John Joseph Tabor
September 9, 2011
Clarice Gros
September 13, 2011
Rep. Jeff Landry told members of the South Louisiana Patriots, a Tri-parish chapter of the Tea Party, that as long as he is representing them, they can count on his supporting conservative values and maintaining a common sense approach in Washington.
Invited to speak by the Tea Party’s SLP reform movement, Landry told his town hall meeting hosts at the Holiday Inn in Houma that many of their concerns would not be adequately addressed until there is a change in the White House and most of Congress.
“I think there is a new breed of conservatism out there,” Landry said. “There are people like you who have given up hope in the people they elected. We need to make sure there are people like us [elected to office].”
Landry (R-New Iberia), who may not be representing many of those in attendance when congressional districts change in 2012, suggested that questions of constituency will not stop him from expressing the desires of voters in the re-drawn 3rd District when it no longer includes Terrebonne or Lafourche parishes.
The 45 participants of this meeting said their session was intended to be one in which they offered an expression of appreciation to Landry for backing their concerns and remaining true to his principles.
“This is our second meeting in two weeks,” SLP Interim Board Chairwoman Stacy Hargenrader said. “We just want to basically thank [Landry] for staying strong for us and standing up for us. We want to let him know what we want from him during the rest of the time he is [in office].”
Landry opened his presentation by listing what he views as an accomplishment for south Louisiana, namely standing up against the influences and oppression from Washington. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we had people [in Congress] that it mattered more to them what was going inside the beltway than in their own [states],” he said.
Landry was interrupted several times by applause during the evening as he told those in attendance that he had remained true to their values in government by voting against the raising of a debt ceiling on the federal budget, supporting a balanced budget amendment, backing funding for veteran benefits, and opposing government-run health care.
Half of the more than an hour Landry spent with his supporters was dedicated to fielding their questions.
When asked about military funding, Landry said that he declined accepting government-backed health care and a retirement plan offered to members of Congress, in favor of paying for his own insurance and also as a protest to cuts made in veteran benefits. “I don’t want my paycheck if the military is not getting theirs,” he said.
When one participant asked what is being done in Congress to help small business, Landry responded by stating, “Not much more than was already happening. That’s part of the problem.”
Landry predicted that as long as President Obama is in office the oil industry and support businesses of coastal Louisiana should not expect to see a return of drilling permits and activity to the levels they were before the April 20, 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
When asked about illegal immigration, Landry took a hard stand reflective of those in attendance and said, “Illegals go home. No amnesty.”
Regarding U.S. participation in the United Nations, Landry said that the U.S. contribution of financial support and military personnel in the U.N. is far more than it should be.
Asked about how to secure a balanced budget amendment, Landry answered, “Elect people who are hell-bent on it.” He added that a balanced budget could not be realized as long as the Obama health care plan remains in place.
Landry told the assembly that he would support any measure that would rebuild and protect the Louisiana coast. He also voiced support in having the United Houma Nation recognized by the federal government.
“People are just weary and they need to have a place where they have a voice,” Hargenrader said of the Tea Party movement and public meetings with elected officials. “We’re putting together teams of people that are going to work on different issues that interest them. That’s where you are going to get the best results, when you give somebody something that interests them.”
Hargenrader said part of the SLP’s intention is to get more voting age residents in the area active in the process. “When you’ve got an area the size of Terrebonne Parish and only 20 percent of the people get out to vote that’s just wrong. We don’t care if they are Republicans or Democrats. We just want them to vote and participate. The Tea Party, actually, is an action party.”
Hargenrader said part of the Tea Party purpose is to let elected officials know what the voters in their districts expect. “If we don’t let these representatives know how we feel about the job they are doing they will do things we don’t want them to do because we are not saying what we expect,” she said.
“My job is to go through the issues, but always go back to the people I represent,” Landry said. “[Having active groups like this] is the way we turn this ship around. By continued networking and involvement.”
Rep. Jeff Landry is offered a written statement from South Louisiana Patriots Tea Party Interim Board Chairwoman Stacy Hargenrader during a town hall meeting hosted by the organization in Houma. MIKE NIXON
