TOWNSEND — Congressman Denny Rehberg touched on issues ranging from wilderness and stimulus money to his Facebook site Tuesday during a one-hour listening session at the community library here.

He noted that health care reform is sapping everyone’s time and energy at this point, but once that moves forward in whatever format, Congress will turn its attention to the other problems and opportunities that are important to Montana.

Rehberg, R-Mont., promised to sit down with those who hammered out the state’s newest wilderness bill, which Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced last summer as the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, as well as those who feel they were left out of the discussions. While Rehberg clearly isn’t a supporter of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, which designates large swathes of land throughout the West as wilderness, he remains on the fence with Tester’s bill, which allows for a mix of wilderness and logging.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time taking a look at Jon’s bill … and there are a number of things that are kind of a threshold for me,” he told about 100 people crowded into the library’s meeting room.

That includes removing wilderness study areas that are managed as wilderness but aren’t actually designated as such; trying to come up with timber sales that won’t be litigated; and including language to protect Montana’s water rights.

“I have every intention of coming back and spending some time … with maps and sit down at the table and discuss it,” Rehberg said.

He called the recent economic meltdown a “government-created problem” caused by federal agencies giving people loans for homes they couldn’t afford, which was then exacerbated by giving away federal funds through President Obama’s stimulus package and raising taxes.

“What stimulates the economy is allowing people to keep money in their pockets that they have earned, instead of taxing it away,” Rehberg said. “This administration and Congress moved into a spending plan. They said they were tired of tax relief and government spending was a way to stimulate the economy.

“They’re talking now of a second stimulus package … the problem is we’ve already spent the money. You can’t continue to spend all the money now, especially in a recession, then tax productive members of society to pay off the debt.”

In response to a comment from the audience, Rehberg said he believes Congress is less corrupt than ever before, but since the Internet makes it easier for people to get information it might seem like senators and representatives actually are breaking more laws.

“So the good news is you’re getting less corruption than before; you’re just finding out more about it,” he said, and urged people to follow how their representatives vote by going online to various Web sites.

He also directed them to his own Facebook site, noting that he has around 4,000 people who sign on as “friends” to access his page where they can learn straight from him how he feels on issues.

“Of course, not all those friends are actually friends, as I found out,” he added with a laugh. “But I put all my speeches there from the House floor, testimony, press releases and votes. It’s an open line of communication and social networking.”

When asked what he thought should be done about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rehberg said he supports giving the troops the resources they need to win, but he’s troubled by the costs that include $500 toilet seats and $200 hammers.

“Until we’re as lean and mean as we should be (in the Department of Defense) it’s very difficult to hand them a blank check,” Rehberg added.

Eve Byron: 447-4076 or eve.byron@helenair.com

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