A special visit from a local politician had Southern Colorado students talking about some big issues.

From the wars to H1N1, State Representative Kent Lambert spent time today in a Colorado Springs American Government classroom and had students talking about some hot topics.

A textbook can only go so far when learning about our nation's government.

"What we are trying to do is build citizens with a mind of their own and participate in the political process and help represent themselves," says Rep. Kent Lambert (R) District 14.

A local politician took time Thursday to give some Civa Charter School students a fresh perspective on how our government works.
"I like talking politics. I don't like to talk a lot but I like to be involved and know what's going on," says Cole Ellsworth of Civa Charter School.

This discussion brought up relevant topics like the H1N1 scare.
"Does the government have the right to come in, especially if you are talking about nationalized health care? Do you have any right of choice as to what your healthcare is going to be," says Rep. Lambert.

It's this kind of personal talk that lets students, like Jamie Cross, feel more comfortable about becoming involved with our government.

"Many of the kids nowadays believe that since we are younger that we can't talk to representatives and that we can't talk to our government about how we feel about certain things, when we are the face of the generation, and our kids are going to be what's going on in the future," says Jamie Cross of Civa Charter School.

Representative Lambert also spoke to the entire school today during an assembly.