News
Lively crowd talks politics, education, economy at Specter’s town meeting
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| Mike Staugaitis/Staff PhotoU.S. Senator Arlen Specter, R-Pa., held a town hall meeting at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove Monday morning. |
SELINSGROVE — Kevin Biallas was unhappy with U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s town meeting at Susquehanna University, and he let everyone know.
BY DOMENICK MOORE
STAFF WRITER
domenick_m@newsitem.com
SELINSGROVE — Kevin Biallas was unhappy with U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s town meeting at Susquehanna University, and he let everyone know.
“To quote Sen. Barack Obama, ‘I’m fired up and ready to go,’” the Selinsgrove High School student said Monday morning. “We’re talking about trivial issues that aren’t going to help our nation.”
The 78-year-old veteran Republican senator stopped by to “hear what you folks are thinking about.” The 60-plus attendees were mostly worried about the economy, pork barrel spending and, of course, the election.
“There are a lot of character questions on the friends of Obama,” Kim Tramutola, a freelance writer, said, noting that the Democratic presidential candidate has been linked to the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam. Obama also has ties to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a group alleged to have spent $40 million in registering voters, ostensibly to cast their votes for Obama, according to Karen Roberts, a former English teacher in west Philadelphia.
“Are we just to accept it?” Tramutola asked Specter, who answered that Obama’s affiliations have been widely publicized to the voting public. “Within a biased media,” Tramutola responded.
“I don’t think that’s a matter of investigation,” Specter said. “It’s a matter of process.”
Whether or not Obama’s past and present affiliations are cause for concern is up to the voters, he said. “Let the people decide if that kind of contact rubs off on Sen. Obama. I’d like to hear more about the economy, education ... problems that impact us on our day-to-day lives,” Specter said.
Biallas agreed with the senator, pointing out that no one in the audience had touched upon social security, energy, the environment or the rising costs of education.
“It’s going to cost me a considerable amount to go to college,” Biallas said. “What are you doing to bring down costs?”
The senator, whose been in office for 28 years, noted that he’s been working to increase scholarship aid, specifically with the Pell grant, increasing the amount from $2,400 to $4,000. Specter’s also been fighting to drop student loan interest rates as well.
“A lot of my energy’s devoted to your generation. I’m pleased to see you are here and speaking up,” Specter said, adding that he was “glad to see anyone speaking out.”
In fine spirits
Specter uses the town meetings to keep up with his constituents’ concerns, he said. And despite having recently battled cancer, the senator seemed to be in fine spirits.
“When I receive a gift, I make sure it’s within the gift limit,” Specter said after Susquehanna University Pres. L. Jay Lemons presented the senator with a university coffee mug. “Especially when there are so many witnesses,” Specter added to laughter from the crowd.
For the senator, the town meetings are his “answer” to the burgeoning population of lobbyists in American politics. “Come to lobby me in person. This isn’t a fundraiser. Come in, I’ll answer your questions,” the senator said.
Answer he did, even when his Chief of Staff Scott Hoeflich informed him he would need to abbreviate his answers to stay on schedule.
“He’s paid to say that,” Specter said of Hoeflich.
Economic bailout
The senator started out the day by addressing the economic bailout on the day the Dow fell below 10,000 for the first time in nearly four years, calling the stimulus plan a “bitter pill to swallow.”
“We had no choice. The plan was not evaluated,” Specter said, “but if we hadn’t voted for it, the consequences could have been catastrophic.”
Unfortunately, the plan was rushed, the senator said, which led to an excess of pork being tacked on at the last minute. There’s also the chance that if the market had seen Congress working hard to relieve the situation, the economic situation would have improved.
“They didn’t follow the regular order” for passing legislation, Specter said. “We ought not to rush to judgement.”
“To quote Sen. Barack Obama, ‘I’m fired up and ready to go,’” the Selinsgrove High School student said Monday morning. “We’re talking about trivial issues that aren’t going to help our nation.”
The 78-year-old veteran Republican senator stopped by to “hear what you folks are thinking about.” The 60-plus attendees were mostly worried about the economy, pork barrel spending and, of course, the election.
“There are a lot of character questions on the friends of Obama,” Kim Tramutola, a freelance writer, said, noting that the Democratic presidential candidate has been linked to the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam. Obama also has ties to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a group alleged to have spent $40 million in registering voters, ostensibly to cast their votes for Obama, according to Karen Roberts, a former English teacher in west Philadelphia.
“Are we just to accept it?” Tramutola asked Specter, who answered that Obama’s affiliations have been widely publicized to the voting public. “Within a biased media,” Tramutola responded.
“I don’t think that’s a matter of investigation,” Specter said. “It’s a matter of process.”
Whether or not Obama’s past and present affiliations are cause for concern is up to the voters, he said. “Let the people decide if that kind of contact rubs off on Sen. Obama. I’d like to hear more about the economy, education ... problems that impact us on our day-to-day lives,” Specter said.
Biallas agreed with the senator, pointing out that no one in the audience had touched upon social security, energy, the environment or the rising costs of education.
“It’s going to cost me a considerable amount to go to college,” Biallas said. “What are you doing to bring down costs?”
The senator, whose been in office for 28 years, noted that he’s been working to increase scholarship aid, specifically with the Pell grant, increasing the amount from $2,400 to $4,000. Specter’s also been fighting to drop student loan interest rates as well.
“A lot of my energy’s devoted to your generation. I’m pleased to see you are here and speaking up,” Specter said, adding that he was “glad to see anyone speaking out.”
In fine spirits
Specter uses the town meetings to keep up with his constituents’ concerns, he said. And despite having recently battled cancer, the senator seemed to be in fine spirits.
“When I receive a gift, I make sure it’s within the gift limit,” Specter said after Susquehanna University Pres. L. Jay Lemons presented the senator with a university coffee mug. “Especially when there are so many witnesses,” Specter added to laughter from the crowd.
For the senator, the town meetings are his “answer” to the burgeoning population of lobbyists in American politics. “Come to lobby me in person. This isn’t a fundraiser. Come in, I’ll answer your questions,” the senator said.
Answer he did, even when his Chief of Staff Scott Hoeflich informed him he would need to abbreviate his answers to stay on schedule.
“He’s paid to say that,” Specter said of Hoeflich.
Economic bailout
The senator started out the day by addressing the economic bailout on the day the Dow fell below 10,000 for the first time in nearly four years, calling the stimulus plan a “bitter pill to swallow.”
“We had no choice. The plan was not evaluated,” Specter said, “but if we hadn’t voted for it, the consequences could have been catastrophic.”
Unfortunately, the plan was rushed, the senator said, which led to an excess of pork being tacked on at the last minute. There’s also the chance that if the market had seen Congress working hard to relieve the situation, the economic situation would have improved.
“They didn’t follow the regular order” for passing legislation, Specter said. “We ought not to rush to judgement.”
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