[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...0a468242468.txt

Governor candidate speaks at Blue Chip

By Lois Tomaszewski
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, March 31, 2012 5:06 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — John R. Gregg, a native of Sandborn, Ind. and a candidate for Governor, shared his platform with fellow Democrats at the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner Friday at the Blue Chip Casino.

In an interview before the event, Gregg said he was excited to talk about his ideas for helping the state rebound from the turbulent economic times. The one issue he said is on the minds of all Hoosiers is jobs.

“One second not talking about jobs is time lost,” he said.

Gregg is no stranger to state politics. He ran for a seat in the Indiana House in 1986, becoming House Majority Leader and then Speaker of the House in 1996. That was an historic time for state government because the number of Democrats and Republicans were equal.

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“People are so tired of the childlike behavior and bickering that they see in Congress,” Gregg said. “People don’t want to see anything like that in Indiana.”

Gregg said he prefers a philosophy of inclusion, especially for the public.

“The best ideas come out of the coffee shops in places like Michigan City,” he said. “The best way is for people to feel a part of the government. The extremes are driving us apart as a nation.”

The southwestern corner of the state often feels that same sense of laissez-faire attitude from Indianapolis that northwestern Indiana often feels, Gregg said, adding that it is unfair to disparage a region because its close to a big city like Governor Mitch Daniels did in a book in which he talked about northwestern Indiana as part of Chicago.

While Gregg is not running against the Governor, he considers these remarks are hurtful to the citizens in those areas and do nothing to build unity.

“We are all Hoosiers,” the former Indiana representative said. “Northwestern Indiana is close to Chicago. This area needs to be showcased because it has so many opportunities for manufacturing; it has the lake and it has a great workforce.”

When Gregg retired from state government in 2002, he served as president of Vincennes University for two years. After that he returned to his law practice and hosted a popular syndicated radio show broadcast statewide.

[Commuter]

Having a talk about economic ANYTHING at a casino is just plain weird. It's like discussing drunk driving arrests at a liquor store.