Reed talks heroin, welfare, immigration

STARKEY--Some 16 residents attended the Starkey town hall to speak with Congressman Tom Reed (R--Corning) Saturday, Feb. 20. The congressman spent just over an hour answering questions from those in attendance. The topics brought up included a range of issues, from heroin and welfare to immigration policy.
Reed was asked by one crowd member what can be done to better help Dundee residents with the ongoing heroin problem in the area. Reed said the house is looking at priority level funding to address the heroin issue, as it has become a problem all across the country, not just in Dundee. He said this stems from it becoming cheaper than other drugs like alcohol and marijuana. Reed noted when he was growing up, heroin was depicted as primarily an injection drug, but added people are now snorting it. He and other crowd members mentioned the higher chances of an overdose when the heroin is cut with things like fentanyl.
Resident Linda Schuler said she thinks part of the reason for drug use is a sense of helplessness in the youth population. She said with the lack of jobs available, many students are not thinking past their high school years. Schuler added their drug abuse could partially be due to idle hands.
"It is devastating lives," Reed said. "We need to be ahead of it as much as possible."
Transitioning the discussion to the need for more jobs, Reed said he wants to work on promoting more manufacturing opportunities in the region. Starkey Town Clerk Sue Crans highlighted her concerns with the current tax system, noting it encourages people to only earn a certain amount. She noted if people start making too much money, they will lose certain benefits they are accustomed to receiving. Reed added he has heard stories of people turning down their Christmas bonuses, as it would cause them to lose things like heating benefits. Calling it "the welfare cliff," Reed said his office is working on welfare reform, while trying to figure out how to make these programs incentivize people to go back to work.
"We are the most generous people in the world," Reed said. "But there is a limit. People need to stand on their own two feet."
Touching on the problem with illegal immigration, Reed noted he believes if there was more focus on working together, the government could come to a solution on the issue. He said not many politicians are willing to have that conversation yet, as many want to keep it as an issue they can run on during political campaigns. Other crowd members noted the problem is not just with the Mexican border, but also the Canadian border as well, noting better steps need to be taken to secure each.