U.S. Rep. Jim Himes said Thursday night that the only way to fix the financial problems of the country is if there are "no sacred cows." About 75 people attended a town hall meeting with Fairfield Ludlowe High School on Thursday night to express their gripes with the current U.S. financial situation and help think of ideas to fix it.
There were a few heated moments. For instance, when Himes told the audience tax cuts have never led to increased revenue, which led to a response of "liar!" from the crowd. Responding to one audience member's suggestion that there is "total dysfunction" in the government that cannot be fixed without an overhaul of the system, Himes, D-4, said, "the only way we are going to solve these problems is if we all come to the table with no preconditions, with no sacred cows."
The U.S. economy has become a heated issue throughout the country as Congress attempts to cut spending and rebuild following the market crash that began in 2007.
Himes invited former U.S. Comptroller, David Walker, to help explain the federal finances and answer questions. Walker, a Black Rock resident, told the crowd that the "day of reckoning is coming" for the U.S. because of the habit of "spending more money at higher interest rates." It was a theme that rang true to many Fairfield residents in the audience, many of whom want to see the town lower its bonding, for example on the upcoming softball project. Walker told the crowd tough changes would need to be made.
Walker, a registered independent who worked as comptroller under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, currently is president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a nonpartisan group attempting to raise awareness of the country's economic crisis and create solutions for it. Himes, a Democrat, is currently running for a second term in Connecticut's Fourth District.
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