U.S. Senator Richard Durbin holds town meeting in Chester

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[U.S. Senator Richard Durbin made a stop in Chester for a town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 5.

Durbin spoke to the crowd at the Chester American Legion on various issues including Barack Obama and rising gas prices.

"This town has come along way and it is because of the hard work of people in this community." stated Durbin.

Speaking on Obama, Durbin stated " He has got something I have never seen in life. He has a special quality and I am so proud of him. His campaign is about issues, vote on your vision, where you want this county to go."

Durbin went on to state how Americans are working hard yet they are falling behind.

"I believe this has to do with economic policy." he stated.

Healthcare insurance was the first issue he spoke on.

"The number one reason people are filing bankruptcy is due to their medical bills. We have got to change the USA so everyone has a chance. You need to fight for this in the upcoming election." stated Durbin.

Concerning the war, Durbin said "We support our troops but at some point the Iraqis need to take over this war. It is costing us 10 to 12 million dollars a month. Bring them home to the heros welcome they deserve."

Durbin told the crowd about the recently passed New GI Bill.

"Our troops will get the same break the veterans of WWII received." said Durbin "This is a chance to build their lives and to make sure they get quality medical care. Our promise to the soldiers is that we stand by them."

Durbin was then asked a question about drilling for oil off the shore of Alaska. Durbin response by saying Democrats are not against drilling for oil..

"We need to seek independence from foreign oil, we can do that with homegrown products, " stated Durbin. "There are towns up north that have utilized Wind Turbins, let's use them to generate energy for this area. The USA has 3% of oil and the USA consumes 25%. We can not drill our way out of this."

Randolph County Commissioner Ken Slavens asked Durbin about coal usage and how important it is to the area.

"We can use coal to generate electricity and there is virtually no pollution caused by it's usage." stated Durbin.

Durbin then went on to speak about Americans constitutional right to bare firearms.

"It is our constitional right to our firearms, but we have got to find away to keep guns out of the hands of youth. It is an outrage that drug gangs have an arsenal of guns."

Following the meeting Durbin met with the people in attendance.