Senator chastized during Glenwood stop
BRENT SCHANDING
Landmark News Service
MILLS COUNTY — Just a few minutes into Tuesday’s Town Hall meeting at the Mills County Senior Center an Iowa woman hurled a stinging indictment at featured speaker Chuck Grassley, the five-term Republican senator who’s been trailing across western Iowa to dialogue with voters.
The woman’s question? Simple.
“Why the heck can’t Congress get anything done before vacation?” she asked, without identifying herself.
Grassley’s answer? Not so simple.
“That’s the way the Constitution was written,“ he said. “To make change very slow.”
Grassley placated the audience of about 50 — including farmers, boy scouts, retirees, small business owners and homeschoolers — with a quick civics lesson on “checks and balances,” the Roman-based system devised to equally divide power among the country’s three governing branches, before he was interrupted.
“But you don’t do anything,” the woman said, mimicking the 82 percent of voters who disprove of federal lawmakers.
“You leave things on the table and you go on vacation,” the woman said.
It was a fact the career politician couldn’t easily evade.
In 2011, the Senate passed just 368 bills — the fewest since 1995. Congress was only less productive in 1944, near the end of World War II.
Grassley blamed Democrats for setting the Senate’s schedule, adding a side note which he echoes almost everywhere along his frequent stops across the state.
“I haven’t missed a vote since 1993. I’ve cast 6,400 votes,” Grassley said. “And I go to every county, every year.”
It’s something Grassley said he’s done on his “vacations” away from Washington, D.C. since taking office 32 years ago.
While Grassley couldn’t appease everyone Tuesday, he defended many of his policies, scribbling notes as dozens complained about the state of the union.
Many urged Grassley and lawmakers to pass a comprehensive immigration bill.
“The illegals come here and shouldn’t be here. Period,” said an elderly man without identifying himself. “Contractors hire illegals. I can’t blame them. They will work cheaper.”
Grassley said while it will take a bi-partisan compromise to forge a comprehensive immigration bill — one that’s focused on electronic background checks, as well as increased border patrol and security — he believes it’s unlikely to happen any time soon. A majority of Democrats favor amnesty for existing illegal immigrants; Republicans don’t.
“But we probably need a guest worker program that will work,” he said.
Barbara Markuson, of Glenwood, said the country’s immigration policy shouldn’t be solely targeted at Mexico and other Latino countries. Mexicans account for less than half of all illegal immigrants in this country, according to data from federal immigration agencies.
“I’ve visited migrant workers in the fields and that’s a terrible kind of work,” Markuson said. “But we forget we have illegal immigrants from China, Latvia, wherever.”
Markuson wants lawmakers to improve the poorest job conditions for existing immigrants, while developing a plan to attract the most qualified immigrants from around the world.
Many in the crowd expressed displeasure about the country’s nearly $16 trillion deficit.
Democrats and Republicans have both presented plans to balance the budget, but none have been implemented.
Grassley said he supports a budget plan from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.).
The presumptive Republican vice-president nominee’s plan would lower taxes for the wealthiest Americans, while taxing the poorest ones more. It would also cut Medicaid and shrink military spending to levels not seen since the 1930s.
“We don’t have a deficit because you’re under taxed,” Grassley said. “We have a deficit because [Congress] over spends.” Grassley said a balanced-budget amendment would require great bi-partisan support and wouldn’t immediately solve the country’s financial woes.
Grassley made appearances last week in Atlantic, Villisca, Bedford, Clarinda, Percival, Glenwood, Logan, Harlan, Audubon, Carroll, Corning and Council Bluffs.