Published 9/24/2006
Part of a series of articles in the Jewish Press about candidates running for office in the Nov. 7 general election.
By Joan K. Marcus
In his introduction of Rep. Lee Terry at a recent Breadbreakers gathering, B'nai B'rith President Gary Javitch said, "When I've gone to Congressman Terry to ask him to sign a congressional resolution in favor of Israel, he has been very helpful and supportive."
Before being elected to congress, Terry, an Omaha attorney, was president of the Omaha City Council. He was also a member of the Omaha-Douglas County Building Commission. He and his wife, Robyn, have three sons, Nolan, 11, Ryan, 8, and Jack, 6, and live in Omaha.
The incumbent representative from the Second Congressional District works on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that oversees telecommunications, energy, finance, trade, consumer protection and business related-legislation. He is the first Nebraskan to serve on the influential committee in 24 years.
Rep. Terry is also co-chairman of the Impact Aid Coalition that helps communities and school districts affected by personnel moves at local military bases, for example. At home, he stays active in a wide variety of organizations that benefit Nebraska in all walks of life.
"I think that this country is really at an economic crossroads," Terry told the Breadbreakers group. "We're entering a new economy that we started with technology--the Internet, software and networking. This allows us to chase business around the world, around the globe and follow the sun."
Geography doesn't mean anything anymore, according to Terry, and we really don't know the rules of this new economy. "We're just kind of feeling our way in the dark. And, fortunately, every other country is in that same position. We need to recognize the few realities that exist and I think that congress is so worried about Nov. 7 that we're refusing to look--not just at next year --we aren't looking forward enough."
He added that, "If we were watching, we would be focused on the things that really need to happen in order to make sure that we remain the dominant economy, the superpower and the shining city on 'the hill.'"
He went on to say, "We take things for granted and just expect that things will always remain that way. Frankly, I'm worried that, unless we do some things right now,we will be the second economy to China, or maybe even India."
Terry says we have to realize it is difficult for us to continue to grow our economy and continue to mature as a country if we are under the constant threat of violence from a loose knit group of religious ideologies to declare war on us.
"So, whether we like it or not, I'd rather have total peace and our men and women in uniform right here in Omaha," he added. "I'd rather not have them get on planes and go over to Afghanistan or Iraq or anywhere in the Middle East. But, the reality is that we can't grow if we're under constant threat. So, we have to continue the progress on the War On Terror."
Terry does not believe that the United States should withdraw from Iraq. "Fundamentally, I think it will cost tens of thousands of lives in just a matter of weeks if we withdraw. As much as we think that it's unstable--and it is--in Iraq, wait until we leave and see how unstable it becomes!"
He thinks that a civil war will start the day that we pull out. "I worry about who will be in ultimate control and if Saddam Hussein will really get his desire; he said they would stop trying to kill us if we would give him Iraq."
The congressman also spoke about immigration and that since 9-11, we need to monitor who is coming into the United States. We need to know the "real names" of the people who come and their background--whether they're drug dealers, pedophiles or whatever.
"We need to know why people are coming," Terry said. "When we look at a new immigration policy, this is where we need to start. That doesn't mean that we stop immigration like some folks want to do. It just means that we have to know who's coming in. Unfortunately, since we're eight weeks away from election day, we're so bogged down with politics and electioneering that we're not going to see an answer to the issue."
He also spoke of energy independence. He believes that in order for our economy to really grow, that we cannot be beholden to other countries. He thinks we need to focus more on renewable fuels.
"Last August, President Bush signed a new bill--one of the first bills that actually established renewable fuels and ethanol as a fuel source. It had a mandate of eight billion gallons a year by 2012. At the same time that we literally grow our own fuel, I think we need to look ahead and support hydrogen fuel cells," Terry explained.
"Then, I think that as a nation, we have to realize we're in a global economy and I see a great deal of resistance to that within Congress. There is a large faction--almost a majority--that thinks in isolationist terms. They think we need to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world and take care of our own. I compare that to the Omaha City Council passing an ordinance saying that no Omaha business can do business outside of Omaha!"
According to Terry, all businesses in the United States need to compete with the tax system in other countries. "We need to know that we can chase the sun around the globe to do business. I really think that in order for us to be globally competitive, we need to make sure that every part of our country is connected and engaged."
Finally, Terry spoke about global competition on education. He talked about China and India having "high tech economies," adding, "Those countries know that doing business is based on the high speed transfer of data. They are producing twice as many engineers as we are," he said.
"Within the next decade, they will be turning out four times as many engineers. We need to start with our grade schools, middle schools and colleges to make sure that we're producing the people who can compete in a global economy. They need intellectual ability in math and science. 'No child left behind' isn't enough!"
Terry added, "Being your Congressman is the highest honor I could possible have in life. Everyday when I cross Independence Avenue to vote in the House Chamber, I'm in awe when I see the Capitol dome and I think about what a tremendous responsibility I have to represent Nebraska families."
View this story in the Jewish Press