Friday, Feb. 25, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Westmoreland tells of first 45 days in CongressBy CAROLYN CARY Lynn Westmoreland, the new Republican representatives from the 8th Congressional District, shared the events of his first 45 days in Congress at a gathering sponsored by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. I was able to help more people in those 45 days, he said, than when I served in the Georgia legislature. There are so many more advantages in Washington D.C. to assist people. As I sat listening to President George Bush delivering his State of the Union address, I had to keep pinching myself that I was sitting in the audience, the 54 year-old added. When the lady from Iraq shared her voting story and showed her purple finger, chills ran up and down my spine. The 435 members of the House work very hard, with many days beginning at 7 a.m. and not ending until late in the evening. He said he works with a lot of very good people, doing things for everyones benefit, their children and their grandchildren. He serves on the House Committee on Government Reform, Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure. He also serves on two subcommittees: Aviation and Railroads. While he did not offer a definitive solution to the Social Security issue, he said that the program would soon be in trouble. Its going to take 218 brave souls who must vote to try something different than the current plan, he said. Income tax reform is another of the current programs under study. One attendee asked about plans to deal with illegal immigrants. Westmoreland said his personal opinion included every municipality must have the same rules for obtaining a drivers license. The 19 terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, had 45 licenses between them. Im in favor of every immigrant in the United States being a legal one. Each immigrant should have a work card that is obtained in their country of origin. All immigrants must be here legally. Westmoreland, owner of a construction and land development company, lived in Fayette County for 25 years and now resides in Sharpsburg. He and wife Joan have three children and four grandchildren. |
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