CALHOUN, Ga. - Congressman Phil Gingrey stopped by Calhoun on Friday for a listening session, and constituents gave him an earful on issues ranging from health care and veterans concerns to the proposed mosque near ground zero in Manhattan.
"People are concerned about the economy. Very concerned," said Gingrey, a Republican who represents the 11th District that runs from Marietta to Summerville and Calhoun.
During Congress's August recess, Gingrey is touring his district hosting town hall meetings and "listening sessions" at which constituents get one-on-one time with him.
Right off the bat Friday, Calhoun resident Lois Raley told Gingrey she wanted action and was tired of excuses from Washington.
"The administration we have now is blaming Bush for everything," she said.
Her husband Dave asked Gingrey about his position on the mosque a Muslim group wants to build blocks away from where the World Trade Center stood before the 2001 terror attacks.
Gingrey called the idea "the poorest judgment imaginable" and compared it to building something honoring Nazis across the street from the Holocaust Museum. He said, however, that the group has the right to build at the site, but that he hoped they would find another location.
A few of his constituents asked Gingrey what could be done to stop new health care reform from going into effect, and at least one asked him to vote to repeal it. He said that, logistically, it would be a challenge to repeal the laws because President Barack Obama has veto power. Gingrey, an obstetrician-gynecologist, said he expects Republicans to pick up enough seats in Congress so they can "control the purse" and take away funding for some of the reform's programs.
Several of those who spoke with Gingrey were seniors, and he said they were worried about health care and Social Security.
"Times are tough, and I think people are worried about outliving their money," he said.
Vietnam veteran and Gordon County resident Larry Colston said he was concerned about health care for aging vets and the mental health of younger service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he read that only about 1 percent of U.S. residents are involved in the military, and he wanted to be sure Gingrey wasn't one of the lawmakers overlooking veterans affairs.
"Nobody's got their interest in it," said Colston, who served on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf on Tonkin.
Gingrey said veterans affairs was one of only a few things that Congress members almost could agree on, but finding funding was the key.
"On veterans issues the Congress is more unified than any of the other issues," he said.