By a very small margin, Barbara (Barb) Wasinger was elected our new state representative, but I recently learned from a colleague who had visited her to discuss ways to increase voter participation of her allegations that certain residents of the 111th District tried to steal the election from her.
Who are these unscrupulous characters who wanted to torpedo this fine Republican’s chances for high office? According to Representative Wasinger, they are the notorious FHSU students. Apparently, Ms. Wasinger feels like the District can take their tuition money, their food money, their rent money, their beer money and the money they spend in the mall and downtown stores. They also pay city and state sales tax on most of these purchases. But when it comes to District representation in state government, their political participation is not welcome, if not illegitimate. These students “live” somewhere else, so let them vote somewhere else, seems to be her attitude, even though they spend well over half of their time and money in Hays.
If you think of what Hays would be without FHSU students, another WaKeeney, and the fact that state legislators control FHSU, determine state funding levels to offset tuition costs and set the tax structure that determines how much taxes college students pay, it seems blatantly unfair and un-American to deny them any say in who their state representative will be. Somewhere I heard, “No taxation without representation.” The City already burdens them with additional sales tax they wouldn’t pay at other Kansas universities. Now Wasinger wants them to pay state sales tax with no representation in the state legislature.
It is no secret. The tide is turning. Women, young people, ethnic minorities and now college students are finally realizing that the Republican Party caters to white, male fat-cats like Donald Trump, most of his cabinet and about 5% of his base. They are desperate at this point and looking for any way to suppress the Democratic vote. FHSU students will not be made second-class citizens just because they move to Hays to attend college or because they lean toward liberal political policies.
Ms. Wasinger will see a voter registration drive on the FHSU campus in 2020 that will show her what real democracy looks like. I invite her to speak at a Times Talk session to explain in detail the election fraud these students perpetrated on her campaign. Perhaps our champion against voter fraud, Kris Kobach, can help her stop the corruption she alleges. Nothing is more important for democracy than a valid and inclusive election.
Gary Brinker, Hays