Student question: Do you think studying law prepared you well for this career? Or do you wish you would've studied politics, or…

Senator Schumer: To be honest, studying law did not prepare me for this career. You could do it just as well without studying law. But, what law does, it gives you a good way of thinking, and mostly you're not so lucky to run for office right away and win, so you need to be doing something, and law is the perfect job to be doing while you're doing politics as well. So if you're interested in running …. are any of you interested in running for office one day? Oh, that's great! Law is a good thing to do. Now, in college, here's what I'd recommend. Political science? Not so much. Nope. Four things: history. A background in history is very important. I'd learn economics. Economics is becoming very important I the world, and even here. And then, I'd learn to speak well and I'd learn to write well. Because when you're a new politician starting out, you write all your stuff yourself. You don't have a big staff. So those are the four things that I would learn. But I'd also get a broad education. I took some chemistry, cause I like chemistry, and it helps me understand things even that come across my desk today - like how a fuel cell works and whether the government should subsidize, one of the issues is whether the government should subsidize fuel cells in cars. So, that's that. Just let me ask one question, and then I'm going to ask you all the questions you prepared. What neighborhoods in Brooklyn are you from?

Students and senator exchange location information (this was hard to pick up on the microphone because so many students were talking throughout the room)

Senator Schumer: So now it's your nickel. I've learned about you, you've learned about me. And I'm ready for questions. We're going to have to be a little bit quick, because I have to go back to our conference.

Deirdre: What is it like being a US Senator from the state of New York, and what is a typical day like for you.

Senator Schumer: Both good questions. First, to answer the second question first, one of the nice things about being a Senator is, there is no typical day. Everyday is different. Even if you're just going to meetings and voting - the issues are all different, the people you meet are different. I once thought about it as a Congressman, and it's not different as a Senator, there are four great things about this job. First, the ability to help people. In other words, you go to bed at night feeling satisfied that you made the world a little bit of a better place. Second is variety. Everyday is different, you're not like in an assembly line doing the same thing, or even like a lawyer turning out wills for somebody. Third is that you're your own boss. In other words, I have 19 million bosses, but, so I have to make the decisions, because most issues people are on both sides, so you have some independence. The fourth reason, the fourth thing, well, it's really similar to the first one. It's the opportunity, not just to help people, but it's a feeling of satisfaction. So, that's my typical day. The trouble with being a Senator, want to know the greatest problem in my life, which shows that God's been good to me? Having enough time for my job and my family. You could do this job twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. So what I try to do is build a wall - I'll tell people, I'll tell my staff, 'no events on Saturday.' I'm not going to do anything on Saturday except be with my family. It's like the old Sabbath (laughter from kids). You know, really, that the Christian people had, the Jewish people had, the Muslim people had - one day where you did nothing. And the reason they probably had it in the old days, the boss would make the farmer or somebody else work the whole day. (addressing student) Yes.

Student question: My question is about a policy that you have. You've asked the FAA to pass a policy regarding how all the people who screen at airports should have high school diplomas. I wanted to know, will you also fight for a policy to help those people who don't have diplomas to get one? Because you're leaving people out of jobs.

Senator Schumer: Yes, I will. We are. That's a very good question. You have tough issues in the job. Now, I worked very hard to, what they call, federalize security at the airports. Right now, the security at the airports isn't very good - could be better. One of the reasons, the main reason is, we left it up to the airlines. And what were the airlines interested in? Not safety, low cost. So the people the hired, they hired companies to do security at the gates that paid low, low wages. And they got some people who were qualified, but they got some people who weren't qualified. And, in fact, I know somebody who owns a security company, he said, when I heard what they were paying, I couldn't take the job in good conscience, because I couldn't hire the people necessary to do the job. So, I felt, and a number, and a lot of Senators felt, we ought to upgrade airline security. And there's going to be a $2.50 tax, or stipend, call it what you will, on every ticket when you fly, and that money is going to do two things. One, it's going to buy equipment that can detect any kind of, not just metal, they now have metal detectors, but they have equipment that can detect any explosive or biological agent. But second, it's going to go to upgrade the people. Instead of being paid what is now, $6.35 or $7 an hour, the salary will start out at $28,000 a year. Now what do you do for the people who aren't qualified? Well, do you keep them there? No. That jeopardizes the security of the airplane. But we should work to try and find them jobs, and I would.

Student question: Yes, I was wondering. I am in heavy favor of getting rid of the second amendment. I don't believe that everybody should be able to own a gun. I have trouble talking to people that think any person can just walk around on the street with a gun. So, I was just wondering if there were any bills circulating right now to further advance gun control.

Senator Schumer: There is a bill by Major Owens who, I think now represents Midwood. Southern part of his district. I helped him when he first ran to get elected. And, he wants to abolish the second amendment. Now, I'm a strong advocate of gun control. I'm probably known as the leading advocate in the whole Congress. I wrote the Brady law, and the assault weapons ban, and got them passed. But it may surprise you to learn that I'm against abolishing the second amendment. First, I don't think you mess with the Constitution - if it's in there, it's in there. But second, I think it's unfair for, when, people on the left or the right, interpret the amendments differently. So, there are a lot of liberals who say that the first amendment should be very broad, but the second amendment should not exist at all, or should be very tinily interpreted, very narrowly interpreted. I believe you do have a right to bear arms. But I also believe, because it's in the Constitution, and even though we in NYC don't see a need for this, in certain parts of the country guns are part of the way of life. Young kids learn to hunt, and blah, blah, blah. So I don't think we have to impose our will on them. But here's what I say to the NRA people, they don't like me, they made me enemy #1 - they called me public enemy #1. So, that's why my view may surprise you. I say to the NRA, no amendment is absolute. So the first amendment, which we all believe in, freedom of speech, is not absolute. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote you can't scream FIRE in a crowded theater. Why? Because if you were sitting in the movies and went FIRE, people would run, and people would get hurt, maybe even killed, trampled. So even though that is an infringement on my first amendment right, I may want to say FIRE in a crowded theater, it hurts people. Second amendment is not absolute. The NRA says anyone should be able to buy, even a bazooka. Ridiculous. I believe in the Brady Law, to background check. I believe you should have to prove the merit of being able to carry a gun. You're not mentally infirmed, you don't beat your spouse, you haven't committed any crimes. But once you do that, I'd be for licensing and registration, but I'd let you have a gun. So, that may surprise you on what I think. Most people in New York would tend to agree with you.

Student: I live in Rock Basin(?) Would you support changing the flight paths in and out of JFK?

Senator Schumer: Yes, I worked on that. And congressman Weiner work - I worked on it with him. And they are probably going to change the flight - they say they're going to change the flight path. The question is, will they? I don't know.

Student: What can Congress do to correct the uneven distribution of wealth and power in this country?

Senator Schumer: Best thing to do, some people say, you know, that we do have a graduated income tax, which I support, so if you're wealthy you pay more taxes, even on a percentage basis than poor, and that helps. But, you know the best way? Education. I believe in Chapter One. Someone poor, someone from an inner city neighborhood, should get extra help with their education. In America, I truly believe we're a land of opportunity, and if everyone had just as good an education, the poverty, or whatever, would not be a barrier to the next, you know, to the children of the impoverished person rising up. So the best way to bring more equality is, um, education. I would not be, you know, I think that it's better to have the pie grow than redistribute the income. You know what I'm saying? Because then you get into all sorts of fights, although I would be, as I say, I support a graduated income tax, which some don't - the flat tax people are against it.

Student: How can congress improve public education?

Senator Schumer: Well, I'll tell you one thing we ought to do, we ought to make sure - and I'm not just saying this because your teachers are here, because I'll say this when they're not - teaching ought to become in the 21st century should become an exalted profession, like a doctor or a lawyer in the 20th century. We should pay more, we should give more responsibility, we should really encourage our best people to go into teaching. You know, you've got great teachers at Midwood. The number one thing that determines how well a child does is their parents, the values their parents give them. Number two is the quality of the teaching. Yes.

Student: What's being done in the Senate to make sure that New York gets the funding it needs to recover?

Senator Schumer: What's being done in the Senate to make sure that New York gets the funding it needs to recover? Senator Clinton and I, who, she is my colleague as New York Senator, are working very hard to try and push it to happen. The president promised. I went in to him two days after September 11th, and he made a promise to me that New York, I asked him for 20 billion, we've gotten 11 so far, I believe we'll get that 20 billion, but it comes through gradually because of the way the FEMA program works. The reimbursement for, when you have a disaster, whether natural or man-made, you have to submit a check to the federal government. So when the MTA is ready to rebuilt the one in nine lines (?) they're going to hire a contractor who's going to say, this costs two billion, we'll submit a check to the federal government, they'll reimburse. But the issue is, trying to get other kinds of money. Not just the reimbursement for the exact damage that occurred, but what about all the small businesses that are in trouble, what about the non-profits that are in trouble? What about all these other things? And that's where we're pushing very hard. In addition, right now the big issue that's on the table is, we are trying to get money so that if a business moves to downtown Manhattan, they get a big tax break on their federal taxes, and that's going to be a big fight in the next month.

Student: What about those that are coming into the country to visit? Would they get it to?

Senator Schumer: They still would get it to. Everybody. OK?

Student: Like a visitor's pass?

Senator Schumer: Like a visitor's pass. I haven't made up my mind. I think it's a close question. This is not just like school. I'm trying to get your views as citizens, because I don't know what to think.

Several students talking at once….

Senator Schumer: I want you to vote yes or no. I have to leave, that's the only reason I'm hurrying you. I'm supposed to be at the meeting at 4:15. She's very persistent. You're going to influence them. I want to hear what you think before you say something. How many would be for it? (students raise hands) How many would be against it? (students raise hands). That's about 50/50. You know what? Almost everywhere I go - age group, geographic part of the state, economic, ethnic, it's about 50/50. Thank you everybody (applause). Go Brooklyn!

# # #