Here are the remarks I deliverd at the Dignity and Equality Rally at the Kansas State Capitol on Friday, June 26, 2015.
I spent
the past 3 years working to protect the RPS. We lost it this year,
but it had become a bit of an grind. Can you imagine a government of
Kansas that wouldn't do everything it could to attract wind energy to
this state? Yet the chairs of the committees in both houses have done
all they can to destroy Kansas' wind industry. It's like Vermont not
supporting its maple syrup industry, or Georgia not supporting its
peach industry. “Here in Newcastle, we don't support coal.” It's
absurd.
There's
something you can get involved with now. How many people are Westar
customers? Westar is trying to raise fixed rates to undercut
distributed solar and energy efficiency. There are hearings in July.
Because
you know what? (look L R) Climate change is real. The other thing we
worked on this year were a number of laws to undercut the EPA's clean
power plan. I sat in hearing about the clean power plan for 2 weeks,
and finally I got up and said, It's not just about this thing called
the CPP, it's about climate change, and the committee chair, Olsen,
ran me off. Olsen is the chair of the Utilities committee, who on the
floor last year opposed the RPS on the floor on the Senate because he
thinks wind turbines are ugly. And when the bill on the CPP finally
past, at the signing ceremony he said he doesn't believe carbon
dioxide contributes to climate change.
But
it's not just climate change. It's Medicaid expansion, it's the
budget and taxes, it's reproductive health, it's guns. How many major
issues is the radical conservative majority in the KS Leg on the
wrong side of?
Do tax
cuts on the rich raise revenue?
Is it
fair to raise the sales tax on everyone to support income tax
exmpetions for the wealthiest among us?
These
people are hostage to an ideology. It doesn't matter how many times
their talking points are proved wrong, they just keep spouting them.
Supply side was disproven in Ronald Reagan's first term. Yet here we
are.
There's
a truth deficit here. Look at yesterday. Is there anything more
immoral than hoping and praying that more than 6 million Americans
will lose their health insurance? Yet what's the quotes from our
legislators? (Swanning) “Obama care's a disaster, we have to repeal
it...”
Let me
ask you: Is Obamacare a disaster? How many people are on Obamacare?
Do
people on TANF go on cruises?
Do wind
farms raise your electricity rates?
Do
abortion laws need to be loosened and gun laws tightened every
...single ...year?
There's
a truth deficit here.
On the
other hand, I ask: Is climate change real? Is it human caused? Should
we do something about it?
Should
we support and expand our renewables industry?
Should
we expand medicare?
Should
we raise the minimum wage?
Should
we fully fund our schools?
Should
we respect a woman's right to choose?
Should
billionaires pay their fare share?
To the
radical majority in the KS leg I say: You've had your fun. But it
doesn’t work. That dog don't hunt. Come back to reality. Accept
empirical fact. Moderation is the only way to govern this state.
And if
these legislators won't choose sensible government, then I hope we'll
soon have some new legislators up here who will.