Congressman Mike Sodrel hosts town hall meeting
Mary Margaret Moorhead - Staff Writer

Congressman Mike Sodrel's town hall meeting in Versailles attracted approximately 25 people with questions ranging from alternative fuels to special education funding.

Meeting in his office on South Adams Street in Versailles on Thursday, August 18, the Congressman and his staff greeted the attendees with a power-point presentation concerning his activities since the first of the year.

Noting he had set up five offices in the Ninth District, Congressman Sodrel said he has traveled extensively in the district; has hosted the Hoosier Job Fair; supported several local fire departments in their requests for grants.

He has also requested and received Federal Disaster Relief for areas of his district; co-sponsored the Methaphetamine Remediation Bill; and conducted high school art competition.

Concerning the war in Iraq, the Congressman said, "We would all like to be out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but if we leave one day too early, all will have been in vain. We have to stay until we stabilize the country."

Among the accomplishments in the district, Congressman Sodrel believes the Muscatatuck Urban Training Facility "is a premier facility that will be used for training first responders as well as training troops in an urban environment."

He spoke of the Transportation Funding Reauthorization, which will return more Hoosier transportation dollars to Indiana - an increase of 34.65% over previous funding.

Recently he has met with others concerning getting another bridge over Tanner Creek to help alleviate the traffic problem on US #50 through Lawrenceburg and Aurora.

As a member of the House, Congressman Sodrel is looking forward to legislation that will make America's borders more secure. He also spoke of efforts that will lessen dependence on foreign oil by trying to keep the United States energy independent. "We have to do what we can in an environmentally safe way to become energy sufficient."

In answer to a question about alternative fuels, the Congressman talked about fuels made from alcohol and soybeans and noted that the Farm Bureau has had these for a long time.

Agreeing with the questioner that if we have oil and don't have refineries, it doesn't do us much good. Congressman Sodrel said the United States has not built a refinery since the '60's and early '70s. "And we haven't used the ones we have in the best way."

To questions about Social Security, Congressman Sodrel said with life expectancy on the rise, "We need to come up with a system that's fair to the last generation and to the next generation."

He believes the government should simplify taxes and shift them from the producer to the consumer - from earning to buying as the fair way of taxation. He also mentioned the great amount of money the government pays the IRS to collect taxes and the fact that five trillion dollars is in off-shore banks so owners do not have to pay taxes on their accumulated wealth.

To several of the questions that concerned health care, education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Congressman said he has no easy answers and has not thoroughly studied all the issues.

He invited those present to contact him with their questions and comments through web mail messages: Sodrel.House.Gov . For more information on the fair tax, those interested can go on line to: fairtax.org, the Congressman said.