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U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., was at the Blount County Chamber of Commerce Monday afternoon to address a full house of local business leaders.

Corker talked about what he called the "most important issues" facing the U.S. Senate and told stories of his experiences as a the only freshman Republican senator in the 110th Congress.

As one of only a handful of senators who opposed President George W. Bush's recent economic stimulus plan, Corker told those in attendance why he did not vote in favor of the package -- which will send checks to taxpayers this spring.

"I think it's short-sighted," Corker said. "This economic stimulus plan costs over $150 billion and will have a negligible effect on the situation. All it does is create favor for politicians.

"I'm glad the people of Tennessee will be getting checks in the mail, but it just isn't going to have an effect."

Corker said that when he and President Bush traveled to Tennessee last week to visit areas of the state ravaged by tornadoes and fierce storms, he flew on Air Force One with the President.

"The president was sitting there -- a few seats away -- reading a copy of the New York Times," Corker said, "and on the cover was an article in which I said, 'We might as well throw $150 billion in a puddle of mud.'

"Needless to say, the president and I didn't discuss the economic stimulus plan on that trip."

Corker and a few other lawmakers had questioned whether the package was the correct response to the country's economic woes, arguing that it did little for struggling homeowners and could actually harm the economy by increasing the deficit.

The biggest issues facing the Senate, according to Corker, are terrorism, health care, energy, entitlements and spending in Washington, D.C.

"For the first time in history, we have a threat that doesn't come in uniform or from a specific country," Corker said.

"We also need to make it so every American has health care coverage, but it has to be through a private health care system."

Corker said he believes America needs an energy policy that puts all forms of energy on the same playing field, rather than creating "winners" and "losers" through credits and incentives approved by Congress.

"The out-of-control spending in Washington, D.C., is my final issue," Corker said. "There is simply nothing in Washington, D.C., that causes us to be responsible."

In November 2006, Corker was elected to the Senate after serving as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001 to 2005.

A 1974 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Corker started his own construction company with just $8,000. The company grew and eventually expanded to operations in 18 states. Over time, Corker's business interests evolved to acquiring and developing commercial real estate.

"I came up here to Blount County in 1982," Corker said. "I built a shopping center, and it was the first one I ever built that I actually owned.

"I still own it today."

According to the Tennessee property assessor's Web site, Corker owns the Bi-Lo Plaza, 1715 W. Broadway Ave. in Maryville, just south of Foothills Mall Drive. It was most recently appraised at $2.2 million.

Today, Corker is a member of the Senate Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Special Committee on Aging.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married for over 20 years and have two college-age daughters, Julia and Emily. The Corker family lives in Chattanooga.