Congressman Tom Graves visits Chamber summer picnic

The summer heat didn't stop a small crowd from taking part in a picnic put on by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce, where Congressman Tom Graves made a stop this afternoon during their summer recess as he continues to tour around the 14th district this week.

Participants i n t he Chamber's annual picnic got a chance to eat before Graves arrived for the event and provided brief remarks to the entire audience and focused mainly on positive developments of late, including the increase in business and consumer confidence in the nation since the beginning of the year, but not before joking about how "quiet" its been in Washington.

"We've been in August recess for a little bit, and as you've seen there's not been a whole lot going on in Washington, D.C. this year, right?" Graves said. "Very quiet, under the radar..."

Graves went on to address his main topic, of an increase in hiring and productivity in the economy.

"We're seeing it all across the district, things are improving," he said. "It's exciting to see."

He pointed to The HON Company's Tuesday announcement of their $14.5 million expansion in Cedartown and Polk County which comes with 60 new jobs as exactly the type of development he's seeing all across Northwest Georgia, which he represents in the 14th district. He added that small business is also increasing their hiring as well.

"There's a reason for that, and it's been sort of a theme throughout the year, and it's that confidence has improved," said Graves. "You have small business optimism at a 10 year high, and consumer confidence at a 15 year high and manufacturing confidence at a 12 year high. So there's a lot of different reasons for it and a lot people who want to take credit for it maybe if they wish, but where the credit is really deserved is back to our local communities."

Graves said that it was due to "Americans who just get up every day and do what we do best, which is have a dream and go and seek it, pursue it and work hard for it."