Pauls Valley Daily Democrat: Big Issues Take Center Stage

Pauls Valley Daily Democrat - Barry Porterfield

A serious discussion on some issues of national interest took center stage during a U.S. congressman’s visit to Pauls Valley recently.

Comments from Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, were direct but still provided a lighter, more non-partisan flavor during the town hall update Thursday afternoon.

Meeting at the offices of the local chamber of commerce, Cole addressed a variety of issues with the handful of residents coming to the informal gathering.

“In Washington, D.C., it’s been somewhat of a better year than many people may believe,” Cole said.

“It hasn’t been this attitude that we’re in the final days and it’s all going to hell in a hand basket and it’s the other guy’s fault,” he said.

“But I’ll be the first to tell you we’re at a challenging point.”

From immigration to Russians “rewriting the Cold War” to the newest Middle Eastern terrorist threat to the budget deficit, Cole said there are some challenging times ahead but stressed not all is bad.

“Here in Oklahoma we’re pretty good overall,” Cole said about the economy. “By and large if you want to get a job in Oklahoma you can get one.”

As for the staggering national budget deficit, the congressman believes there are a couple of areas that must be addressed for it turn around — cuts in entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with some changes to the tax system.

“That’s where most of the debt is,” he said, referring to the entitlements.

“If we do these things and make some adjustments in entitlements, we can move in the right direction with the budget.

“You can’t just cut, you’ve got to grow your way out of debt.”

When it comes to today’s better economic times, Cole says it was the “resiliency of the economy” and not Congress or the president that has gotten things moving in the right direction.

Not all has been a downer for Congress, he said, as there was some legislation enacted during the past year, like the Farm Bill, that Cole describes as positive.

Cole himself was one of the sponsors for a bill that included shifting money, normally paying for the national political conventions, and using it to pay for pediatric research.

“That’s $130 million that won’t be wasted on political parties and instead we’ll spend it on sick kids. I think we can all agree that’s a good thing.”

There’s also been an overhaul of the military veterans’ system, including an accountability for many at the top, he said.

He also believes immigration reform and more secure southern U.S. borders will continue to be a “flashpoint” issue.

“There will be plenty of problems when the new Congress gets here,” he said about next year’s term.

“But we’ve had about a year of reasonably good work.”

Cole added he will be paying close attention to the political jockeying that typically comes during a president’s last term in office. President Obama is entering his final two years in office.

“The real question is can both sides sit down and work together,” Cole said.

“It would be a mistake and bad for the country to have gridlock and a divided government.”

Online: Pauls Valley Daily Democrat