Which makes me think; why haven’t we caught Bin Laden yet? Why can’t we get a
timetable for leaving Iraq? If the majority of US population and Congress are opposed to the war, why are we still paying for it? Has anyone noticed how much the market has plunged? What about issues like health care, social security, energy, the environment, steroids!? All of these topics are big and, for us twenty-somethings, out of our league and out of our control. Yet, decisions are being made today that will affect our lives for better or for worse. So who are these people and what choices are they making?
While the presidential election is a hot topic, I recently found out something that might shock you; there are other people in Washington DC who make policy and decisions other than the president!
Don’t worry, you aren’t alone, when I heard this, I was surprised as well. I had to go to this very place and meet these people first hand just to prove it was true. Much like Borat, I packed up my bags and headed east in search of answers and to report back home.
My first meeting was with straight-shooter Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan), who has served in the Senate for almost 30 years. Senator Levin is the Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee. He also sits on the Homeland Security and Small Business committees. Time Magazine named Senator Levin one of “America’s 10 Best Senators.” Senator Levin has played an integral role in trying to force the President to set timetables and hit benchmarks.
Senator Levin sat on a large leather couch. I sat on an armchair to his left. Two aides sat in armchairs facing me.Senator Levin: “Alright, what do you want to know?”
Michael: “If you oppose the war, why did you vote to fund the war?”
SL: “We have to support our troops who are out there.”
MR: “But if you don’t believe in the war, why can’t you make demands on the President, hold back the money get more exact exit strategies?”
SL: “We try, but we don’t have enough votes to get anything done. It’s simple math, we need sixty votes and we can’t get them. It’s called a filibuster.”
MR: “Is there going to be a draft?”
SL: “No. Right now we have enough troops.”
MR: “Why haven’t we caught Osama Bin Laden? Shouldn’t we have more troops in
Afghanistan than Iraq?”
SL: “Yes, we probably should have more troops in Afghanistan. We are still trying to get Osama Bin Laden, but the terrain out there is impossible to work with.”
MR: “It seems like you guys can’t get anything accomplished.”
SL: “We are trying. The effort is there.”
Across the Capitol building lawn was my next meeting with Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-California). Congresswoman Bono represents the Palm Springs district. She focuses her time on tax issues, spyware and energy. Congresswoman Bono was easy going, approachable and very enjoyable to meet with, she even joked about her time as an undergraduate at USC. I enjoyed the meeting so much, she almost convinced me to be a Republican! Congresswoman Bono would like to encourage young people to get involved in politics and suggested summer internships working for a Congressman as a great way to experience first person what happens on Capitol Hill and to learn about what our nations leaders do on a daily basis. You can find internship opportunities on almost all Congressman and Senator’s websites.
This time I sat on the leather coach. Congresswoman Bono sat in an armchair across from me. An aid sat to my right.
Michael: “What kind of spyware legislation are you working on? Have you heard about Facebook’s Beacon application?”
Congresswoman Bono: “I am focusing more on companies invading people’s personal computers and privacy. It is your own computer, a business can’t invade it. Businesses need to be more responsible.”
MR: “Can’t the government hack in and spy on people just like these businesses?”
CB: “Yes, but the government spies on terrorists, only people on their terrorism list. This is a necessity. And we need a search warrant to do so.”
MR: “I have heard of cases where the government spies on peoples’ computers without search warrants. What should I tell my readers?”
CB: “Not to communicate with terrorists!”
MR: “(LOL ) Yea… That’s a good suggestion. What else should I tell my readers?”
CB: “That Republicans can be environmentalists too. “
My next meeting was lunch with Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Michigan). In the Capitol private dinning room, we chatted about energy, gas prices, Iraq and football. Congressman Stupak has represented Michigan’s largest district, the First Congressional District, since 1993. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He has spent a lot of time fighting gas prices and speaking out agains the major oil companies. Currently Congressman Stupak is working on the Prevent Unfair Manipulation of Prices (PUMP) Act, which will close loopholes and require dark-market energy trading to be subject to the same rules and government oversight as regulated markets. Stupak estimates the PUMP Act can reduce the price of crude oil by as much as $20 to $30 a barrel (the cost is presently over $100 for a barrel of crude oil). Stupak is known for raising the awareness of the side affects of Accutane (an anti-acne drug) as well as being very active on issues related to the protection of the Great Lakes.
Michael: What are you doing about these climbing gas prices?Congressman Stupak: “People don’t mind paying a fair price for a product, but a price that is being manipulated by speculators is not fair. These high prices are more than just supply and demand. But thanks to the “Enron loophole,” today the market is being gamed by hedge fund managers and speculators looking to make a profit at the expense of hard-working Americans.”
MR: “Why did you recently vote to continue funding the war in Iraq, when you are against it?”
CS: “I have been calling for an accountability plan for Iraq with clear, enforceable
benchmarks. Not only will this [new] legislation hold Iraqis accountable, but it will hold the Administration accountable for the same benchmarks the President outlined. The days of giving President Bush a blank check on Iraq and short-changing our veterans are over.”
Down the hall from Congressman Stupak’s office is Congressman Henry Waxman (D-California) who represents most of the Los Angeles area including West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westlake Village and Santa Monica districts. Waxman attended UCLA for undergraduate and law school. He is a veteran in Congress, first elected in 1975. Most recently, he oversaw the professional baseball steroid use investigation. However, Congressman Waxman is quick to point out the many other investigations he is overseeing such as what went wrong with FEMA during the New Orleans disaster and contract abuse in Iraq, such as the case with Blackwater Security.
Congressman Waxman sat in an armchair diagonal to my left. I sat on the leather couch. His Chief of Staff sat at a table and takes notes.
Michael: “Why did you decide to investigate baseball for steroids, aren’t there moreimportant issues?”
Congressman Waxman: “I have many investigations going on right, the steroid
investigation just gets more coverage because it is a popular topic. Baseball wasn’t doing anything about steroids. Taking steroids is cheating and because of the influence of professional athletes on teenagers and young people, it is an important issue.”
MR: “Why did you call Roger Clemens to question him in front of the committee?”
CW: “Roger went on 60 Minutes and said the report about him was not true, McNamee (Clemens former trainer) says something different. We want to get the truth, so we’ll see what they say under oath in front of Congress.”
My final meeting of the day was with Congressman Dale Kildee (D-Michigan). Congressman Kildee was elected to Congress in 1977. Much like Waxman, he has a great perspective of how politics have changed in this country. Congressman Kildee is a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. In September 2007, Congressman Kildee helped pass the
College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which lowered the interest rate on student loans, increased Pell Grants for college students and thus effectively lowered the price for higher education. Over the next four years, interest rates will be cut in half from 6.8% to 3.4%, saving the average barrower $4,830 in California. Over the next five years, California will receive the most amount of aid for any
state, receiving over $3 billion in total increase in student loan and Pell Grant aid.
Congressman Kildee sat at a similar left diagonal. I sit on the large leather coach. Two aids sit to the right and one in front of me.
Michael: “Why is the College Cost Reduction and Access Act so important?”Congressman Kildee: “The cost of attending college is increasing and the states can’t keep up with the cost. By decreasing the cost of college by an average of $4,400, that is a big deal. That could be the difference between someone being able to afford college or not affording college.”
MR: “How did you convince the big college student loan companies to agree with this?”
CK: We had to bring the borrowers and lenders closer to together. Over the next four years, we will slowly narrow the gap between the current rate and what the rate will be by 2012.
MR: “Besides aid, how else does this bill help college students?”
CK: “The legislation would also prevent students from incurring unmanageable debt by setting a cap on how much a barrower would have to pay back each year. “
Well... looks like I found living and breathing politicians in Washington DC. What I learned was that it isn’t that Congress doesn’t want to get anything done, it’s just that the Republicans and Democrats are so polarized that they can’t (and won’t) agree on much of anything. One of the reasons the College Cost Reduction and Access Act was such a big accomplishment was because each side was able to agree on the bill and President Bush actually signed it. Congressman Kildee
has been a member of the House of Representatives under six Presidents and he has never seen such dissension.
When voting in the upcoming presidential election, pay attention to the candidate who speaks about bi-partisanship and working with members of the other party to get things done. While healthcare, social security, energy, the environment and the war are hot button topics, nothing in our nation’s capitol can get done if our representatives can’t get along.
This is just the beginning of Saturday Night Magazine’s political coverage. We will continue to bring new interviews and insights on national and local politics. If you would like to submit questions or topics for future stories, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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