NEWSRELEASE
ForImmediate Release: July 15, 2008
MediaContact: Jeff Harris or Keith Johnson, 317-635-5455
LONG THOMPSON, OXLEYCONTINUE
"HOOSIER HOMETOWN TOUR" IN SOUTHERN INDIANA
LINTON,Ind. - Continuing to engage Hoosiers in often ignored small towns, Jill LongThompson and Dennie Oxley began the second leg of their "Hoosier Hometown Tour"in Southern Indiana today.
This weekthe Democratic candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor plan to makestops in Linton, Washington, Tell City, Petersburg, Mount Vernon, Evansville,Boonville, Corydon, Salem, Scottsburg, Loogootee, Jasper, Clinton and Sullivan,among others. The pair, which stopped in22 different communities last week, is visiting rural communities to demonstrate their commitment to representing all of Indiana as the state's nextGovernor and Lieutenant Governor.
"Everywhere we go we are meeting Hoosiers who feel left out and left behind by thisadministration," said Long Thompson. "They feel as though Mitch Daniels hasignored them and their communities."
"I comefrom a small town and I still live in a rural community, so does Dennie. Weboth understand the challenges these communities face and the potential they hold," added Long Thompson. "That's why we are taking this tour. We want everyHoosier to know that we are serious about involving them all in rebuilding thiseconomy."
Long Thompson grew up on her family's farm in Larwill, a small community in WhitleyCounty. She was the first in her familyto go to college, and earned both a master's and Ph.D. in business from IndianaUniversity. A college professor andfarmer by trade, Long Thompson also served as a city council woman, a member of Congress and as the Under Secretary of Rural Development at the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) in the Clinton administration.
In her five years atUSDA, Long Thompson oversaw a $10 billion budget, 7,000 employees and managed anumber of important programs that provide services to the underserved areas of rural America. Her accomplishments asUnder Secretary include: reforming the single-family loan program, helpingcreate thousands of jobs in economically distressed communities and improvinginfrastructure in rural communities across the country.
Long Thompson now liveson her farm near Argos, in rural Marshall County.
"Jill LongThompson has an unprecedented amount of experience working to creategood-paying jobs in struggling communities, and that's what we need right now,"said Oxley, who lives in English a small town in Crawford County. "Because ofwho she is and where she came from, she really understands what it is going totake to restore the promise that this state and these communities once held forour citizens"
"As wehave traveled the state in recent weeks Hoosiers are telling us that they arereally worried about the economy, the rising costs of fuel, food andhealthcare, and drastic property tax hikes," added Oxley. "However they areeven more concerned that we seem to have leadership that is out of touch withwhat is happening on the ground in communities all across this state.Everything is not okay, and we need leadership that recognizes that."
Indiananow ranks 44th in the nation in personal income growth and Hoosierworkers make only 88 cents on the dollar compared to the average American; approximately 740,000 Hoosiers live in poverty including 260,000 children; Indiana is among the leading states for homeforeclosures, personal bankruptcies and health care costs; more than 850,000 Hoosiers live without access to health insurance and nine working-age Hoosiersdie each week because of the lack of health insurance; Indiana has the secondworst environmental ranking in the nation; and nearly one-third of Indiana high school students do not graduate.
"Indianafaces a number of problems, but the way to address them is not by glossing overthem and hoping that no one notices," added Long Thompson. "To solve these problems we need to bring everyone together to tackle them head on. If we do that, then every Hoosier and every community will be in a better position toachieve their God-given potential."
LongThompson and Oxely are proposing several initiatives to turn around the economyand improve these figures. Their economicplan, "Re-Invest in Indiana," is centered on adopting broad policy that benefits all 92 counties. It includes overhauling the state's tax structure by placing specific, performance-based incentivesinto the tax structure, and changing state laws to allow individuals and smallbusinesses to pool together to buy health insurance in bulk.
LongThompson and Oxley have also proposed their "Economic Tiers" program to direct the state's resources to struggling counties. Under the plan, each of the state's 92 counties would be categorizedinto three different tiers with the state's economic development dollarsdelegated accordingly. The tiers wouldbe updated regularly and determined by several factors, including the county's unemployment rate, median household income, population growth and assessed property value per capita.
TheDemocratic candidates' plan is designed to help lagging economies create,attract and retain good-paying, quality jobs.
Additionally,Long Thompson and Oxley plan to bridge the digital divide between suburbanareas and rural and inner-city urban communities by providing incentives toencourage telecommunications companies to expand into these areas wherebroadband and high-speed access is currently not available, or not affordable-animportant factor in spurring growth in small communities.
This weekLong Thompson and Oxley are traveling to communities throughout SouthernIndiana. To learn more about their trips and what Hoosiers are saying, visittheir blog, which is updated daily at www.hoosiersforjill.com/blog.
Formore information about Jill Long Thompson, Dennie Oxley or their campaign torestore Indiana's promise, please visit www.hoosiersforjill.com or call 317-635-Jill.
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About JillLong Thompson
Known for her ability toget things done, Jill Long Thompson is an accomplished public servant. She hasserved as a city councilor, a Congresswoman and as Under Secretary for RuralDevelopment at the United States Department of Agriculture. Long Thompson grewup on her family's farm in rural Whitley County and was the first in her familyto go to college. She received her undergraduate degree from ValparaisoUniversity and went on to earn a master's and Ph.D. in business from IndianaUniversity. A farmer and collegeprofessor by trade, Long Thompson lives with her husband Don Thompson, acommercial airline pilot, on their farm in Marshall County.
About Dennie Oxley
Dennie Oxley is a10-year veteran of the state legislature, currently serving as the MajorityWhip in the Indiana House of Representatives. A former high school math teacher, schooladministrator and businessman, Oxley brings a wealth of public and privatesector experience to the team. Oxley is a graduateof Indiana University Southeast, where he earned his bachelor's and master'sdegrees in education. A lifelong resident of English, a small community inCrawford County, he resides there with his wife, Jayme, and their two youngdaughters.
