A Congressman's Comments
A view from the House:
On August 22, 2012 Utah's Third District Congressman Jason Chaffetz made several comments of note at a "town hall meeting style" Q&A with constituents that I think are worth thinking about:
----President Obama has made 120 fundraising trips, and played 120 rounds of golf during which time he held only two meetings of his Economic Council (Jobs Council.)
----In President Obama's first two years [when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress] I was on the Immigration sub-Committee of the House Judiciary Committee, which was called into session by its Chairman, a Democrat, only 12 times. It never ever had an immigration reform bill brought before it by the chairman of the sub-Committee.
----To get a good Congressional Budget Office (CBO) "score" for his Affordable Health Care Act, President Obama included moving over $700 Billion from Medicare as a set-aside of funds to be available in the future for that act now referred to as "Obamacare".
----A bill worked out jointly by Rep. Paul 'Ryan and Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon has been evaluated, and, without raising taxes or handing out vouchers, would make Medicare solvent for the next 75 years, while leaving the existing benefits in place for those 55 and older.
----More recently there was an extended period of several months during which President Obama not once even spoke to the Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner.
----President Clinton had a good record for bipartisanship, as did President Reagan working with Speaker Tip O'Neill, but President Obama, while claiming he believes in it, has made few (even perfunctory) efforts to even attempt it.
----This gathering tonight is typical of the current groups I meet with. Here we are on this Utah Valley University Campus and in this entire group we have just a few young adults and the large majority here are older and largely concerned with the issues of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other important topics affecting seniors. Our younger participants get a gold star for coming. I wish more would participate.
Representative Chaffetz had several of his staff members present and available to help answer questions from those attending, and he took some time, prior to leaving for a similar meeting several towns away, to personally answer individual questions and concerns from some of those attending the early evening meeting.
He is well liked and highly regarded by the voters in his district. Tall, and good looking, Chaffetz has a ready smile and a firm handshake, and like his former House colleague Rep. Gabby Giffords, he makes occasion to check the roots of the grass in his Utah district.
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© 2012 Demas W. Jasper All rights reserved.