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Congressman Jerry Moran was in Ellsworth Jan. 24 to talk to Kiwanis Club members
Congressman hasn't signed off on tax rebate plan
By Linda Mowery-Denning
Last Updated: January 30, 2008
The president and some members of Congress have signed off on a plan that would, among other things, issue rebate checks to taxpayers in an effort to stimulate the economy.
Jerry Moran isn’t sold on the idea.
“I worry this has less to do with stimulating the economy and more to do with the November election,” said Moran, who represents Ellsworth County and the 68 other counties in the Big First District of Kansas.
“The idea we would simply borrow more money and give our kids the debt down the road ... It seems to me there are other things we can do to stimulate the economy — do something about fuel prices as best we can and do something about health care costs as best we can. And we can reduce the pressure on interest rates from the government borrowing money.”
Moran spoke Jan. 24 to about 40 members and guests of the Ellsworth Kiwanis Club at Crossroads Restaurant.
The appearance was part of the congressman’s annual listening tour, in which he visits with constituents in each of his counties.
Ellsworth was his 27th stop. From here, he traveled to Bushton for another town hall meeting.
The Hays Republican said one of his responsibilities in Congress is to explain the character and challenges of his district to others in Washington, D.C.
As an example, he talked about the only pharmacist in Cheyenne County, who told Moran during a visit there that he might have to close his doors if something wasn’t done to reform health care. If that happened, the pharmacist said, he would leave the county in the state’s isolated northwest corner, taking his three children with him and away from the town’s small school.
“When I went back to Washington and told people there about the pharmacist, they gave me blank stares. We see things a bit differently here. I tell people, “If it’s a community you’ve heard of, it’s not in my district.’”
Moran, as he has in the past, pointed to agriculture, education and health care as being on his priority list in Washington.
“What Jerry Moran is all about in Washington is rural America,” he said. “How can we make good things happen in the communities we call home?”
He said population growth is a huge issue across the First District. Rooks County’s largest employer, a home manufacturing plant, recently announced it was closing its factory in Moran’s hometown of Plainville because it couldn’t find qualified employees. The congressman has heard the same story in Clay Center and other places from businesses that would do so.
“It’s true from the hospital to the manufacturer,” Moran said. “It’s a question of attracting qualified, highly motivated and trained employees.”
In other issues:
• Ellsworth resident Keith Adams, in response to rumors that Moran might be interested in seeking the governor’s office, offered the congressman a bit of advice — don’t.
Moran said he seriously considered a run several years ago because he was homesick for his family and Kansas.
However, his daughters are teen-agers now and “I think it’s very unlikely,” he told Adams.
• The farm bill, which was supposed to have been written in 2007, has yet to go to conference committee, where a compromise between the House and Senate versions can be found. Leadership in both chambers have not appointed committee members; however, Moran expects to be included when that happens.
Again, Moran said he fears election year politics could interfere with the process. Democrats in Congress could send President Bush a bill they know he will veto, thus giving them political leverage in farm states. Or, the president could veto farm legislation under the banner of holding the line on government spending.
“Obviously what happens in the farm economy affects us all, whether we’re farmers and ranchers or not,” Moran said.
• Another area he emphasized was energy and the need for a national policy that embraces all forms of energy. He cited a quote in a Kansas newspaper from someone opposed the use of fossil fuels. The person said electricity costs need to double for the country to get serious about renewable energy.
Moran said such a cost increase would be disastrous for his constituents, many of whom drive long distances for services.
“I also think nuclear power on the electric side ought to be on the table,” Moran said.
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