BETHEL — Sophomores at Telstar Regional High School met with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, via Skype on Wednesday to discuss the duties of a senator and climate change — and favorite shrimp recipes.
The Skype call stemmed from King’s wish to remain connected to Maine students. Since joining the U.S. Senate in 2013, he began a program called Capitol Class, in which he videoconferences with students across the state.
To date, he has spoken with students at 23 schools in Maine through video chat.
King was introduced by a member of his staff, Ben Tucker, his “eyes and ears” in Oxford County. Tucker talked about the Senate being “the most exclusive club in the world,” as there are only two senators from each state, totaling 100 in all out of the entire U.S. population.
Before turning the conference over to King, he imparted some words of wisdom from the senator: “It’s attitude — not aptitude — that determines your altitude.”
During the first 10 minutes of the conference, King, sporting a lobster tie in honor of his home state, told students what it is like to be a U.S. senator. He said workweek for senators ends Thursday afternoon, and King then flies back to Maine to spend time with his family and meet with Mainers.
When it came time for students to ask the senator questions, many were about climate change.
King impressed upon the students the importance of being conscientious about energy usage, because his generation wasn’t. The subject of the Dakota Access Pipeline was also touched upon, and King expressed his relief that the Obama administration is choosing to slow the process and consider all implications of the pipeline before moving forward.
Student Blake Katlin asked King about the effect of climate change in Maine, and King said because of global warming, the ocean will rise 1 foot per decade, and that climate change is a concern not only for the environment but for national security as well.
“Certain places will become too hot to live, resulting in 200 million to 1 billion people needing to be displaced,” King said.
Student Tristen Lilly asked the senator how the government can help the shrimping industry bounce back from its recent hardships.
King explained the “tragedy of the commons” phenomenon, in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource, such as shrimp. As the demand for shrimp overwhelms the supply, every individual who consumes additional shrimp directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the benefit, so moderation is key.
The mood was lightened by Lilly asking King for his favorite shrimp dish, which turned out to be a simple shrimp cocktail.
“I like to throw some shrimp in with garlic and butter in a frying pan and then some noodles,” Lilly said. “It’s really good.”
“I really enjoyed my conservation with the students at Telstar today and was incredibly impressed by their thoughtfulness,” King said after the videoconference call. “I have no doubt that Maine has a bright future with such great students like these.”
emarquis@sunmediagroup.net
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