Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) spoke in the Jean Browne Theatre at TJC on April 6.
Gohmert, a guest of the TJC Political Science Club, lectured on his experiences as a member of Congress, the process of proposing a bill and touched on his opinions regarding a few current events.
Gohmert, who is the Representative for the First District of Texas, vocalized his disapproval of the stimulus bill just recently passed, stating his belief that all citizens should be free from paying taxes and instead decide how to spend the money on themselves.
Gohmert also shared his thoughts on the issue of the rising cost of college and how students should deal with it.
“Not everybody needs to go to college, and I think that’s one of the things that we’re falling behind on. There are a lot of jobs, whether it’s welding or bricklaying, we need people to do,” Gohmert said. “Go and become a welder. $70,000 to $80,000 a year is not a bad living. There are a lot of reporters who would be glad to make that much money and yet have two degrees,” Gohmert said.
Along with suggesting that students find blue-collar alternatives to a college education, Gohmert also added that the government should do more to lower college costs.
“I’ve tried to get my hands around ‘why is college skyrocketing?’ Until we can get on track economically, let’s try and hold down the college cost. It’s like every year the state is paying less and less towards college,” Gohmert said.
Along with his thoughts on how students should handle college costs, Gohmert also commented on how current college students should approach getting involved in politics.
“You can join a party group — Young Republicans, Young Democrats, but there are also other groups – Young Conservatives,” Gohmert said. “But you can also look at Web sites and read the news and then let your voice be heard.”
Gohmert also offered a warning about the danger of the activism of college students.
“You look at the great movements and advances in democracy. They normally involve college students, but of course some of the worst involve college students as well,” Gohmert said. “Like socialism. It’s a great idea but it has terrible consequences. There are many college students who got behind the revolution, but you’ve got to look at the consequences.”
Gohmert also explained how he addresses letters sent to him from citizens.
“When you get letters or emails personally from people who have gone to the trouble, it makes a lot of difference,” Gohmert said. “We keep tallies on how many people are for and how many people are against, but I have certain core values I’m not going to violate.”
