By Gale Rose
The Pratt Tribune
Posted Mar 10, 2010 @ 04:56 PM
Pratt, Kan. —

A Homestead Act to stop the out-migration from rural areas in Kansas and across the country is the corner stone for conservative Rob Wasinger, Republican candidate for Congress and the First District in Kansas. His drive is to get this country back to basics.
Wasinger spent several hours in Pratt Monday talking with people and listening to their concerns.

Wasinger learned much about Kansas and national politics through his years of working for former Gov. Bill Graves, Rep. Jerry Moran and Sen. Sam Brownback.
His Homestead Act will provide tax incentives and loans for small businesses to get good paying jobs and promote economic growth in rural areas, he said.
“That is my national vision for rural America,” Wasinger said. “That is the path to economic growth. This is our problem and not party specific.”
Rural areas are hemorrhaging population and something has to be done to stop it. By keeping more families in rural America it would extend the tax base and provide lower taxes and an even incentive to stay in rural areas. His Homestead Act would include forgiveness of loans for students in counties that have out-migration. That includes almost every county in Kansas First District.
The incentives would apply only to counties with out-migration so counties like Johnson County would not qualify, Wasinger said.
The problem of more jobs and economic growth are the most common themes as he travels across the 69 counties in the First District.
“At the end of the day it’s all about jobs and not just jobs but good paying jobs,” Wasinger said. “That’s the story all over the district.”
Congress needs to address high agriculture production costs. The Farm Bill morphed into a nutrition bill and doesn’t address the basic needs of the farmer including production costs for livestock and farming.
Some elements of the farm bill establish regulations on dust. It seems Congress has lost touch with what is really going on in rural America, Wasinger said.
“It’s amusing. We’d all be eating tofu and driving solar powered cars,” Wasinger said. “It’s ludicrous how disconnected they are in Washington. We’ve got to get back to basics.”
He also wants to get down to basics on health care. He has heard from people across Kansas that they don’t want President Barak Obama’s health care plan.
“It’s amazing to me that he (Obama) doesn’t get it and he clearly doesn’t,” Wasinger said.
Wasinger is very concerned about elements of the countries battle against terrorism. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano should resign because of her inability to protect the homeland, Wasinger said.
“We should take this seriously,” he said. “She is out of touch with reality and doesn’t understand the threat heading our way.”
America needs to keep its eyes on Al Qaeda because radical Islam doesn’t like us and they are not going to change. America needs to keep the battle away from her shores, Wasinger said.
He is a big supporter of Israel and said the U.S. has to stand firm behind Israel and the common enemy of radical Islam.
Wasinger lives in Cottonwood Falls with his wife Meghan and their nine children: Stephen, Sebastian, Carolina, August, Maddy, Basil, Paddy, Frankie and Anselm. They are expecting their tenth child.
He is a fourth generation Kansan. He attended an east coast boarding school on a full scholarship then attended Harvard University graduating with a degree in economics with help from grants and scholarships.
He returned to Kansas and worked for Gov. Bill Graves as a constituent services representative. He worked for Jerry Moran for a year when he was state senate minority leader. Wasinger then worked for Sen. Sam Brownback for 12 years as his legislative director and as chief of staff.

http://www.pratttribune.com/highlight/x2096609199/Wasinger-gets-back-to-basics