Politics & Government

Himes Hears Ridgefield At Lounsbury House Town Hall

U.S. Representative Jim Himes answered the public's questions last night in Ridgefield -- mostly regarding the federal budget -- facing a rambunctious crowd at times.

During one particular shouting match in the audience Monday night, U.S. Representative Jim Himes looked around the chandeliered room, perplexed, palms up, and asked, “Ridgefield?”

The Democratic congressman was in fact speaking in Ridgefield at the Community Center for a town hall meeting, the majority of which was devoted to questions from the people who came not only from town but from several others in the 4th District to hear Himes speak and to voice their own concerns.

Of the stops on Himes’s recent district tour before heading back to Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, this one, a member of his staff said afterward, might have been the “loudest.”

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“Cut, cut, cut!” rang through the crowd in a couple instances, referring to federal budgets, and one wouldn’t have had to listen hard to hear a “boo” or a “shut up” or a “socialist” shine through while someone else – the congressman at times – had the floor.

That aside, the night at the Lounsbury House remained mostly intact as Himes gave a short introductory presentation about the federal budget and its current deficit followed by questions and comments from members of the one hundred or so in attendance.

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“There are two objectives I aim for in these meetings,” Himes said. “To share a little information about where the federal budget is now, which is not an easy discussion … and, the bulk of the meeting, to hear from you before I head to Washington tomorrow morning.”

Himes had set out for the tour to focus on domestic budget concerns but, in the midst of global issues such as the military operation in Libya and nuclear uncertainty in Japan, the talks, he said, had become more eclectic.

Ridgefield’s meeting, however, remained stridently on topic; budget concerns stayed at the top of most conversations.

Himes’s takeaway point was that, when considering the federal budget, the “whole pie” must be taken into account, for which he said he supported the Simpson-Bowles Commission’s recommendations – set forth by Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles late last year – to cut discretionary spending, reduce defense and the federal workforce and eliminate earmarks among other major cuts.

“Simpson-Bowles has some ugly stuff,” Himes said. “But it’s one plan that addresses the whole pie.”

He also stressed the importance of being careful with cuts at this point in the economic downturn.

“We cannot make cuts so drastic right now that we tip the economy into another recession,” the congressman said. “This is a real issue – how much and when and where do we cut?”

He made several points to mention that education and infrastructure are “cracked” from the last two years and that these are some of the country’s main concerns coming back from a recession.

Several of the more polite comments made to the congressman made an obvious impact, such as one man’s concerns over the amount of ethanol in gasoline, contributing to economic woes at a national level, as well as to the wear and tear on older cars that he said are more likely driven by seniors. Himes said he is not a supporter of the ethanol industry and would look into the latter.

Health care reform, immigration and possible cuts to the budget came up time and time again – the most vocal of those in the audience recommended cuts across the board.

The Democrats in Congress at this point are offering about $20 billion in cuts to the Republicans’ approximately $61 billion, any more than which Himes said would tip the nation back into a recession, citing “most economists.”

"Most Americans want cuts in government," Himes said. "But when it comes to specifics, people aren't quite as happy about those cuts."

State Senator Toni Boucher came to see the congressman speak, as well.

“Now you see the strongly-held views held by the district I proudly represent,” Boucher said with a smile to Himes after the main bustle.


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