By Lisa Carolin
There may have only been about 30 attendees and a number of empty seats when Congressman Tim Walberg held a coffee hour at the Chelsea American Legion Post 31 in Sylvan Township April 23, but there was no shortage of questions or comments from people on all sides of the political spectrum.
Walberg started out by saying that the Mueller Report turned out the way it should have, though he lamented that the debate will go for another two years.
“You could have Republicans and Democrats coming together if there weren’t the continued debate on impeachment,” said Walberg. “It’s a political game being played and it hurts us moving forward.”
When asked if his opinion of the Mueller Report would be different if it were about President Obama or President Clinton, Walberg responded that it would be the same for any president, then added, “What is the number one underpinning of our legal system? Innocent until proven guilty. I don’t like some of Trump’s behavior, but I love his leadership. I’m hoping the presidency changes this president. I think he’ll be a very different person when he ends his next term in office.”
Audience members filled out question cards, and Craig Maier, financial officer for the legion, was the moderator.
One question was whether Walberg wants to eliminate programs like Social Security and Medicare. Walberg responded with a firm, “No.”
When asked about the situation with immigrants coming to America, Walberg responded, “I support immigrants. Legal immigrants.”
He spoke of being able to work with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell on issues such as opiate abuse and human trafficking, and reminded the crowd, “I am a conservative, and I’m proud of that.” He also said that he is pro-life from conception to natural death.
When asked what measures he supports to prevent future terrorist activity, Walberg spoke of the Patriot Act and FISA (the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) and FISC, (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) also called the FISA Court.
He said, “If you would know the numbers of planned potential attacks that go on weekly in this country, you would want to go up and hug all the clandestine military personnel. It’s why this country has been protected from the atrocities that happened to Sri Lanka this past weekend. We spend the bucks necessary and take the advice of those who know best – those who are in the field.”
He was asked about public schools allowing “mixing biological sexes in areas of expected privacy” such as restrooms. Walberg said that it is the state’s not the Federal Government that have responsibility for that, and added that ultimately, it will be the Supreme Court that will have to make a decision to define if a person’s constitutional rights are being affected when it comes to getting an education in a safe environment.
During his appearance, Walberg complained about a few people in the audience who continued to debate him while he was trying to give answers.
As he ended his visit, he said, “I’m going to keep doing these meetings. I know some of you don’t appreciate that I represent you. Yes, we have disagreements, but what a country. We can disagree and not get thrown in jail.”
This coward gets to cherry pick the questions asked.
If he had any leadership ability, integrity or understood representation, he would have fielded random questions from his constituents.
Dog and pony show
He does not represent his constituents. He votes how he chooses to.
He voted against the affordable care act. Please publish his voting record. There have been complaints about his short notice of meetings in the past and he needs to review the opens meeting act for transparency.
Few people attend because his meetings are a joke…a charade.
He is a great Representative because he clearly represents the conservative majority in this district who elected him multiple times. That is what he is supposed to do and he does it well. He clearly states his position even when the audience doesn’t like it rather then tell lies to appease what some want to hear like Democrats do all the time. Did you ever hear our Governor state she wanted a $.45 gas tax during her campaign? Did our Attoney General state she would not do her job and not efforce the laws on our books during her campaign? To bad his public events and social media posts get stalked by radicals and baby killers who spread lies about his record and disrupt his events.
Ed Blissick: I disagree with Mr Walberg. I voted against him. But he won and he’s our congressman now. I think both Democrats and Republicans can be accused of saying what they think their supporters want to hear. I’m not a radical and I’m not a baby killer. I also do not kill adults. And I’m an American, like you. I believe our government should work for the benefit of all Americans, rich and poor, and that there is no reason we should not have the best education and healthcare in the world. Come to think of it, we do– if you are wealthy and can pay for it. That’s a big problem if a large proportion of Americans don’t fit in that category. Mr. Walberg has no plan to remedy this. Is it okay with you if I attend his orchestrated “town hall” shows?