Sen. Obama hosts town meeting in South Holland
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Printable FormatDAILY SOUTHTOWN
By Rachelle Treiber
With shaky hands clutching an autographed Polaroid to her chest, Barbara Gordon looked like a woman who had just met her favorite movie star.
But it was not a typical celebrity that made the South Holland woman's heart skip a beat -- it was U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who hosted a town hall meeting Friday at South Suburban College.
"When he comes to town, I come to see him," said Gordon, who works as a secretary at the college's South Holland campus. "That is a man with values, and I hope he is the president of the United States one day."
Speaking to a standing-room only crowd of residents, students and dignitaries, the Democratic senator spent more than an hour answering questions on topics such as the state's economy, Medicare Plan B, education and gay marriage.
Obama said he had just flown in from Washington, D.C., where Thursday he introduced legislation to help low-income children from areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The legislation, which was introduced as an amendment to a $70 billion tax cut bill, will temporarily extend the Child Tax Credit to low-income parents in counties affected by the storm.
While in the nation's capital, Obama said a budget was passed that further cut student aid -- a move that left him "disappointed."
"It's a frustrating situation," said Obama, who recently became a Democratic Senate spokesman for ethics reform. "In terms of our budget, it is my hope that representatives stand up and say we have a different set of priorities."
On the subject of health care, it was the lack of focus that he took issue with.
"There was not one serious health care bill introduced on the floor of the Senate this year, and it's scandalous," Obama said.
Carol Murphy Davis, of Harvey, asked Obama about the unemployment problem in Illinois.
"It's my biggest concern, and I know it is something he's concerned about," Murphy Davis said. "He speaks well for the people."
South Holland, in Thornton Township, is the state's most populous township -- one that delivered significant votes for Obama in the 2004 election.
It was Obama's second appearance at South Suburban College, where he served as a commencement speaker in 2004.
Of all the issues discussed at his 42nd town hall meeting, he said the most important was education.
"It's why we came here to South Suburban for this meeting," Obama said. "We have to do something about state funding for education -- and if we can't do it now, then when?"