COSTA MESA (California) - PRESIDENT Barack Obama took questions on topics ranging from immigration to the economy on Wednesday at a town-hall meeting in California, where recession, a housing meltdown and double-digit unemployment have taken a toll.
The event in Orange County marked Mr Obama's first appearance as president in a state he won convincingly last year. It was designed to highlight the job-creating benefits of the US$787 billion (S$1.19 trillion) economic stimulus plan he pushed through Congress last month.
Another such meeting was scheduled in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, where he also is scheduled to tape an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Mr Obama defended his ambitious plan to overhaul health care, energy, education, taxes and spending policies in the coming months.
'I know some folks in Washington and on Wall Street are saying we should focus on only one problem at a time: 'our problem,'' Mr Obama said. 'But that's just not the way it works,' he told a crowd of 1,300 in a hot auditorium.
'You don't get to choose between paying your mortgage bills or your medical bills.' The government must tackle multiple challenges at once, he said.
On a different topic, the president also said immigration is an emotional issue that cannot be dealt with in pieces, and added he wants to work with leaders in Congress and in Mexico to come up with a comprehensive plan.
Mr Obama said it's important for longtime illegal immigrants to have a path to citizenship so they can join unions and get protection from employers who exploit them. He said those illegal immigrants could earn US citizenship if they pay a fine and learn English. -- AP
