Emporia Businessman Announces Candidacy
for 1st Congressional District Seat

Thank you for visiting my web site. I would be honored to serve as your Representative for the First Congressional District of Kansas. The objective of this campaign is to provide the citizens of Kansas with a change in the direction of our country.

Today, there are many issues confronting our nation which demand immediate attention. On the domestic front, slow economic growth and a weakening in the value of the dollar put us at risk of returning to the “stagflation” of the 1970’s. Rising prices at the pump for gasoline and diesel and a dramatic increase in mortgage foreclosures only add to our economic woes. Internationally, America struggles under the weight of a war in Iraq which is draining the federal treasury of $12 billion a month and has lead to the deaths of 4,000 servicemen and women and almost 30,000 injured whose continued rehabilitation and long term care may ultimately put the price tag of the war at $3 trillion. We continue to neglect the unfinished war in Afghanistan and have seen Al Qaida and the Taliban, funded in part by the heroin trade, export their brand of fanatical Islam into Pakistan which is increasingly rocked by suicide bombers and assassinations.

Voters of the First District are also paying attention to issues such as immigration reform and the need to balance border security with a stable agricultural workforce. Jobs and economic opportunity for the rural communities of our state which would be aided by production of coal-fired electricity compete against concerns over expending renewable energy solutions to combat or dependence on foreign oil and global warming. Of particular concern to our farmers and truckers are issues related to the stability of commodity prices and the increasing cost of fuel, insurance and seed for the production of cash crops and the debate over the use of corn grown for ethanol production which pushes up the price of grain for cattle ranchers. Comprehensive solutions to these issues will require the election of a new generation of bi-partisan leaders in Washington who are more concerned with pragmatism than partisanship; leaders who are willing to put the good of the country before any one special interest group. Kansans value personal integrity above any particular party affiliation or single position on the issues. Each day I am reminded of the simple down-to-earth values of the voters in my district. While our values and beliefs have lead us to be called “The Heartland of America,” Kansas also has a long heritage as a state willing to try new ideas such as the Populism of the 1890’s and the Progressive Movement of the turn of the century; ideas which found support across the country.

I am especially proud to live in Emporia the home of Veteran’s Day and birthplace of William Allen White, the founder of the Emporia Gazette newspaper, who rose to national prominence with his Pulitzer prize winning editorials. It is White’s legacy from which I draw the inspiration to compete in a contest against an entrenched incumbent knowing that the new ideas and determination I bring to this campaign can serve as a catalyst for changing the course of an entire nation.