EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Big First Democratic candidate Paul Buskirk visited Liberal during the Liberal Chamber of Commerce Duck Race, and in his journeys across Western Kansas, he is learning more about what the people want in a representative.
“The conversations I have are affirming,” he said. “We sat out in February, and now that I look back, my own messaging and identity as a public servant is in formation. I now have such clarity about what is important. I’ve been asking the same questions across the 60-county district — it is massive. To say there is one voice is a facade. Claiming there is one voice for any community is unfair. It’s just a chorus of voices. And not always in agreement. The question I ask is, ‘What are the needs of the communities?’ There are lots of unique answers and common ground. There are concerns specifically about access to health care, access to higher education.”
Buskirk experienced some of the challenges of Southwest Kansas including driving along Highway 54 through its treacherous two-lanes which make up most of the roadway between Liberal and Wichita.
“I hear about infrastructure over and over again,” he said. “This is the second time in a matter of months I’ve taken (Highway) 54. With those semis coming and wind blowing — I can’t imagine that at night.”
Buskirk also questioned if the current priorities match the priorities of the Big First District.
“I sat across from the mayor in Blue Rapids, which is in north central Kansas,” he said. “He was talking about, and frustrated, that there are $400 million for broadband and $20 million to help us replace sewers and pipes. Our plumbing and sewers will collapse long before WiFi.”
Buskirk is facing Republican Tracey Mann in the general election, and while Buskirk said he has met Mann and believes him to be a good man, he doesn’t agree with some of his votes.
“I like (Mann),” Buskirk said. “He is a good person, good family man. I disagree with some of his decision-making. We agree on some things, we are polar opposites on a handful of things. That will be the discussion.”
Buskirk said one area he disagreed with Mann was on reproductive rights, claiming that Mann was pro life and did not support exceptions.
He also said he disagreed with Mann on Ukraine funding.
“He voted against that in April,” Buskirk said. “Fort Riley is the largest infantry division in the country. It’s just east of Junction CitY and staffs 20,000 soldiers. I was informed there are currently soldiers that are stationed at a garrison in Fort Riley assigned to Europe as part of the process to ferry and transport U.S. arms from us to Ukraine. When that vote happened I got several calls livid to believe Putin is going to stop at Ukraine. It’s a facade. I was disappointed in Tracey’s position.”
Buskirk also said he differed with Mann on deportation of illegal immigrants.
“It’s interesting how all sides have adopted the secure-the-border position. Duh,” he said. “We should have been securing it a long time ago. That’s not the disconcerting part. Tracey aligns himself with Donald Trump, who pledges on Day 1 to sign executive orders to instruct ICE to deport every undocumented resident in our country. The numbers I read are tens of millions. The official estimate in Kansas is 62,000, which means probably double that. The economy hit on something like that is going to be massive. I’m not an economist, but I’ve learned a lot about the impact. Tyson in Garden City, Cargill, Dodge City and Liberal, altogether from those four plants they employ 11,000. And they are not all undocumented. That’s unfair. But if that roundup happens, if deportation happens, that will be devastating on meat packing alone.
“I visited with a person who has ownership in feedlots,” he continued. “He said you won’t find a soul to work the feedlots. Price of beef will go up at supermarkets. The supply chain will start to crash. Feed corn crop being harvested, bumper crop, prices will be depressed. If auctions slow down, these are recession type numbers. Individuals claim to secure the border but are silent on support for deportation.”
As far as fair and secure elections, Buskirk said Kansans can rest at ease.
“I am not concerned about that,” he said. “Kansas has done a nice job.” Kansas requires voter identification and signature verification on mail-in ballots.
Buskirk shared an encounter with a 22-year-old woman with two children who was working on her GED while working at a grain elevator.
“Her name was Zoey, and she said she had a lot of concerns about our country, and I started to listen to her,” Buskirk said. “After a couple minutes, I thanked her and asked, ‘Where are you getting your information?’ She said, ‘TikTok.’ I was concerned. Here is a young 22-year-old who wants to be engaged, and her sole source of information is a video platform that has all sorts of undercurrents with China. My plea would be with everyone in the First District is to become informed. Be sure the decisions you are going to make you researched. You didn’t just hear it on FOX or CNN, or from this party or that party. You have a duty to look into it. We preached to our girls, ‘If you don’t vote you can’t complain later.’ I think about Zoey a lot.”
