Loyd Cook
Congressman Joe Barton (R-Ennis) remains a staunch supporter of President George W. Bush, got an energy bill passed last summer and is focusing on a number of issues as he works in Washington D.C. for the Sixth District.
Barton was on a swing through the Sixth District, which includes Navarro County, during a Wednesday tour.
“I support the president’s position on Iraq,” Barton said. “The president made a statement, and I agree with it, that if we don’t fight the terrorists over there, we’ll have to fight them here.”
He said the realities of the Iraq war are ones he is familiar with in his day-to-day life in Washington. Barton said there are an increased number of guards on the steps of government buildings all over the capitol. Metal detectors and personal searches are becoming part of routine.
Barton noted he has been to Iraq and “I don’t think we understood the depth of the terrorists’ commitment” to fighting on and added the war has gone longer “than any of us thought it would.”
He said he believes democracy will take root in Iraq, provided the new government can be upheld and civil unrest is quelled.
With gasoline prices soaring, Barton said he knows the average citizen is feeling the pinch. He said the energy bill passed in August is working in the areas of electricity, the coal sector, alternative energy and in providing more comprehensive emergency powers for officials dealing with situations like hurricane Katrina.
But, he said, the Senate cut off an attempt to open the Alaskan reserve for oil exploration and drilling. Combined with a tightening global market, a lack of further internal exploration has made finding a fix for spiraling gasoline prices difficult, Barton said.
In other areas, the congressman said he’s working on a new telecom bill that should foster more competition in the areas of cable and digital television, as well as continuing to address citizen concern over illegal immigration, and “the cats and dogs stuff like” the budget and appropriations.
He said identity theft is an issue he’s playing close attention to, saying it is becoming a larger problem every day.
Barton is the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He is only the second Texan to lead this committee, the oldest one in the House. Sam Rayburn was the other chairman from Texas.
The congressman said he expects to announce the results of his fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of Navarro County during a meeting of area leaders set for April.
Barton made a pledge to match dollar for dollar any money raised for a proposed new Boys and Girls Club facility here.
He will face opposition in the November General Election — David T. Harris, an Arlington Democrat who is an assistant professor of Military Science at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Barton was first elected to Congress in 1984.
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Loyd Cook may be reached via e-mail at loydcook@corsicanadailysun.com.
