Wiesner seeking election to U.S. Senate seat
Democrat Patrick Wiesner, 60, of Lawrence is seeking election to the U.S Senate and is facing incumbent Republican Jerry Moran in the Nov. 8 general election.
Libertarian candidate Robert. D. Garrard of Edgerton will also be included on the ballot.
Wiesner is a tax lawyer who grew up on a farm north of Ellis on the Trego County line. He owns Wiesner & Frackowiak, LC, which specializes in tax, bankruptcy and business law and serves eastern Kansas and metro Kansas City.
In 2014, Wiesner retired as a U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate with the rank of Major. He has more than 21 years of military service. He has two adult children.
If elected, Wiesner said his goal is to:
* End lobbyist control of the U.S. Senate.
* Pay off the national debt.
* Write a simplified tax code.
Wiesner said he will take his knowledge on the federal budget process, which he learned as an Army Reserve fiscal law attorney, as well as a private tax attorney, to the Senate if elected.
“A budget is not rocket science, but it does require hard work,” Wiesner said. “As your senator, I will be doing the hard work of going through each word of every appropriation and authorization bill and inform the others of what programs have expired and no longer need money. This will save billions.”
He said his goal, if elected, is to pay off the government’s $19.4 trillion debt.
“I intend to work on other public policy such a fixing immigration, tax simplification and coming up with an energy plan, but my focus will be on baby boomers, myself included, paying off our appalling level of public debt and doing it within 25 to 30 years,” he said. “Controlling spending requires Congress to link tax revenue with federal disbursements to include paying principal on our public debt. It requires reinstatement of the debt ceiling. Congress should remove frivolous subsidies from the tax code, collect what is owed and authorize only programs inherently governmental so that tax revenues will be enough to fund standard expenditures and retire the federal debt.”
Wiesner said that Kansas farmers will be able to prosper with the right government policies.
“Current agricultural policy relies too much on government subsidies,” he said. “I don’t want Kansas farmers dependent on the kindness of incumbents. On principle, I oppose subsidies because the result is higher costs for seed, chemicals and machinery. The price of land is similarly distorted. Federal involvement is further corrupted by the passage of omnibus spending bills, which lobbyists use to attach special interest money requests to the public laws that also fund farm programs. I will advocate that Congress end federal subsidies because they inflate the costs of farming.”
He said he also wants to stop lobbyists from controlling Congress.
“I pledge never to let a lobbyist draft the law and never to depend on my staff to write out the questions I am supposed to ask at a hearing. I will never vote on legislation I haven’t read,” he said. “My policy is that before a senator can vote on new law, he or she must read the entire bill, acknowledge understanding all of the provisions and swear that no lobbyist has made a campaign contribution to get their vote. If the senator can’t say yes to all three, they are disqualified from voting.”
Wiesner is pro-choice for women.
“It’s a woman’s decision. She knows her health and unique situation better than anyone else. She has the most at stake,” he said. “Congress does not have the knowledge or consequences to be involved.”
Wiesner said he has concrete solutions regarding immigration, social security and other issues.
“I pledge no more ideological fights that end up with nothing getting done. There will be solutions to the tax code, health insurance and immigration,” he said. “Hard work and savings will be rewarded. The debt will be paid. I’ll have your back in Washington so you can focus on your family.”
Note: Information for this election profile was gathered from Wiesner’s campaign website, www.wiesnerforsenate.com
