(Spirit Lake)– The Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts seats a thousand people. Finding an empty seat there this (Thursday) morning was a challenge as a crowd estimated at around 800 people converged upon the facility for a townhall meeting hosted by U-S Senator Chuck Grassley.
Grassley told KUOO news it was the best attended meeting yet he’s held. He says people are frustrated by issues other than just healthcare, including the stimulus packages, bailouts, the budget and the national debt, among others.
However, healthcare did draw the most attention by far at today’s (Thursday’s) meeting. Grassley says what he heard in Spirit Lake reverberates with what he’s been hearing elsewhere. He says the message is for congress to slow down, make reforms in increments, and to keep the government’s involvement at a minimum, or out of it altogether.
Renewable energy standards and so-called cap-and-trade legislation being proposed on capital hill were also brought up at the Spirit Lake meeting. When it comes to cap-and-trade, Grassley says there’s still no bills on the matter out of any Senate committees. He says he would, however, vote against what’s been brought up in the House. Grassley says an international agreement which includes China in lowering green house emisions is needed. He says anything short of that simply wouldn’t produce the needed results.
Grassley also made stops today (Thursday) in Estherville, Sibley, George and Spencer.
