Hastings meets with Moses Lake

Citizen concerns discussed

MOSES LAKE — Congressman Doc Hastings, R-4th District, held a town hall meeting at Big Bend Community College Thursday night.

Nearly 50 citizens attended; some had questions for Hastings.

Citizen Phil McGuire asked about the progress of English being the official language of the United States.

He said he often goes to restaurants or other businesses and can't quite understand what is being said due to a language barrier.

Hastings said there was a bill to make English the official language of the United States but it died. He said he is a proponent of the idea.

He said if people want to speak in their preferred language it is up to them but having one common language would give citizens a common bond and allow for easier communication.

Rep. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, asked if there was support and funding for a railroad service. She said the state of Washington took a step toward a railroad service with the Coulee Corridor project. She often hears a service is needed from her constituents to transport perishables and other products to market in a timely manner.

"Short answer to that is no," Hastings said. "It's just the economics of where we are demographically."

He said he does not see Congress mandating a railroad service for the Washington area. It would be more feasible for the middle of the country, he advised.

Pat Freeman asked about the accessibility of pharmaceuticals in the country and across the border with Canada.

Hastings said there is a high cost for pharmaceuticals due to extensive testing and testing of drugs that never develop. If the same products are offered in another country such as Canada for a lesser cost and U.S. citizens should be able to obtain them there, he added.

Freeman asked if there would be public funding to cover heath care costs because people are living longer.

Hastings said citizens need to become empowered to obtain health insurance individually. He said health decisions should be up to the individual.

Eventually there will be next to no Social Security funding, Hastings said.

He is in favor of allowing people to invest a portion of their Social Security dues, in an attempt to turn it into future funding.

Hastings discussed public approval ratings related to Congress.

He said no one wants to be a part of a government body no one likes but said a distrust in government is good. He would be uneasy if everyone was happy.

The low approval could be due to the change in the majority leadership, from Republican to Democrat, he said.

Election time is approaching and there may be some changes, he said. Not only will a new President be elected, but the members of Congress are up for election too.