[CTC] Ron Wyden holds town hall meeting in Coos Bay

Sat Apr 11 18:22:40 PDT 2015

More great work from ORFTC’s #WydenWatch...

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ron-wyden-holds-town-hall-meeting-in-coos-bay/article_35fd9c6e-ef5f-5772-80a4-ff30d76ceef5.html

Ron Wyden holds town hall meeting in Coos Bay
COOS BAY — Trade, jobs and liquefied natural gas were Coos County residents' main concerns at U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden's town hall meeting on Saturday.

Wyden made his annual trip to the South Coast this weekend, holding a town hall meeting in Brookings on Friday, and discussing issues concerning Coos County residents at the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay.

The four-term senator kicked off the meeting by stating these town halls are important because he gets to discuss issues concerning all Oregonians.

"I'm from Portland, and love Portland," Wyden said. "But, I'm not a United States senator from the state of Portland. I am a United States senator who represents every singe nook and cranny of Oregon, so that's the point of today."

About a dozen people spoke at the meeting, and the majority of questions were in regards to Wyden's stance with the Obama administration's Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.

The trade deal is a huge agreement among the U.S. and 12 Asia Pacific countries that has been surrounded with controversy over the lack of transparency.

The Obama Administration is seeking to "fast-track" the bill, and Wyden has been at the forefront of the issue.

Esther Sideerman spoke at the meeting, and she said the lack of transparency with TPP is what has concerned her.

"Why is that whole TPP thing secret in the first place?" Sideerman said. "It's not like a military action where you have to protect strategic military operations or something like that."

Sideerman said the information that WikiLeaks has leaked to the public regarding secrets with TPP is also a concern, and she asked Wyden to address this issue.

Wyden agreed with Sideerman and made it clear he will not throw his support of fast-tracking the bill unless the information regarding TPP is made public.

"I will tell you I am not going to lend my support, in particular with what's coming up with what's called the rules, fast-track or smart-track is what I like to call it," Wyden said.

"I am not going to lend my support unless I am convinced that there will be unprecedented transparency in the future."

Wyden spoke further about TPP, and also touched on acting on climate change and overturning the Citizens United case.

Don Turner, a Georgia-Pacific employee, spoke passionately at the meeting about the lack of living-wage jobs in America, and he said he is concerned with corporations moving labor overseas.

"I don't understand how a couple working at Walmart for minimum wage can afford to buy a house and a new car, which is what we all dream about," Turner said.

Turner said he appreciated Wyden's efforts in combating wage issues.

Wyden said he has and will continue to fight to stop corporations from outsourcing jobs overseas for tax breaks, and he has bipartisan support for a bill that is already written that would take away these tax breaks.

"If you want my philosophy in a second, let's build it here, let's grow it here, let's add value to it here and let's ship it from here," Wyden said.

Another issue brought up at the meeting, which was the last issue discussed, was the topic that has divided Coos County residents for the past decade: LNG.

People for and against LNG made their case to Wyden, and though he never gave his direct opinion on what he thought on the Jordan Cove issue, he said it was important that South Coast residents have their voices heard.

"I wanted the South Coast to make its case," Wyden said. "I know that this community wants more family-wage jobs."

Reporter Kurtis Hair can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at kurtis.hair at theworldlink.com <mailto:kurtis.hair at theworldlink.com>. Follow him on Twitter: @KurtisHair <http://www.twitter.com/kurtishair>.

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