Rep. Chip Cravaack, the father of a first- and a fourth-grader, quickly got into the swing of the elementary school rhythm at Brainerd’s Riverside School Thursday. In addition to reading first-graders “House Mouse, Senate Mouse,” he quizzed pupils on their favorite subjects, handed out pencils and coins and learned that one first-grader had just recently lost a tooth.
The Lindstrom Republican’s stop at Riverside was a quick one but he emphasized the importance of reading and other subjects to the children in Amanda Ramey’s first grade class, which was being taught Thursday by substitute teacher Maggie Boland. His book described how a law is made.
After Principal Cathy Engler reminded pupils to keep their eyes on the speaker and mouths zipped during the first-term congressman’s presentation he affirmed the wisdom of her directions.
“I wish we could learn that in Congress,” he said.
After the story as he interacted with the kids, many hands were raised when they were asked how many of them liked school. One young man apparently was still weighing the pros and cons of the question, responding verbally with a plaintive “Kind of.”
Before he began reading he was welcomed by a delegation of fourth-graders who introduced themselves to the congressman.
Responding to a few questions in the school hallway after the reading, Cravaack said he was not a fan of mandatory federal testing and he would like to see the federal government “get out of the classroom.”
Before being elected in 2010, Cravaack was a stay-at-home dad, a parent-teacher organization president and frequent volunteer at his children’s school. He said the most important benchmark is whether the student who wants to go to college does well on his SAT test. He said the local school district should be the most important element in education.
On another topic, Cravaack said he hoped Congress would avoid a government shutdown next week but cuts must be made to help bring down the federal government’s $14.1 trillion debt.
He said he’ll face a tough decision when Congress votes on whether lawmakers should raise the national debt ceiling. Cravaack said he would have to see the proposal before he decides but he indicated he would be more receptive to it if government cuts were part of the package.
The former U.S. Navy and commercial airline pilot said a decision may come in the next couple of weeks as to whether the 8th Congressional District Office that had been operated by his predecessor at Brainerd City Hall would be reopened. A 5 percent budget cut for his office resulted in the loss of two paid positions, he said.
Earlier on Thursday Cravaack met with veterans at the 371 Diner in Baxter. When he left Riverside he headed to Deer Creek Elementary School, where he was scheduled to read and then to a meeting in Wadena where he planned to discuss recovery efforts from the June 17 tornado.
Comments (28)
Add commentfamiliar with midwest ?
Gee, I was under the impression that the ACT test was more popular than the SAT test for midwest high school students to take for college entrance exams. SAT tests are more often taken by students on the east and west coasts.
Is Chip still drawing
Is Chip still drawing $69,000/yr for sleep apnea disability payments?
You just don't understand how
You just don't understand how things in the real world, do you, Fish?
You're right wolf. I don't
You're right wolf. I don't understand how things work in the real world but I'm getting an education on how the well connected play the system and then call it hard work and sacrifice while taxpayers to foot the bill.
Some good examples are what's happening in WI and the football stadium that taxpayers are going to build for a billionaire.
I'm also getting an education on how Republicans talk about personal responsibility but how that only applies to other people.
Chip was drawing $69,000/yr in disability payments for sleep apnea. You may want to prevent people from asking about it and he probably does too but I believe we have a right to ask that question.
So in WI, they want to allow
So in WI, they want to allow people the choice to join a union or not. That's just horrible. Some might like to be able to go to their boss and ask for a raise based on their own merit and productivity, than be stuck on union scale making as much as the "no-load" working next to them.
And as far as the stadium...did you bother to see how many events besides football games had to be cancelled when the roof collapsed? You might be surprised to find out that the stadium is used for other events MUCH more than it is used for football games. It creates jobs and tax revenue, and is a community asset.
people just don't get it
that most people are not lazy, but they are working longer hours for less pay and benefits, the system is stacking up against the middle class, that's why there's outrage - http://robertreich.org/
I never said most people are
I never said most people are lazy.
And why should I care what Robert has to say?
wolfg - because I read all sides of the debate
are you afraid of what you will read?
I was wrong AGAIN!Chip gets
I was wrong AGAIN!
Chip gets $79,000/yr for having sleep apnea NOT $69,000. How can I ever make it up to you?
"Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN) knows all about the good things that a union can provide. He currently receives just under $80,000 in disability pay from Delta Airlines despite receiving $174,000 in pay for his day job as a member of Congress. Cravaack gets $80K in disability pay because his union fought for his rights and negotiated a contract with Northwest Airlines. "
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/8501/cravaack-is-a-hypocrite-a...
Having dealt with sleep apnea for a long time I have to wonder how he can do his job as OUR congressman if he's not getting his apnea treated. But then IF he IS using one of the many ways to treat this condition WHY is he still getting $80,000 per year in disability?
Help me out here wolfy.
"Help me out here wolfy." Why
"Help me out here wolfy."
Why don't you just go to the archives and read the earlier posts discussing this?
You couldn't comprehend it then, so what's different now?
I did read it. If my apnea
I did read it. If my apnea fogged memory serves me someone said it was extra disability insurance that he bought.
But still....wouldn't it be insurance fraud to claim a disability while a person works?
It seems strange to me that someone would buy that insurance and then just 3 years later claim that they suddenly had apnea. Yep....just seems strange to me as a sufferer of apnea.
Wolfg1
Do you ever feel as if you are trying to push a rope through a hole?
Maybe, just maybe, Fish,
Maybe, just maybe, Fish, developing sleep apnea would put an early end to a career as a commercial airline pilot.
It might not have such a profound affect on a career as a fish farmer.
if this guy was a Democrat...
and drawing disability while working as a Congressman, you'd be all over him...
truth
Half right
Some people would be all over a democrat collecting disability while holding a job. That is half of the story.
The other half is that there would be a few people on this site defending or excusing it. Care to guess who?
John Brown
No, no. Their side looks at all points of view, remember?
Yes if a person has
Yes if a person has significant apnea I would not want them flying planes BUT as many Republicans have rightfully stated a person that cannot do their regular job they should find one they can do if they are capable of working.
I guess that only applies to people other than Republicans. Right guys?
I still wonder if it isn't insurance fraud to claim a disability while working full time?
hey now BD
hey BRAINERD DISGRACE, how come you are allowing comments on this article written by one of your writers and not of others that are LIBERALLY BIAS.
Typical hypocrite liberal CRAP.
NO. I wouldn't Snowda.
NO. I wouldn't Snowda. Because I understand how the system works. He lost his ability to fly as a commercial airline pilot. The military would have relieve him of his flight status if the condition would have manifested itself while he was a pilot in the Navy.
Don't you think the insurance company scrutinized his claim before paying on it? You complain about the insurance companies not paying for things they should, and complain when they do. You can't have it both ways. Which is it?
PS - You forgot to mention that he is also collecting a pension from the military.
Go Chip, GO!
Inspirational!
When I seen Representative Cravacck reading that book to the kids, I got a little teary eyed. It makes me thing of the good old boy and wonderful man and president George W. Bush. When he was reading that book, I believe it was "The Pokey Little Puppy", to the kindergarten kids on 9/11.
The libs and the democrat party and it's agenda. Oh it still makes my blood boil. Like he's supposed to stop reading that book and the democrat's just crucified him. Like he didn't know what he was doing! HIstory has proved him right and we now know that he was aware that the plane attack was imminent so it was not like it was some big so-called "surprise". So let him finish reading the book to the kids, for goshes's sake, he knew that was gonnna happen and give him a break and let him read to the kids without all the critiques!
I also blame the liberal teacher's unions and i Hope representative Cravacck gave the teachers at this school fair warning, there day is coming and on the horizon! Time to open up those jobs to the lowest bidder and we will save money. time to outsource the school lunches and the bloated administrator a the school and they're waistful spending. It is enough to make me sick!
You keep reading to the kids, Mr. Representative. And keep the taxes down on the one's who make the jobs, the rich, and bust those unions and let's get some fresh blood into those classroom!
DNTMG
Aitkin
PS, can you see what you can do about getting a bill passed in Minnesota, like they have down in Texas, so that the kids can be armed for they're safety in school? We need a concealed carry law for are students too. Columbine would have never happened if the kids in Colorado were just able to exercise they're god given bill of rights (or by that I mean the so-called Constitution of the United States of America, second and third amendments)
John, Who are you asking
John,
Who are you asking about?
John, OK. Now I understand.
John,
OK. Now I understand. I hit the ignore user button on him/her/it a long time ago.