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Constituents Share What's On Their Minds

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By RAY REYES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2008

PLANT CITY - Widows of military veterans heard U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was coming to town, so they made their presence known.

So did firefighters, land developers, environmentalists, students and average residents, about 50 in all who packed a small auditorium at the Plant City campus of Hillsborough Community College on Jan. 14 to have a face-to-face meeting with the senator.

As Nelson scanned the faces of the crowd before he started his town-hall meeting, he seemed aware that a diverse group of people would air a variety of concerns.

"I want to hear what's on your mind," said Nelson, who was in the midst of a statewide tour that also will take him to the Panhandle and the Keys to meet his constituents.

Within an hour, Nelson was asked about military benefits, immigration laws, education and the dependence on foreign countries for oil.

Members of Gold Star Wives of America thanked Nelson for his support of women whose husbands have died while serving in the military.

Nelson said he will continue to work with his fellow congressional members to ensure that widows get their fair share of monthly benefits. Some are getting as little as $50 a month, he said.

"We should be ashamed of ourselves. Taking care of widows and orphans is a cost of war, like buying ammunition or trucks," he said.
Commissioner Robert Brown, who attended the meeting with Mayor Rick Lott, City Manager David Sollenberger and former Mayor John Dicks, asked Nelson about the progress on reforming immigration laws.

Plant City has a large agricultural economy and depends on an immigrant workforce, Brown said.

Nelson said there is a balancing act of making the current illegal immigrant population - about 12 million people - legal and reforming laws to make it fair for individuals who have waited years to immigrate to the United States.

"Somewhere out there is a consensus, but we haven't been able to get it," he said.

Nelson also broached the topic about the nation's reliance on foreign oil, citing that areas in the Persian Gulf, Venezuela and Nigeria are where the United States imports most of its oil supply. Those areas also happen to be politically unstable, Nelson said.

"We're in an absolutely vulnerable position," Nelson said. "The clock's ticking. That oil is going to get cut off."

He said the government is studying alternative fuels such as ethanol, but that the cost of making it for public consumption is expensive.

Moments before he ended the meeting, Nelson thanked the crowd for taking the time to attend.

"This is an increasingly polarized world," Nelson said. "But bringing people together, that's what my life in Washington is all about. We'll continue to work on it."

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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