MCKEON, POLITICAL FOES TRADE CHARGES DEBATE TOPICS FEATURE IMMIGRATION, ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE CONGRESS.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY -- Santa Clarita's Republican congressman questioned his Democratic opponent's stance on immigration Wednesday in a radio debate, and he was in turn accused of being part of a ``do-nothing Congress.''

It was the first time in the campaign that Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, sat down to a debate with his two opponents, Democrat Robert Rodriguez and Libertarian David Erickson.

In his closing comments, McKeon asked Rodriguez if he supports the Reid-Kennedy Senate bill on immigration reform.

``You know that that requires that we have to talk to Mexico before we can build a fence on the border,'' McKeon said. ``It also requires us to pay Social Security to people who are in the country, while they're here illegally. Do you still then support that Reid-Kennedy bill knowing those things are in the bill?''

The radio show ended soon after, but a Rodriguez aide protested the last-minute question and the host gave the Democrat a chance to respond.

``When we hear about what's going on, when we see the laws that are being voted on by the do-nothing Congress, I think the people of America are fed up,'' he said. ``And they want change and they want real solutions to real problems.''

McKeon asked again if Rodriguez supports the Reid-Kennedy bill. Rodriguez dodged the question, answering that he supports ``real immigration reform.''

``Mr. McKeon you've been in office now for 14 years, and you've done nothing to solve this problem,'' Rodriguez said. ``Republicans have been in control of every branch of government for the last six years and they have not done anything to resolve this problem.''

Earlier in the debate, the candidates answered questions from the moderator on the war in Iraq, the federal deficit, education and Social Security.

McKeon, 68, who is chairman of the Workforce and Education Committee, said public education is important, and he praised the No Child Left Behind Act for bringing more accountability to the system.

And the federal government has reduced its deficit, despite having to pay for reconstruction in New York and New Orleans, McKeon said. Rodriguez, 29, said the government has not cut the deficit enough.

Erickson, 50, the Libertarian candidate, said the government should stop collecting income tax and distributing Social Security, and he advocated for the federal and state governments to get out of public education.

``I'm a firm believer in very small government, the smaller the better,'' he said. ``And that's why I'm a Libertarian.''

The debate was held on KHTS AM-1220. The debate is in podcast format on the station's Web site, at www.hometownstation.com.

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) From left, Libertarian David Erickson, Republican Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon and Democrat Robert Rodriguez debate on a Santa Clarita radio station.

David Crane/Staff Photographer