U.S. CONGRESSMAN BILL JOHNSON Proudly Representing Eastern and Southeastern Ohio

Warren High School students were able to meet and chat with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson Wednesday when the congressman paid a visit to American Government students.

"I want them to understand that they can be doing what I'm doing in just a few years," he said. "One day I'm going to walk out of my office and never go back, and when I do, (their) generation will have to pick up the reins."

Johnson fielded questions from students about his views on student and public debt, the Keystone Pipeline and Common Core, among other subjects.

"Our local educators are quite more qualified to make those decisions about education than the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington," Johnson said, reiterating in his speech about the need to give local governments more control.

He expressed to students the issue of public debt and how it will affect them as students looking for jobs and going to college.

"The only way to fix it is for everyone to come to the table with ideas," Johnson said. "We must balance the budget and stop spending money we don't have."

As many of the students in attendance were near or at voting age, Johnson encouraged them to stay educated on the facts and to make informed decisions when it is time to vote.

"Usually I'm not that active in knowing all about politics, but this class has opened my eyes, and it opened up my eyes hearing him speak," said senior Trinity Leister, 17. "By listening to his own point of view it can help you develop your own."

Leister said it is was a useful opportunity to be able to have an elected official that they could chat with openly.

"It all helps you make a better educated guess and a good decision based on facts and good information," she said.

Johnson said the ability for him to visit schools in his 18-county district and talk to other groups helps him get a better idea of what constituents need.

"My door is wide open, and you don't have to be a voter and you don't have to support me," he said.

Senior Logan Reynolds, 18, said he appreciated hearing from someone who is in a position he would like to see himself in in the future.

"I aspire to be a congressman some day," he said. "This was my first up-close encounter with people who run this country, and it's comforting to be able to know firsthand who he is."

Reynolds said he feels like many people his age are not as in-tune as they should be with elected officials and the decisions they make.

"What happens in this country is largely dependent on us," he said.

With nearly three decades of his life dedicated to the military, Johnson said there are plenty of avenues students can take to get into a position like his in their futures.

"I'm going into the National Guard soon, so I might end up in a career like that some day," said junior Alexis Dearth, 18. "And with this we got to understand what he's doing and how he represents us."