Rep. candidates for House seat offer views

THIS STORY RAN IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE KANSAN ON JULY 9, 2008. While not as heated as discussion by the county attorney candidates, Republican candidates for the 74th District of the House of Representatives also discussed issues during Tuesday’s forum at the McKinley Administration Center.

The 74th District includes parts of McPherson County and Harvey County but not Newton or North Newton.

Mitch Powell of Halstead is running against incumbent Don Schroeder in the primary election in August.

Each candidate got time to introduce himself and discuss his stance.

Schroeder began by touching base on taxes.

“Everyone knows what kind of economic times we’re in,” he said. “They’re not all that good, gas prices are high. It seems the price of everything is going up drastically, and time is running out. I think the worst thing government can do is, at this point in time, is raise taxes. If government takes more money, it only deepens the state we’re in now. It’s a matter of setting priorities when coming down to that.”

Powell, on the other hand, said Republicans as a whole need to get back to core party philosophies — smaller government and less regulation.

“One of my concerns is illegal immigration putting a drain on our social services and law enforcement resources,” he said. “Other issues include the need to reform health care without expanding government and the need for a sound energy policy that does not include a carbon tax on our industry that produces energy.”

Schroeder addressed the issue of illegal immigration, saying the legislature did have several immigration bills come up during his first term in state government. Unfortunately, he said, there were never enough votes to advance the bills. It was attempted, but it’s an extremely controversial issue.

“It’s really a federal issue, and it would be nice if they would take care of it,” Schroeder said. “We have to be careful that we don’t hurt businesses in the process.”

Illegal immigration is a big concern for Powell.

“I’m serious about illegal immigration, and there are things the state can do,” he said. “For example, on the state Web page it encourages illegals to apply for state aid and assistance. Also, local law enforcement can work with Homeland Security to train officers how to deal with illegal immigrants picked up locally.”

“The problem with illegal immigrants is there really isn’t an alternative for them,” Schroeder said. “At the federal level, I don’t think they have taken up the ball with this one and done what they should have. We’ve had several bills presented concerning immigration.”

Both candidate don’t want to see business hurt by illegal immigration legislation.

Schroeder is concerned with businesses being shut down for hiring illegal immigrants that could cause job loss for area residents, as well.

Powell doesn’t want businesses to have to pay for technology to verify legal residency.