by Murrel Bland
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican, won’t be endorsing Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president. His reason — he doesn’t endorse any candidates for public office.
That was his comment when he spoke to members of The Congressional Forum at its monthly luncheon Friday, Aug. 19, at the Reardon Convention Center. The Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the forum. About 75 persons attended.
Sen. Moran was asked if he will endorse Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president. He said he has never met Trump or Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president. He said voters are intelligent enough to make those decisions by themselves.
Sen. Moran served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate in 2010. He is seeking re-election. His Democratic opponent is Patrick Wiesner, a lawyer from Lawrence.
Although Sen. Moran said he will not endorse anyone for president, he said it was time for leadership to take the country in a different direction.
Sen. Moran said the goals of government are similar to the goals the Chamber of Commerce — to make things better and to help find solutions to problems.
He said he believed that solutions to most problems can best be found at the state and local level. He said that many of the concerns of people in Wyandotte County are similar to those in small Kansas towns — such as having a nearby grocery store and adequate medical care.
Sen. Moran said he was concerned about the excessive regulation that the Dodd Frank legislation has on community banks. These banks are necessary to finance such things as start-up businesses, he said.
The senator also commented about excessive regulation of coal-burning utility plants. Don Gray, the general manager of the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities, and David Alvey, a member of the elected BPU, attended the meeting.
Sen. Moran said he understands that it is important to purify the atmosphere and water, but not to the extent that industry can’t afford the cost. He said that he believed it was time to examine the tax credits that wind farms receive; it may be time for them to see if they can stand on their own.
Sen. Moran urged those attending to report to his office about any veteran who needs help in receiving medical services from Veterans Affairs (VA).
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.