Senator answers tough questions with humor
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POLSON – The senator from Montana with the trademark buzz cut stopped at Polson High School to chat with a room full of students on Friday, May 13.
Senator Jon Tester said that he was prepared to answer questions about anything. If students wanted to fill the hour with a conversation about football or music, he would do that.
He explained before the event that he takes time to talk to students across the state in an effort to encourage them to get involved in their government and community. He also wants students to know that people in government are regular people and they should feel free to share their opinions.
“We put our pants on the same way as everyone else,” Tester said.
The students came prepared with complex questions ranging from the environment to presidential candidates. The first question was about whether Tester supported Common Core Standards in education. He said that it is a program that sets up a foundation for learning but he believes that the standards should be much higher.
And what about the Conferated Salish and Kootenai Tribes-Montana Water Compact? What was his position?
“I support it,” he said adding that there will be some challenges when it comes to getting it passed in the senate.
Another local question involved resort tax.
“My opinion doesn’t count on this one,” he said explaining that the issue was up to voters.
Students looked to the future and asked if Tester thinks that Social Security will be around if they need it someday.
“I do,” he said. He thinks that the bigger problem is healthcare. “We’ve got some work to do to make sure that it’s around for a long time.”
As far as immigration, Tester said that he supports a recent senate bill focusing on legal immigration, but he thinks that people need “to follow the rules” like his grandparents did when they immigrated to this country.
Students were curious about his thoughts on the strengths of current political presidential candidates. He said Bernie Sanders can get people “fired up,” Hillary Clinton “has experience,” and Donald Trump has “the ability to communicate.”
Many of the students are preparing for college and wanted to know if he thinks a free college education is possible.
“You do need a little skin in the game,” he said of student contribution to the cost, but he added, it currently costs “way too much” for education.
How can the national debt be reduced?
“We need to look at the programs that have been around a while and see if they serve a purpose,” he said. And although exporting wheat is important, the country might not need 12 programs to do it.
He added that reducing spending on military intervention could also help reduce the debt.
“We can’t fight every war,” he said.
And what is the biggest challenge this country faces?
“Climate,” he said adding that water was another big issue.
The next question was an inquiry as to why Montana has such a high rate of suicide.
“The rural nature of state isolation impacts mental health,” he said, and the stigma around talking about mental health problems needs to change.
He said that the issue concerning marijuana legalization could be debated “until the cows come home,” but he feels that legalizing it won’t solve any problems, although he supports legalizing it for medical use.
And what about gun control?
“I’m opposed to gun control,” he said, but that rigorous background checks were needed.
The students wanted to know what he thought about abortion.
“I’m pro-choice,” he said. He doesn’t like abortion, but the decision is not his; he said that it was up to a woman to make that choice.
The conversation then turned to healthcare. He talked about losing his fingers in an accident when he was nine. He asked the students to imagine going in for treatment for something like that and being denied for insurance reasons. He added that healthcare was important for everyone.
The students did venture away from the hard questions for a moment and asked him what the number one thing is on his “bucket list?” The senator answered that he wants to see the Great Wall of China.
The last question came with a bit of advice. Tester encouraged the students to get involved with community and government because “nothing changes unless you do something.”
After the discussion, junior Sophia Sisler said that she wanted the senator to go more in-depth with his answer about nuclear power, but she was pleased overall with his answers.
“He is doing a lot of great things,” she said. She also felt that the senator understands his own bias towards certain issues but he is concerned with everyone’s opinion.
The senator recognized Nathan Young for his acceptance into the U.S. Air Force Academy at the beginning of the event. Young said it was nice to be recognized and he felt that the senator did a good job responding to students’ questions.
