Congressman Farenthold visits Gonzales

GONZALES — Billed as a roundtable discussion with constituents, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Corpus Christi) made a stop Tuesday afternoon at the county courthouse to see what was on voters’ minds. Unfortunately, only five citizens showed up to participate in the process.

But the intimate gathering was still a success, with Farenthold sitting at the head table in the commissioner’s chambers with County Judge David Bird. It gave ample time for each attendee to grab the ear of the congressman.

Farenthold said that he tries to get around the district several times a year to do these type of discussions. Considering he was a Radio, Television and Film major in college, communication is important to him. And you can’t knock say the doesn’t get his views out on social media.

The hour-long visit touched on topics vital to Farenthold’s beliefs. The first question came from a business owner who said that everyone wanted to “tax the heck out of him” and likened it to double-taxation. This led to a discussion on the nation’s current tax collecting system and the ways that Farenthold wishes to change it.

The congressman states that the country’s tax system is way too complex. He quoted Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who said that every American should be able to send their tax return in on a post card.

Farenthold has been looking into a fair tax, also known as a national sales tax, in which he co-sponsors.

“I’m not sure it’s ready for prime time yet,” he said, acknowledging that the bill doesn’t have enough votes to move forward in the House.

He did mention that there may be something good in the comprehensive tax reform bill authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, but that it will probably contain just as much bad legislation as good. He is interested in digging into it and finding out what it says.

The conversation then turned to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Farenthold disagreed with how the negotiations have been carried out, without a lot of transparency in his view.

“I don’t think that’s any way to run a government,” he said.

He added that he thinks that if a little light is shed on the proceedings and it does go through that U.S. workers would end up benefitting.

On border security, Farenthold continued to stress that it was a very important issue for him. His main beef was what’s the point in changing immigration rules if they aren’t being enforced in the first place. He believes that with the current technology we have in place, such as aerostat balloons and Predator drones, we should be able to monitor the border better if we dedicated resources appropriately.

An issue in which the congressman took some flak over was his vote for Rep. John Boehner to remain as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Many tea party Republicans have chastised him for not listening to the will of the people and not backing a more conservative choice. But for him, he saw the writing on the wall and Boehner was the only candidate that was going to pass muster amongst the members. Voting against him would have jeopardized legislative opportunities that Farenthold said would have been detrimental to the district had he lost his chairmanship in retaliation.

Farenthold mentioned attending a retreat in Hershey, Penn. In which he was able to grab the speaker’s attention for a moment. He advised Boehner to change his tune and listen to more people and get the GOP’s message out, which he said appears to be happening.

Finishing that topic, Farenthold did say that he knows of a couple of representatives willing to make a play for speaker next session and may have a legitimate shot of success.

The conversation naturally shifted to energy prices. Farenthold discussed the need for natural gas conversions in vehicles and the process of making the fuel available.

One obstacle was its low market price. The other, a lack of infrastructure to carry liquefied natural gas, mainly by pipeline. He predicted a long-term shift from coal power to natural gas as liquefication becomes more common.

As the discussion concluded, Farenthold urged members to stay in contact with him to let them know their concerns. He said he planned to be back this way in August, perhaps with a town hall meeting.

Farenthold can be reached by calling his Corpus Christi office at 361-884-2222 or his Washington office at 202-225-7742. The congressman can be reached online at farenthold.house.gov.