By Treto Garza
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Washington comes to south Texas via their Congressional Representative. Congressman Blake Farenthold TX Dist. 27 met with veterans and supporters at the American Legion Post 390 in Raymondville TX. Veterans were impressed with the Congressman. Farenthold promised to help to see how his office could move HB 837 which calls for a Full Service Medical Center.
He told the audience that even though he supports the idea of budget cuts to balance the budget he will vote to protect veterans and social security programs. He discussed other issues and presented his core staff. This has not been done by any other Congressman so its a step in the right direction.
He stated that he was send to Washington to bring under control all this spending going on. We have to get the budget under control. We need to get agencies to start saying yes to business so the economy can grow and bring people back to work. The beauty of this is that getting the economy growing businesses begin to hire people to work.
That means getting people off unemployment and save money there workers will start paying their taxes and with their salaries start spending more. Putting people back to work creates a snow ball effect.
According to him the most important job of a Congressman is to listen to the folks back home. That is why its called of House of Representatives of the people. Their concerns must be heard.
Veterans were surprised that he brought his Chief of Staff his legislative assistant and his local staff to the meeting so that his constituents know who they are talking to when they call his office. They are there to listen and assist them. His local staff will be what he calls red tape cutters.
To the veterans he told them that he would indeed support HB 837 which has been filed by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (TX-Dist. 15). He said that he along with Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-Dist. 28) had signed on as co-sponsors. Along this line veterans asked if he would assist them in getting the bill voted on at the committee level.
He was informed that previous bills submitted to Congress had never made it out of committee. Veterans want a vote at the committee level whether its in their favor or not. Of course they want it in their favor because if its voted on the sub-committee on Veterans Health it will pass at the full Veterans Affairs Committee and on to the Full House for a vote. Farenthold was told that this would be a monumental accomplishment.
Veterans also mentioned the Veterans Health Care Funding and Transparency Act of 2010 and asked his staff to see if there was any way that the Act could be used to create and expansion at the Harlingen Clinic into a Full Medical Service Center. This will be done and Farenthold presented his chief of staff to look into it.
He was made aware that some World War II veterans were having a hard time getting to the VA hospital in San Antonio by Mrs. Norma Christian. These veterans health is quickly deteriorating and are in dire need of a local full medical center for veterans.
Jose Maria Vasquez of the American GI Forum made the comment that the creation of this Full Medical Service Center would indeed help the economy of the region and put people to work. He stated that new professional staff and auxiliary staff would be needed and that would be an incentive to create one now that the opportunity presented itself. Farenthold told him that was a good point to point to make a good case for support.
Santiago Jimmy Krummel brought the issue of the many many Winter Texans that also are receiving medical care at the VA. So the numbers increase dramatically when they come down here for their six month stay. They are veterans and are entitled to health care also. So the veterans population will keep the new medical center busy.
Farenthold commented on a question when asked about a Heritage Foundation poll that indicated which Congressmen voted on budget cuts. He was criticized and he felt that the poll was not fair because it only covered 21 votes out of the over 500 voted on. He did accept that he voted on the issues as reported. He committed to protecting the elderly (social security) and veterans programs or any proposed cutting on these programs. However he feels that he was send to Washington to control spending and bringing the budget under control.
He promise more community meetings in his district and that his office will set up a web page in which he can communicate with folks back home. The present generic web page is not what he wants.
The Congressman and his staff were treated to pan de dulce w/coffee and some fresh fruit treats compliments of the Ladies Auxiliary.
Veterans feel like they have found a friend and hope that he indeed helps the efforts for a Full Medical Service Center for south Texas.
Veterans have started an on-line petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/578/551/374 and ask that you read and sign it.
