WEST WINDSOR: Holt holds meeting in W. Windsor

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   U.S. Rep. Rush Holt made a special visit to West Windsor on Saturday afternoon to give citizens in the 12th District a chance to voice their thoughts and concerns.
   The West Windsor municipal building was filled with residents from all over Mercer County who came to seek answers and solutions from Rep. Holt about their grievances and concerns over current issues.
   The Democratic member of Congress emphasized that as part of his job, it is necessary to hear all concerns, whether generic or personal.
   ”What we are trying to do is balance competing interests to maximize opportunities and ensure fairness to leave competing parties feeling that they are part of the same community,” said Rep. Holt. “I never lose sight of that because there are so many different interests reflected in the 710,000 people throughout the 12th Congressional District.”
   Rep. Holt gave his thoughts on various issues from job advertising discrimination to the pollution factor in the fracking process for natural gas.
   ”The extent of the pollution problem caused by fracking is not well understood yet and the drilling has gone ahead of our understanding. We should have a moratorium until our knowledge catches up with the technology,” he told the audience amid applause.
   When questioned about his reasoning for eliminating the identification cards before a person could vote, the congressman stressed it is a rarity for people to engage in fraudulent voting — making the need for identification obsolete.
   ”It’s not as if people are sneaking over the southern border so they can vote in the U.S.,” said Rep. Hot. “Requiring ID is discrimination, pure and simple, masquerading as government.”
   Other residents were concerned about the Route 1 jughandle closures that are set to begin in August. Although unable to shed much light on the jughandle closure plans, Rep. Holt said there are many improvements that should be made to Route 1.
   On a federal issue, he said he was in favor of congressional earmark legislation, which provides funds to be tagged onto legislation and spent on specific projects.
   ”If congressionally originated appropriated items are eliminated, we can only take what the Office of Management and Budget provides and it does not include Route 1 and West Windsor,” he said. “I hope we will get back to a sensible practice of earmarks in a transparent way.”
   He said that next year there will be an additional 3.8 percent tax, but it will only be applied to incomes of $200,000 with the tax falling only on profits above half a million dollars for a married couple. He added that it would only affect 2 percent of families.
   Rep. Holt agreed with Princetonian Kip Cherry that the language used in the National Defense Authorization Act should be amended to eliminate the words “long term detention without a trial.”
   ”The idea that the head of a government can declare individuals undesirable or threatening and lock them up without due process is just the sort of thing we have condemned around the world,” he said to a cheering audience. “We should condemn it not just for the indignities that it puts on Americans, but for any of us who care about good law enforcement.”
   Despite worries of the government having unbridled power, Rep. Holt praised the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
   The bureau is an organization that looks at transactions that ordinary Americans make such as mortgages, loans and payday businesses to prevent people being cheated. It also can require banks to make mortgages more intelligible and affordable for homeowners.
   ”It’s not only because we want each consumer to get fair treatment, but also because a lot of bad consumer financial behavior can lead to global economic collapse,” he added. “The overall financial reform legislation is good and the consumer financial protection is the best part.”
   He acknowledged the Iranian nuclear issue remains unclear. He said that although Iran is on a confrontational path, war should not be the first resort. His solution was to get North Korea, Iran and other countries to move to less combative postures and more cooperative and transparent stances.
   Before leaving the hall, Rep. Holt stressed the government’s promise and duty to protect the interests of Americans despite allegations of corruption.
   ”We try to make sure that ordinary people have the same opportunities and fairness as privileged people,” he said. “We shouldn’t fall victim to our frustrations and call it corruption.”