Published: November 15, 2009 12:01 pm      

Coburn addresses hot-button issues in town hall meeting

DUNCAN — U.S. Senator Tom Coburn included Duncan on his tour of southwest Oklahoma, hosting town hall style meetings to discuss current topics and issues that Oklahomans have for the federal government.

Coburn was met by several hundred Duncan area residents, as well as many state and area representatives that asked him questions and gave statements directed at the Federal Government from noon until 1:30 p.m., Friday, at the Red River Technology Center. Questions ranged from the mundane to very complicated, and included a barrage of topics such as why Coburn blocked the latest Veteran’s bill and what his take on health care reform are for the country.

Off the bat, Coburn was asked about the health care reform that is currently being considered, and what his thoughts were on the topic, and what he thought about the future of Medicare.

Coburn expressed the importance of why health care reform is going to hurt certain people, and how Medicare is hurting future generations.

“When you go home tonight and take your pills, think about your kids and grandkids paying for those,” Coburn said.

Much along the same lines, Coburn’s take on Social Security was much of the same, confirming that there is not lock-box bill for the Social Security program to keep from borrowing money from that program.

“It is your kids and your grandkids that will be hurt by this, not you,” Coburn said.

One of the hot button topics was the Veterans bill that Coburn blocked. Many Veterans attended the Town Hall Meeting, and many had some questions for Coburn about why he blocked it.

The Bill would expand mental care and offer home assistance to wounded veterans in the U.S. He said his reasoning behind blocking the bill is because the nation doesn’t have the money to support it. He wants to support the Veterans of this country, but thinks costs should be cut somewhere else if health services are going to be expanded.

Currently, Coburn is offering a bill to the Senate that would change some of the details in the original proposed bill. He wants to offer two options to pay for Veteran’s care, by eliminating military construction projects in home states, or by cutting contributions to the U.N. from the U.S. His proposal would also have all veterans included in the caregiving program, not just those injured after 9/11. Senators are expected to vote on this Monday.

He also covered the topic of national security, saying that it has fallen by the wayside, and is being handled more by political decisions rather than common sense.

“The average federal employee salary is $119,000 a year, and our department of defense is the lowest paid out of all of that,” Coburn said.

He added that there was no money increase in the department of defense, which he thinks is a serious mistake, and that National Security should be the number one responsibility for our country.

Coburn talked some on the state of senators and politicians themselves briefly saying that they were cowardly.

“They are afraid to make the hard decisions that we need,” Coburn said.

Many people asked how they could get something accomplished when they aren’t being heard by the senators and congressmen. Coburn simply answered, “You get the chance to fire them every four years.”

“Be a vigilante, let your voice be heard, and be vocal about what you believe in,” Coburn said.

He heavily emphasized for the residents of Oklahoma to begin making their voices heard, and being proactive in their political following. He offered a challenge to the residents of Oklahoma to set the bar and show other states in the country how to really take control and make the people’s voice heard by putting people in office that Oklahomans want in office, and if it isn’t working out, then get a new one in four years.

“Texas doesn’t have some of these problems,” Coburn said. “We’re better than Texans, and we need to show it.”

Coburn’s over-the-top style of addressing people at the Town Hall Meeting seemed to inspire the majority to begin working harder at making themselves heard by politicians. Many statements by the crowd were congratulatory toward Coburn saying that there should be more senators like him in Washington, but ultimately Coburn laid the responsibility on the people of Oklahoma, urging them to take control and make sure that their state officials make the decisions that the people want made, and if they don’t, there’s always the next election.