Congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona

Congressman Jeff Flake shown here with Ben, participated in a question and answer session with HHS Political Science students. After visiting with Congressman Flake students visited the Botanical Gardens (below).

Rebecca- Considering all the criticism there has been regarding No Child Left Behind, which you voted against, have you said "I told you so" to any of your colleagues? ANSWER- Yes. Education should be handled on a more local level rather than the Federal government. The people at the local level know the children a whole lot better than my colleagues do.

Barbara (center) You voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. What negative things would happen to our society if same-sex marriages were legal nationwide? ANSWER- I think it is the state's decision whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal so I was comfortable voting for that amendment.

Tom- In June of 2005 you voted against a constitutional amendment to ban the desecration of the American flag. Is it too much to ask to have just one sacred thing in American life, to have just that one thing protected? ANSWER- The best reason not to burn the flag is because you can. Freedom of speech is one of our most basic freedoms. More flags will be burnt if that amendment is passed.

Chris- You voted not to allow courts to hear cases involving the firearms industry and the fast-food industry, but you voted against the Pledge Protection Act of 2006 which would have not allowed courts to hear cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance. Why is that different than the other bills? ANSWER- I don't remember voting on that. I may have made the wrong decision on that.

Jessica- When President Bush took office our nation was 4 trillion dollars in debt. Since the tax cuts of 2001, which you voted for, we are now 9 trillion in debt. If you have to do it again would you vote for those tax cuts? ANSWER- Yes, in a heartbeat. We are bringing in more revenue than we ever have. The problem is on the spending side. We have spent like drunken sailors.

Gray- We always hear how partisan congress is. But I assume there are Democrats you are friendly with and work well with. Care to name some of your Democrat friends? ANSWER- Well we play football together, we play basketball together, including the Capitol Hill police. Some of the people I work with include Ron Kind. We sponsored an agriculture bill some called the "Kinda Flakey Bill". Heath Schuler, Charlie Rangel and Hilda Solis are others I've worked with on trying to end the trade embargo with Cuba. In fact I'm accused by Republicans of working too much with Democrats.

Shaila- As a Mormon congressman, have other Mormons been critical of you for endorsing John McCain for president instead of Mitt Romney? ANSWER- No, I have not. There's been some question about Mitt Romney and possibly seeking direction from Church officials in Salt Lake City to get help running the country, but of course that is false. I'm for McCain but Mitt is a friend of mine and he will be a good candidate for president.

Liz- Regarding the vote to give President Bush the authority to use the armed forces after 9/11, only one member of congress, Barbara Lee of California, voted against it. Have you ever talked with her about that vote and in general what do you think about someone that would vote that way? ANSWER- I have not talked to her. She stuck to her principles on that vote. I thought we had to protect ourselves against terrorism so I was in favor of using force against Afghanistan.

Andi- On the profile 60 Minutes did on you, your uncle mentioned you were a cowboy when you were younger. How did your experience as a cowboy affect your vote against prohibiting the slaughter of horses? ANSWER- I did grow up on a ranch, myself and my 39 siblings and cousins. I have voted with many horse organizations but sometimes farms have too many old horses and can't take care of them. It should not be the taxpayers responsibility.

Emily- If there was one vote you could go back and change, what would it be? ANSWER- Well sometimes I have unintentionally voted the wrong way while in the process of voting. But maybe the Iraq war or the vote on the Pledge of Allegiance.

At the Botanical Gardens

Katherine- (asked prior to Emily's question)- Presidential candidate John Edwards admitted he was wrong to vote for the Iraq war. Hillary Clinton said "she didn't know then what she knows now". Do you have any regrets voting for that war? ANSWER- Of course I do now. It's a very messy situation. We didn't have much knowledge at the time of that vote. In hindsight knowing what I now know, I wouldn't vote for it.

Ben- Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." The meaning of this quotation is embodied not only in your voting record, but also your ethics. What inspires you to always remain staunch to your beliefs and not "jump on the bandwagon" like other politicians? ANSWER- Well I jump on the bandwagon too, more often that I should. Being from Arizona I do have an independent streak. Today I called my 10-year old son and listened as he opened his birthday presents. If you're going to make the family sacrifice and come all the way here you should vote for what you really believe in.

Anna (left)- We read about an immigration issue that affects people just west of your district. Illegal immigrants are destroying the sacred grounds and causing all sorts of other problems for the Tohono Oldam Indians. Considering the Tohono Oldam are sovereign on that territory, it is their responsibility to take care of that or the responsibility of the federal government? ANSWER- That's a good question. It's a shared responsibility. That is one of the complications of our bad immigration policy.

Kelly- When you consider that Congressman Jose Serrano of New York represents one of the poorest districts in the country, is it really wrong of him to try to secure funding for his poor citizens even if it is in the form of an earmark? ANSWER- We're friends and he reminds me of that. One of his earmarks I went after was funding for a private business, a successful private business. Earmarks should be debated and voted on individually.

Tom, Chris and Tony

Emily and Iman

Andi, Rebecca, Liz and Shaila