Republican District 5 congressman Mo Brooks visited Bob Jones on Wednesday to talk to the BJHS Young Politicians Club, teachers, and any students curious about politics. Brooks, who is running for reelection, knew there wasn’t much to gain politically from visiting students who were mostly too young to vote; but as far as education for the next generation, it was very effective.
The majority of Brooks’ presentation was focused around the main threat to our generation’s future, the federal deficit. “You guys will be unfortunate enough to live through the third worst crisis behind the Great Depression and the Civil War in American history,” Brooks warned his audience. The government debt has surpassed $16 trillion, which is $51 thousand for every person in America. Brooks spent less time criticizing and beating up the government for what they are doing wrong, but spent most of his breath enlightening us on what the government should do and would do if Governor Mitt Romney were to win the upcoming presidential election. Brooks made his plan very clear that raising taxes on the wealthy won’t do any real damage in cutting the deficit, but instead he thinks creating a fair tax to lower the costs of goods and raise production along with the cutting of government spending on almost all foreign aid and to government programs that “don’t produce direct benefits to citizens” is the best way to tackle our economic issues. It is safe to say Brooks pleased his conservative students with his views on Capitalism.
Brooks then opened up Q&A to the audience, which was followed by an instantaneous shooting of hands. He answered everything from aid to Israel to gun control and his beliefs in the 2nd Amendment. I then asked him about what his expectations were on weather the government will repay the loans taken from the Social Security Trust Fund and how he would go about fixing it, Brooks answered, “We need to elect congressman with a backbone, people who are not afraid to stick to their beliefs.” He then wished me luck: for I may be attending the liberal arts institution of Samford, Brooks told me “If I can make it through Duke and not change my political ideology, you can too.”
