Frelinghuysen Faces Fear, Worry at Town Hall

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen held court Saturday morning at a town hall meeting in Basking Ridge in front of a crowd of around 50 people who peppered him with questions about the federal health care bill, the national debt, the gulf oil cleanup and conspiracy theories.

The congressman brought with him one prop, the 3,000-page health care bill that laid on a table at the lip of the Basking High auditorium like stacks of phone books as he spoke. Many speakers derided the bill during the 90-minute meeting.

"There's a drumbeat to repeal this bill," said the congressman, dressed in a white shirt, khaki pants and a red tie. "The devil's in the details."

Doug Wicks, of Basking Ridge, identified himself as a constitutional scholar and said he believes the bill is unconstitutional and asked how congress allowed it to pass. Frelinghuysen, who brandished a copy of the constitution that he kept in his back pocket, said he also believes the bill is not constitutional.

"I think Speaker Pelosi and leader Reid knew the bill was unconstitutional and I think they knew 25 states would challenge it as unconstitutional," he said. "I think there's a strong case for it being ruled unconstitutional. I think they knew what they were doing."

Before the meeting Frelinghuysen said that he came with no agenda of what to talk about and instead said he came to hear what his constituents had on their minds.

"It's an opportunity for people to vent," he said.

Most speakers did just that, railing against President Obama and the Democratic leadership in congress. Several said they feared that America is changing for the worse.

Deborah K. Palmeri, of Caldwell, said that right now she is afraid for her country in a way that she hasn't felt since September 11.

"It's an attack from our government, Pelosi, Reid, the president, I mean the whack-jobs," she said.  "This isn't going to be America if they keep doing what they're doing."

Several speakers identified themselves as members of the Tea Party movement. Frelinghuysen said he appreciated their passion.

"The good thing about the Tea Party movement is you have a lot of people by their own admission who are angry as hell and they're not going to take it anymore," he said. "I think you need to keep that spirit."

Nicholas Sant Foster, a founding member of the Morristown Tea Party who is known regionally for maintaining more than 100 American flags on interstates 287 and 78, also expressed his fear.

"The frustration and anger, all of that comes from fear," he said. "I would guess that a lot of us here have some fear about losing our freedoms."

Leslie Workman, of Basking Ridge, stood with her 11-year-old son Kyle Workman and asked Frelinghuysen for solutions to the nation's mushrooming debt, which she fears her son will be burdened with.

"I would like you to give us some hope," she said.

Frelinghuysen called the debt "staggering" and suggested repealing the health care bill, taking back unspent stimulus money and "doing something" about national mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Kyle Workman said the he thought the town hall meeting was an educational experience.

"It was kind of interesting," he said.

Joe Coladarci, of Dover, demanded that Frelinghuysen write a letter to President Obama asking why other countries aren't lending their help and technology to cleaning up the gulf oil spill.

"I believe, it's because I'm such a conspiracy nut, they wanted the oil on the beach to create the atmosphere of destruction so they could do the things that they're dong," said Coladarci, who identified himself as a Tea Party member. "I need you to send a letter to the president of the United States."

Intentionally blackened beaches wasn't the only conspiracy that Frelinghuysen was asked about. John Tobak of Madison questioned him about a "conspiracy to destroy America."

"Do you believe all of our problems are from ignorance, stupidity and do you believe there is a conspiracy to destroy America?" he asked.

Frelinghuysen said he did not.

"But I believe many of the pubic policies are destroying things that are innately American," he said. "I understand there is a drumbeat for conspiracy but I believe the election process will reverse a lot of what we've seen."

A Basking Ridge woman who would identify herself only as Joyce said that she was so worried about the country that it made her stomach churn. She pointedly asked Frelinghuysen how he was feeling.

"My stomach is always churning," he said.

Many speakers asked what they could do right now to halt what they see as the destruction of the country. Frelinghuysen said that as a member of the minority party, there's "not a hell of a lot" that he can do.

"All we have is a is a strong voice," he said. "We do not have the votes."

At least one speaker came from as far away as Brick, NJ. John O'Rourke made the trek to lobby Frelinghuysen to seek to repeal the federal income tax and replace it with a national sales tax.

Despite the frustration voiced by most speakers, Frelinghuysen said he enjoyed meeting with his constituents rather than be in Washington.

"It's full of rancor and partisanship," he said. "It's good to be home."