There simply was too much in my notebook to put in print all that was said at U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s town hall meeting a week ago.
Some Chillicotheans could not attend due to work, but that didn’t stop a huge crowd from gathering at Chillicothe Fire Station No. 1.
The 29-year-old representative may have left town with a few new friends too. He told those in attendance to simply call him, “Aaron.”
And in a town known for its longtime Democrats and blue-collar workers, Mayor Troy Childers Sr. gushed before Schock finished speaking, “I’m a Democrat, but he’s probably got me swayed (to vote for him in the election).”
Audience members politely asked Schock their questions, and the only heat felt was that of Central Illinois’ very hot August weather.
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Resident Joan Snyder asked where the grant money for the fire department’s air packs came, and if it was stimulus money.
Schock said the money came from a firefighter’s grant program established in 2001.
The money has become especially important after the Sept. 11 attacks, Schock said.
Should something happen in Chicago, Peoria is the designated city for disaster preparedness for the state’s largest city, making area fire departments important for back-up purposes. The grant assists in equipment but not personnel.
While on the topic of stimulus funds, Schock said he thinks it is “arrogant” of people to say that those who did not vote for the stimulus plan should not receive any of the funds for their respective areas. All American citizens will be paying back those stimulus funds, he said.
“At the end of the day, we all live within the rule of the majority,” said Schock.
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Resident Dave Hirtz of the Chillicothe 9-12 Project asked about HR 413, a piece of legislation he said calls for essentially a federal labor union of local police and fire authorities.
Schock said with more than 6,000 House bills proposed, he can’t remember the specifics of every bill, but he leans on his staff for assistance. One of Schock’s staff said he could talk to him after the meeting about the bill.
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One resident said it looks like “We’re going to take back the House,” but wanted to know what happens if Republicans do not have the majority. And, he wanted to know how or if bills can be repealed, specifically “Obama Care.”
The audience knew that was a big question when Schock took off his suit jacket in the warm garage of the fire department.
Schock said he figured from the man’s wording that he was a fellow Republican, but also said he wanted to try to not talk political.
Statistically speaking, Schock said the party of any president with a low approval rating during a mid-term election generally loses about 40 seats, which would be enough to give the Republicans the majority in the House.
But even if that didn’t happen, Schock gave residents a government refresher.
He explained that appropriation bills start in the House, and the representatives have the power over spending.
For example, 16,000 new IRS agents will need to be hired due to the addition of submitting with citizen’s taxes their health insurance information. The legislature could choose to not hire those people, Schock said.
Depending on how things go, “I’ve seen politicians change like that,” Schock said as he snapped his fingers.
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John Brandenburg of the Chillicothe 9-12 Project asked about term limits, and Schock said he does not support term limits.
Schock said congress needs a “good mix” of elected officials – all different ages, occupations, race and gender.
He said Missouri has term limits, and in his estimation, the legislature is run by non-elected staff, not those the people chose to represent them.
Schock blamed gerrymandering, and if residents want change, then he suggests the boundaries should be changed like Iowa’s, which has square districts.
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Jim Wright, also of the Chillicothe 9-12 Project, got a round of handclapping when he asked about the illegal aliens in the United States.
Schock said border security is important to national security and that two things need to be done: secure the borders and employment reform.
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A Caterpillar retiree spoke of the loss of manufacturing jobs and Schock said many point their finger to the trade agreement as being the problem.
The United States, though, has the second highest tax bracket in the world for businesses, which he said is a problem. Japan is the highest.
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The daughter of the late Tom Edwards, a Peoria environmental activist, also spoke about the island being built of silt from the Illinois River near the McClugage Bridge. Her father was not in favor of the project.
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Resident and homebuilder Terry Ruhland told Schock he didn’t have a question, but just wanted those in attendance to know some facts about the housing market. Ruhland said the state lost $45,000 of tax money, per home, that was not built.
On the housing topic, Schock said it is an “unrealistic goal” of the federal government to want everyone to own their own home.
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Resident Don Clemens said he was a big fan of Schock’s and said the government merely needed to enforce the laws on the books for illegal aliens.
And speaking of laws, Clemens said laws should only be allowed to be one typed page with 12-point type and easy to understand.
“There’s no reason it can’t be written in simple language,” Clemens told Schock, who said he agreed with Clemens.
