Illinois Valley News

DeFazio addressed some 30 people during his Cave Junction appearance. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News)

Although attendance was light, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) heard an earful from constituents about many federal issues during recent appearances in Josephine County.

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, DeFazio made appearances at the county fair in Grants Pass, the Merlin Community Center and the county building in Cave Junction.

Around 24 people attended DeFazio“s hour-long town hall meeting in Merlin, including members of the press and the congressman“s staff. Also present were campaign supporters for Illinois Valley resident Dr. Arthur Robinson, who is challenging DeFazio for his congressional seat. In Cave Junction, some 30 people attended.

As DeFazio entered the Merlin community center, he was greeted by a Robinson supporter, dressed in a chicken suit and holding a sign taunting the congressman for failure to debate his opponant. DeFazio took it in stride, posed for a photograph with the chicken, and then shook hands with local boy scouts as he entered the community center.

Flanked by graphs showing the U.S. manufacturing trade deficits with Mexico and China and the growth of the national debt, DeFazio said that the biggest issues concerning residents throughout the region are jobs and the economy.

DeFazio stated that he voted against the federal stimulus bill, which prompted public criticism for President Obama. That bill could have borrowed less money and spent it better, DeFazio said.

For example, DeFazio said that the water system in the Linn County town of Sweet Home was constructed as part of efforts to alleviate the Great Depression through public works projects.

“A lot of what is in the stimulus isn“t going to benefit future generations,“ he said.

There are 150,000 bridges in the federal system that need upgrades or replacing, DeFazio said, adding that transportation projects would have been better investments and created more jobs than projects funded by the federal stimulus bill.

The nation“s economy is being adversely affected by its “failed trade policy,“ DeFazio said, which has been set up to benefit corporations but not individuals or nations.

DeFazio said that he voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement and China“s entry into the World Trade Organization. That nation manipulates its currency, he said, noting that the U.S. had a $26 billion trade deficit with China last month.

The veteran representative said that a big fight is looming in Congress regarding the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. DeFazio said he supports letting the cuts expire for the sake of helping to balance the federal budget.

Some heated exchanges took place between DeFazio and audience members during a question-and-answer session.

One audience member stated that he was angry with the federal government, and especially unhappy about the passage of legislation providing aid for states to keep their education programs intact.

DeFazio responded that he supported the aid, which was funded through the closure of a foreign tax loophole and cuts to federal food stamps programs.

A Robinson supporter asked DeFazio about the prospect of debating his opponent, as the person in the chicken suit stood in the back of the room. DeFazio said that he has agreed to appear at candidate forums sponsored by the Roseburg and Coos Bay chambers of commerce, the Eugene City Club and the Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper, but Robinson has not.

Also addressed by DeFazio was the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. He said that he is opposed to Obama“s policy for that nation, and added that there is no national government there, and the police and military are corrupt and not trusted by the public.

DeFazio said that the U.S. should embark on a counter-terrorism strategy in Afghanistan, instead of a policy of nation building.

“I don“t think it“s going to work,“ he said.

The money used to fund the troop buildup in Afghanistan could have been put to better use domestically, DeFazio said, which prompted his vote against that allocation.

Another audience member chided DeFazio for his perceived blaming of former president George W. Bush, a Republican, for all of the nation“s problems.

“I wouldn“t say it“s all George Bush“s fault,“ DeFazio said.

DeFazio pointed out that former president Bill Clinton signed many of the bills that deregulated Wall Street, including the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. That 1933 bill established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and introduced financial reforms aimed at controlling market speculation.

In response to a question about federal logging policy, DeFazio said that he opposed the 1994 Northwest Forest Management Plan and offered an alternative that would have been acceptable to most timber and environmental groups.

DeFazio said that the Northwest Forest Plan has “failed.“ Even though demand for timber is low right now, he said, people still could work on forest thinning and maintenance projects. DeFazio said that a plan he developed would provide the timber industry with supply by doubling harvests on federal land.

DeFazio has represented Oregon“s 4th Congressional District, which includes all of Lane, Linn, Douglas, Coos and Curry and parts of Benton and Josephine counties, since 1987.

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