As the U.S. House prepares for a busy 2002 legislative session, two local members of Congress held a forum Thursday where they offered their opinions on issues from campaign finance reform and the lack of moral principles in political and business practices to an array of anti-terrorism initiatives.
Rep. Robin Hayes, Trinity '67 and the Republican representative for North Carolina's 8th Congressional district, joined Rep. David Price, an on-leave professor of political science at Duke who represents the 4th district, including Durham County. About 40 students, faculty members and community members attended the forum at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Asked by an audience member which two issues they would choose to prioritize, Hayes cited national security and job security. "We've got to have it out there," he said in reference to proposed economic stimulus measures which could shore up jobs.
Price said Medicare was the most important issue deferred from the past Congressional year, but also one of the most difficult to get action on. "You calculate not just what's important, but what's doable," he said.
Price added that the House is within several votes of passing the campaign finance reform bill. He criticized the flow of "soft money" into campaigns as "out of control" and said campaigns must be "put under the same rules that most of us live by."
Hayes criticized the bad press the supposedly-divided House had received and mentioned the educational reform bill HR-1, as a bill passed in a bipartisan manner.
The audience was very interested in discussing anti-terrorism measures. Price spoke of the "up-ended agenda" that Congress now finds set before them as a result of the circumstances following Sept. 11.
"A delicate balance must be struck between civil liberties and security measures," Price said. He also pointed out that due to President George W. Bush's tax cuts, the country's economic slump and the war on terrorism, the projected federal surplus will be down to $2.6 billion from $5.6 billion.
Emphasizing the need for national security after the terrorist attacks, Hayes said the events reinforced the need for a missile defense system. "The American people have been deceived into thinking that political issues are the most important issues," Hayes said.
Price said such a system must be weighed carefully for a number of reasons: the huge expenses, the lack of conclusive testing and potential escalation of another arms race.
Both representatives repeatedly argued that in spite of the fierce debate that likely lies ahead in Washington, there are a number of issues on which there is a solid and bipartisan consensus.
"We are the people, we are the government," Hayes said. "Your interest in the political system is vital to our maintaining our position in the free world."
Hayes, a former businessman, noted the importance of moral principles, calling the Enron scandal " a moral breakdown in a company which results in a tragedy for its employees."
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