U.S. House Rep Bill Young (R-FL) is not exactly what you’d call a ‘people person,’ particularly when it comes to dealing with tough questions from constituents. Remember his response to a young man asking if he would support a House bill that raises the minimum wage to $10? He cheerfully responded, “Probably not.” The young man politely persisted, “Would $10 not give us a living wage?” to which the Congressman, less cheerfully, replied, “How ‘bout getting a job?”
Maybe it’s the fact that he’s about to turn 82 (on December 16) that has Young so on edge as of late. Or maybe it’s the edge of the ‘fiscal cliff.’
One week ago, Young spoke at the Tiger Bay Club’s luncheon, where he reiterated his hard stance on his refusal to raise taxes under any circumstances. According to Tampa Bay, FL’s Creative Loafing, Young said, “I did sign [Grover Norquist’s] pledge. I am really opposed to raising taxes when I know the money is going to be spent and not be used to deal with the budget deficit.”
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Young arrived at his office as it was closing, in the company of St. Petersburg College police officers and staff members, including his chief of staff, Harry Glenn. One of the louder protesters got a bit too close to Young, and so the congressman grabbed him by the arm and brandished his walking cane as if to strike the activist. Both were separated by police officers before the incident escalated to blows.
And while witnesses say Young was the first to get physical, the Congressman insists the protester was the aggressor. Young’s attorney, David Jolly, on Wednesday told Peter Schorsch of the Saint Peters Blog, “[The accuser] is a young man with a history of violating the law who has been physically following the Congressman for months. In the coming days counsel will be reviewing whether his activities rise to the level of stalking, assault, or tortuous harassment of any kind.”
And Young is ‘sticking’ to his story.
h/t: Cicero at AddictingInfo.org
