Thursday, February 15, 2007

Boyda talks of goals, early success in Congress

by Clarke Davis

Newly elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, D-Topeka, told Jefferson County Democrats Sunday night that one of her three objectives in the next three years was to clean up Congress.

“There’s a couple of reasons for that,” she said. “You just can’t get there with a corrupt Congress and not if people have lost faith in our government.”

Her other two objectives: Keeping wealth in Kansas and in the district and providing customer service.

“We want the money and the people to stay here,” she said, noting there has been too much of an economic drain with the wealth going elsewhere.

She has opened congressional offices in Topeka and Pittsburgh and stated her staff is there to serve the 674,000 Kansas residents that she represents.

“The federal government is not user friendly, but we are there to help put a bright light on things,” she said.

The war in Iraq, she said, would be the main topic this week when the House debates a nonbinding resolution on President Bush’s escalation of that war.

Boyda said her greatest concern now was not bringing the troops home, but rather avoiding a war with Iran. She said she believes the administration is attempting to provoke Iran into a conflict, the main reason behind having two aircrft carriers in the Persian Gulf.

“That’ s my greatest fear,” she said. “The most important thing we can do is avoid a war with Iran.”

Boyda spoke of the first 100 hours when the Democrats took control of the House.

“We did an amazing amount of work. We got criticized because it was low-hanging fruit, but my response was ‘If it was low hanging fruit, why didn’t you guys take care of it?’ ” she said.

Those bills included increasing the minimum wage, increasing Pell grants for college bound students, and cutting the oil and gas subsidy.

She said she is working with Congress toward an aggressive and balanced energy policy that will help move the nation toward energy independence.

“An advantage of being a freshman was not understanding that a freshman almost never sponsors bills,” she said.

However she let it be known among the leadership that she did not believe members of Congress who commit crimes should receive their pensions. She was able to get a bill through that passed the House unanimously to end the practice.

“This was the leadership getting behind Nancy Boyda, saying that she really came here to get something done and it’s meaningful to her and to the people of Kansas,” she said. “This was huge.”

Boyda said the personal attacks she received while getting the bill passed were “absolutely vicious” and something she did not expect.

“I was like a deer in the headlights the first time,” she said, “but it’s just a bellwether of what to expect.”

“If you think it’s rough and tumble now just wait. This seat actually represents the No. 1 target in the nation [for Republicans],” she said. “They want this seat back and they are not happy about losing it.”

She told of problems in the failure of Congress not passing a budget that will affect the troops in Kansas returning from the Iraq war.

The last Congress passed a continuing resolution prior to Oct. 1—the budget deadline—and another after the election but never approved a budget.

“It’s left us with a mess and some tight constraints,” she said.

There are 1,200 men coming home and no barracks to house them at Fort Riley.

It’s too late, Boyda was told by a military commander, if they started tomorrow nothing would be done in time to help the troops. All funding for any new construction was stopped Oct. 1.

“They used politics at the worst possible time,” she said. “In time of war.”

In regards to the attacks and viciousness of the atmosphere, Boyda said she is OK and is capable of handling it.

“When you hear the lies and half-truths you can stand assured that Nancy Boyda will stand behind our troops and give them the funding they are needing.”

She said she learned from the last campaign that taking the high road and not going negative paid off.

“This time around I’m betting there is still a place for decency,” she said.

Boyda’s appearance was before the Kansas Day Gala held annually by the county Democrats. Chairman Larry Bigham introduced dignitaries present and the officers and precinct committeemen and women.

A dinner preceded the event at The Barn. The Faris Family provided entertainment.