Moran hears from Marion County residents on tour
Staff writer
Scheduling his annual Big First listening tour in January, Congressman Jerry Moran was sure a 4-wheel drive vehicle would come in handy.
"This being Kansas in January I rented a 4-wheel drive because I was expecting a snowstorm somewhere," Moran told Marion County residents this past Thursday.
"But this is my 39th stop. There's 31 left and this is the most water I've seen yet," he quipped, gesturing to the watershed pond easily seen from the window of the Country Dreams Bed and Breakfast located east of Marion.
Approximately 35 individuals attended Moran's Marion County stop during his annual listening tour to ask questions on a variety of topics.
"I'm here to talk to you to get my marching orders," Moran told those gathered. "Our problems here in the heartland don't change a lot year to year but I think we have a way of life worth fighting to preserve."
Moran said the number one issue affecting rural Kansas was the lack of affordable health care.
Addressing the issue of Medicare and prescription drugs, Moran said he voted against the prescription drug plan approved by Congress last session because it "will not work for rural America.
"Managed care never works for us. That plan did nothing to reduce the cost of drugs in the first place. It just told Medicare to pick up the $400 billion to $200 trillion tab," he said.
Moran said there was a provision in the bill which prohibits Medicare from negotiating the price of prescription drugs.
"We'll be funneling taxpayer dollars to Medicare who will be sending that money to the pharmaceutical companies," Moran said.
Marion County resident Bob Maxwell said he felt President George W. Bush has done an admirable job while in office, but commented he did not agree with the President's plan concerning illegal immigrants.
"I oppose it. I feel it's all wrong and everyone I talk to is against it. I don't feel anyone in Washington is listening to the public," Maxwell said.
Moran said typically all Congressmen know about public opinion comes from polls or from those who attend $1,000 per plate fund raisers. Since Congress has not reconvened since the President made his proposal, Moran said he had not been briefed on the issue and all he knew about it was what he read or heard in the media.
However, what is really needed, Moran said, is an INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) that does its job.
"We need to fix INS so it does its job well in a timely fashion," Moran said.
As for the President's proposal, Moran said he doubted Congress would support it.
"I'm not sure why we'd want to place people who are here in illegal fashion and put them ahead of those who have been here working their way through the paperwork," he said, noting the announcement probably had more to do with scheduled talks with the President of Mexico.
Another audience member asked if there was an end in sight to the war with Iraq.
"We've downsized our military so much that our National Guard and Reserve have had to take an ever increasing role," Moran said. "We're relying too much on the National Guard. I believe we're stretched awfully thin and it would be difficult for us to respond (if another situation demanded) in an active timely way."
Moran said he'd like to see the Big Red One returned to Fort Riley. But as for the Iraq conflict, the Congressman said he hoped the United States would "get the Iraqi people more involved in the future of their own country."
Commenting on his trip to Iraq last year, Moran said every Kansas soldier he talked to believed in the mission and all felt the country would be more secure after the capture of Saddam Hussein.
In other matters:
— concerns regarding "mad cow disease" were expressed. Moran said he had talked to "lots of Kansas cattlemen" and planned to hold hearings once he returned to Washington.
Marsha Setzkorn-Meyer, representing Hillsboro hospital, told Moran she had lived in England for a time while involved in the 4-H program and because of her time in that country was "banned for life" from ever donating blood here in the States due to the possibility of mad cow antibodies being in her blood.
"If mad cow is here that could affect our blood donations," she said.
Moran said he had not heard that information regarding blood donations and mad cow disease before.
Moran further noted that the Big First district has more critical access hospitals than any other Kansas congressional district. The critical access designation means hospitals receive a higher level of reimbursement.
"I brought the chief medical officer from Medicare to a hospital in LaCrosse and it was the first time he'd ever seen a critical access hospital," Moran said. "It's difficult to get agency heads and other government officials to come to rural America."
— heard from rural resident Skip Sieger who complimented the Salina VA hospital outpatient clinic on the fine care they have provided to him.
Moran said he appreciated hearing the good report and said veterans should not have to travel to Wichita, Topeka, or Lawrence to visit a VA hospital. Moran said he had advocated the outpatient clinics, but still felt veterans should be able to use their own health providers.
"If you're 80 living in Atwood you shouldn't have to travel to an outpatient clinic in Hays, Salina, or Fort Dodge. That's not a real solution," Moran said. "Veterans should have the opportunity to take that cash to their own doctor and put those dollars into the health care systems in our own communities.
"But they fear it would diminish the role of the hospital," he explained.
— heard from a rural Hillsboro resident who asked Moran to increase the disaster payment on milo. The man said he had harvested 10 bushels an acre for a total 39 bushels off four acres.
Moran said he understood the problem but said it would be difficult to convince most in Congress of the need for more disaster payments.
"President Bush signed a modest disaster package but now we're back in the fifth year of a drought. There's been no moisture and it hasn't snowed in Goodland in three years," he said.
"If there could only be drought in Iowa ahead of the caucuses we'd have disaster assistance," the Congressman quipped. "The way Congress responds is so political. It all translates into votes in the next election."
— heard from Marion County publisher Bill Meyer who commented that retail sales are down in Marion County and many of the district's students qualify for free and reduced lunches, yet local, state, and federal governments still keep spending.
"Sooner or later the general public will have to agree to cut down on services," Meyer said.
Moran agreed noting the country was looking at a deficit in the billions.
"We're spending too much money at an alarming rate," Moran noted, commenting that Republicans and Democrats need to work together to control the problem.
"We have a $500 billion deficit which is morally and financially irresponsible and we're leaving it for our kids to deal with.
"There's a price for being at war," the Congressman said. "We can't afford everything."
