U. S. Rep.  Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., faced some sharp questions and comments about his stance in Congress during a listening session i n H a v r e Saturday.

“I’ve been a liberal all my life,” one man in the audience, who declined to give his name to the Hav r e Dai l y N e w s , t o l d Rehberg.  “I don’t appreciate the left … being characterized as radical, out of touch wi th the main stream.  Can you s t o p t h a t , please.” Havre was the second of four stops in a listening session tour Re h b e rg h e l d over the weekend.

Hi s s c h e d u l e included sessions in Chinook and Glasgow Sunday.

The Havre stop had eight audience members, as well as r e p o r t e r s a n d Rehberg’s staff.

Raymond Johnson of Havre asked Rehberg if he thought people pay too much in taxes, after he asked why some seem to think the government should be completely hands-off. “Why i s i t n owa d ays Congress and all the people think the government can’t do any good,” Johnson asked, citing numerous projects starting wi th the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression building many of the roads, bridges and dams in the nation.

Rehberg said he believes people have no problem paying taxes if they receive a good return for what they put in.

“This year, when the tax relief that was given in 2001 and ’3 sunsets, or expires, people are going to go crazy,” Rehberg said.

The bill President Barack Obama signed into law in 2009 to help the country get out of the recession that started in 2008 did not give good results, he said.

Of the spending in the 2009 Ame r i can Re c ove ry and Reinvestment Act, only 12 cents of every dollar went to actual projects similar to what the WPA did, Rehberg said.  The rest went to spending in government programs, he said.

“What are you targeting?

Are you targeting government spending or are you targeting stimulus?” Rehberg asked.

He said he supported an alternative, which would have used the money to suspend payroll taxes for employees and employers.  That would have given people more money, and allowed investments into businesses, Rehberg said.

Rehberg said the Democratic leadership has called the act a success.

“Well, if it’s working, where are the jobs?” he asked.

The White House last week provided information that the act has created or sustained about 3 million jobs during the recession, as well as providing tax relief and sustaining or increasing government benefits during that period.

He said three bills passed in the last year have added $1 trillion each to government spending, without ever being discussed, debated or amended by the House Appropriat ions Committee.  Instead, the bills went from the chair of committees to the Speaker of the House then to the floor for a vote, Rehberg said.

“That is not transparent … ,” Rehberg said, adding that using that kind of process is his biggest complaint with the current leadership of Congress.  “I think that that is not good governance.” Much of his comments to Johnson reflected earlier comments on the reform of the financial industry that passed Congress last week.  Republican Havre City Council member Bob Kaftan asked Rehberg what he thought of that bill.

Rehberg said when people talk about issues as complex, and legislation as lengthy as, financial reform, they should be careful how they label it.

“When something is done (that is) so complicated, be careful when people give you the term reform,” he said.

“Because what you consider reform, I might not.” He said much of the reform bills including on the financial crisis and health care left out what he believes is the true cause of the problem.

In finance, he said, the largest cause of the recession was loose credit allowed by the federal mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Congress elected to delay dealing with that issue, he said.

He said another concern is that once the legislation gets to the regulators, those agencies might miss the essence — or might change — the intent of the legislators in regulating the industry.

“I’m not convinced that it has solved the ‘too big to fail’ concept, I’m not convinced that the taxpayer isn’t still going to be on the hook,” he said.

He said he has much the same feeling about health care reform.  The legislation puts off — separates — what he considers the biggest issue causing medical cost increases, he said.

Rehberg said lawsuits causing doctors to practice defensive medicine is the major cost increase, and the bill separated and delayed action on that.

Another delay was on dealing with problems with the cost of Medicare programs, he said.

He added that while the bill gives access to health care for more Americans — which is good — it does not control costs.

Rehberg predicted that this fall people will see large increases in their health insurance premiums.

The man who characterized himself as a liberal asked Rehberg why he believes people pay too much in taxes.

When he drives down the road, the man said, he knows the roads are well-built and maintained, the stoplights work, if he drives too fast, the police will stop him and make him slow down.  If his house catches on firefirefighters will come to put out the blaze, he said.

When he goes to a shop, he is not always sure he is getting a good deal, he said.

“For the amount I pay in taxes I get a great deal … ,” he said.  “I think, by and large, the government does a good job.” He added that he believes the government — and taxpayers — have an obligation to help people with their medical care.

Rehberg thanked the man for his comments and sharing his opinions.