Congressman Schock's stop in Logan County draws crowd

[August 17, 2013]  There were few surprises Thursday morning when U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock stopped in Lincoln. But what did strike everyone was the size of the crowd that showed up. It was a perfectly beautiful summer morning, and the Arcade breezeway was packed with those who couldn't fit into Mama's Cafe.

After appreciating the wall-to-wall people inside and out, Schock quickly got down to business, why he was there: to get our perspective on what's going on, and to share his perspective on what big issues are facing our country.

Congress breaks for the month of August each year. The first two weeks Schock said he likes to get in touch with the people of his district. The 18th District has gotten a bit bigger, giving him more "windshield time" in traveling, he quipped. The district has been expanded from 134 towns to 205. He and his staff planned 205 stops in 14 days.

In the over an hour of interaction, Schock began by explaining what he believes is important for everyone to know about what is going on in Washington, D.C., and key issues in our country. During the question-and-answer period, he worked in how federal government works and what he is doing within that structure.

Throughout the morning, he made it clear that he wants to hear from his constituents, particularly those who can offer expertise on a subject that has a bill to be voted on. It gives him the guidance he needs on how to make government work better.

He covered key topics such as IRS, taxes, social services, Medicare, health insurance, bringing youth into government, government solvency, red tape and more.

He began with employment.

"You all know our country is in a world of hurt," he said. "We have (the) highest unemployment for the longest period in our country's history."

Schock said that unemployment does two things:

People are not paying income taxes and sales taxes, which means our treasury is down and our deficit is higher as a result.

People rely on the social services as a safety net.

"And," he added, "when people are unemployed, they are not as happy."

"I think the biggest challenge facing our country right now is to get our economy back on track and growing at a faster rate than it's been," he said.

He recognized that with people living longer and working longer and 3 million college grads every year, 50 percent of the grads a year ago are still unemployed.

"What do we have to do?" he asked.

A plan to spend more money resulted in our debt going from $10 trillion to $17 trillion in just four years. It is an unsustainable path for our country.

You don't have to wonder what happens when you get too much debt. Your taxes start going up.

Shock said: "When I visit small towns in my district, I visit family farms, small businesses, manufacturers and restaurants like this. I ask them, 'What message would you like me as your federal representative to take back to Washington, D.C.?'"

The one message everyone has had to say is, "Stop all the uncertainty."

Schock then explained that what they mean by this is, "Stop all the red tape and regulations that come out, that you all don't even get to vote on."

He then explained that a lot of the "administrative rules" coming out of D.C. are regulations that even he does not get to vote on. "Those rules have a real cost to our society and constrict growth in our country," he said.

One of the bills he is pushing is called the "Reins Act." What it does is that before a bureaucrat can issue an administrative rule -- "red tape" -- if it going to cost our economy $100 million or more in a year, it has to come before Congress for a vote.

In the last year, there have been over 400 new rules that Congress did not even vote on that have cost our economy over $100 million a year.

He later gave an example of one of these impractical laws that government attempted to impose, asking if anyone in farming had heard about the Department of Labor law that would not allow anyone under the age of 18 to drive a motorized vehicle.

He got a response from a farmer who chuckled, "Yes."

Schock said, "I grew up on a farm. You didn't have five or six kids so they could sit on the porch."

Schock also addressed taxes. He believes that we need to take the 70,000-page tax code that we have now and throw it out the window -- no more loopholes, carve-outs, special deals. He would flatten rates to be fairer for everybody and would have other, wider-ranging benefits also.

A new bill soon to be proposed would simplify the current six rates to two rates. Individuals would pay 10 percent tax when earning up to $60,000 and 25 percent if above that. Businesses would pay a top rate of 25 percent.

Flat rates would be simpler and fairer for all, Shock said.

The congressman also addressed tough front-line topics such as Social Security. People are living longer today than when the retirement program came out and the age of retirement was first set. He'd add one month for every year of age a person is now to the retirement qualification, and he says that would preserve the system.

Schock addressed audience questions on Obamacare. He'd like to see that bill gone and replaced with a federal program that would aid the fragment of the 30 million people who want insurance but are put in a position that they can't afford it, such as those facing a catastrophic illness or pre-existing illness. Let the 270 million who have and like their health care insurance, keep it.

He also addressed illegal immigration and believes that system needs fixing. There needs to be greater expediency in processing work visas and better accountability when an immigrant's time is up, including a penalty on employers.

A robust immigration bill is expected on the floor in September.

After a little more than an hour of informing his constituents on what has been happening in the federal government, Schock closed by asking for written advice, naming farming, banking, health care and finance as just a few areas important in understanding today's legislation.

"For me to be a good representative, and I mean this sincerely, I can't be an expert in all things," he said. "That's where all of you come in, giving me that real-world, firsthand advice."

While those in attendance seemed concerned about what is happening in our county today, most seemed to appreciate the candor and intent of the young congressman's efforts to speak with them.

Wanda Lee Rohlfs was present and afterward commented that she thought Schock did a good job. She thought that he shared common concerns, and he seemed to be on the same level of thinking as those in attendance.

"He's on target with the people in central Illinois," Rohlfs said. "And, the areas he outlined show how the Republicans and the House are trying to make things better. He gave us some hope."

The Congress welcomes your comments on pending bills. You can contact Shock through his website at http://aaronschock.com/.

[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]