8th District GOP hopeful touts new options for election

Larry Bucshon, the Republican candidate in Indiana’s 8th Congressional District race, is new to politics, and he believes that’s exactly what is needed in Washington, D.C.

Bucshon, a cardiovascular surgeon from Newburgh, met with business leaders Tuesday at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce as part of a roundtable discussion.

“I think we need new people in government that will look at what we’re doing at the federal level and realize we can’t continue” the trend of expanding the role of the federal government, increasing federal spending and borrowing money from foreign sources, Bucshon said while meeting with the Chamber’s Public Policy Group.

He believes in a smaller federal government “with appropriate minimal regulation on private industry,” he said.

He’s opposed to health care legislation passed by Congress earlier this year and is concerned about the toll it will have on business.

“If you look at the expenses to business to provide health coverage … It becomes very clear very quickly this is going to be such a financial burden on business, both large and small, that we’ll see significant problems,” he said. “I believe it will increase unemployment and it will put some businesses completely out of business that can’t afford to comply with the regulations.”

He also suggests the individual mandate to purchase health insurance “is I think an overreach by the federal government and probably unconstitutional,” he said.

Starting in 2014, businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to either offer health care coverage or pay a penalty.

Scott Womack, president of Womack Restaurants, Inc. — which includes IHOP in Terre Haute, is one who is concerned about the impact of health care legislation on the restaurant business. “It’s going to devastate the restaurant industry,” he said after the roundtable. “Everything else pales in comparison to that because that’s one we know will be crippling to us.”

It will be less expensive to pay the penalties than to provide the insurance, he said, but it still will likely mean layoffs and reduced hours for employees, Womack said.

While he doesn’t believe a repeal of the bill is politically feasible, “I’m hopeful there will be some significant changes made,” Womack said.

Those attending Tuesday’s roundtable covered many topics: tort reform to help reduce health care costs, cap-and-trade legislation, the national budget deficit, immigration reform and the federal government’s role in stemming the methamphetamine epidemic.

Bucshon believes that without health care tort reform, “You will have a tremendous amount of expenses that are unnecessary.” Doctors, fearing lawsuits, will continue to practice defensive medicine and order tests and procedures that might not be necessary, he said.

Asked his thoughts on tackling the budget deficit, he said, “It’s critical we have some entitlement reform … that’s a huge amount of federal spending.” Federal entitlement programs include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Also, he suggested that every federal department should be reviewed to determine where the government is “wasting money” or “over-reaching.” In those cases, “We have to just eliminate it” and everyone has to learn to accept it, he said.

“We don’t have enough money to pay for this stuff,” Bucshon said.

Reasonable solutions need to be less politicized, he said

He also commented on proposed cap-and-trade legislation, which imposes limits on greenhouse gases and creates a market for carbon dioxide pollution rights.

Bucshon said he’s opposed to cap-and-trade legislation proposed by the Obama administration. “In my view, there is no solid scientific data to show that carbon emissions by human beings is the major factor in climate change,” he said.

The temperature of the Earth has been changing over centuries, with warmer and colder periods throughout history, according to his website. He also believes the bill would be devastating to southwestern Indiana and the Wabash Valley. Also, some estimates indicate that electrical energy costs might triple under the proposal.

In a news release, Bucshon said the roundtable “was a great opportunity to listen to the growing concerns of the business community in Terre Haute. There is great uncertainty amongst the leaders as to the direction our nation’s economy is heading.”

Bucshon faces Democrat Trent Van Haaften of Mount Vernon in the November election. Van Haaften is a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and represents the 76th District, which includes all of Posey County and much of Vanderburgh County.

Rod Henry, president of the Chamber, said that Van Haaften also has been invited to address the Chamber’s Public Policy group.

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