Ken Buck, the Weld County, Colorado District Attorney, is running for the US Senate seat that Michael Bennett was appointed to last year. Buck is quite a successful DA--crime is down 40% in Weld County--with a good sense of humor, common sense, and a down-to-earth demeanor.
I met him at a meet and greet session Friday Nov 15th at the El Paso County Republican Party headquarters. He answered every question plainly and directly, starting out with several of his own topics. The first was the problem of education which he said was made worse by federal government interference. The second was the housing problem--the Feds created the problem by trying to social engineer home ownership. His third topic was the horrific state of US energy policy. The Department of Energy is a failure, he said. We should drill everywhere and exploit the natural resources of Colorado and elsewhere.
The Federal government should stay out of social issues according to Buck; instead, they should concentrate on what they're supposed to do but haven't been doing a good job of: securing our borders, fighting our enemies and maintaining a sound currency. He is for a strong defense but said that we simply can't afford to be in the empire-building business. In Afghanistan, for example, he says our goals ought to be to prevent a terrorist haven, stop the opium trade, and promote stability in Central Asia. As a DA, he is definitely not in favor of giving terrorists the civilian prosecution or closing Gitmo.
He admits that both parties have taken actions to get us where we are today. He is beholden to no special interests and is running a totally grass-roots primary campaign.
In short, he is for fiscal responsibility--Weld County has no debt and no country tax--and limited government. I found that his attitude that even defense spending must be cost-effective refreshing.
But the statement I liked the best: "If you elect me senator I will go and do the job you sent me to do." Wouldn't that be a change for Colorado?
(from reclaimtheblue.us)
