At town halls: trade, taxes and socialism
ADA — After standing and reciting her personal political evolution, Cathy Ryan told U.S. Rep. Tom Cole that she was worried about her grandchildren.
"There is a huge movement toward socialism in this country," Ryan, of Ada, said at a town hall meeting. "And it is terrifying."
The comment led to chuckles and murmuring in the mostly older crowd, with one man mentioning young relatives who support Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.
Cole, R-Moore, got a few questions in town hall meetings in Ada and Ardmore on Monday about the country's political direction.
To one, he replied, "There's no question in my mind that the country has moved to the left in the last election. The country moved to the right in the election before that. Look, you've got people who call themselves socialists who are credible candidates for president."
If the sample of people who attended the meetings is an indication, some residents of Cole's congressional district are also concerned about: Muslims serving in the U.S. House, immigration, background checks to purchase guns, climate change proposals, rural housing, a dysfunctional Congress, the Electoral College, the Mueller report and Medicare cuts.
Cole, 69, a political practitioner for much of his adult life, gave detailed answers to every question — and some perspective to those whose fears may be stoked by talk show hosts.
The congressman said he meets a lot of young people — in youth groups that visit Washington, on college campuses, even in war zones.
“And I'm pretty optimistic as I look forward about the American people,” he said. “I don't always agree with the younger generation. I used to be the younger generation — in the `60s — and a lot of people didn't agree with us.
“But you know things kind of worked out OK for the country.”
With Congress in recess this week, some members of the Oklahoma congressional delegations held open town hall meetings or spoke at gatherings of specific groups.
U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Oklahoma City, had a schedule packed with meetings, among them a stop at the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, where she answered questions about taxes, workforce development and small businesses.
“We need to increase the minimum wage,” she said at the meeting. “It's been far too long.”
Horn added that the increases should reflect a region's cost of living.
“We've got to be realistic about what is doable,” she said. “So I'm going to fight to preserve those small business owners' jobs” while pushing to raise the standard of living.
Driven by extremes
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas held town hall meetings in five western counties in his sprawling district.
In Cordell, in Washita County, he talked mostly about matters of concern in the agriculture economy, i ncluding t rade. Lucas, R-Cheyenne, said it was critical that Congress approve a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which could then lead to better trading terms with China.
Lucas said his town hall meetings in recent months had been much calmer than in the eight years of President Barack Obama and the first years of President Donald Trump.
The dean of Oklahoma's delegation in the U.S. House, Lucas also offered some perspective, cautioning people not to believe everything they read on the internet.
“We live in a time where we're driven by extremes,'' Lucas said.
U. S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, had lunch in Oklahoma City with leaders of the Oklahoma National Guard.
Considered the most vocal skeptic in Congress of climate change, Inhofe said Senate Republicans plan to push a vote next week on the Green New Deal, sweeping legislation introduced by Democrats aimed at eliminating the use of fossil fuels and guaranteeing jobs, health care and higher education.
“It's going to be a little awkward situation for some of the Democrats,'' said Inhofe, R-Tulsa.
“So how are they going to handle it? You'll find out.”
Inhofe, Horn, Lucas and Cole told their respective audiences what could be accomplished i n the next two years with Democrats in control of the House and Republicans in charge of the Senate.
All four mentioned the possibility of a major infrastructure improvement bill, and some suggested that lawmakers may look at raising fuel taxes or at least requiring that owners of electric vehicles begin paying some type of user fee.
“Sooner or later, everybody that uses the roads has to pay for the roads,” Cole said.
Horn said, "We are in desperate need of investing in our infrastructure. And when I say infrastructure, I don't just mean roads and bridges. I mean roads, bridges, water supply, power supply, broadband access ... but I also mean our satellite infrastructure.”