COL. DEERING JOINS U.S. REP. JIM COOPER'S STAFF

-calls for financial literacy education as part of
Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus initiative

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper is calling for greater support of financial literacy education to help American consumers fight back against financial predators.

"This is the golden age for financial predators in America," Cooper said. "Financial literacy is necessary and essential, but that's playing defense. To play offense you have to crack down on financial predators. We need a good defense and offense so consumers don't have to worry about being taken to the cleaners."

Cooper made the remarks at a discussion on Capitol Hill hosted by the New America Foundation in association with the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus. He was joined by U.S. Reps. Judy Biggert of Illinois and Ruben Hinojosa of Texas and the Honorable Dan Iannicola, Jr. from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to talk about the importance of financial education for America's youth.

The discussion comes at an important time. The Jump Start Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a national nonprofit organization, recently released the findings of a nationwide survey indicating that American high school students have a lot to learn about personal finance. The national average for high school students who took the personal finance test was 52.4 percent. Tennessee high school students earned an even lower average with 48.9 percent. The test covered questions on money management, savings, spending and debt.

Cooper said that financial education is essential for all young people to learn and he pointed to recent Congressional spending as an example. "Just take a look at our behavior. We need financial literacy in Congress as well," he said. "Because of irresponsible government spending, the nation is at least $8.3 trillion in debt. You can't be a saver or an owner without financial literacy," he said.

As co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus, Cooper is working to advance policies in Congress that help build personal savings and assets for all Americans and low-income Americans in particular. In addition to Cooper, the 31-member Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus includes co-chair U.S. Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. and Reps. Lincoln Davis, and John Tanner, all of Tennessee.

NASHVILLE - Colonel (Ret.) Don Deering, former Executive Director of the National Guard Association of Tennessee, has joined the office of U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper. He will work out of Cooper's office in downtown Nashville as a community liaison representative.

"Colonel Deering has served in leadership positions for the Tennessee National Guard for more than a decade," Cooper said. "His knowledge of the day to day operations of the Guard as well as his experience helping Guard members and their families will be a great addition to my staff. I am honored that he has chosen to work with me to serve the needs of folks in the 5 th Congressional District."

From 1994 until his retirement in April 2006, Col. Deering served as Executive Director of the National Guard Association of Tennessee and represented the approximately 15,000 Tennessee National Guard members on issues relating to the Guard on the local, state and federal levels.

He is a member of the National Guard Association of Tennessee, National Guard Association of the United States, where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Insurance Trust, and a member of the National Guard Executive Directors Association.

During his almost forty years of military service as an office and enlisted solder, Colonel Deering has served in various command and staff positions which included commanding an Armor Battalion, and during Operation Desert Storm he served as Mobilization Readiness Chief for Tennessee. At the time of his retirement from the service in 1994, he was Commandant of the Tennessee Military Academy.

Raised in Madison, TN, Colonel Deering attended Madison High School before graduating from Officers Candidate School in 1961, Armor Officer Basic in 1962, CBR in 1974, Armor Officer Advance in 1977 and Command & General Staff College in 1981.

He lives in Goodlettsville with his wife, the former Antonia Joyce Gambill of Old Hickory, TN. They have one son, Michael Ray Deering.