Texas Monthly Talks
Sheila Jackson Lee
Joe says: In reference to her answer regarding the booing incident during the Democratic Convention, I was there. I was NOT booing because she supported Hillary. I supported Obama, but my booing was clearly directed AT her, just because she's SJL. She's a rabid squirrel looking for a nut in either a camera lens, at a banquet she wasn't invited to, or at the funeral of a person considered "prominent" in the community. Did she know the deceased? No? Well, no problem, she'll speak anyway, despite objections to her speaking by the attendees, mentioning the deceased's relatives by wrong names. Then, after the congregation gives applause because they're glad she's finally shut up, she's out of the door, and already at the next funeral or function of the day before the clapping is over. Why? Because she's SJL. (January 11th, 2009 at 11:01pm)
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I would agree with President-elect Obama that the deficit is going to have to rise for a period of time. As it relates to the richest among us, I have to be very cautious in putting more taxes on my fellow Texans. But where there is benefit, there is burden. In a war economy, there must be sacrifice. I want my fellow Texans to understand that at an income level of $250,000 and under, they’re not going to be taxed [any more than they already are], but yes, there is a reason to provide some [additional taxation] above that level to provide resources to turn back the tide of a recession.
And yet, Congresswoman, there are those who say that in an economy as bad as this one, raising taxes—even on the wealthiest Americans—is not the way to get us out of this problem.
I believe they’re absolutely wrong on that. The other part of it, of course, is that we have a commitment to bringing the troops home [from Iraq]. The more than $300 million we’ve been spending each day can be better spent ensuring that our economy is building things. I happen to be a believer in putting manufacturing and inventiveness back in the hearts and souls of Americans. I want to promote the solar and wind industries in Texas.
You’re gonna make Boone Pickens happy when he hears that.
I want to see green energy. I want to promote natural gas—Boone Pickens has a point. It can’t be solely that, but a shift to natural gas will create jobs.
Do you think it’s realistic for people who supported President-elect Obama to think that we’re really going to see movement on Iraq—especially since he’s retaining Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon?
I’ve found Mr. Gates to be a reasoned protector of the nation’s security. We had a hearing on the agreement that has been quietly struck between the Bush administration and the Iraqi government on drawing down all troops by 2011. I challenge that. I think President Obama should have his say. But more important, I think there is an understanding that we need to bring our troops home.
You would have it happen sooner than 2011.
I would like the Obama administration to put its handprint on it. Sheila Jackson Lee, an opponent of the war, would like to have our troops brought home with dignity and respect, safely and sooner.
Is Iraq our most important foreign policy issue going forward?
In order to give our attention to a peaceful resolution of the Mideast conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, in order to address the question of Iran, in order to address the questions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, we will have to have something stable to stand upon, and that is a commitment to resolve the issue of Iraq. I believe if we get our hands around it—if we stabilize Iraq, if we cause the government of Baghdad to embrace the different sects there, if we can get them to use their own oil resources to rebuild their country, put people back to work, build schools for their children, fix their health care system, fix their infrastructure—we can get them on the pathway to success.
Speaking of Pakistan, President-elect Obama said repeatedly during the campaign that if we knew Osama bin Laden was hiding out in that country and its government was unwilling or unable to get him, the U.S. should take military action to capture and kill him. That’s a fairly hawkish position for a Democrat. As an opponent of the Iraq war, do you agree with it?
I’ve never wavered on my willingness to rid the world of Osama bin Laden. I recognized the necessity of doing what we needed to do after the horrific attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11. In fact, I made the argument, as many have, that we should have continued our focus on Afghanistan and eliminating the horror of bin Laden. I will not second-guess the president-elect. I believe he will use the right judgment.
Any other policy challenges for the new administration?
Absolutely: education. I know that with the economic crisis we’re facing, our minds have been distracted. But in my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’ve come to understand the competitive nature of the world today. I want our children to be able to stand front and center as the leaders of the world academically. We’ve got to quash the high dropout rate, particularly for African Americans and Hispanics and in the rural areas of America. We have to retool our education system—there has to be a balance between people who use their minds and people who use their hands. We should make cars and ships, build buildings and build roads. There’s no shame in building things.
We used to build things. What happened?
We began to worship the god of intelligence, to worship the god of technology, which is very important. But people can be as astute about technology using their hands. Our system has to give dignity to those who wish to be educated to a certain level and then go into making things.
Any other priorities for education?
Fixing our old and deteriorating schools. Making sure that there isn’t a school in America in which a child doesn’t have access to a computer. Making sure our libraries are complete—there’s nothing more enhancing to learning than having books to read.
What about immigration?
We must fix our immigration system. It’s not befitting of a country that looked to the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty in our early history. We have a murky immigration policy that does not reach our ideals. We mix the politics of scapegoating immigrants with our standard position of welcoming those who’ve escaped persecution. Our numbers of refugees accepted from some of the harshest places in the world are low and unacceptable. We need to develop a program of access to legalization—as much as people want to call it amnesty, those of us who’ve written this legislation know it is not.
That’s an enormous set of challenges. When you think about the mess that President-elect Obama is inheriting, it’s fair to ask: Who would ever want that job?
I believe somewhat in destiny.
Although it’s easy to forget, you were born and raised in New York and educated up East. How did you get from there to here?
This has been an idyllic odyssey of wanting to go south and make a difference—to be part of what I thought was an emerging attitude in the South and Southwest. My husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, who’s the vice chancellor of the University of Houston, wanted to make a difference. We were each in the student movement in our undergraduate institutions. We didn’t know anything other than change at that time. We thought we could come to Texas and not take it by storm but be as helpful as possible. I’ve now been here for more than half my life, and I have native-born children. I’m embedded. I certainly love my roots, but I’m so much a part of Texas. I hope that in my service to this community and the excitement that I feel in always coming back home to Houston that I’ve proven myself, that I’ve gotten my belt buckle and my boots. And I love wearing my hat.
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