johnwaltzforcongress.com

A Vision for Better Tomorrows in Kentucky’s Fourth

After a stirring dedication ceremony at the AMVETS “Fallen Soldier Memorial”, Judge Executive Buddy Galenstein opened the Old Courthouse in Maysville for an informal meeting with Fourth District Democratic Candidate for Congress, John Waltz, accompanied by Maysville resident, Nathan Truesdell.

A small and vocal group of citizens sat in an informal circle around Waltz, who is a disabled Veteran, husband, and father of four daughters from Florence, Kentucky. “I’ve come to share my vision,” said Waltz, “but mainly to listen to the issues that concern you in Mason County.”

Waltz went on to say that in healthcare we are paying heavily for a broken system; that “the savings from a public option could reach $97 million in the Fourth district alone where 98,000 people are without healthcare insurance. What we’ve got,” added Waltz, “is a system of Disease Care, not healthcare. Building prevention into the system would add more savings.”

He went on to discuss “green collar” jobs, noting that 38,000 jobs have been lost in the Fourth District alone in one year. Waltz’s belief in phasing in green energy and the resulting jobs it would create is tempered with a responsible approach to keeping traditional forms of energy production while making them cleaner and safer. He spoke also of “Fair Trade” versus “Free Trade” and of his commitment to bringing jobs back to Kentucky.

Waltz then touched on education, saying, “We have seen that ‘teaching to the test’ does not work; what we need is teaching that “recognizes the heart and the soul of a child and adapts to the well documented and different ways in which each individual learns.” He told the story of a nephew who was punished for low grades and during probation continued on the Internet at home, resulting in his grades going from failing to A’s and B’s.

One member of the gathering spoke of a forward-looking program where parents without a high school education were able to attend school with their children to earn their GED’s, but the funding dried up. “Without parents who can understand what the children are learning, it’s a tough fight,” noted a retired teacher.

A lot of the general discussion centered on healthcare, and notably the 1,900 bankruptcies filed each year in the Fourth District due to health related costs. “We are paying for ‘free emergency room care’ anyway, through higher hospital and insurance costs for those who can pay,” added a retired nurse.

In the coming months John Waltz will be conducting “Conversations with Waltz” throughout the 24 counties that comprise the Fourth District. His determination to run a grassroots campaign that leaves him beholden to no special interests includes reaching out to citizens to donate on his website http://www/johnwaltzforcongress.com and to have house parties for their friends. “I will make every effort to be wherever anyone needs me, and people are free to contact me with their scheduled plans for gatherings. My contact number is: 859-993-0082 and my email is: info@johnwaltzforcongress.com.”