WLFI - Rokita Asks Lafayette Businesses for Help

News Article

Rokita in Lafayette to talk with community
By: Tiffanie Dismore

Indiana 4th Congressional District Representative Republican Todd Rokita said one of his top priorities is to bring down the country's deficit and add jobs.

"Relatively speaking, other parts of the nation and even other parts of Indiana, Lafayette is doing well. Can things improve? Absolutely. We are seeing good reports out of Subaru and Wabash National. But the fact of the matter is, even in the Lafayette area in Tippecanoe County, and other places around here, aren't going to be able to escape to global and certainly national effects of this debt," Rokita said.

He said one way to accomplish that is to ask businesses in the thriving Greater Lafayette area for feedback.

"Business leaders in this community help me by pointing out those federal regulations and those federal laws that are hampering the free market that are prohibiting them and hindering them from hiring more people," Rokita said while visiting Greater Lafayette Wednesday.

Rokita spoke to many of Tippecanoe County's business men and women and they had input to give the Congressman.

"We actually submitted a letter to the Congressman a couple months ago a list of regulations that are overly burdensome that really restrict business," said Subaru of Indiana Automotive Executive Vice President Tom Easterday. "Not just ours but other businesses. Some of them include the national ambient air quality standards."

"We are hoping that the Congressman can have a positive voice and a positive impact in bringing some better, let's say, common sense," said Perry Guinn of Cook Biotech.

With scandals, including most recently Democratic Representative Anthony Weiner, Rokita said Congress needs to refocus on what's important.

"This Congress has such a low approval rating, not undeservingly. This is another unfortunate distraction that keeps us from, as members of an institution, instilling and regaining and re-earning the trust of the American people," Rokita said.

Just like Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Rokita holds Congressman on Your Corner. In January a tragic shooting took place at Giffords' on Your Corner.

"It's in the way back of my mind. It's in the front of my wife's mind," Rokita said. "That's a consideration. A lot of us do this job because we care. I'm not going to trade that because of what happened to Gabby Giffords."

Source