WITH 40 DAYS until the election, the campaigning for the governor’s office is in full swing. The polls say that gubernatorial candidate and Emporian Jim Barnett has to make up more than 20 points to win the office.
To date, most of Barnett’s politicking has centered around his tough stance on illegal immigrants. Last week, Barnett came up with a creative approach by using federal authorities to help train Kansas law enforcement on illegal immigration.
Obviously, working through the immigrant issue is important. But we question whether people are passionate enough about the issue for it to push him ahead in the polls. We would really like to hear both candidates offer solutions that will make our state a more affordable place to live and that will put more money back in our pockets.
Longtime Emporian Ken Calhoun came up with an interesting idea last week that might just do that. While he has bounced the idea off local legislators, it has not gained momentum.
Local law enforcement spends a great deal of time patrolling highways to catch people carrying drugs. One reason law enforcement spends this time is to help fund their new purchases. Things like the sheriff’s department crime scene vehicle, patrol cars, and video camera systems have been purchased with this money. Unfortunately, state law does not allow drug forfeiture money to fund other activities.
According to Calhoun, politicians should push for legislation allowing this drug money to fund the operation of our city and county governments. These extra funds could help reduce our taxes.
Our community invests a lot to catch the bad guys on the turnpike. Why not put that money to real use by helping lower our costs?
This idea might not get either candidate into office. But it is the idea that we are talking about — ideas to put money back in our pockets and that might ring loudly with voters.