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On Sunday, the congressman helped kick off Lincoln's Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial Commission's observance. He is a co-chair on the
national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and hopes to
collaborate with the local commission on events leading up to
Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, on Feb. 12, 2009.
The congressman said that he has spent some time visiting with
Mayor Beth Davis and Logan County Board Chairman Bob Farmer and
heard of some of what has been happening and what is in future
plans. "You have great leadership," he said. He also visited with
Lincoln Christian College President Keith Ray and Lincoln College
President John Hutchinson and his wife, Jean Ann, and heard their
plans for the future. "You know you all are blessed" to be living in
a great community, he said.
He then spent a few minutes addressing some headline news issues:
immigration, North Korean missiles, and Iran and Iraq.
North Korea: He said he thinks that President Bush has
taken the right approach in getting the world community to put
pressure on North Korea
Iraq: LaHood was just in Iraq for a firsthand experience
recently. We went in at 3 a.m. and it was 125 degrees, he said, and
we had to put on bulletproof vests and helmets. They made a trip
into the Green Zone. Most of the fighting takes place in an area
around Baghdad. To put the area of turmoil in perspective, he said
that there are 18 provinces in Iraq and 16 are peaceful.
They met with the new leadership. Seventy percent of the Iraqi
population, as opposed to only 17 percent of Americans, voted in the
last election. The people of Iraq are grateful to the people of the
U.S. for giving them the opportunity.
They are reaching their goals of putting their government
together, he said. He sees that several other phases, such as their
police force being able to stand on their own and make the streets
safe, will fall into place and then troops can begin to withdraw.
But we're going to need to be in there a long time in order to be
peacekeepers. They are making progress, he said.
They are working toward getting their oil fields open again. When
that happens, their economy will improve.
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 Immigration: Congress approved 2,000 new border patrol
backups. "I support that," he said. It will help stop the flow of
illegal immigrants coming into the country. They've also passed
tougher sanctions on U.S. employers hiring illegals.
The congressman said that if the illegals who are already here
were sent back to their country, it would have an impact on the
American economy. These people are doing jobs that Americans don't
want: landscaping, working in kitchens, taxi drivers -- when's the
last time you saw an American taxi driver? -- meatpackers, as over
in the Beardstown Cargill plant, he said.
He said he would like to see it take less time and make it easier
for immigrants to become citizens than what the current system
allows.
In response to an audience question about language, he answered:
My grandparents came to Peoria in 1895 and didn't speak a word of
English. He said, "I believe that if you come to America, you learn
to speak English."
Iran: With the world community, press Iran, whose leader would
like to destroy Israel. "That's why having a world community is
important," he said.
Other issues:
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He doesn't favor
inhibiting drug companies, because they put money back into
research and new developments.
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Exports are very
important. We need to have a healthy trade balance. Might remove
some tariffs to do this.
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The national debt:
We've spent a lot of money since Sept. 11, 2001, in the war on
terrorism. The president has done a lot of good in the war on
terrorism. The proof after 9/11: America has not been attacked
in five years.
Bill Gossett thanked the congressman for his update, saying there
are two words for why the 18th Congressional District is represented
so well: "Straight talk."
[Jan
Youngquist] |
