U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts is under attack because, according to his opponents, he can’t legitimately call Kansas home.
Monday afternoon a committee rendered the argument moot, saying it’s OK for the three-term Senator to call Kansas home by proxy.
Roberts owns a rental property in Dodge City that is leased year-round. Otherwise, he pays longtime friends $300 a month to be able to let a bedroom and bath in their spacious home when he comes their way.
That Sen. Roberts no longer keeps a home in Kansas is not reason enough to disqualify him from running for re-election. In fact, it does this constituent’s heart some good to know he spends the greater share of his time where he should be, in Washington, D.C., doing the nation’s business.
It’s a fallacy to think a member of Congress can do an adequate job if he or she is flying home every weekend. It’s this recent trend of returning home on weekends that has created a three-day work week in D.C.
The habit also has contributed to the erosion of relationships between members of Congress in their efforts to appease what they deem the source of voter discontent.
The discontent comes from their performances, not a lack of their appearances.
Sen. Roberts has failed Kansas with his recent votes against the Farm Bill; against the National Bio and Agro-Defense facility at Kansas State University, and against a United Nations treaty recognizing those with disabilities.
None of which means his opponent is the better option.
Dr. Milton Wolf, R-Kansas City, is a radiologist who has posted graphic X-rays of patients on his Facebook page, a tasteless violation of patient privacy rights.
Wolf has the endorsement of the Tea Party and its ilk, including the Senate Conservatives Fund.
THE REAL tragedy is that Kansas Democrats cannot field a viable candidate, leaving residents with the choice of a candidate with a weak spine and another with questionable ethics.
We deserve better.
— Susan Lynn
