Published: June 02, 2009 08:27 am      

Taylor answers questions at Town Hall Meeting

PICAYUNE — We don’t want to borrow money from the Chinese to buy weapons from the Chinese to defend ourselves against the Chinese, said Rep. Gene Taylor D-Miss., during a town hall meeting last night. “You got to have an industrial base to defend yourself,” he said. This statement was in response to a question asked by an attendee on his views on the General Motors Corp. bailout.

Taylor then showed a 10 minute slide show that addressed a few key questions that he said he has been asked at similar town hall style meetings recently. While the slide show is not now available on his Web site, he said it will be soon.

The first slide addressed the powers granted to the U.S. Congress in the Constitution, as stated in Article I, section 8. The next slide showed some key elements of the congressional role, including responsible spending and oversight and accountability.

Next he showed examples of how he is working to get firm prices on several military weapons. He talked about different planes, ships and military vehicles that he has compared and contrasted trying to get the most vehicle and military protection for the least cost. In talking about his recommendations on planes, he said he will recommend the F-18 over the F-22.

“I want the most plane for the money,” he said. While the F-18 proved the most cost effective choice, he said that the U.S. could always go back to building the F-22 if necessary. He also said that the only plane that could defeat the F-18, is the F-22, which would be a problem only if the U.S. went to war with itself.

In addressing the national debt, Taylor talked about how the problems did not start in January. He said the Bush administration had a chance to pay off the national debt and did not, citing Bush’s reason as being that economists were worried that it might be too soon.

For those in attendance concerned about the current administration’s budget, which Taylor’s slide showed has increased the national debt by $629 billion, he said that he also did not believe that President Obama was doing his part.

“I’m doing my part,” Taylor said. He said that everyone needed to do a sliver of their part to make the difference.

Taylor was commended by several attendees for his dedication as a congressman. Some of the meeting’s attendees said that it was important that other members of the state delegation, such as Sen. Thad Cochran and Sen. Roger Wicker, both R-Miss., need to listen and address the concerns of the people as Taylor has done.

One member of the crowd said it was important for Taylor to let everyone know his heart and his character and Taylor said he believed he had done that with his answers.

For more information, visit www.taylor.house.gov.