By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
It seemed only fitting Monday, as Congressman Paul Ryan visited students in grades 6-8 from St. Charles and St. Mary’s Schools, that he chose Winston Churchill to describe the United States’ government.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
As Ryan visited with the students at Catholic Central’s Topper Hall Monday afternoon, he tried to impart some wisdom and answer questions for students, who didn’t get a chance to meet him on a trip to Washington, D.C. last fall.
The annual trip to the nation’s capital was postponed a month because of the government shutdown over Obamacare concerns. The students eventually made the trip in November, but didn’t get a chance to visit with Ryan.
St. Mary’s Principal Loretta Jackson communicated with Ryan’s office, and found out the congressman would visit if he could in the spring.
So Ryan arrived Monday, leading the students over to Topper Hall, posing with high schoolers – and staff members – for photos, and answering questions mostly related to his political career.
Ryan, who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012, started off his visit by reminding students that America was, in essence, created on an idea – that rights are “automatic,” Ryan said, belonging to each citizen.
“You can do what you want with your life,” he said. “Most countries aren’t like that.”
As a result, there is sometimes conflict on how to best guarantee those rights, both within the country, and outside of it. Ryan praised those who have served in the military, and “sacrificed” to keep freedom alive.
“I work as your employee,” Ryan said.
Still, while democracy has served America well, even Ryan admitted that he is sometimes frustrated by it. The government shutdown last fall is one example of what Ryan called the frustrating part of his job.
“A lot of things that have happened, I don’t agree with,” he said. But part of his job, he admitted, wasn’t just to “yell” in frustration – it was to find alternatives.
“I enjoy doing that, coming up with ideas,” said Ryan, adding that it allows him to deal with the frustration. As a result, he stressed to students the importance of making informed decisions on principal and fact, vs. on emotion.
“It’s OK to disagree,” he said. “Don’t make it emotional.”
When asked, Ryan admitted he got into politics almost by accident. Interested in economics, he went to Washington, D.C. to work as an aide. There, he learned about government economics, and found himself interested in serving the public.
At the age of 27, he was urged to run for office – and was elected.
Serving as a Congressman out of Janesville – where he was born and raised – Ryan finds that one of the most satisfying parts of his job is helping other people.
“It’s making a difference in people’s lives,” he said, citing an example where he helped a young woman get a unique pacemaker 10 years ago. “We do that with thousands of people every year.”
He also gets a chance to write items that may become laws or amendments – which gives him a chance to work with ideas he believes in.
“You can take these ideas, pass them into law, and see them make a difference,” he said.
Ryan did add that the worst part of the job is being away from his family. He will spend three days a week in Wisconsin – a long weekend, normally – and work the other four in Washington.
But in addressing several different specific questions about foreign policy – specifically, Russia and its invasion of the Ukraine – Ryan also seemed to come back to one basic idea: knowing what he stood for.
It was something he stressed to the students, especially when asked what advice he had for those looking to seek political office.
“Find out if it is what you think it is,” said Ryan. “Get involved early on.
“Know what it is first before it’s too late to change your mind.”
He added that whatever the situation, people should know who they are.
For now, Ryan seems to know himself. He shrugged off questions about running for president, saying that was a question for next year and also telling students he didn’t want to spend his whole life involved in politics.
More than anything, he said, he wanted to shape a country he could hand off to the next generation in good shape.
“I want this century to be an American Century,” he said. “So these kids can do what they want with their lives.”
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