By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
As he stepped up to speak, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran called the lecture hall at Hays High School “an intimidating environment.”
“I’ve never felt very comfortable in that environment,” Moran said. “I think it’s important for me as an elected official to make sure I know what’s going on in classrooms and that I give students the chance to talk to somebody who has something to say about their future.”
The first-term Republican senator made another trip to western Kansas on Thursday morning where his agenda began at Hays High School in front of Zach Butte’s Current Issues Class where Moran talked about a variety of issues, including his committee assignments, the role of the government, and topics related to his position as a senator.
In a way, it was another chance for Moran to visit his home area again.
“I married a girl from Kansas City, and I couldn’t get her to live in my hometown of Plainville, so Hays became our home for nearly 30 years,” said Moran, who recently relocated to Manhattan.
One of the main talking points during Thursday morning’s discussion were the attacks against Islamic State militants and the bill passed by the government to help train Syrian rebels to fight against the terrorist group. Both Moran and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., voted against the bill.
“I’m supportive of the use of our Air Force and the destruction of their refineries,” Moran said, adding he was concerned “President Obama is trying to portray this as something that can be accomplished easily without sacrifice or loss of life. … I think that’s a mistake.”
Moran also expressed concerns with training Syrian rebels, noting at some point, the skills and technology could be used against the United States.
Students questioned Moran about the government’s role in the education sector and whether it was helping or hurting the educational system.
“I have a middle-class background. I went to school using scholarships, loans and by working,” Moran said. “I think student loans are helping. They’re creating a better opportunity for somebody to pursue an education even though your personal or family finances might not allow for that.
“But, we’ve done nothing to deal with the lack of jobs. So you can go out and get a student loan and, after you graduate, you have to pay that money back. The chances of finding a job that will pay sufficient amount of income to pay back that loan … that’s a challenge,” he added. “While I don’t consider education as a right, I consider it as a responsibility on both my part and yours. While it’s your responsibility to get an education, it’s my responsibility to make sure you have the opportunity to get an education.”
The junior senator also serves as the chair of the Republican National Senatorial Committee. According to their website, the RNSC “is the only organization solely devoted to electing Republicans to the United States Senate.” During this election year, the Republicans need six more seats to gain control of both houses. Two of the closest races are here in the region in Colorado and Kansas. In Colorado , the incumbent, Mark Udall faces Tea Party Republican Cory Gardner and, in Kansas, longtime Sen. Pat Roberts faces a tougher-than-expected race against independent Greg Orman.
But, Moran said the race isn’t about one party gaining control.
“The issues that I campaigned on and the things I told Kansans I would work on … will not get addressed because of the way the United States Senate is run today,” Moran said. “Sen. Harry Reid has really decided that we’re not going to do anything. My efforts here are going to be emphasized toward changing the majority of the Senate so we have a new majority leader and we can get the Senate back to working to solve the country’s problems.”
For more on Moran’s visit, check out Hays Post News, airing at 6 and 10 p.m. on Eagle Channel 14.