RICHMOND, Va. -- The day after two men, who linked themselves to ISIS, opened fire at an event in Texas that featured controversial cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, Virginia Senator Mark Warner offered a stark reminder to Americans.
"I know there’s controversy about some of the NSA programs in the past monitoring foreigners’ conversations some of that has actually helped prevent actions in this country, but we also have to recognize that in a world that is incredibly diverse there is no 100 percent guarantee of safety," Senator Warner said during a live interview on the WTVR CBS 6 News at Noon. "We have to balance our Civil Liberties with this sense of maintaining safety in our communities."
Warner called for nations around the world to rally together against those who commit acts of terrorism.
"I think we need to collaborate more with our allies around the world. We're seeing much more of these kinds of activities take place in Europe and let’s face it, Europe for a lot of years was not as vigilant as we’ve been. I think they’re starting to see so many people come back from Syria and the Middle East going back to countries like France," he said. "We need to have this being a more united front against these terrorists cells."
Senator Warner was in town to discuss Richmond's entrepreneurial scene and what he's doing to help keep down the cost of higher education.
"I think I was very blessed. I failed by first two times in business and managed to do well with cell phones on the third time, but I came out of school first in my family with $15,000 in debt. Now students are coming out with an average of $26,000 - $27,000 in debt many with $40,000 - $50,000 in debt," he said. "We’re looking at three things. One, can we find a way to refinance the student loan debt at a lower rate. If you can get a mortgage at 4 percent, why can’t you finance your student loan debt at that rate? Two, I’m working with Senator Rubio, the Republican Senator from Florida, saying we should allow everyone to have basically an income-based repayment plan, so you pay 15 percent of your income. So you might start those first few years out of college paying a small amount, but as you make more money you’re able to pay more. Finally allow an employer to take up to $5,000 of an employee’s money, if the employee agrees, who’s got student debt and apply that money pre-tax to the student debt."
To read more about Senator Warner's plan, click here.
