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The Mountain Times
By Scott Nicholson

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-5) returned to the classroom Wednesday, giving students at Green Valley Elementary School lessons in how government works.

Foxx, a former educator and one-time member of the county school board, also endured some tough questioning from her young constituents. Foxx spoke to third- and eighth- grade students during her visit, talking about a variety of issues affecting the country, including the Constitutional underpinning of the government.

The eighth graders had visited Washington, D.C. two weeks during a class trip and had been given a tour of the Capitol by Foxx. The classes, led by teachers Cheryl Hunt and Luanne Zimmerman, were able to follow up that visit with a personal appearance by their district’s representative in Congress.

Foxx began by saying her job consisted of three elements: legislative work, which includes appearing on the House of Representatives floor for votes; constituent work, most of which originates from calls to her field offices; and traveling the district as much as she can when not in Washington.

Foxx opened the floor for questions, and the first put her on the spot about her preferred candidate for the next president. She said she had not yet endorsed any candidate but liked what former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was doing, though she said she was surprised by the popularity of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani. She maintained party allegiance, though, saying she would provide partisan support for the Republican candidate. “Even if we differ in philosophy, I will support the Republican nominee,” Foxx said. “I don’t agree with anyone 100 percent of the time. I don’t even agree with myself 100 percent of the time, because sometimes I change my mind.”

She also said she had met Pres. George Bush on a number of occasions, including last week when he addressed House members. She said, “He does a much better job when the press isn’t around,” and said he does a lot of work that doesn’t appear in the public eye.

Asked about the war in Iraq, Foxx said, “It’s not a war in Iraq. It’s important how we use our words. We are in a war against radical Islamic jihadism. It’s a global war we’re fighting, but it has a concentration in Iraq.”

Foxx said even in past wars that ended in treaties, the U.S. always maintained troops in the country, mentioning South Korea and Germany. “If we leave Iraq too soon, it will create a problem,” she said.

Foxx also supported Bush’s authority to make the decision on Iraq. She said the key agreement in the Constitutional Convention was that the president should serve as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. She said Democrats couldn’t mandate the troop withdrawal but could use its Congressional majority to stop funding. She said the Democrats were being disingenuous on the issue, making it a political debate instead of a military decision best left to generals.

Asked what she thinks of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, she said he is “quite a phenomenon,” but she was troubled by his stance that the government should guarantee prosperity. She said the Declaration of Independence supported the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and said while “We the people” were the key words in that document, it didn’t propose that government should provide for people but should instead enable them to take care of themselves.

She said the difference between Democrats and Republicans was that Democrats see government as a solution to problems and creates programs when new issues arise. She said conservatives believe in a Constitutional foundation for government, with a balance of powers between the three branches of government. She said courts “have taken on a tremendous role” and were overstepping their bounds and creating law.

Foxx acknowledged there were liberals and conservatives in both parties, but generally Republicans believed people could take better care of their money than the government could.

Describing her typical day, she said her full days in Washington consist mostly of meetings and voting from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and she said she works until after midnight in her office, reading and handling correspondence. On weekends, she returns home but often spends that time traveling the district.

“It’s tough but it’s a great honor,” she said, adding that the House of Representatives was the only federal body that couldn’t be appointed. “We are the ‘people’s House,’ and it keeps close to the people.”

She also said that of the 290 women who had ever served in Congress, a third of them were currently in office. She said she had been raised in poverty and had never dreamed she’d be in Congress, but said, “That’s what’s wonderful about this country.”

Afterwards, eighth grader Emily Branch said she was interested in Foxx’s view on the difference between Republicans and Democrats, especially in how people spent their money as opposed to the government. Her classmate Hayley Blackledge said she might pay more attention to politics following the Capitol trip and Foxx’s visit.