GOP Candidates Meet Northampton Business Owners

If the Republican party is going to succeed nationally and statewide on Election Day on November 6, it will be through getting party members and independents out and to the polls. That was the message State Rep. Scott Petri gave the members of the Northampton Township Business and Professional Association during their monthly meeting at the Spring Mill Country Club Tuesday morning.

"We need to have a strong voter turnout," Petri told the audience. "We are about a million behind in our registration efforts."

Even though Petri is running unopposed to keep his seat as representative of the 178th congressional district, which includes Richboro and Holland, he showed his support for his colleagues who are facing tougher challenges, including Tom Smith, who is running against incumbent Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, David Freed, who is competing against Kathleen Kane for the state attorney general's office, and Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who faces a challenge from Democratic opponent Kathy Boockvar.

Freed emphasized his 10 years as district attorney for Cumberland County as the necessary experience for the job of state attorney general. His prosecutions of cases ranging from shoplifting to complicated drug rings proved how tough on crime he was, Freed said. 

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick ended the speaker lineup by talking about domestic issues such as jobs and the economy. He highlighted his recent tour of local businesses throughout the 8th district and reported the common message he heard from the business owners.

"Everywhere I went, no matter what kind of business it was," said Fitzpatrick, "they said the same thing, the taxes are too high, the tax code is too complicated and the regulations are too burdensome. The manufacturers want to hire people to help build the products or market the company, instead they have to hire someone just to fill out all of the paperwork from the state and federal regulators."

Fitzoatrick said he wanted to prevent the Bush tax cuts from expiring at the end of the year, and he also wanted to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. 

"We need to do what we can to encourage economic growth," said Fitzpatrick. "The taxes are a disincentive for businesses to expand."