Lindsborg

When Chelsea, our youngest daughter, was attending law school at Pepperdine, twice a year, she and I shared a long road trip together moving her between Kansas and California.  We always had great road trips together and it was a great time for “girl talk.”  She has since graduated and I miss our twice-a-year excursions.

On Tuesday, I had invited Chelsea to ride with me as we followed Congressman Moran on his 3-county listening tour.  I, of course, was interested in the views of the first district citizens, had seen the “angry mob-like events,” characterized by the nightly news,  that had begun to equate with “town hall meetings,” and was anxious to see how that would play out for our area of the country.  And just as I had expected, our town hall meetings had increased attendance, many questions were raised and fears expressed, but everyone was civil and well-mannered and our Congressman addressed as many questions as time would allow and the entire day was filled with much needed civil discourse.  What a great example of representative democracy at work!  (Town hall meetings of this sort would never make the sensationalism of a television newscast!)

We met at my mom’s home in McPherson, then started the day in Lindsborg, McPherson County, just 15 miles from our family farm. (Have I mentioned that our wheat harvest is stored in the Roxbury elevator and the soy beans, still in the field, are exceptionally healthy due to the mild summer temperatures and an abundance of rain?) The Listening Tour was scheduled to take place in the Council Room of City Hall, but as the crowd continued to grow the site was eventually moved into the bay of the fire station after the fire trucks were relocated. Lindsborg officials worked quickly to secure a last minute location large enough for the burgeoning group.  Hats off to them for their ability to make adjustments so quickly, they should be commended for a job well done.

The large overhead fans moved the air to cool the growing number of people, but the warmth of an August day in Kansas soon had the room filled with personal paper fans made from anything available in handbags or pockets.  The physical accommodations were not the comfortable setting originally planned, but the city made certain that there was room for everyone and everyone had an opportunity to be heard.  Congressman Moran carried on his town hall meeting without missing a beat.  Sweat was pouring down his face and his shirt was soaked, but the citizens’ concerns and views were addressed.  Health care was, of course, the major topic, but cap and trade, immigration, big government and the national debt were also identified as major concerns for the constituents of the first district.

Hillsboro

Our next stop was at the Wohlgemuth Music Education Center of Tabor College in Hillsboro, Marion County.  Growing up near Canton, this was another very familiar area to me, as I had visited Tabor College a number of times during my high school and McPherson College tenure. Additionally, my mother and I made the trip to Hillsboro to enjoy their annual craft fair festival on a number of occasions.

Another large, concerned group of citizens was assembling in the lobby as we arrived.  An inviting table was adorned with coffee, tea, pastries, and fruit for the welcomed attendees. The questions and concerns were similar, the 100 – 150 people were again passionate, but civil.  Another democratic discourse took place without a hitch.  Health care was again at the top of the list of concerns. Cash for Clunkers was also a hot button, as Hillsboro may be losing their car dealership as the Obama administration cuts out successful GM and Chrysler dealers as part of the nationalization of private enterprise! As you know, many dealers have not received reimbursement for the $3500 to $4500 government-engineered “savings”, that was promised.  Farm issues also weighed heavily on this assemblage – fuel costs, fertilizer, environmental regulations, and land use were questioned.  Increased taxing and increasing government encroachment seem to haunt the dreams of agriculture, small business, and the general populace.

Cottonwood Falls

Our final Listening Tour destination for the day was The Emporium in Cottonwood Falls, Chase County.  Several health care professionals were vocal participants of this gathering.  Insight from the “inside” added another layer to the discussion and, again, the dialogue was serious, the tone was somber, and the questions were pointed.  This meeting had several constituents that seemed to favor the new health care delivery proposal. Congressman Moran listened respectfully as they pressed him for health care reform. His answer has repeatedly been that we need reform, but it should be incremental, measured change rather than a blind assault on the entire system, without consideration for the unintended consequences.  (My words, not his.)

The Congressman shared the concerns of the audience, addressed their uncertainties, and promised to take their message back to Washington.

Again, Kansans know how the republic is supposed to work.  We can agree to disagree, we can labor over compromise, but we know how to do this in a reasoned, civil environment.  Town Hall meetings in Kansas’ Big First are models of representative democracy.  The Founding Fathers would be proud!

Chelsea and I were very grateful to have had the opportunity to observe democracy in action.

As we drove back to McPherson, the conversation in the car was rich with constitutional issues that seem to have been all but forgotten in recent years.  “Signing statements” that allow the President to enforce some parts of legislation and refuse to enforce others with the stroke of a pen, appointment of “czars” that have high ranking positions to match their salaries that need no confirmation from the Senate, government bail-outs, nationalization, arbitrarily closing successful automobile dealerships, firing employees of private companies, threatening to set the salaries of employees in the private domain, and using $3billion of borrowed money or our tax dollars to help people buy cars – all fall far from the tree of liberty and the foundational concepts of the U.S. Constitution.  A return to our founding principles is long overdue!