Moran waiting for united front
Staff reporter
Congressman Jerry Moran said he still was waiting for "one voice" from Marion County regarding the Marion Reservoir water quality issue.
Moran spoke Monday at Marion Kiwanis Club during his Big First Listening Tour.
He said he was waiting for community leaders to put together a task force. Moran said he recently talked with Marion County Commissioner Dan Holub and Hillsboro Mayor Delores Dalke.
"I want to work hard to provide funding," Moran said, but there needs to be united front from the county with recommendations.
A county water quality board has been assembled but no significant progress has been reported.
The war in Iraq
Moran said he would like to know the exact total defense budget.
"Congress is constantly asked for supplemental support," Moran said. Instead he would like to have the expenses included in the general budget instead of an "emergency" basis.
He said he was not in favor of setting an exit date nor did he agree with "staying the course" as if nothing was wrong.
"We need to define 'success' and determine how to achieve it," Moran said.
Too few troops were sent in the beginning, Moran said, and he is troubled with sending soldiers without more of a plan.
"How do you describe victory?" Moran asked the crowd of 30 people.
He said he had talked with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and she said that there were weapons of mass destruction.
"Who do you believe?" Moran asked.
He has concerns about the change of leadership because of reasons other than making positive changes.
The Democrats are cautious, Moran said, because they don't want to appear "unsupportive" of troops and don't want to send troops to Iraq without enough financial support.
"At the end of the day, it's not about partisan issues. That pulls our country apart," he said. Instead of the two parties trying to defeat each other for the sake of winning, the parties should be making plans for the future and solving problems.
Education
No Child Left Behind was passed by Congress because of bureaucracy, Moran said. He added that he did not vote for the changes.
Moran said the program requires 99 percent of all students to perform or the school is labeled as a failure. Instead Moran would like to see students assessed against themselves to chart improvement.
He said a Wichita superintendent used this analogy: "If you want fat cattle, feed them. Don't weight them."
"It shouldn't be about bureaucracy but teaching," Moran said. "The joy of teaching will change if there is more bureaucracy."
Other unrealistic expectations are requiring para-professionals to have a minimum of an associate of arts degree and be paid a little more than minimum wage, and teachers should only teach in areas where they are highly qualified. In smaller school districts, this is not feasible, he said.
No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization.
"When it was passed, education was the number one issue in Congress. It became about passing something," Moran said. "We need to leave education issues to state and local governments."
Health care
Medicare payments dictate whether local hospitals stay open, Moran said. Affordability of health care is a concern for children and older residents.
He said he did not support the prescription drug benefit because it is a "terrible" burden on senior citizens.
"We may lose small town pharmacists because of this," Moran said.
Moran is beginning his sixth term in Congress and continues to explore ways to preserve rural living.
He will continue to serve on three committees — agriculture, transportation, and veterans.
Marion was among Moran's visits to the 69 counties in the First Congressional District.
