Editor
U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup spoke at the Clermont Chamber of Commerce’s September Legislative Breakfast on September 3 about business, immigration, government and more.
Wenstrup was welcomed to the microphone by attendees doing a University of Cincinnati chant. He started by speaking about the area.
“I’d like to think of our district as a destination district, not only for Ohio, but for the world and for the country,” Wenstrup said.
He feels that there is a strong labor force in this area and a lot of growth. Wenstrup said there have been a lot of groundbreakings recently.
Sometimes the best thing the United States government can do is get out of people’s way, Wenstrup said, and allow for growth.
Wenstrup believes the new American dream is too much about getting a four-year degree when there are other programs to train for the workforce, and Americans need people to take jobs that don’t require a degree.
Wenstrup also discussed immigration. Despite the different attitudes and ideas Americans have about immigration, the southern and northern borders need to be addressed or America will continue to have problems, he said.
There are four reasons to support that need, Wenstrup said. The first is national security, the second is the United States need to manage an immigration system in order to have one that works, the third is to keep heroin from coming into the country and the last is so America can keep society healthy from diseases like ebola.
“So if we don’t really address our national security in a serious way, we can never have a system, a legal immigration system, that we can manage and feel good about,” Wenstrup said.
Another problem Wenstrup feels America has is that people can sometimes make more money not working that they can with a job. He met a young man who turned down a $30,000 a year job because he could make more not working.
“I believe there is no greater gift and there’s no greater social reform than to have a job and to say that you did this yourself,” Wenstrup said.
The way that the government is running right now is not how it is supposed to, Wenstrup said. President Barack Obama is taking executive actions that are against the law, the Supreme Court is changing laws and 15 agencies have authority of law on many things.
In addition, there are laws and changes coming out of the government in Washington that Congress did not vote on. Also, the Department of Justice is not enforcing the laws in many cases, Wenstrup said.
He is happy that there have been debates between Republicans, and hopes that Democrats will start to debate more. While some debates have been “catty,” they have has mostly been professional. Wenstrup believes debate is important in government.
Wenstrup also talked to attendees about his concerns about the Iran nuclear deal. He thinks it is unlikely those opposing the deal could override a veto, but thinks they can make a strong statement against it.
Wenstrup expects to see Iran cheating on the deal. He feels Iran has done nothing since the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 to give Americans a reason to trust it.
He also expressed concerns about the readiness of the American Military, especially since America has downsized the troops, putting the country at risk.
“We have to be defensive, but we also have to make sure our adversaries know we can be offensive in this arena as well. I can tell you right now, World War III is going on. It’s going on each and every day,” Wenstrup said.
The Chamber’s legislative breakfast happens on a quarterly basis. Major investors in the county come in to talk about public policy, said Chamber President Matt Van Sant. He feels it is important to talk about public policy issues.
The attendance on September 3 exceeded Van Sant’s expectations, he said.
“It was wonderful,” Van Sant said.