SILVERHILL, Alabama --- Healthcare, taxes and the rising debt were just some of the topics of discussion during a Town Hall meeting in Silverhill on Friday.

About 20 residents turned out for the meeting, which is one of 18 First Congressional District Town Meetings held over the past week in Southwest Alabama by Alabama Republican Congressman Jo Bonner.

The meetings began Monday at the Grand Bay Community Center, followed up by visits to the Dauphin Island Town Hall, West Mobile Regional Senior Center and Truevine Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile on Monday.

On Tuesday, Bonner visited the Frisco City Hall, Peterman First Baptist Church and Old Monroe County Courthouse, then visited McIntosh Town Hall, Chatom Town Hall and Creola City Hall on Wednesday before making stops at the Spanish Fort City Hall, Atmore Municipal Auditorium, Pollard Town Hall and East Brewton Town on Thursday.

Following Friday’s visit to Silverhill, Bonner made stops at St. Francis at the Point Church in Point Clear, Glenlakes Golf Club in Foley and the Gulf Shores City Hall.

Much of the discussion in Silverhill centered around the Alabama Fair Tax, which is a proposal to eliminate income taxes in favor of increasing the statewide sales tax.

When asked why he does not currently sponsor a bill, like he has in the past, to introduce the Fair Tax in Congress, Bonner stated that he believes President Barak Obama wants to increase the sales tax without eliminating income taxes.

“I have supported the bill in the past and will continue to support it,” he said. “I will probably vote for it, but I will not sponsor a bill as long as our president is in favor of, not only keeping income taxes, but increasing them.”

Bonner eventually said he would support the bill and would sponsor it in the future.

The discussion sparked a debate over taxes in which several residents voiced their opinions on the matter.

“As I see it until our government becomes better managers of our money, no one is going to support any kind of tax,” said one resident. “I think Congress, our government and in particular our president needs to show that they can be more responsible in handling our money.”

Silverhill Council Member Jared Lyles said he thought people would not support taxes or any other reforms unless those in Washington showed a willingness to work together to solve the country’s problems.

Bonner responded by bringing out a list of more than 30 bills he said were passed by the Republican majority House of Representatives, but that, he said, are currently sitting on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reed’s desk “gathering dust.”

“We have made an effort to slow down this runaway government that we are currently experiencing,” Bonner said. “But under our current situation, it’s just not going to be enough.”

Bonner also discussed the 2,700-page healthcare reform bill, bank bailouts and the stimulus, which he called a “catastrophic failure,” and the government’s attempts to bail out the auto industry, including the removal of the head of General Motors, which he called “unconstitutional,” among others, all of which, he said, has added more than $4 trillion to the national debt over the last 3 ½ years and stands to add another $1 trillion this year.

“I have a young intern (Loxley resident Ryan Williams) and I was talking to him and his brother earlier, who is younger,” Bonner said. “Unless we get the debt under control we are going to be leaving a legacy to them and future generations of a debt they will be unable to pay.”

Bonner said the House of Representatives is currently on a break while the Senate remains in session and the Town Hall meetings are a way to connect with residents about issues facing this country today.

“You are my employers and I am your employee,” Bonner said, adding that he works for over 670,000 employers in the state of Alabama. “I can’t make everybody happy every time I vote on an issue, but I can promise that I will do my best to do the job I was sent to Washington to do with honesty and integrity and I promise that I will not embarrass you like some of the other people we have in Washington today.”