>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Along with other pressing subjects such as energy and Iraq, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., spends a few minutes at a town hall in La Grande discussing health care as he holds up his personal Senate health insurance card as an example of what every American should have. - The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER

Wyden, in La Grande for the formal opening of the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic, met with about 30 local residents in a 90-minute session in Huber Auditorium.

He gave some brief opening remarks, then gave way for questions and comments from his constituency.

Early on, the high price of oil came up. Brad Nelson wondered what Wyden and Congress will do about the rapidly escalating cost of gasoline.

Wyden, D-Ore., replied he doesn’t think there is any one solution to the oil crisis and that lawmakers can’t solve the problem by themselves.

“This is a front we have to open up with a variety of measures,” he said. “I don’t buy the idea that we need an ‘either-or’ strategy,” he said.

He said he favors a cut in oil subsides for companies who drill on public land. Money saved could be used for development of alternate energy sources, he said.

He also said tax laws should be changed to make it attractive for oil companies to get more oil out of existing wells, and that fuel efficiency standards should be tightened up.

He added that the oil problem won’t be solved by legislative action alone. Ordinary citizens need to do their part.

“We all ought to be thinking there are a lot of things we can do individually,” he said. “The simple act of keeping our tires properly inflated can save us a lot of  gas money.”

Several people at the forum expressed concerns about the rising costs of medical care and health insurance. Wyden agreed that those costs have become a nearly unbearable burden.

“Medical costs are gobbling up everything in sight. The system is unsustainable,” he said.

He touted the Healthy Americans Act, a bill he helped author that has growing bipartisan support.

The legislation would require that everyone have health care coverage. A wide variety of insurance options would be available, Wyden said.

“You really do need to cover everybody, because uncovered costs get passed on to those who are covered,” he said. “The Healthy Americans Act modernizes the system and gives employees and employers more choices.”

In answer to a question about the war in Iraq, Wyden said he hopes the next president will start to bring troops home from that war-torn country.

“I hope the next president starts bringing our soldiers home in an orderly fashion. I’m not talking about cut-and-run. I’m talking about something deliberate that takes into consideration the situation on the ground,” he said.

He said he thinks most Oregonians have come to see the Iraq war as a mistake on the part of the Bush administration. He added that the time has come for the Iraqis to start taking control of their own destiny.

“We have to send a message to them that we’re not going to be there indefinitely,” he said.

town hall talking: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., answers questions posed by community members gathered at Huber Auditorium on the Eastern Oregon University campus Wednesday afternoon. - The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER

“The veterans benefits delivery system is broken,” Jederberg said.

He said vets are having an increasingly difficult time getting claims reviewed and approved, because service officers and advocates no longer have access to files.

“It doesn’t do much good to call somebody in Phoenix when the file is in Portland,” he said.

 “It doesn’t do any good for a veteran to get a claim through if he’s been dead for two years.”

Wyden said he repeatedly hears complaints about the benefits delivery system and plans to work to improve the situation.

“We’ve got our next challenge. I’m hearing people all over the state say they are facing unbelievable bureaucratic water torture,” he said.

Before he left for the clinic dedication, Wyden fielded other questions and comments on Social Security, Medicare, the No Child Left Behind Act and more.

The senator holds a town hall meeting once each year in every Oregon county.

In a meeting earlier Wednesday with The Observer editorial board, Wyden was asked about what appears to be the dwindling prospects for an extension of the county payments legislation.

“I don’t accept the prospect of failure,’’ Wyden told the board. “We’ll stay at it until we get it done.’’