Eighth-Graders Quiz Frelinghuysen On Debt, 'Obamacare'

From the steps of the Capitol Building to the flavors of a New Jersey Starbucks, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen and Mountain View Middle School in Mendham have plenty of history together.

Frelinghuysen, representing Mendham Township and Mendham Borough in New Jersey’s 11th Legislative District, spent an hour with eighth graders at the school two days before Thanksgiving to talk about what he does, why he does it, and how he plans to solve many domestic and foreign affairs, as asked by the pupils.

It was the congressman’s third visit in the last four years to teacher Evan McLaughlin’s social studies class. It was the history between the two outside the classroom that brought the 10-term representative to Mendham.

Sitting on a desk at the front of the class waiting for Frelinghuysen was a Grande non-fat latte from the Seattle-based coffee shop that seems to have brewed open a retail space in every United States town over the past decade. McLaughlin, a former barista in his native Caldwell, often served Frelinghuysen when the Morris County resident would check in with constituents or stump for an upcoming re-election bid.

McLaughlin’s students, who will take a tour of Washington D.C. in the spring, quizzed the congressman on topics often heard batted about on Sunday morning political programs rather than between lockers in a grade school.

“How do we get past the debt,” asked Jack Kurtzfreilich, point blank.

“We won’t,” Frelinghuysen said candidly. “We’re borrowing more than the taxes that are coming in. We can’t run a household on a credit card.”

The Republican wasn’t coy about sharing his voting on one of the nation’s most current and contentious issues, either.

“Did you vote for Obamacare,” Liam Mund asked, referring to President Barack Obama’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

“I certainly didn’t,” Frelinghuysen said. “Above all, I’m respectful of the president, and it doesn’t mean I don’t feel everyone deserves some kind of healthcare. But the president got himself into a real jam with healthcare reform.”

Frelinghuysen told students it really didn’t take any special qualifications to become a congressman, and that all students should take an interest in community governance.

The representative got a laugh out of the class when he explained to students that the making of laws was akin to the creation of a certain kind of meat.

“The making of laws is like making sausage,” he said. “You don’t want to know what goes into it.”

Frelinghuysen was impressed with the class and the questions students posed, saying the kids did a “fantastic” job just before the bell rang.

“It’s great to see them paying attention at a young age,” he said after the class. “Some students you visit aren’t prepared. That certainly wasn’t the case here.”

Of course, the meeting with Frelinghuysen wasn’t just for fun. Congress and what happens in Washington D.C. is a part of the class’s curriculum.

“I want them to be aware and cognizant of Congress controlling what you do,” McLaughlin said. “I want them to see it in a big picture; how does this affect me in Mendham? The ultimate goal is for them to vote when they get older.”

In Frelinghuysen’s office in Washington D.C. is a photo of his father, an 11-term congressman, with a class of students from Mendham from 50 years ago.

Before moving on to high school, the Mountain View Middle School eighth graders will have the opportunity to put its stamp on photographic history with the next Frelinghuysen.