By Paul Barbian
At the April 5 meeting of the Greenwich Retired Men’s Association Peter Berg introduced the speaker, U.S. Congressman Jim Himes. Congressman Himes has served for 14 years representing Connecticut’s 4th U.S. Congressional District. He is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He was born in Lima, Peru, to American parents, and spent his early childhood in Peru and Colombia where his father worked for the Ford Foundation and UNICEF. He speaks Spanish fluently.
After completing his undergraduate work at Harvard, Congressman Himes earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. He began his professional career at Goldman Sachs where he worked his way up to vice president over the course of a 12-year career. Jim lives in Greenwich with his wife Mary and two daughters.
The Congressman began his presentation with an overview of three critical issues facing the country: the debt ceiling, U.S.-China relations, and U.S. domestic politics.
With regard to the debt ceiling, the Congressman considers the recurring debates about it a waste of time. The ceiling has to be raised to pay for programs the Congress had previously approved. Failure to raise the ceiling would cause the U.S. to default on its obligations which would have extensive, negative impacts on the entire system of international finance.
With regard to China, the Congressman pointed out that the U.S. and China have extensive trade connections and that to rupture those connections would do great harm to both parties. The issues with China are complicated, but the Congressman urged thoughtful assessment of those issues so as not to provoke further conflict or even a shooting war which would negatively affect both nations.
With regard to politics in the U.S., the Congressman observed that formerly wealthy areas, such as Ohio, have become economically depressed due to massive changes in technology and trade patterns. The population of some of those areas are bitter and feel that they are denigrated by those living in more affluent regions. This is part of the reason for the dissension that pervades U.S. politics today. He urged that we try to understand each other.
Questions asked of the Congressman by the large RMA audience dealt with, among other things, forgiveness of college debt, government spending on semiconductor production, Ukraine, how to put Social Security on a sound financial footing, and how to deal with the anger that seems to permeate much of our political discourse.
To see the full presentation, go to https://greenwichrma.org, cursor to “Speakers” and click on “Speaker Videos.”
The RMA’s upcoming presentation, “The Men in Denmark’s Freedom Council: The Danish resistance movement of WWII” by Flemming Heilmann is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, April 19th. Industrial executive, humanitarian, and author, Danish-American Flemming Heilmann will discuss his recently released translation of Halfdan Lefevre’s book entitled “The Men in Denmark’s Freedom Council.” This seminal work, first published in Danish in 1945, is the story of Denmark’s resistance leaders, their underground movement during Nazi occupation and how they coordinated the nation’s freedom fighters to mount military confrontation of the enemy. Their 11-member Freedom Council went on to form a government-in-waiting in anticipation of liberation to run the country pending restoration of democratic elections.
Lefevre, from the start of World War II, documented the genesis and evolution of the resistance movement and its struggle against Nazi occupation since April 1940. He was the recording scribe for the underground Freedom Council and author of illegal leaflets and news communiques distributed by the resistance. His scholarly account offers details of the German invasion, the government’s quick surrender, and then the emergence of the resistance movement, which led to the establishment of the crucial Freedom Council. Flemming has carefully translated this book into English so a broader audience can appreciate the sacrifices these brave men made for their country.
Flemming was born in Malaysia to Danish parents and studied at Cambridge University, where he graduated with degrees in economics and law. After a 35 year successful career as a business executive in South Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States, Flemming served as a director for the Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement in New York’s inner city, and its chairman for six years. His honors include Knight of the Order of Dannebrog, appointed by the Queen of Denmark. He lives in Connecticut with his wife Judy. They have four sons, a daughter, and nine grandsons.
Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact our membership chairman (mailto:members@greenwichrma.org).
