Community Press - Immigration, oil topics fielded by Schmidt

Immigration, oil topics fielded by Schmidt
BY KAREN EICHERT COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER

GOSHEN -- When the public met U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt at the Goshen Township Community Center, they didn't bring her the easy questions.

The wanted to talk about the price of oil, the war in the Middle East, illegal immigration and border patrols and energy consumption.

That and more was on the minds of about 40 people who filled the township hall on a steamy summer evening July 31.

Schmidt, just back for an August break from Congressional duties, fielded questions for about an hour, then met with the public individually.

One of Dorothy Gaines' questions was the price of gas at the pump.

"If you go up 28, up a couple of miles, it's 20 cents cheaper," she said.

That's because one station could be charging at the rate of what they paid for yesterday's tank of fuel, Schmidt said.

Other questions about fuel ranged from the use of ethanol, to selling fuel to other nations to the use of alternative vehicles. Schmidt said she has a new one, but can't find places here to fuel it.

Judy Allen came to the meeting from her nearby Loveland address.

"I have followed you with interest right from your trustee days. The parks out here are great," she said.

Schmidt, elected in a special election in August 2005, is up for election in November 2006. She was a state representative in District 66 from 2001 through 2004 and was a trustee for Miami Township from 1990 through 2000.

But Allen had more than local issues on her mind Monday.

She's concerned about the direction the United States border policy is going. She said she was concerned about, "The way we as Americans treat people. You've used the word capture, as if they were animals."

"The responsible thing is to secure the borders," Schmidt said.

But she had an additional suggestion, "I think one of the things that we can do is have a temporary resident's Social Security card."

Schmidt ended the public portion of the meeting by introducing and praising her staff and said she will be opening an office in Batavia soon.

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