A huge crowd and a handful of vocal protesters greeted Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Douglas Wednesday afternoon. She was here as part of the Congress on Your Corner program.

Shaya Clemson, Elfrida; Tammy Smith , Rucker Canyon; and Stella Brown of Elfrida make their feelings clear to Congresswoman Giffords.

More than 150 people greeted Giffords. Only 35 attended the last program in Douglas.

It was later discovered Douglas Police had been contacted because someone dropped a gun at the meeting.

Giffords’ office was not aware of the problem until after the meeting.

In a statement from C.J. Karamargin, Communications Director, he said, “Southern Arizonans want a civil and safe discussion on reforming our health insurance system. No one should feel threatened when exercising their right to get involved in the democratic process.

 “Congresswoman Giffords has held numerous public forums in the past and will hold many more. She is one of the most accessible members of Congress and that will not change. But what Congresswoman Giffords cares about most is the security of her constituents.

“Congresswoman Giffords remains committed to finding solutions to our nations’ health insurance crisis that will lower costs, protect choice and honor small businesses.”

This is the 18th time the program has come to a community in her district. The idea behind the visits is to allow constituents one-on-one time,” Giffords said.

“A town hall format, like the one we recently did on health issues, provides a lot of information on a particular subject, but does little to solve individual constituent problems.

It is estimated that Giffords visited with approximately 80 people on Wednesday, and she said nearly one-third sought her help in resolving a personal issue while the items discussed by the remaining constituents touched on immigration, health insurance, Veterans issues, the energy bill and the general increase in government funding or spending.

Giffords’ plan was to be in Douglas for about one-and-a-half hours, but the large turnout necessitated staying for nearly two-and-a-half hours.

While many were frustrated by the wait and the format of the program, Giffords said constituents should have an opportunity to speak one-on-one with their legislators.

Others favored a different approach. That included Stella Brown of Elfrida, who said, “This is asinine”

Someone simply calling himself “Sarge” from Douglas kept the meeting interesting, holding a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and shouting “How many people can you lie to in a hour-and-a-half?” and “No more spending.”

As the meeting passed the 45-minute mark, there were fewer and fewer interruptions.

Giffords’ Communication Director C.J. Karamargin said this was the most animated of the crowds at the 18 Congress on the Corner meetings.

Many of those holding signs for the Congresswoman to see were concerned about the socializing of medicine and the government as a whole.

Alison McLeod, R.N., of Bisbee had a different take and wanted to move to a “Single payer” system similar to Medicare.

“The insurance companies have corrupted the Universal Health Care proposal. I would like to see a program similar to Medicare expanded for everyone.  Those that believe we don’t have socialized medicine aren’t really paying attention. The Veterans Administration is already providing socialized health care.”

Douglas Port Expansion

An issue receiving attention during and before the meeting was the Douglas Port of Entry expansion.

Three people brought it up during the meeting, and Giffords spoke with Douglas Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez and City Engineer Carlos De La Torre prior to the event.

“We are progressing with the expansion of the port in Douglas, but there are three things that must be accomplished first,” Giffords said.

“First, we need to make sure the Mexican government designates where they want the expansion.

“Second, Make sure the project is on the books. The project has to be shovel ready – no hang-ups, all the paperwork in place—in order to proceed. The Douglas Port expansion is not shovel ready.

“Third, we need an education campaign for the pubic and those public officials instrumental in approving the project. The port has to remain open on Saturdays, because the decisions on expansion will be determined based on the numbers. The Douglas port is the only one not fully open on Saturday.”

 

Just The Facts

Prior to the “Congress On Your Corner” program, Douglas Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez and City Engineer Carlos De La Torre met with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Below is a statement from that meeting:

The main purpose for the meeting is to  kindly request her office’s continued assistance for the Douglas Port of Entry Project and funding for the related Chino Road Extension.

We continue to impress upon our Congresswoman Giffords that the modernization and construction of the Douglas Port of Entry can very well play a significant role in sustaining our community, the Southern Arizona region and the state’s economy with job creation. The growth in our economy (second quarter) can be widely attributed to the strength of our nation’s exports. Canada and Mexico are our first and second largest trading partners and eighty-eight (88) percent of this trade moves by land. The Douglas port moves over 1.7 million trucks, buses and car with one billion dollars in trade annually and is the second busiest Port in the State of Arizona.

We  followed up with information that International trade and commerce are vital to our economy. The Federal Government has addressed the infrastructure problems at the Mariposa and San Luis ports of entry.  A commitment to the Douglas Port should be next. One key concern holding up the Douglas project is getting the U.S. Federal agencies to get commitments from its counterpart Mexican agencies. We need to assure parallel efforts and mirrored port of entry projects in Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. 

Such a bi-national multi-agency coordination is a must. We respectfully request your help and continued support in a concerted effort to engage INDAABIN (U.S. GSA Mexican counterpart agency) and Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) to illicit an official statement revealing the intentions of the Mexican federal agencies regarding Agua Prieta port of entry.

We recognize the need for a strong united voice from all our influential Federal Representatives to bring this project to fruition.