HUMBOLDT Paul Davis will travel a fair piece before he finds a friendlier crowd than the one that greeted him here Tuesday evening.
Davis, the presumptive Democrat candidate for the congressional Second District seat Lynn Jenkins will vacate, spoke briefly to about 50 folks, all of whom gave every indication of being avowed Democrats and Davis supporters.
Kansas is the leading state in the nation for outmigration of 25- to 35-year-olds, Davis announced, an outcome that should alarm all in the state, and is a reason why the Kansas economy is lagging behind many other states. Washington tax policy also is a culprit.
He pointed out 83 percent of income tax advantage from the recent change in federal law was a benefit for those who earn $900,000 or more, those who dont need a tax cut. I dont even know anyone who earns $900,000. The consequence is the have-nots, the vast majority in comparison to the haves, are beset by economic burdens, Davis said.
We need to retool our economic policies, an advantage that escapes attention because of congressional gridlock.
More students directed to community colleges and technical schools would be helpful, in helping keep young folks in Kansas and righting the states economic ship, Davis added. Not everyone needs a college education many cant afford one without going into great debt and there are many good careers that surface through training available in two-year colleges and vocational-technical schools.
A second concern of Davis is the high cost of prescription drugs. He noted Americans pay far more for medicine than residents of any other industrialized nation. An example: His father suffered from Parkinsons Disease; his monthly charge for one prescription drug was $1,000.
The big drug companies dont have the right to gouge people, he said, in large measure by preventing patented medicines from being offered in generic formularies.
The nations infrastructure also is suffering because of mismanagement in Washington, Davis said, with Kansas roads at risk without more of an infusion of federal money.
Two sources of the problems within the Beltway are excess money funneled to politicians and excess partisanship among those who are elected, Davis said. Another fault is congressional gerrymandering. In Missouri, he said, such a disparity is clearly evident with two of the states eight congressional districts holding a preponderance of Democrats, which makes it nearly a cakewalk for Republicans in the other six.
We have to change the system and make it meaningful, he concluded.
NO CLEAR CUT Republican favorite has emerged in the Second District, although State Senator Caryn Tyson, Parker, often is mentioned first when GOP candidates are considered.
Davis is a former member of the Kansas House and lost a close race for governor to Sam Brownback in 2014. He is an attorney in Lawrence.
Potential candidates have until noon June 1 to file.
