The Fishers Chamber of Commerce hosted a breakfast with U.S. Sen. Dan Coates (R-Indiana) last week as an opportunity for business owners and community members to hear directly from their representative.
Coates, a Carmelresident, began by offering high praise for Fishers.
“I’m your neighbor – I live in Carmel– and to come to Fishers to see all the accolades you’ve received … congratulations,” Coates said. “It’s a great credit to all the people who’ve worked here.”
Saying Washington needs to adopt what he called the “Indiana model” – reduced spending and streamlined government – Coates said his 2011 return to politics has been a difficult one.
“I come here today after what was probably the most frustrating year in public service,” he said. “After the 2010 election, the mandate was, ‘Get to Washington and do something about the cascading debt.’ The people in Washington say, ‘We can’t cut a dime anywhere. These are all things we need to do and, by the way, here’s a list of more things we need to do.’”
However, Coates said he sees signs of optimism around the nation, and particularly in Indiana, which he said has an “entrepreneurial spirit.”
“Because of the opportunity this nation has provided us, we owe it to our children and future generations to do everything we can to put it back on the right track,” Coates said.
