Congressman Mike Ross, D-Ar., held one of 35 town hall meetings in Hope Tuesday afternoon at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope “to answer your questions and hear your concerns.”
Ross assured those present that he was there in an official Congressional capacity.
“This is not a campaign event,” Ross said. “I know at some point I will have to campaign, but I am here in my official capacity as your United States Representative hosting a Congressional Town Hall meeting.”
Ross fielded questions that ranged from off-shore drilling to immigration. He announced to the crowd that he was opposed to the President's moratorium on drilling.
“There are thousands of oil rigs in the Gulf. I have only had this problem once,” Ross said. “It is not about the technology to do this in an environmentally sound way. What it is about, is a greedy oil company, BP, that put profits before safety.”
He explained that he felt that it was wrong to punish the other oil companies and the American citizens because the moratorium makes the US more dependent upon foreign oil.He suggested drilling more off the coast and in the Anwar area in Alaska, which would reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and generate $80 billion for the government in lease and royalty payments.
Those payments would then be used to make an investment in the development of alternative and renewable forms of energy.Ross, once again, expressed his support for the John W. Turk, Jr., Power Plant in Fulton.
“Those trying to stop it,” Ross said. “I say, 'Shame on them.'”
He stated that when the Turk Plant comes on-line, it will be the cleanest coal plant in America because it will be the newest coal plant in America.
He also pointed out that the construction of the plant has employed 1,700 people and generating $3 million in weekly payroll.
He stated that citizens could receive tax credits for building wind turbines and solar panels for their homes and businesses.
When asked about his position on illegal immigration, Ross stated that he felt the federal government was wrong for suing the state of Arizona for doing what the federal government failed to do.
He stated that America needs to secure its borders and develop a way of assuring employers that the people they are hiring are legal or not.
“We are a nation of immigrants,” Ross said. “We all came from somewhere, but there is a legal way of coming here.”
He explained that we must also reward companies that are hiring legal workers and punish those that are breaking the law.
When he was asked about the law that allowed children to become citizens if they were born in America, Ross jokingly stated, “Well, you cannot blame me for that one. You have to blame the founding fathers.”
He stated that he believed that the only way a child should be allowed to become a citizen is if one of their parents are a legal citizen.
Ross stated that Congress would be in session for two or three weeks in September and then “everyone will go home and try to win re-election.”
|
|
|
Congressman Mike Ross, D-Ar., held one of 35 town hall meetings in Hope Tuesday afternoon at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope “to answer your questions and hear your concerns.”
Ross assured those present that he was there in an official Congressional capacity.
“This is not a campaign event,” Ross said. “I know at some point I will have to campaign, but I am here in my official capacity as your United States Representative hosting a Congressional Town Hall meeting.”
Ross fielded questions that ranged from off-shore drilling to immigration. He announced to the crowd that he was opposed to the President's moratorium on drilling.
“There are thousands of oil rigs in the Gulf. I have only had this problem once,” Ross said. “It is not about the technology to do this in an environmentally sound way. What it is about, is a greedy oil company, BP, that put profits before safety.”
He explained that he felt that it was wrong to punish the other oil companies and the American citizens because the moratorium makes the US more dependent upon foreign oil.He suggested drilling more off the coast and in the Anwar area in Alaska, which would reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and generate $80 billion for the government in lease and royalty payments.
Those payments would then be used to make an investment in the development of alternative and renewable forms of energy.Ross, once again, expressed his support for the John W. Turk, Jr., Power Plant in Fulton.
“Those trying to stop it,” Ross said. “I say, 'Shame on them.'”
He stated that when the Turk Plant comes on-line, it will be the cleanest coal plant in America because it will be the newest coal plant in America.
He also pointed out that the construction of the plant has employed 1,700 people and generating $3 million in weekly payroll.
He stated that citizens could receive tax credits for building wind turbines and solar panels for their homes and businesses.
When asked about his position on illegal immigration, Ross stated that he felt the federal government was wrong for suing the state of Arizona for doing what the federal government failed to do.
He stated that America needs to secure its borders and develop a way of assuring employers that the people they are hiring are legal or not.
“We are a nation of immigrants,” Ross said. “We all came from somewhere, but there is a legal way of coming here.”
He explained that we must also reward companies that are hiring legal workers and punish those that are breaking the law.
When he was asked about the law that allowed children to become citizens if they were born in America, Ross jokingly stated, “Well, you cannot blame me for that one. You have to blame the founding fathers.”
He stated that he believed that the only way a child should be allowed to become a citizen is if one of their parents are a legal citizen.
Ross stated that Congress would be in session for two or three weeks in September and then “everyone will go home and try to win re-election.”
