Kaitlyn Syring

Reducing government spending and preserving Kansas values were two of the forerunners on U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran’s priority list Tuesday morning as he made a stop in Basehor on his U.S. Senate campaign.

Moran, R-Kan., told audience members at the Basehor Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall Tuesday he had voted against every bailout and stimulus package presented since the downturn of the nation’s economy, and he blamed excessive government spending for America’s current problems.

“Anything Washington, D.C. has called ‘reform’ has turned out to be a bad thing,” Moran said. “Our current economic state is because we’ve lived beyond our means.”

As a resident of Hays, Moran said he had strived to maintain his ties to Kansas, rather than getting wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capitol. He and his family have lived in Hays during all Moran’s time in Congress, he said, which was something about which he felt quite strongly.

“It’s important to live with the people you represent,” he said. “I take a lot of Kansas perspective with me to Washington. Here it’s about small business, it’s about farmers and ranchers. In many of the towns I represent, economic development is do we have a grocery store in town? A lot of people in Washington just can’t comprehend that.”

For more information on this story, see this week’s issue of the newspaper.