Health care, fed budget highlight Pearce town hall
By Matlin Smith
Current-Argus Staff Writer
Posted: 08/13/2011 09:20:23 PM MDT

CARLSBAD — Congressman Steve Pearce was the bearer of bad news at a town hall meeting in Carlsbad on Saturday.

"It's a frightening course we're on," said U.S. Rep. Pearce, R-NM, during the meeting held at the Best Western Steven's Inn.

"We want things to be open. We have a responsibility to answer the tough questions," he said before the meeting. "When we know the facts, it begins to unsettle us. The facts are disturbing"

Those attending the meeting were asked to fill out a 16-question, multiple choice handout as they were taking their seats, testing their knowledge on subjects such as the federal budget, deficit and Medicare.

Questions that received a large response included: "What percentage of Americans currently pay no personal tax income" (47 percent); and true or false: If we rolled back Bush tax cuts for all Americans, we could balance the budget" (false).

After going over the answers, Pearce opened the floor for questions from the audience.

"People are extremely tense right now," said the congressman of previous town hall meetings, including a recent flair up from a resident in Silver City. "The tenseness creates a strong passion."

Audience members asked about the strength of the US dollar, the war, shipping jobs overseas and illegal immigration.

Some of Pearce's key answers were:

Bush is not solely to blame for the accelerating debt, the nation's financial problems run deeper, saying that both parties "spend more that we have."

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financial consequences of leaving US soldiers in the war, versus the consequences of bringing them home. Pearce said the cost for having US troops in the United States can have consequences, citing the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which cost $2 trillion and countless lives in one day. "The cost of doing nothing exposes us," he said. However, Pearce said he is against having US soldiers in Libya.

After being asked about the diminishing strength of the US dollar, Pearce said that 42 percent of every dollar is debt, adding that on this current path, the dollar continues to lose value and that printing money is not the answer.

The congressman expressed that he would like to revive forestry and timber jobs in New Mexico, which were hindered partially by the listing the Mexican Spotted Owl as a threatened species.

"It is a sick thing and it should not have been done," said Pearce on the recent issue to raise the debt ceiling, on which he said he voted against.

On the issue of illegal immigration, Pearce said very little is being done by both parties.

"These elections will be volatile, but we are on a track that cannot be sustained," Pearce said. "People must stand and speak."

Pearce went in-depth about health care, Social Security and job growth, using a power point and charts to display the dismal numbers.

According to a news release, Pearce will be home in New Mexico during the August district work period, meeting with constituents and providing updates on his work in Washington.

For more information, call (855) 473-2723, or visit www.pearce.house.gov.