There are two candidates each in the Democratic and Republican primaries in the sixth congressional district. Second-term GOP incumbent Andy Barr faces political newcomer Roger Brill.
Although the Bluegrass is recognized for lower unemployment than many other sections of Kentucky, Andy Barr continues to hold job creation as a top priority. He says growth in the area remains stagnant.
While voters often cite pocketbook issues, global security concerns also attract a lot of attention. Barr, says disengagement is not an option when it comes to terrorism. “When America retreats from the world, we withdraw from the world, our enemies are emboldened, our allies become demoralized,” said Barr.
Violence in this country is something local communities wrestle with daily. Barr believes some of the gun violence perpetrated against Americans could be addressed by significant mental health reforms. “We need to do a better job in our country, identifying people with mental health needs,” Barr says. “We need to assist those families in getting those individuals the help they need on a timely basis.”
The Central Kentucky congressman says these and other measures can result in a reduction in gun violence.
The future of coal lies heavy on the minds of many in the Commonwealth. Barr says Kentucky coal can still be viable two decades from now, with a greater focus on new ways to use it as an energy source and still deal with carbon emissions. “The way we solve problems is not by empowering government regulators to put people out of work,” contends Barr. “The way we solve problems is unleashing the powers of free enterprise, innovation, technology.”
Barr says innovative coal research is going on at the University of Kentucky and in South Africa.
Many of Kentucky’s most-impoverished citizens are in rural mining communities. Saying the nation’s poverty rate hasn’t changed significantly since the “war on poverty” in the 1960’s, Barr says more focus should be on striving toward self-sufficiency. “We believe as conservatives that poor people are untapped assets and that if we allow them to achieve their potential through work and through dignity, they can escape poverty,” noted Barr.
Barr says that would include measures to require employment for able-bodied persons as a condition for any federal assistance.
The Lexington attorney went to Washington in 2013 with term limits as part of his platform. He remains an advocate for a 12-year run in the U.S. House and Senate. Barr says careerism in Congress is still a problem, but not the biggest issue, “The biggest problem we face is careerism in the executive branch. Unaccountable, unelectable bureaucrats running the country.”
Barr says the only possible way to bring term limits to Capitol Hill would be to do so gradually, applying to new members as they arrive.
Big money has been a part of the political scene for years. The Republican representative says voters need to know where political contributions come from, “One of the most important policies that we can have in campaign finance is to make sure that the voters, the electorate, have the information that they need in terms of who is supporting who,”
Speaking of support, when it comes to the current presidential election, Andy Barr says he will support the Republican nominee. He says it sure appears to be Donald Trump. Barr adds the bottom line for him is that a presidency of Hillary Clinton would represent a third term for Barack Obama. ?
