U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby outlined his goals for the 110th Congress early Monday morning at the Calera Public Library.

Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) met with county residents at 7 a.m. for breakfast and a town hall meeting, where the senator discussed issues facing the nation and the state of Alabama. He also took questions and comments from audience members.

Terrorism, healthcare, immigration and the economy were repeated topics for Shelby, whose visit to the county was part of his annual 67-county trek around the state.

&8220;Over the years, these meetings have provided an excellent opportunity for area residents to listen and voice their opinions on the activities of our government,&8221; said Shelby.

The following are Shelby&8217;s responses to audience member comments.

President Bush

&8220;I like President Bush personally. But to say he&8217;s not made any mistakes over in Iraq would be blind. We ought try to support the President, but not with a blank check.

Terrorism

&8220;It&8217;s not going away. We will be fighting terrorism in 100 years. Some Muslims have hijacked their religion, and we&8217;re going to be in a struggle. We&8217;ve been very lucky the last five years. I hope and pray we won&8217;t have anymore attacks here, but we will, and they will be awful.&8221;

U.S. troop

increase in iraq

&8220;If we stabilize, it will bring about something. Freedom has never been cheap. I wish everybody would get along. The world is tough, and we better realize that.&8221;

National

healthcare

&8220;You&8217;re talking about the quality of healthcare insurance going away. People come from all over the world to get treatment in the U.S., and our healthcare is the best in the world, and it&8217;s expensive. You&8217;ve going to pay for it if national healthcare happens. I think we have to be careful. If you have national healthcare, you won&8217;t be going to the doctor when you want to, you&8217;ll be standing in line.&8221;

Immigration

&8220;We need to protect our boundaries and know who comes to this country. If we pass amnesty, then the President will sign it, and everyone will bring their families. We ought to enforce our laws, or either just break down our doors entirely.&8221;