By Billy Hobbs

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott visited Milledgeville Thursday afternoon and talked with several residents, business people and elected officials.

Scott, a Republican from Tifton, represents the 8th Congressional District. It marked only his second visit to Milledgeville and Baldwin County since the 10th District was redistricted.

Scott serves residents in 29 counties stretching from middle Georgia down the Georgia-Florida line.

One of the biggest challenges facing everyone today is the economy, Scott told a small gathering of members of the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce.

“What’s the No. 1 challenge, certainly y’all deal with it right here at the chamber,” Scott said. “It’s the economy, correct?”

Scott said he hopes he’s wrong, but he believes Americans are in for a hard landing.

“We were $23 trillion in debt in 2019,” Scott said. “It wasn’t much of an issue from a cashflow standpoint. I’m not saying it wasn’t a problem. I’m saying from a cashflow standpoint, with interest rates where they were.”

The deficit didn’t take as big a bite as it is now, he said.

Scott said it has been predicted that the deficit would be $2 trillion in the next 10 years.

“We can’t do that because we can never get out of the hole that way,” Scott said. “So, we’re going to have to make some changes.”

Aside from the economy, Scott said another big problem in America today is the media.

“Our government, our democracy depends on the people who go to vote knowing the truth, and if you aren’t going to have journalism, then the person who has the most money to buy ads ends up winning the election,” Scott said. “It’s journalism that allows the good guy with a little bit of money to beat the bad guy with a lot of money.

“And I think the truth lies somewhere in between; I think that’s the problem,” Scott said. “In fact, I think that’s the biggest problem in our democracy. I think the lack of journalism is what has allowed the Facebooks and Twitters and the other social media platforms to become a bigger part of our lives in an area where more people go to for what they want.”

Scott also discussed the Ominous Bill.

“We were at 99.89 percent of the debt limit the day [Pres. Joe Biden] signed the Ominous Bill with increased spending,” Scott said. “Americans should know that. And Americans should know there were four choices in that bill where you could do a continuing resolution, which meant you didn’t increase spending or you could do it with a debt limit.”

Scott said another way it could have been done was to establish an Ominous Bill without the debt limit.

“The only one of the four that creates the current problem is the Ominous Bill without the debt limit,” Scott said. “And now what is the press saying, they are attacking the Republicans in the House who didn’t vote for the bill.”