Questions: I am back in Orange County during the congressional recess this week and have been around and about the district talking to constituents. And they have lots of questions about what is going on in Washington; several of which are asked repeatedly. So, I thought you might be interested in the top 5 of these questions and my answers to them:
- How do you like being in Congress? Answer: I am enjoying it a great deal. I have never worked harder in my life nor been more stimulated by my work. Being involved in many of the great issues of the day and our world in a position to influence their outcome is a great responsibility. As a student of history, this is pretty heady stuff. Cold December days in Washington do, however, bring on a longing for a good Santa Ana offshore breeze from the ocean.
- What has surprised you the most so far? Answer: When I took office last December and became the newest member of Congress, a concern of mine was that being one person in a 435 member body that is largely run by seniority, did not provide many opportunity to really make a difference. I was wrong. It is true that there are 435 members of Congress. But there are more than 435 things to be done because Congress has responsibility over so many national and all international affairs. As a result, I have the opportunity to be in the vanguard of many issues, including budget control and tax reform, simply because my background or interest is in these areas. And those members of Congress with more seniority are busy doing something else. Being in the majority party doesn’t hurt one’s ability to get stuff done either.
- Are you guys going to stop illegal immigration? Answer: This is, without a close second, the topic about which I am asked the most. Just that fact alone shows you (and me) the breadth and intensity surrounding this issue. The most likely scenario is that no bill will arrive on the president’s desk before November. However, there has been some movement in the Senate of late that may show a willingness to move toward an enforcement only or enforcement first position. A bill that contains only enforcement provisions, even if they are not as complete as I would like, will at least move us in the right direction. But if the legislation has any amnesty or concurrent guest worker provisions, it will be a nonstarter. We’ll see.
- Who is the most interesting person you have met? Answer: Obviously, getting to spend one-on-one time discussing policy with the president of the United States is always very interesting. Aside from that, Condoleezza Rice is one of the brightest and most engaging people you will ever want to meet. We are privileged to have a person of her intellect as Secretary of State. On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) is not someone with whom most of you would expect me to agree with or perhaps get along with. And, we certainly disagree on a whole bunch of things. But he is a very bright guy who is the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee, of which I am a member. We have already found an issue upon which we can work together, and possibly there will be more. And for the areas where we disagree, I relish the debate with an able and interesting opponent.
- What we get involved with your work? Answer: Much of my challenge is getting the message out to others about what’s going on in Washington and what the facts really are. We can’t count on the New York Times to do that for us can we? So you can help. First of all, forward this laptop report to your friends (by using the box at the right) or better yet, have them sign up to receive it directly. You can do this by directing them to my website or this link. Second, when you are at you rotary club, the office, or down at Kean or Diedrich’s coffee, share what you know with your friends.