Chris Peters talks politics over pizza with University of Iowa students.
By Maria Curi
More than 40 people crowded onto the second floor of the Airliner on Tuesday evening to hear Chris Peters address the biggest challenges facing young Americans today.
Peters is running as the GOP candidate against Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack for the 2nd Congressional District seat. He hopes to attack the issues millennials will inherit, including his children — who, he said, are his inspiration for running.
While some believe climate change is the No. 1 threat and should be treated as a national-security issue, for Peters it is a topic that should be handled by the free market and should be left alone by the federal government.
“It’s pretty darn clear that CO2 is rising, and it’s due to human activity,” he said. “But the magnitude of the effect is inherently unpredictable.”
University of Iowa junior Michael Sylvester, a registered independent, said he thinks both the federal debt and climate change are crucial. He believes it’s a little “far-fetched” to rely on the free market to take care of climate change.
Still, for Peters, the biggest issue facing millennials is the national debt.
“This is a crime and should be a reason for generational warfare,” he said as he held up the latest issue of Time in which subscribers were personally told what they owe to government in order to eliminate the $13.9 trillion national debt. The total for every man, woman, and child would be $42,998.12 each.
UI senior and libertarian Sahan Thenuwara said the increase of college tuition and the economy should be the main focus in Congress.
“Young people can’t find jobs and are drowning in debt,” he said. “We need a libertarian who will take the government out of the loan business because all they’ve accomplished is raising tuition.”
Peters also took a stance against U.S. intervention in too many countries and said reducing defense spending would be the easiest way to tackle the national debt.
Additionally, Peters said the government has “no business” in the private lives of Americans and would support any legislation designed to limit NSA spying on civilian.
In response to a question about the war on drugs, Peters responded, “It’s been going on since I was a kid; is pot still available?” To which everyone answered yes. He went on to say it’s because prohibition doesn’t work. Peters believes in decriminalizing marijuana and ending the “tragedy” of mass incarceration in America.