Interviewing Congressman Fred Upton

Today Coloma, Edwardsburg, and St. Joseph High School are interviewing our U.S. Representative Fred Upton. Mr. Upton comes here to Berrien RESA annually to talk about issues with local civics and government classes. Here are some of the questions students asked today:

  • What can we do about the federal debt? (Students learned about the line item veto, earmarks, and ethics).
  • How can we increase manufacturing jobs in the U.S.?
  • Do you think the electoral college is still a valid way to elect our president?
  • What is your view of the unemployment rate in the 6th district and do you think it’s getting better or worse?
  • How can we improve green energy in Michigan?
  • How will the healthcare plan affect southwest Michigan?
  • President Obama announced yesterday that he wants offshore drilling. What is your view on this?
  • Can you describe your routine in a regular day?
  • How do you feel about Whirlpool closing down plants and moving to Mexico?
  • What do you think we can do about the Asian carp problem? (Mr. Upton told us about an April Fool’s Joke played on him this morning – someone said they caught an Asian carp in the St. Joe river and threw it back.) For those of you not from the Great Lakes area, read about the Asian carp problem here.
  • You have a great voting record. With technological advances, couldn’t they develop a more efficient way to vote?
  • How is the cap and trade bill going to affect the economy?
  • Social security benefits seem to be a concern for our generation. What do you think can be done to make sure that we have these benefits as we get older?
  • How can we get more money without raising taxes?
  • Is there going to be federal money to help kids go to college?

These videoconferences continue to be a powerful learning experience for our students and a great opportunity to make the issues in civics and government classes come alive!

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