TERRE HAUTE — Despite a rocky national economy, Indiana stands poised to succeed and even lead, said its Republican candidate for governor.
U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Columbus) visited the Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field on Friday afternoon, one of many stops on his “Jobs Tour” launched in March as part of his campaign to become Indiana’s next governor. The purpose of the tour, he explained, is to examine the opportunities and obstacles involved in bringing more jobs to the state.
“My sense from 50,000 feet is that the opportunities outnumber the obstacles,” he told participants in the afternoon’s discussion.
Participants ranged from representatives of the airport and Indiana State University to local utilities, and topics spanned education to tax cuts. Pence said the state is on the cusp of a major economic resurgence if its many assets are used correctly.
Indiana is the fiscal envy of the nation, and just recently passed the most generous education reforms in terms of needy children, he said. Meanwhile, its new status as a right-to-work state is also a draw.
“Indiana right now has one of the biggest state surpluses in its history and one of the biggest state surpluses in the nation,” he observed.
If elected governor, Pence said he intends to allocate that structural budget surplus in such a manner as to enact an across-the-board 10 percent tax cut for individual Hoosiers. The state has already slashed its corporate tax rates, he said, noting that a reduction of individual income taxes by 10 percent will make it among the lowest in the nation.
Meanwhile, merging the education communities with industry to better meet the needs of employers is also a goal, and Pence said he hopes to foster vocational programs at the high school level which would provide students an opportunity to enter the workforce with the necessary certifications to get a job.
And within the state’s higher education community lies the opportunity for an Indiana Applied Life and Science Institute, similar to the clustering found around Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, or near Stanford University in California.
“I really do believe Indiana could be a leader in this regard and it could attract a lot of industry here,” he said, describing the idea as a “tested model of success.”
Such business parks match private sector investment with public sector research, streamlining the process needed to bring an idea to the market, he explained. A veritable “talent attraction” not only draws researchers but investment as well, he said.
Bill McKown, executive director of the airport, said the community is a “Sleepy Hollow ready to burst.”
The airport itself is an engine for development, and by next year it will host three National Guard units in addition to the 181st Intelligence Wing.
Pence said the defense industry is one of the state’s best untapped resources, and one upon which he hopes to capitalize.
McKown and others said the aviation industry itself is booming and needs skilled labor, with many positions going unfilled for lack of qualified technicians.
Rick Burger, business manager for Duke Energy, said that organization is particularly interested in regulations governing coal-fired plants as they continue to develop their Edwardsport project.
Pence described himself as an “all-the-above guy” when it comes to energy, offering his support for Hoosier sources including coal, wind, gas and even nuclear.
The chance to return to Indiana from Washington D.C. is a big draw, he said, noting this is where people can really make a difference.
“For me, the most exciting thing is coming to an appreciation of where I’ve been and where I’m trying to go,” he remarked, referencing the nation’s capital as “the land of Oz.”
And while he intends to keep in contact with sources at the capital if elected governor, making Indiana great is at the top of his agenda.
“I think Indiana can be the model state for the rest of the country in all respects,” he said.
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