Photograph by Robert Scheer
U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell spoke to constituents at a West Valley College town hall meeting.
By Tim Persyn
In keeping with a campaign promise, U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell held a town hall meeting at West Valley College on Feb. 22 to field questions from the community.
Campbell, a Republican who represents Saratoga, discussed topics as varied as Bosnia, taxes, the federal budget and affirmative action.
The meeting, held in the college's Baltic Room, was well attended by both members of the college and the general community, with participants trekking from as far away as Palo Alto to hear the congressman speak.
When Campbell took the floor, he first talked about the federal government shutdown and the fate of the federal budget. He said that, although there is no political will to shut down the federal government again, a full-scale budget agreement is unlikely before the fall elections.
He said the disagreements between the two parties primarily involve how to handle the future of entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security.
He said Republicans prefer free-market alternatives to government-run entitlement programs, but that Democrats worry about the fate of medical and retirement programs in the free market.
The second audience member to ask a question, a senior citizen from Palo Alto, questioned whether the United States should be involved in Bosnia. Campbell replied, "I opposed the president's decision to send troops to Bosnia. The president said he didn't need Congress's approval, but I think that's questionable legally."
Campbell said that under the U.S. Constitution, the president must receive congressional approval before sending troops into combat. The congressman then wondered how, given the current situation in Bosnia, the president could conclude that he did not need Congress's approval.
Campbell expressed a great deal of certainty when he explained his position on affirmative action. "I oppose the use of race by government," he said. "I think it is wrong to distinguish by race. You can't do good by doing bad."
As an alternative, Campbell suggested that affirmative action programs based on race be replaced by programs based on economic factors, such as income, and on personal factors, such as obstacles faced.
Campbell expressed strong support for balancing the budget and strong opposition to tax cuts. He said the child tax credit proposed in the "Contract With America" is political and wrong.
"It is far more important that we not borrow from the next generation," he said. "A tax cut is wrong if you want to balance the budget."
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 28, 1996.
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