Greenwood Commonwealth - Wicker Talks Issues

News Article

By Charlie Smith
Staff Writer

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker halted his campaigning Friday just long enought to talk public policy at the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce.

Local officials and businessmen asked Wicker questions in a public forum, and he explained his position on major issues.

Wicker said he supports the U.S. 82 to downtown connector road project and is hopeful that more federal money will come for the road. Getting the rest of the money will require help from local and state agencies, though,Wicker said.

"Almost anything of this nature we have to do as a partnership," Wicker said.

Congress recently reinstated $2.5 million for the project, which had been cut in an effort to eliminat earmarks.

Greenwood Mayor Sheriel Perkins said the project will cost $5.9 million.

"We feel that this would really strengthen our economic growth (downtown)," Perkins said.

Wicker feels downtown Greenwood has a lot of potential. He and his wife, Gayle, stayed at The Alluvian Thursday night, and Wicker said they took a stroll downtown after dinner.

He said the connector road is a good investment that will help the local economy by making job creation easier and encouraging tourism.

Wicker said other cities in Mississippi, such as Oxford, have had great success in turning old railroads into highways.

On the stalled farm bill, Wicker said he does not think there is enough money in it right now for him to support it. He said it must have enough to provide a safety net for farmers who actually work the land.

"We're at a crossroads," Wicker said. "We're at a log-jam situation on the farm bill."

Wicker said fellow senator Thad Cochran was not optimistic in their last conversation about getting the bill passed soon.

Congress has been giving temporary extensions on the farm bill until it can pass a new version.

Wicker said he thinks the big-picture fundamentals of the economy are sound, but he acknowledged that this is an uncertain period for the economy.

"At the current time, people are feeling squeezed," Wicker said.

He hopes to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that are set to expire in 2010. He said letting them expire amounts to a tax increase.

He also praised the recently-passed economic stimulus package, which he described as one-half job creation and one-half tax rebate. He hopes it will prevent the economy from going into a full-fledged recession.

Getting gas prices under control by increasing domestic oil production is another economic priority, Wicker said.

He said Congress should revisit drilling for oil on the north slope of Alaska, which he said Alaskans have asked them to do.

"To me, when the locals say it's OK, I think it's foolish of us to keep paying high gas prices when we have oil resources that we can exploit," Wicker said.

Wicker came to Greenwood Thursday as part of a statewide campaign tour to meet with boards of supervisors and city councils.

Gov. Haley Barbour appointed Wicker, a longtime Republican Congressman from north Mississippi, as a Senator when Trent Lott resigned in December.

He is running against former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to fill the rest of Lott's term. The election will be Nov. 8.

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