Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz fields stimulus plan questions in Miami Beach

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, fielded questions about the $819 billion economic stimulus plan at a Miami Beach meeting.

By JENNIFER LEBOVICH, Miami Herald

At a town hall meeting Thursday night in Miami Beach, residents confronted their congresswoman with their concerns about the economy, foreclosures, health insurance and accountability in government bailouts.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called the meeting at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach to discuss the national economic stimulus plan passed Wednesday by the House. About 100 people attended.

''Our focus is not saving corporate America and the wealthiest few, but middle class Americans,'' she said.

Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat who fielded questions for about an hour, said the plan would create jobs, invest in education and provide an immediate tax cut for the vast majority of Americans.

The $819 billion economic stimulus plan calls for a $500 tax break for single workers and $1,000 for couples.

Albert Alvarez, 41, of Pembroke Pines, said he, like many, is worried about the economy and his family's financial future.

''I'm deeply in debt, concerned about my home and, more importantly, concerned about my children's future,'' said Alvarez, an assistant manager at Costco.

The plan passed by the House, though, is not the solution, he said.

''This bailout is being done in the wrong way,'' he said, saying he felt the plan favored corporate America. ``We'll find ourselves in this position six or seven years later.''

Melanie Greene, a fifth-grade teacher at the David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center in North Miami, asked what the stimulus would do ``for the crisis in the schools.''

The money, Wasserman Schultz said, would help repair buildings and provide funds to fill the state funding gaps.

The stimulus package was passed along party lines, with all House Republicans voting against it as well as 11 Democrats.

Wasserman Schultz, whose 20th Congressional District stretches from Sunrise through South Broward and down to Miami Beach, said, ``We know in order to turn the economy around, we'll have to do it together.

``We'll have to grasp hands.''