Voters voice their concerns during town hall meeting sponsored by Beaufort Patriot Tea Party

State Rep. Bill Cook wanted to hear what his constituents had to say.

His constituents didn’t disappoint.

Cook, R-Beaufort, spoke to at least 100 people Thursday night in a town hall-style meeting at the Beaufort County Courthouse.

The gathering, sponsored by the Beaufort Patriot Tea Party, attracted a diverse crowd – everything from conservatives disgruntled with big government to school board members and advocates for the disabled.

Some of what Cook said garnered applause from the house, such as his endorsement of a proposal to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage and reports on a few bills he’s sponsored or co-sponsored.

“I’d rather hear from you guys than spend a lot of time blathering in front of you all,” Cook advised his audience.

Cook aside, everyone who spoke had plenty to say.

Bill Reed challenged Cook on education budget cuts proposed by GOP House leaders.

“Are you aware of the standards that this school system has at the (different) grade levels? The education of the teachers and all that? Have you been to a school (in this county)?” Reed asked.

Cook said he had visited schools.

“Who’s the superintendent?” Reed asked.

“Is this an inquisition or what?” Cook said.

Cook didn’t answer the question.

Don Phipps, superintendent of Beaufort County Schools, was in the audience.

“Basically, what I wanted to say was I wanted him to go meet his people.” Reed said Friday in a follow-up interview. “You just can’t cut a bunch of people out of a budget if you don’t know what they do.”

Reed acknowledged he is a Cook supporter.

Richard Pitts rose in opposition to a bill that would require photo IDs to vote in North Carolina.

“What’s next? Do we have to have a driver’s license to move state to state?” Pitts asked.

Pitts said he is old enough to remember when black would-be voters had to count beans or recite the U.S. Constitution before being allowed to register.

Cook shook his head and said this bill has nothing to do with that. In a past interview, the representative objected to critics who framed the voter-ID bill as a return to segregationist policies of the past.

Pitts asked Cook whether it would be simpler to have people show their birth certificates when registering to vote, an idea that led to moans from some fellow attendees.

But Pitts stood his ground and, after the meeting, he and Cook shook hands and parted with smile.

A few remarks drew laughter.

At one point, an unidentified speaker followed up on Cook’s remarks about legislation addressing the use of deadly force against home intruders, a bill based on the “the castle doctrine (as in, ‘A man’s home is his castle’).”

“Where can I shoot ’em at now?” the man asked Cook.

“I’d start in the foot myself,” the representative replied.

After the session, Cook suggested he had been exposed to some eye-opening comments.

“I was impressed with the depth and the breadth of issues,” he said.

Buzz Cayton, on hand as the face of the Beaufort Patriot Tea Party, spoke for the sponsoring organization.

“The Beaufort Patriot Tea Party is neither Republican or Democrat or unaffiliated,” Cayton said. “We’re all, and we welcome all to come in. What we are interested in is good and fair government and less taxation. You know, tea party simply means ‘taxed enough already.’”

He encouraged people to visit the Legislative Building in Raleigh, as BPTP members do each Wednesday.

The tea-partiers have traveled to Raleigh essentially as “citizen lobbyists,” have met legislators and have sat in on several committee meetings, Cayton related.

The Legislative Building is open to the public, he pointed out.

“You know the General Assembly is a representation of all of you,” Cayton said. “And you can go into the building. They don’t even check to see if you’ve got a weapon. You just walk right in.”