Congressman Mark Schauer of the United State House of Representatives was invited to speak at Adrian College's Merillat Sports and fitness Center Tuesday, February 16. He talked about issues affecting our country and government. AC students, staff, faculty and Adrian community members were in attendance at the event. (photo by Jenn Miller)
Mark Schauer is the United States Congressman for seventh district in Michigan. A summa cum laude graduate of Albion College, Congressman Schauer has been a long-standing leader in his community and an advocate for Americans’ education and economy. This Tuesday, gave a speech in the Bulldog Room in the Marrilat Sports and Fitness Center. People attending his speech included Agnes Caldwell, Dean of Academic Affairs and Patricia Gray of the Department of Academic Services, along with various other AC staff members, students and Adrian community members. He addressed economic issues that included health care, education and local business. He also answered key questions concerning women’s rights and student loans and grants, including the recent controversy over the student aid program entitled “The Michigan Promise”.
Hailing from Battle Creek, Mich., Schauer wanted to be a teacher as a young man, but was urged by his father to “be more than that,” and, so motivated by his desire to help his community, he became involved in politics. A spanish and sociology double major, Schauer spent his last semester as a college student interning as a City Planning Director. From there, he moved become an Urban Planner in the Non-Profit Center before running for local office. His achievements can be attributed to his desire to help the locals, to “get things done,” and not for the glamour of high-profile politician life.
His key interest is improving the United States from a financial point of view because we are “in a global battle to be relevant in a changing economy.” He believes that the tools we need to be globally competent are “knowledge…diversity…and manufacturing [power].” He believes there is an opportunity for wind energy in the Michigan sector and voted for the American Clean Energy Act. “We [need] to be aggressive [in promoting alternative clean energy] in Michigan, or we will be dependent on China,” he said.
He also strongly supports new technology in the forms of batteries, solar energy, military and defense. He also thinks changes need to be made in health care and the policy making process.
The event included a question and answer session. Michael Hill, a Veteran from Adrian asked for Congressman Schauer’s opinion on the banks’ fees for the bailout they received. Congressman Schauer spoke of the TARP bailout as “flawed”, and that “smart people [had] made schemes to leverage money,” creating a “house of cards,” so to speak. He says that help wasn’t available for the “people on main street,” whose property values were decreasing to point that they were losing up to $700 billion. He supports GM and Chrysler’s bailouts as well as a proposal for a bill that would re-regulate Wall Street, and commends the banks who are actively repaying the funds received from bailouts.
Schauer actively promotes the public option for health care reform, stating that it would create a “competitive marketplace.” He thinks that hard issues with health care reform are that people are generally not in favor of a government takeover of healthcare, and yet cannot trust their insurance companies to take care of them when they need it. Lauren Fabian, of Mount Pleasant, asked a question as well.
“Is government doing enough to help people pay for college?” she asked.
He answered that “no” the government is not doing enough, but that the President’s proposed “loan forgiveness” program is a step forward.
He is pushing for simplification of the FAFSA, and condemned the state leg cut of “Promise” as “ridiculous.”
“We have to continue to support education from kindergarten through college, in order to “make the United States competitive,” he said.
This event was made possible by the Pi Sigma Alpha , the honorary political science honorary society.