Taxes, reform top town hall questions

SANDPOINT — Tax reform, immigration and the future of the GOP highlighted Congressman Raúl Labrador’s town hall meeting Thursday.

Healthy attendance marked the gathering, which provided local residents almost two hours to ask questions of the 1st District U.S. representative.

Following a brief presentation, Labrador launched into a question-and-answer session, updating his constituents on his work in the past three years. He reinforced his perspective that America needs to get its finances in order — the sooner, the better — to ensure future prosperity.

“The greatest threat to our nation is not all the nations we may be in conflict with,” he said. “The greatest threat to our nation is our debt.”

A major point Labrador emphasized in several questions was the Republican Party’s need for better communication. One of the reasons the party suffered defeats in the 2012 election, he said, was that politicians spent too much time attacking President Barack Obama and not enough time talking about what they’d do differently.

Furthermore, Labrador cited a survey which indicated most Americans felt Obama cared more about people like them during the election even when they favored Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s policies. Labrador said party members needed to focus more on reaching the common man and articulate how conservative policies might benefit them.

“All (Republicans) are talking about is job creation and job creators,” he said. “But most people are going to be employees all their lives, and they’re not ashamed of that.”

As for small business owners who do provide jobs, Labrador said tax reform was one of those beneficial conservative policies. Under the established tax code, large corporations can get out of their public obligations through exemptions and loop holes, while small businesses suffer under a high corporate tax rate, he said. His preference is to see a vastly-simplified flat tax or three-bracket system that eliminated loopholes and exemptions. On a similar point, he repeatedly emphasized pruning regulations, such as those presented by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Big business loves big government because it makes it harder for smaller companies to work,” he said.

Immigration was a topic that came up frequently, and Labrador advocated for securing national borders and beefing up border patrol before making any considerations about legalizing individuals. Meanwhile, local resident and German native Jule Paul, who faces deportation when she turns 21 and becomes disqualified from using her father’s visa, asked Labrador what could be done for people who want to become citizens legally. Although she’s found an employer willing to help her through the long process of obtaining an immigrant visa, she may still need to return to Germany in a few weeks, she said. Labrador responded that Paul’s case is another area in which immigration needs reform.

“This is a problem when the people you want to stay here can’t stay here,” he said.  

Civil liberties are one area where certain conservatives find themselves teaming up with like-minded liberals, Labrador said. With numerous issues like the National Defense Authorization Act’s indefinite detention provisions, the National Security Agency’s data tapping and the legal and ethical issues of drone strikes under fierce contestation, Labrador said he has many unlikely allies.

“I call it the wingnut coalition — you have the right wing and the left wing working together on these civil liberties issues,” Labrador said.

“Politically, it’s the right thing to do, because the American people are behind us on these issues,” he later added.

At the outset of the meeting, Labrador requested that people behave with courtesy. For the most part, the audience abided by the request. The exception came when one attendee, who identified herself as more liberal, asked Labrador if he would ever acknowledge global warming as a threat — he said he didn’t believe it was. Some audience members freely laughed and scoffed throughout her statement, which prompted one woman to get up and leave.

“This is what’s wrong with our country,” she told attendees before thanking Labrador for being respectful.