U.S. Congressman LOUIE GOHMERT: Proudly Serving the First District of Texas

By Cathy Krafve
U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert discussed issues facing Congress, particularly health-care reform, during a Bullard Rotary Club meeting last week.

Over 2,000 pages long, Gohmert compared the bill to the Bible.

“It is a lot longer than the Bible, and there’s something new every time you open it,” he said.

The bill was drafted by special-interest groups and experienced staffers who knew how to insert opportunities without using key search-engine words, Gohmert said.

For example, Gohmert said that if a person searched the word “abortion,” the only reference would say that government funding of abortion was prohibited.

On the other hand, because of vague wording in sections outlining funding for clinics and insurance policies, abortion re-enters the discussion and becomes possible under a veiled description of “activities referenced” in previous sections.

Gohmert shared stories with Rotary members of experiences with well-known leaders from varying political spectrums such as Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi.

“Pelosi knows how to wield power with a carrot and a stick,” he said, de- scribing some of her tactics and warning voters not to discount the upcoming lame-duck session, which he feels could prove to be strategic.

He described the challenges faced within his own party’s leadership, saying he is frequently introduced as the “conscience of the party.”

“All that means is that I fuss at my own party more than most,” he said.

The Bullard Rotary Club meets every Thursday, at 6:30 a.m., at Keipersol Estates Restaurant.

Rotary Club members are involved in a number of projects.

For instance, Bob Crossing spoke to the Bullard City Council last week about the club’s support of helping Bullard become part of the Tree City USA program.

The club also provides leadership opportunities to area young people.

“We sponsored the Lon Morris College Roteract Club, which recruits college students and introduces them the Rotary Organization,” Rotary Club President Bob Burnett said.

“The goal of this club is to prepare students to become Rotary members when they leave school and enter the business world. Amanda Chesshir, a Lon Morris teacher, is the Bullard Rotary Club’s representative to their club.”

Working with the Bullard Independent School District and Brook Hill School, Bullard Rotary Club recognizes outstanding students in the 11th and 12th grades, through the Student of the Month award.

They are also creating scholarships for Bullard Boy Scout Troop 366 to allow boys to attend camps, even when their families cannot afford to send them.