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C O V E R S T O R Y / B R I A N H O N E A
Convicted. Courageous. Conservative. Misguided. Stubborn. Many adjectives
have been used to describe Jeb Hensarling, the seven term Texas congressman
and chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. No matter
which descriptive term you decide upon, one thing is certain: you will always
know where he stands on an issue. Some stances are popular. Some not so much.
A congressional colleague once mused that
Jeb Hensarling didn't "have to be Nostradamus"
to see how opposing certain legislation would
have negative consequences. Hensarling may
not be Nostradamus, but that does not stop him
from looking into the future. He has a definite
vision in mind as to the policy he believes should
shape housing and the American economy.
Like many born and raised in the red state
of Texas, Jeb Hensarling has always been a
Republican. But he didn't know why he was a
Republican until he studied economics.
Long before Hensarling was elected to the
U.S. Congress, his passion for the financial
system was cemented when he attended
Texas A&M University in the late 1970s.
His economics professor at Texas A&M
was Phil Gramm, who later served as a U.S.
Congressman and Senator in Texas.
It was under Gramm's tutelage that
Hensarling came to realize what he believes
to be the gateway to economic prosperity in
the U.S.
"I saw how free-market economics made
America the fairest, most prosperous, most
creative, most generous society the world has
ever known," Hensarling said in an interview
with DS News. "I saw how only free enterprise
empowers the poor, the unemployed, and the
under-employed; how only free enterprise
can lift people from poverty to prosperity and
can give everyone the opportunity to pursue
happiness and earn success. And I became
convinced that if I had the chance, I'd like
HENSARLING'S
HIGH HOPES
One Man's Quest to Reshape Housing
and the American Economy
