Middle Schoolers Query Nancy Johnson About The War

By Tanjua Damon

The “gentlelady from Connecticut” spoke with Newtown Middle School eighth graders about her job as a congresswoman and current events that are taking place in the world.

Representative Nancy Johnson from the Fifth District spent an hour with students in cluster 8-D March 28. She is currently serving her 11th term and has been in the House of Representatives for 20 years. She is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

One student asked Rep Johnson how she felt about the United States initiating war with Iraq.

“Nobody likes war. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in and think is right,” she responded. “You have to be careful. It costs a lot of money to go to war. The goal of this war is to prevent an arms race of chemical weapons.”

Rep Johnson told the students she would have liked to see inspections go on for a bit longer, but admitted that because they were not being fruitful, it was inevitable that war was going to occur.

“Iraq signed a treaty that they would destroy weapons of mass destruction. They didn’t do that,” she said. “After September 11, it became too serious an issue when we realized how easily they can move across borders.

“We cannot see them. We have the equipment to see a nuclear weapon,” Rep Johnson continued. “With our intelligence capability, we know when you are developing nuclear weapons. The threat Iraq imposes with those, we can’t see those. That creates a world where every government is at the mercy of every nongovernment terrorist organization.”

Rep Johnson explained to the students that it is a difficult decision to decide to go to war and make someone do something they do not want to do.

“It’s always difficult to force someone to do what you want them to do,” she said. “In the end you have to take out the leadership that won’t comply to take out the weapons. If it dissolves instead of revolves, it will come back again.”

Rep Johnson explained to the students that the freedoms they have here in the United States are not experienced everywhere.

“Freedom is about personal power,” she said. “Freedom is not absolute. It’s a balance of your individual rights and a community’s rights. What I do for a living is figure out that balance. Every time you take freedom away, you give up something.”

She went on to say that there rights are viewed differently even in the United States between the West Coast and East Coast, but that is why it is important for the government to look at these rights and set some regulations so things are balanced.

“My job is to make laws,” Rep Johnson said. “Laws have to keep changing [to keep up with the times].”

Rep Johnson explained to the students that when she is on the House floor she is referred to as the gentlelady from Connecticut, not Rep Johnson or Mrs Johnson. Congress members are responsible for introducing legislation and voting on it, she said.

“I am not there as a person,” she said. “I am there to represent you. We’re just the symbol of the people we represent.”

She has served with four different presidents during her tenure as a representative. She told the students that she had been to the White House several times to discuss issues with the President and other members of congress. Rep Johnson told the students she is proud of the work she has done for health care, particularly Medicaid and prescription drug plans as well as the Husky program, a medical benefits program for impoverished children and adults, here in Connecticut, which she wrote the legislation for in Washington.

The students also wanted to know if Rep Johnson has ever flown on Air Force One. She explained to the students that she had and one of the times that she had, she had breakfast with the President and talked to him about what his day was like. From that experience she learned that everyone in the government does a lot of “homework” to understand the issues they are dealing with.

“We all do a lot of homework. You’re reading about things you need to know about,” Rep Johnson said. “You get a chance to constantly learn. Knowledge is power. The more you learn, the more doors open for you. It’s really exciting to be a part of a democracy.”