” that the statehouse GOP has forced though Ohio’s legislature this Session.

Check out the full segment below. Leader Budish makes his entrance about four minutes in.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Finally, on Friday the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released numbers revealing that the Ohio unemployment rate rose in June—the first time under Gov. Kasich, who used “job creation” as a supposed justification for pushing extreme measures like SB5, and the first time in 22 months.

The Ohio GOP’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week is finally over. TGIF?

Today's Politico Arena Chat features Arizona state Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She discusses harmful GOP policies, the economy, and 2012 elections with moderator David Mark.

Visit The Arena here.

Despite slipping to a 32-33 minority in 2010, Colorado House Democrats have nevertheless enjoyed an extremely successful legislative session. They have a lot to be proud of, but the centerpiece of their accomplishments is the many successful Democratic bills to create jobs:

OED Small Business Navigator – HB1209, Rep. Matt Jones (D-Louisville) will provide a single point of contact for small businesses to aid them in diagnosing problems, streamlining referrals, and cutting through red tape so they can grow.

Extension of Bioscience Grants – HB1283, Rep. Jim Riesberg (D-Greeley) extends the successful bioscience grant program, which provides matching grants to turn promising Colorado research into good paying Colorado jobs.

Colorado Innovation Investment Tax Credit – HB1045, Rep. John Kefalas (D-Fort Collins) extends a successful pilot program from 2010 which has helped create 21 different businesses in 13 cities across Colorado.

Third-party Air Quality Air Modelers – SB235, Rep. Sal Pace (D-Pueblo) will allow third party engineers, chosen by CDPHE to ease backlogs and encourage companies to use their own money to pay for the third party to carry out the inspections, helping companies meet their growing demand and saving and creating jobs.

Creative Districts – HB1031, Rep. Joe Miklosi (D-Denver) promotes a growing sector of our economy by allowing local governments to set up “creative districts” within their jurisdiction and have them certified in order to help attract artistic industries and to market their unique businesses.

House Democrats were also active on other key issues, and they passed successful legislation to improve schools and crack down on bullying, boost transparency and accountability, and help struggling families avoid foreclosure.

For the full list of highlights, be sure to visit the Colorado House Democrats’ blog.

Over the weekend, Missouri House Minority Leader Mike Talboy (who also serves on the DLCC Board of Directors) authored a editorial in the Kansas City Star taking the majority Republicans to task for wasting most of the legislative session on a right-wing social agenda, while ignoring House Democrats’ job-creation plans:

Among the innovative job creation proposals supported by House Democrats are the governor’s Compete Missouri plan to retrain workers for today’s marketplace, the Missouri Science Innovation and Reinvestment Act to promote the development of new technologies and providing incentives for underground data storage centers in the state. Unfortunately, most of those proposals remain stalled in the process.

The House did finally debate and pass the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act on April 7. But in a legislative session that was supposed to be about job creation, it should have happened months ago instead of with the session heading into its closing weeks.

Suppressing wages and worker protections will not create economic prosperity but instead take Missouri down the road to economic stagnation. The House must put more focus on legitimate efforts to create family-sustaining jobs that pay a livable wage with respectable benefits. We must champion emerging technologies that are leading the way to economic growth in our state.

The full editorial is worth reading, but Leader Talboy is correct on the bottom line: Republicans have largely broken their campaign promise to focus on jobs and the economy, and now there’s only a few weeks left to prove to Missouri families that their wellbeing is the legislature’s top priority.

Imagine you’re a corporate CEO, about to decide where to locate your new corporate headquarters. Your site-selection committee has narrowed the list to two finalist states.

Now let’s say the committee informs you that state #1 has slightly lower taxes than state #2. But if you choose state #1, it’s possible that five years from now, none of your company’s entry-level applicants will know how to use basic office software unless you pay to train them - because the state's Republican legislature is about to strike "technology education" from state requirements.

Furthermore, you learn that the overall quality of the workforce in state #1 is likely to decline, because that state’s Republicans also want to repeal universal kindergarten and gut statewide education standards, including completely eliminating arts and foreign languages as state standards.

If you want your company to have a future, it’s not even a close call.

The logic makes perfect sense to us, but try explaining it to New Hampshire’s new GOP legislative majorities, which seem determined to Lose the Future rather than win it.

Most baffling among their legislative proposals is GOP state Rep. Ralph Boehm’s bill to strip out technology education – along with other critical subjects like health and foreign language - from the state’s definition of what constitutes an adequate public education:

House Bill 39, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Boehm, R-Hillsboro, suggests the removal of arts education, world languages, health education and technology education from the state's definition of an adequate education.

Boehm said the premise of the bill is that the state contributes less than $3,500 per student, but the current state education mandates actually cost school districts $10,000 per student.

Turnout for the hearing was so overwhelming that the committee chairman moved the hearing to Representatives Hall. Out of 110 people who signed in to speak before the Education Committee, all but two were opposed to HB 39.

Equally outrageous is a bill by another Republican, Jonathan Maltz, which would end New Hampshire’s universal kindergarten requirement. That bill collapsed under the weight of united Democratic opposition in the state House and withering criticism from citizens and the media:

Local legislators like Dover Democratic Rep. Peter Schmidt, had spoken out against the bill. Schmidt noted recently there would be a loss of jobs if the bill were passed.

"To pass this bill would be unwise and unwarranted," he said. "It would have no benefit for the public."

And Rep. Schmidt is right – all of the Republicans’ anti-education bills would cost New Hampshire jobs.

National rankings of the best states for business often take the quality of a state’s schools, the availability of a skilled workforce, and the overall level of innovation and technology savvy into account when choosing where to locate.

Under Democratic leadership, New Hampshire had been ranked #6 in education by one such ranking. But it won’t be for long if Republicans succeed in their attack on the state’s schools.

Ask any unemployed or underemployed Iowan what their elected officials should be focusing on, and the answer should be obvious: Jobs and the economy. But with each passing day in Iowa’s state legislative session, it’s becoming clearer and clearer which party is making jobs its priority…

Senate Democrats offered new initiatives Wednesday for small businesses to lower employee health insurance costs, provide easier access to credit, cut bureaucratic red tape and provide resources to revitalize run-down business districts.

State Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, estimated the price tag to state government to implement the four-step plan would be about $8.4 million, which he called a "relatively modest" way to help small businesses recover from the economic recession and resume hiring.

"If more Iowa small businesses are working again, more Iowans will be working again," he said during a Statehouse news conference. (…)

Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said job creation is the Senate Democrats' top priority for the 2011 session. They intend to offer two more proposals to assist small businesses, including an effort to improve opportunities for education and job training that will be unveiled next week.

…and which party is wasting its time on divisive social issues:

Republicans were working this evening planning how to “mount a battle for marriage” at 7 a.m. tomorrow in the Iowa Senate, according to an action alert from a conservative group. (…)

Danny Carroll, chairman of the Iowa Family Leader, said tonight that Sen. Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola, “is preparing his plan as I am writing this email. He intends to file numerous amendments and use any other tactic at his disposal to keep Gronstal from barring debate on marriage.”

The best thing Iowa can do to protect families is to make sure jobs are available and health care is affordable. As usual, Iowa Democrats clearly get it, while the Republicans keep playing games.

The non-partisan Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 2010 edition of its annual Kids Count ranking, which measures each state on 10 key indicators of children’s welfare and educational opportunities. Unsurprisingly, states with Democratic legislatures dominate the 2010 rankings.

Eight of the top-ten overall states have Democratic legislatures – New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. Only one Republican-controlled state and one state with a nominally non-partisan legislature made the top ten.

More impressively, states with Democratically-controlled legislatures outnumber Republican-controlled states in the top-ten* of every single subcategory. The breakdown of each subcategory is:

• Fewest Low-Birthweight Babies: 6D-3R-1Split

• Lowest Infant Mortality: 9D-1R-0Split
• Fewest Child Deaths: 10D-0R-0Split
• Fewest Teen Deaths from All Causes: 10D-0R-0Split
• Fewest Teen Births by Age Group: 9D-1R-0Split
• Fewest Teens Ages 16-19 Not in School and Not H.S. Graduates: 9D-1R-4Split*^
• Fewest Teens Ages 16-19 Not in School and Not Working: 7D-4R-2Split*^
• Fewest Children Living in Families where No Parent has Full-Time, Year-Round Employment: 6D-5R-2Split*^
• Fewest Children in Poverty: 9D-2R-2Split*^
• Fewest Children in Single-Parent Families: 6D-4R-1Split*^

*Because of ties in the subcategories, some top-ten lists contain more than ten states.
^We counted Nebraska’s non-partisan legislature as being under split-control.

The release of the Kids Count ranking comes on the heels of CNBC’s “Top States for Business” ranking, in which not a single state in the top ten of the education subcategory had a Republican-controlled legislature.

Both rankings reinforce the larger argument we make each and every day: that the states that are moving forward and working to provide opportunity for future generations, by and large, are states with Democratic leadership.