U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby addressed the economy, the energy crisis and unemployment before fielding questions from the audience Saturday at a town hall meeting in Atmore.

“Everybody’s looking for a better way of life,” Shelby said. “You’re no exception and I’m no exception.”

In order to nudge the economy in the right direction Shelby said unemployment and the national deficit must with resolved.

“I read the other day that the real unemployment in this country is about 15 percent,” he said. “Just a few years back in Alabama we hovered between about three and four. That’s what I like.”

As for concerns for the national debt, Shelby said the nation must find a way to reduce the amount of money borrowed by congress.

“This year, in Congress, we are going to borrow 36 cents of every dollar that we spend from mainly the Chinese. We can’t keep that up. That’s over a trillion dollars a year. We are now the largest debtor country in the world.”

Shelby said one important way to ease the current economic turmoil in America is to place fewer restrictions on local banks.

“A bank is key to commerce,” he said. “It’s the key to small business lending.”

Shelby’s ideas to improve the energy problems in the U.S. included supporting the controversial Keystone Pipeline project proposed to bring oil from Canada into the American Midwest.

“We don’t have a real energy policy in this country,” Shelby said. “Gasoline prices keep edging up. I believe we need more energy. That leads me to the Keystone Pipeline.”

Shelby said the project would be a $7 billion investment that would create 20,000 jobs and pump 700,000 barrels of oil into the U.S.

“We get control of the U.S. Senate, we will build this pipeline. We’ll not only create jobs, we’ll have a more steady supply of oil. It won’t solve our problems but it surely won’t hurt us. I like dollar gas, but it’s not realistic if we don’t create more of a supply.”

Shelby also criticized the Obama administration for not supporting the project and said the country’s best hope for all around change is to vote the current president out of office in November.

“This year’s going to be a big important race,” Shelby said. “The American people are going to have a choice. I hope that we change presidents. I hope that we don’t reelect the president.”

On the local level Shelby praised Mayor Howard Shell and the Atmore City Council for their leadership and commented on the overall cleanliness and of Atmore’s streets and neighborhoods. Shell also praised Shelby Saturday for his continuing support in Atmore’s quest to obtain grant money.

“He has been able to help us tremendously with the airport grants and some of the other things that we’ve done around town,” Shell said.
Shelby also received thanks from Atmore resident Robert Maxwell.

“I would like to commend you and thank you for voting against the extension of the social security payroll tax cut,” Maxwell said. “I know it took a lot of courage on your part to do that.”