King Visits Massapequa Government Classes

Rep. Peter King spoke with Massapequa High School students in the Advanced Placement Government and Politics classes, offering insight into his career, the public figures he has worked with and the most pressing issues facing our country today.

As a U. S. congressman for 22 years who recently won another term, King outlined how the world “was very different than it is today.”

“When I was elected in 1992, George Bush was in his last year as President, Japan was going to be the leading power, no one knew about terrorism; no one was concerned about military action anymore because the Iron Curtain came down, communism was over and the only question was how we spent our money and how to try to keep face with Japan and Germany,” he said.

“Japan is now floundering, we’ve been engaged in wars for the past 13 years and everything we thought was going to happen in 1992 has totally changed.”

More on Patch:

• Cops: Men Shopped at Sunrise Mall Using Stolen Credit Card
• Massapequa Teen Wins Miss Congeniality at Miss Teen NY Pageant
• Restaurant Week, Foiled Robbery, Fulbright Scholar Visit in Massapequa Last Week

Today, King is a member of the Homeland Security Committee and Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. He also serves on the Financial Services Committee and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“I am the only member of Congress that sits on the Intelligence Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, which means I am alerted to threats that are coming from outside of the country and inside of the country,” he said. “This gives me a very unique look at the terror threat, which I think is the main crisis we have to face in the country today.”

He also provided some insight into today’s most pressing global issues, citing Russia as a real threat in the Ukraine, China as an emerging superpower, and Iran as closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. On a lighter side, King shared what it has been like to work for presidents and other public figures over the years and described the grand amenities one experiences when flying on Air Force One.

After his discussion, he opened the floor to questions from students who prepared their remarks by watching and analyzing newscasts and videos involving the congressman. They asked how he is handling the terrorist group ISIS, how social media has changed the way he handles himself as a public figure, and how the Internet has changed his role as a congressman. Students also wanted to know the challenges of being a republican in a blue state, how he handles bias in the media and how the public can slice through the various viewpoints of the media to get to the truth.

“We were very excited to have Congressman King address our students and provide first-hand knowledge of our political system and the issues that face our country today,” said social studies teacher Daniel Bachman. “His visit was particularly beneficial for our students because it provided an opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding of terms and topics that are given on the AP exam.”

Submitted by Massapequa Schools

Post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions.

Check us out on Facebook