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Congressman John Garamendi Hits Tough Issues at Q&A Session
The congressman candidly discussed issues within the region and nation at the Horizon Leadership Series in Walnut Creek.
Tom Guarino, East Bay public affairs manager for PG&E and event organizer starts off the Q&A session with Congressman John Garamendi.
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The Horizon Leadership Series Q&A for Rep. John Garamendi opened with the topic of his “roast” on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report earlier this month.
Garamendi said he agreed to do the interview with Colbert because his staff told him it would be “cool” if he did it. He said the interview was actually fun and his wife thought it was hilarious.
Tom Guarino, East Bay public affairs manager for PG&E and event organizer, said he thought the interview was brutal.
“Even for (Stephen Colbert), I thought it was a little 'cuckoo,'” Guarino said.
Garamendi moved to more serious topics after the Colbert question and spent a lot of time discussing the national debt.
He said things were great in the 1990s, but we’ve run out of financial gas and nation building is a key to fixing the problem. He said we need to have the best education and best research as well as to start manufacturing things again in the United States.
He attributed problems with the national debt to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because the conflict were paid for with borrowed money.
“President Obama comes into office with a ($1.3 trillion) budget deficit and economy that had tanked,” Garamendi said.
The Democratic congressman said the $800 billion economic stimulus program in 2009 worked, but it wasn’t enough. Garamendi said federal spending needs to come down in the long term, not just with short-term cuts.
Having fewer employees does not always result in less efficiency, Garamendi pointed out.
When one man from the crowd said the Federal Reserve had too much control and printing money was causing inflation, Garamendi replied that the currency was not causing inflation and the country was actually experiencing deflation.
The man responded by pointing out higher costs for food and other grocery items, which Garamendi said was caused by a growing demand for food and fuel.
Another man asked about the real estate market and whether Garamendi thought the recession would end without a downward trend in real estate.
“The housing market is crucial to the American economy,” Garamendi said. “When federal and state governments and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sat back and let it rip, we crashed.”
Garamendi said he feels the lending system needs to be more regulated to prevent the same thing from happening again.
He said that the current mortgage laws requiring a 20 percent down payment for a home are too strict. He said 10 to 15 percent would be more reasonable.
Garamendi also discussed government grants for solar energy. He said recipients of those grants should be required to buy products “made in America” instead of from other countries, such as China.
Education was a topic. Garamendi said that teacher salaries and benefits were not the problem.
“The real issue is how we teach.”
He brought up the idea of having more technology in the classrooms. One example used was the tens of millions spent on textbooks each year. They could be replaced with Kindles or other electronic readers.
Sandy Person, one of people at the Q&A, said she thought Garamendi did a great job discussing what she felt were complex problems.
“I thought he demonstrated a considerable knowledge of a lot of the problems we face,” Person said. “His comprehensive depth of understanding is insightful.”
Guarino described the crowd as passionate. He said he was glad they were interactive, compared with the first Horizon Leadership Series with Pleasant Hill Mayor David Durant, where he had to ask most of the questions.
“They had some very tough questions,” Guarino said. “I applaud their tough questions and the congressman for digging in and responding.”
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Ralph Hoffmann
7:24 am on Thursday, June 30, 2011
It's Tom Guarino, public affairs manager of PG&E, who was brutal in describing the Colbert roast as a little 'cuckoo.' Terms like 'cuckoo,' 'crazy' and 'nuts' are used to stigmatize persons with a mental illness diagnosis, much as members of the GLTB community are called 'queer.'
Tom Guarino
8:21 am on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Hi Ralph. You know what, I have to agree with you. I don't know where that word came from. I'm a big Colbert fan but thought that the heavily edited interview was just bizarre. I applaud the Congressman's characterization of the interview - I was trying to make the point that it was a pretty senseless display by Mr. Colbert. My apologies if I offended anyone - certainly not my intent. Thanks for calling me out on this Ralph.
Ralph Hoffmann
9:13 am on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thanks for your apology, Tom. Even today, many people wouldn't be so gracious. My concerns are that youth and young adults who are bullied for being 'different' wind up committing suicide.
Jason Wheeler
10:22 am on Thursday, June 30, 2011
It really was a great event kudo's to Melodie Lane and Brandman University. It was a great forum to come together and listen to ideas to shape our future.
Kevin Bacon
2:08 pm on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Nice Q&A session J Garamendi. Brandman should have more of these forums. Garamendi did a good job on the Stephan Colbert show also; not easy keeping pace with Colbert's crazy antics.
raffaele esposto
4:22 pm on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Too bad no one pressed Garamendi as to why he lied, not once , but twice , with regard to vote on healt care reform. He told two local chambers of commerce that he would not vote for the Bill if it contained language that required an employer mandate. But he did vote for it. He lied. Twice
Ralph Hoffmann
5:36 pm on Thursday, June 30, 2011
KB, are you going to apologize for using the term 'crazy' as Tom did for using the term 'cuckoo?'
WENDY LACK
1:53 pm on Friday, July 1, 2011
Thank you, Linda, for your coverage of this event.
Garamendi's embarrassingly poor performance at this gathering is indicative of the failed vision of the Democratic Party. He offered bromides and bumper-sticker slogans amidst his numerous inaccurate statements. Garamendi's performance would have been laughable, were it not so serious -- the U.S. economy is a terrible thing to wreck.
It was a disappointing, canned performance, to be sure (would've been nice if he'd answered questions rather than reciting from his stump speech files).
Garamendi's performance nothwithstanding, this is a great speaker series sponsored by the PH Chamber, et. al. Bringing Electeds into direct contact with residents and business owners is a good thing.
Jean Eger
1:41 am on Saturday, July 2, 2011
I thought Rep. Garamendi showed admirable patience in the face of Colbert's bizarre marriage proposals or is that just a political protocol meaning he's committed to supporting gay rights? I think I could not have been that polite myself. Garamendi is a superstar, no doubt about it. Hopefully more serious issues get the lion's share of his attention. Jean Womack
Ralph Hoffmann
12:14 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011
KB, I was just checking. Wendy, have you checked the CA voter registration trends by Party?
Kevin Bacon
2:31 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011
Ralph [word police], I believe it is you that owes an apology for incorrectly twisting my comment as being malevolent. Used as an adjective, as I did, it would easily be defined as fantastic; strange; or ridiculous antics. Your being myopic with the English language. Another Ralph would tell you "Do not craze yourself with thinking, but go about your business anywhere" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
WENDY LACK
4:37 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011
@Ralph:
CA voter registration leans left, natch. But the ranks of disillusioned independents, DTS and Dems are growing (and isn't reflected in voter registration numbers) for many reasons, including lack of competent representation in Sacramento, as described here:
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/initiative-306729-state-ballot.html
Ralph Hoffmann
8:56 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011
KB, I'm happy to apologize to you, even though I don't know who you are. You may note you are the only blogger here who doesn't use their full name.
My vision is nearsighted (myopic).
Wendy, your point is well taken.