Democratic Values

Although Shirley Palmer did not receive the support to continue on as our state legislator we must begin the next two years with a fresh perspective and a new will to continue fighting to elect Democratic representation in our state.
A recent report revealed that 20 states are now controlled by Republican majorities. We have much to do if we hope to continue the cause of making sure that residents in Kansas and fellow Americans are receiving the proper resources for what our state and federal Constitutions mandate: Protecting the welfare of our citizens - every American should have the right to affordable health care coverage. Our seniors have worked hard to receive and maintain benefits through Social Security and Medicaid. Republicans are threatening to reduce those payments that retirees have come to rely on. Seniors who are now receiving a 50 percent discount on prescription drug costs, will once again be paying too much. Parents who have been given the opportunity to add their children to their health care coverage while students are still in college and looking for jobs face losing that ability if the GOP has their way. Those people who now receive coverage face being refused any health care coverage due to preexisting conditions if the GOP have their way in repealing health care reform.
In the first week of Jan. 2011 our national unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 to 9.4 percent and while these numbers are still high and many are still seeking work, experts have made it clear that the economy is on the right track and spending levels have increased. President Obama, has in two short years, taken a monthly job decline of over 700,000 jobs to an increase at its best level since May of 2008, adding hundreds of thousands more jobs.
Here in Kansas we take pride in our high school graduation rates of nearly 80 percent of our youth. Governor Sam Brownback threatens to lower that rate over the next ten years to a mere 30 percent through underfunding our schools and pushing to restructure our state tax system to fund individual vouchers for private (for profit) schools and taking the experience of school years away from our children by allowing a virtual school system to overrun and outsource our school districts. People in rural Kansas take much pride in their schools, a loss of a weekend football game, other sports, musicals, plays, etc., have already been impacted from reduced funding. Further cuts threaten to eliminate these programs all together. Democrats can be proud of the knowledge that our party stands for supporting the betterment of the lives and services provided to our communites. We will continue to fight for funding for not only our schools but our law enforcement, our fire departments, and our county works departments to keep our roads and bridges properly cared for. These sources are what communities thrive on and a lack of funding will weaken our viability as a community we can be proud to call home.