By
Scott Nicholson
The
Mountain Times
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-5th District)
made her first official return to Watauga
County as its elected
official Friday, holding a “listening stop” in Boone.
The event was sponsored by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and a number of
Boone and Watauga officials were in attendance, taking up Foxx on her offer to
give input on issues.
Boone Mayor Velma Burnley expressed appreciation for the Foxx staff’s opening
an office in Boone. Burnley requested federal
support for the outdoor drama Horn in the West. She also said community
development block grants were important to communities, especially with a
growing demand for water and sewer services. She said service availability
affected economic development, water quality and the environment.
Burnley also asked Foxx to investigate a
moratorium on franchise taxes for cable companies that also provide Internet
service. Local governments can charge a franchise tax of up to five percent on
cable providers, but only for television. Burnley
said the intent of the law was to help the cable companies be competitive, but
that there was no competition by cable companies in rural areas. Burnley said the moratorium deprived communities of
“assets that are really important.”
Foxx said the current attitude in Congress was an emphasis on trying to reduce
the budget deficit, which is at record highs under the Bush Administration. She
said she would pledge to fight for the district’s share of any funds, even if
there are cuts. She also asked for help in identifying potential funding
sources. She urged local governments and agencies to contact her if they are
applying for federal grants. “I like to know what’s being asked for and what’s
going on so I can be a real advocate,” she said.
Foxx said technology changes were taking place so fast that legislation was
often behind the market. “The federal government moves too slowly to keep up,”
she said.
County commission chair Jim Deal said the county had filled its current
industrial park and that there were business owners interested in locating here
or expanding. He said water and sewer service was needed for a viable park. He
asked for support in any federal funds that could help. “We have businesses
right now that would like to get started, but they have nowhere to go,” Deal
said.
He also said affordable housing was a critical issue for those growing up here,
as well as in university and public school system recruitment. Deal also asked
for support for the Blue Ridge
Parkway, which he said created an economic benefit
for the region.
Jennifer Herman, director of OASIS said the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) has been targeted for funding cuts and said some areas were
important for the work of the crisis center. She said the local housing
authority had lost nine positions due to cuts, and that was affecting a program
that helped the shelter’s clients become homeowners.
Foxx said she supported programs that assisted people in becoming “taxpayers
and contributors,” and said she backed programs that gave a “hand up, not a
hand out.”
Boone town council member Lynne Mason sought support for an increase to the
federal minimum wage. She said there were working people who couldn’t “make a
living wage” at $5.15 an hour, even if they were employed full time. She said
HUD programs were critical, and that housing subsidies helped people who were
having to choose between spending their money on heat or rent. Mason said the
income of 50 to 70 percent of lower-income households went toward housing
costs, and said even young professionals were having a difficult time entering
the local housing market. Mason also asked Foxx to be aware of air quality,
which she called a health as well as environmental issue. “The mountains have
some of the poorest air quality in the nation,” she said.
A West Virginia
native urged Foxx to investigate mountaintop removal practices of the coal
mining industry. The person called it a “highly mechanized form of removal”
that led to environmental damage as well as job loss due to the automated
process. The person urged Foxx to support the Clean Water Protection Act.
Ben Henderson, owner of Bare Essentials, said health care was a major issue for
small business owners. He said he’d been able to offer insurance for his
employees over the past decade, but now had to pass some of that cost along to
them. He said the group doesn’t make many claims, but the insurance rates
continue to climb.
Henderson also expressed concern over foreign
policy in Iraq,
particularly since the stated cause of the war, weapons of mass destruction,
had never been found. He was concerned over the amount of the country’s
resources being used for the military in Iraq. “It’s really a quagmire
there,” he said.
Foxx said “insurance comes up at every meeting” and that insurance rates had an
effect on real wages, especially since the cost to employers continues to grow.
She said Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security were the keys to insurance and
health care costs, and said in 30 years, those three programs would consume the
entire budget if no changes were made. “We have to deal with Social Security
now or we won’t be able to fix it,” she said.
Foxx said a tort reform bill had passed the House of Representatives but hasn’t
been heard by the Senate. She said the tort reform bill, which limits
malpractice and liability awards, would help reduce health care costs.
Regarding the war in Iraq,
Foxx said people should be even more distressed when they see how much money is
being spent on security. She said members of Congress had gas masks under their
desks and in the assembly halls. Foxx said the United States didn’t create the
situation. “Those people attacked us and we’re having to defend ourselves,” she
said. “The main role of the federal government is defense of this nation.”
Foxx said local and state governments could handle all programs but defense,
but said without the protection of freedom, the other programs didn’t matter.
She said she’d rather see the fighting “over there than it be here.”
She said she supported Pres. Bush in keeping the war out of the country and
said “somebody else caused the problem for us.” She also said her commitment to
troops and veterans is “very strong.”
School superintendent Bobbie Short asked that educational issues not be left on
the back burner and said educators had concerns over No Child Left Behind
legislation and asked that school staff input be considered in making any
changes to the legislation.
Foxx said No Child Left Behind legislation would not be dropped but said there
may be changes if warranted. “It’s always helpful to have specific
recommendations,” she said.
School board member Lowell Younce said federal mandates were not always fully
funded by the federal government, which put a strain on funds allocated by
local and state governments. He said those supplemental funds should be going
to staff members and teachers, particularly since the system has a hard time
recruiting because of housing costs.
Boone police chief Bill Post said security concerns seemed to be modeled after
and focused on major cities, but that many of the strategies weren’t applicable
to small communities.
Boone council member Loretta Clawson asked Foxx if she felt she could be
effective as a new member of Congress. Foxx said though the legislative body of
435 members was large, she felt optimistic about her “ability to get the ear of
people.” She said her task was to learn as many of the key legislators as
possible, and said she’d found that most of the issues affecting the district
were the same ones that the rest of the country is dealing with. She was
introduced at one legislative retreat as a “feisty mountain woman.” “I don’t
know if that’s good or bad, but at least they’ve been warned,” she said.
Chamber of Commerce president Dan Meyer asked for support on transportation
enhancements, particularly an interstate connector between I-40 and I-81 in Tennessee, which he said
would help tourism.
Foxx said she hoped to hold listening stops every four to six weeks and said
she planned to stay visible in the district and to be in the area as much as
possible. She said she would keep her listing in the phone book and can also be
reached via e-mail at virginiafoxx@charter.net.
