If Libertarian Party candidate Jeff Caldwell is elected governor of Kansas in November, his first day in office will be a busy one.
His first act will be to pardon all nonviolent cannabis offenses, which he claims will save the state $20 million a year, and he’ll follow that action with an executive order preventing the state from discriminating against any Kansas resident.
“It’s time for legislators to listen to their constituents instead of their buddies and corporate donors,” he said. “I will bring true representation back to Topeka.”
Caldwell, a 32-year-old fourth generation Kansan from Leawood, said other initiatives he will pursue include elimination of the sales tax on food and water, which is one of the highest in the nation, a burden on every Kansan.
“Kansas is one of only seven states in the entire United States that taxes food without a reduced rate or no rate at all,” he said.
He supports the funding of schools, but he believes there is room for a new approach. He would use the savings from full legalization of medical and recreational cannabis and sports betting to cover the cost, rather than relying totally on traditional funding sources.
“Kansas legislators are telling us an improving economy will cover the funding,” he said. But “the unemployment rate in Kansas has been stuck at 3.4 percent for over six months.
“I also will work to pass the Kansas Education Liberty Act … which would bring sources of funding for education from outside of the state. Nonprofit organizations would be created to handle funding next to the current state infrastructure, and the organizations would be funded through donations that are matched with a dollar for dollars tax credit.”
Caldwell said he supports returns education back to local control, but he believes this would require a constitutional amendment to restrict litigation on state aid to districts.
He would couple that with tax credits for corporations to donate more money to the state’s colleges and universities.
One of Caldwell’s chief concerns is governmental transparency. He said he would lead the effort to information citizens of the legislative process.
“I have participated in committee hearings that continuously move, bills get gutted and replaced and legislators’ votes are not recorded when in committee,” he said. Under his administration, “all hearings, sessions and meetings will be recorded, live-streamed and available for public view.”
The Leawood resident said the time has come to overhaul the Department of Children and Families.
“Kansas should launch a complete, comprehensive audit of the DCF, Saint Francis Community Services and KVC Behavioral Healthcare,” he said. “All the abuse and neglect found within the system will be brought to light and handled appropriately. It is time to clean house within Kansas’ child services.”
He supports the reintroduction of Kansas House Bill 2751, which would establish the office of the child advocate for children’s protection and services within the Kansas Department of Administration.
The bill creates an ombudsman’s office with the power to investigate, request confidential records, subpoena documents and review how well children are protected by the state.
He is concerned about procedures that in the past have allowed by agencies to hide or eliminate specific details of their failure to protect Kansas children.
His stand on the decriminalization of cannabis use ties in to his belief that children should not be taken away from parents who test positive for THC from marijuana consumption.
Caldwell ran unsuccessfully in 2012 and 2014 for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives.
His running mate is Mary Gerlt.
– Compiled by the Kansas Press Association
