Nethercutt Brings Campaign To East Valley High

As U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt answered questions about welfare reform, taxes and other national issues, Jake Walker steadily took notes.

Walker, 18, is going to vote on Nov. 5.

“I’m trying to formulate my position so I know what candidates to vote for,” he said.

Walker was among about 300 students in a warm cafeteria Thursday morning at East Valley High School. Many of the students paid close attention. And every time Nethercutt wrapped up one answer, hands shot up all around the cafeteria.

“Rep. Nethercutt, would you explain in simple terms to all us non-politically minded people what the Contract with America means?” Walker asked.

Nethercutt ticked off several provisions from the contract, including a balanced budget, welfare reform, defense funding and said:

“It was a 10-item set of actually contractual provisions that said ‘I promise to do this if you elect me.”’

Nethercutt on U.S. tax code:

“It should be changed to make it easier, simpler to understand. You have to be an accountant to do your own taxes today.”

On the IRS:

“We have 111,000 IRS agents, 4,000 border patrol agents and about 6,000 drug enforcement agents. We need to take some of the IRS guys and put them over on border guard … and drug control.”

And on drug abuse: “You need every single brain cell to use to make it in American society … You can just look downtown in Spokane to those young people who have succumbed to drugs.”

Lori Merkel, the American history teacher who invited Nethercutt to East Valley High, said she expects at least half of the 18-year-olds in her classes to vote in November.

“I heard from a couple of them today (after the session) who said they wouldn’t vote for (Nethercutt). But I expect at least half to 75 percent of them to vote. We’ve been pushing that really hard,” Merkel said.

She originally planned to give any student who asked a question extra credit. “But so many of them were trying to ask questions and they were all so good, I’m going to give them all extra credit.”

Still, this was no Rotary Club-type audience. These were gum-chewing, ballcap wearing teenagers. Boyfriends nudged girlfriends; girlfriends caressed boyfriends.

Behind all the folding chairs, seven students lay sprawled out on the linoleum. One was reading a paperback, one girl rested her head on a young man’s chest.

“I was about to fall asleep and my butt hurt,” said one girl as she left at the end of the 90-minute session.

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