Western Pennsylvania Congressman Conor Lamb visits Freedom

Bulldog+Barker+staff+members+Dylan+Scheel%2C+Christopher+Denkovich%2C+and+Joanna+Odebode%2C+as+well+as+FHS+Press+members+Cade+Skuse%2C+Jenna+Engel%2C+and++Keith+Pawlowski%2C+stand+next+to+Conor+Lamb+on+Monday%2C+March+4+in+the+high+school+auditorium.

Carter Altvatter

Bulldog Barker staff members Dylan Scheel, Christopher Denkovich, and Joanna Odebode, as well as FHS Press members Cade Skuse, Jenna Engel, and Keith Pawlowski, stand next to Conor Lamb on Monday, March 4 in the high school auditorium.

On Monday, March 4, the staff of the Bulldog Barker and FHS Press had the heavily anticipated opportunity to meet Western Pennsylvania’s U.S. Representative and former U.S. Marine, Conor Lamb, and question him on his political standpoint as well as his opinion on other matters that affect school and the world around us.

When Lamb first got on the stage at the high school he gave a speech about why students should vote in the future and how every vote counts in an election. Afterwards, Lamb told the interviewers he was ready for their questions. But with all the many topics discussed during the visit the main question going through the interviewers’ minds were Conor Lamb’s views on education.

When asked about his view, Lamb said that the U.S. has over 1.34 billion dollars of student debt and he wants to make higher education free for anyone. However, for someone to be able to be debt free when leaving college they would have to do services for the government. These public services can range from military services, police duty, or working at National Parks. Lamb said that for the government to be able to afford this free higher education he wants to cut funding by giving less tax breaks to people who do not need more money such as the wealthy. Additionally, he wants to make marijuana legal so the government could put tax on the business. Lastly, Conor wants to give students to skip classes that will not benefit them later on in life so that students can learn knowledge about what they want to do later in life.

 “This will help me with my goal of becoming a petroleum engineer,” says Bulldog Barker website editor Dylan Scheel, by allowing him to spend time learning all the work it takes to be a petroleum engineer without the distraction of other required classes.

Overall, Lamb thinks it may be awhile until free higher education is possible but in the lifetime of the students at Freedom it will most likely be implemented.