Nick Gosnell: Our discussions with those running in the Republican primary for the state legislature and state Senate is going on this week and we begin with Tyson Thrall. He is a Republican running for House District 102 and give a little grace to Tyson because he's the first one to hear these questions from me. The rest of the candidates get to kind of crib off of you a little bitm so we'll see how that goes but first of all Tyson why did you decide you need to run for the legislature?
Tyson Thrall: Well Nick, first of all I appreciate you having me on this morning. The main reason that I decided I wanted to run for this position was that I just look around and I just look at the culture and I just can see the the rot in it and a lot of people think that that we have become a democracy and I want to communicate that we're not that we're actually a constitutional republic we're a land of laws and I would like to bring back principles, integrity to the position that a lot of people go into politics and they think I just want to, I want some power and that's not me. I want to put the power back in the hands of the people and that is the main reason that I'm going because I have three little kids and I look around and I don't want them to continue to have to grow up in the continued rot of the culture. If I can affect change in any way legislatively that would benefit them then I would be wrong not to do that.
Nick Gosnell: What's the most important issue to you that the state needs to address?
Tyson Thrall: I think truth. I think we need to when you get back to this to the idea that there is absolute truth that a boy is a boy a girl is a girl that life begins at conception. I think that we need to that marriage is between a man and a woman. I think that we need to get back to those principles those those truths.
Nick Gosnell: All right what are the core functions of government that the state needs to fund?
Tyson Thrall: Well education is one of them and right now we we spend a lot of money on education our general budget and I would say that that we're not getting the return that we should be so I think that's that's one of the core functions that we need to focus on. There are things or roads bridges I mean if we just look we just got to look to the Constitution and determine what are what is our jurisdiction and we need to stay in our lane as far as government goes and the rest should be left to private enterprise left to the churches what however they can affect change and they should be in the culture.
Nick Gosnell: All right so do you have any examples of things the state maybe is doing that you say you know what this isn't really a government function this is a family function this is a community function?
Tyson Thrall: Well if we look at something like like like a like a park or something like that where the government would maybe come in and enact eminent domain and really I think it would be up to the community like they could they should be able to say to each other hey do we you know whoever has this this land they would you guys like to be able to put this on there I think we should leave that up to private enterprise especially even sports arenas things like that I don't think that the government should be involved in picking winners and losers in those areas I think that should be left up to private private enterprise.
Nick Gosnell: All right the state legislature has spent well most of the last ten years discussing in one manner or another whether or not to expand Medicaid do you think that's a good idea why or why not?
Tyson Thrall: I do not think that's a good idea my understanding at this point is that if we expand that ninety percent of the funding comes from federal dollars but we got to ask ourselves where do federal dollars come from? Well, they come from us the federal government just like the state government doesn't have any of its own money it's all taxpayer money and so that just means higher taxes somewhere and the other ten percent obviously comes from the state but I would say that what's going to happen is that it's gonna take able-bodied people that have their own private insurance and if they qualify for that they're gonna be kicked off their private insurance and then have to take that and that's gonna take what Medicaid was designed for people that have disabilities the elderly pregnant women that's gonna put them in the back of the line. Whenever we if we were to expand that and so I don't think that that's right and I don't think that we should do that because it's not gonna do what and plus it's gonna blow out the budget unintended causes are gonna happen from there and we can just look to look to past states that have done that.
Nick Gosnell: Back on the BW morning show Nick Gosnell and Tyson Thrall he is running for the district 102 seat in the Kansas House he is running as a Republican and is in the primary. Kyler Sweely is the other candidate in that race on the Republican side he will join us later on this morning around 745 that seat, currently held by Democratic representative Jason Probst and he does not have a primary opponent. What we're trying to do this week is just get those that are actually going to be voted on in August on the radio so that's the that's the intent of these primary conversations. When we get to the general election, whomever wins we will have both that person and representative Probst on between now and November to have another chance to not only introduce themselves to the listeners but also to talk a little bit of policy as well but we'll do it as we have this morning separately so we have chance to ask the same questions and give them a chance to think a little bit as they get ready to answer them. Now back to our conversation with Tyson. Tax policy is something that the Kansas legislature talks about all the time there was some tax cut that happened this session although there were several attempts by the legislature to pass tax policy and Governor Kelly actually vetoed several of those and then they ended up having to come back for a special session and they finally did get a tax cut done but speaking generally Tyson what it what's your attitude toward tax policy at the state level?
Tyson Thrall: Taxes are necessary for the government to function but obviously I would I am in favor of taxes being as low as possible because again government has certain jurisdictions that they should stay in and we need to to fund that as like streets that we drive on right we need to fund that because those are the ones that those things that we use but as far as different all the different types of taxes that we have it's incredibly ridiculous let's look at property tax even, wouldn't it be great if if we could just own our property and not have to pay rent to the government every year? In that, I think there there are better ways for tax policy even more fair ways for everyone across the board and I would look at, one of my friends has come up with an idea, Mike Murphy actually came up with an idea for a consumption tax. Those are things that I think we should look into and educate ourselves upon to see if that's something that's that would be more fair across the board and more useful to everyone and put more money back in everyone's pocket.
Nick Gosnell: You touched on education earlier. What do you think about school choice and the opportunity for parents to use the tax dollars that go toward education for whatever type of education they would choose?
Tyson Thrall: I'm in favor of that I think if if that's something that falls within our jurisdiction education, then I would say let the money follow the child wherever it is that the parent decides that that their education is is best attained I would say that we need to get back to actual education over indoctrination and so I think that it should be back in the hands of the parents to decide if they decide that that it's best attained through through homeschool perfect let's do that. If it's best attained through private school perfectly let's do that. If they think the public education system is still a great spot for them then that's their prerogative. I would contend with that saying that there's a lot of great teachers still within the public education system but the system itself is broken so we need to fix that going forward.
Nick Gosnell: Is there any specific issue that if you get into the legislature you would say to yourself this is one of the issues that I think the state legislature should address that maybe either they haven't or they haven't done adequately?
Tyson Thrall: Yeah I'm hearing more and more that there are even even local local schools that are allowing what's called furry where someone decides that they are a cat and I've heard in other legislatures in other states that they are taking measures towards that to combat that that wild idea to not enable children to believe lies and so I would say that that's something that I would be interested in going forward with in education.
Nick Gosnell: I guess one thing you did say at the candidate forum a while back was that you might be interested in being on the federal and state affairs committee in the legislature let me explain briefly for listeners what that committee does basically where the interaction is between federal regulations and state regulations those are the issues that come before the fed and state committee things like though it's not limited to this policy on marijuana may very well come before that because that's technically a federal law that the states have either chosen or chosen not to to enforce in certain ways that's that's just an example of an issue that might come before them anything related to to federal regulations as they apply to the states that isn't covered by any other committee is what ends up happening there you said you were interested in that I'm gonna guess that's rooted in some of that some of that principle stuff you talked about at the beginning.
Tyson Thrall: Yeah, absolutely I was thinking about that committee as you were as you're asking also the government the federal government has 17 enumerated powers that that that fall within their jurisdiction and they need to stay within their lane in that and so in that committee I would I would seek to say and the rest of it is left up to the states because despite popular opinion the federal government did not form the states it was the states that form the federal government and so I think that as a state representative I would I'd be happy and actually giddy to put the federal government back in their lane. Whatever it is, we just need to look to the supreme law of the land which is our Constitution we need to look to that to determine what does the federal government have to do what is their job and anything outside of that that the states are kowtowing to we need to stop. And we need to stand up for just even states rights.
Nick Gosnell: All right and we've been talking to Tyson Thrall he is on your ballot as the Republican one of the two that are running for House District 102 the other is Kyler Sweely he will be joining us at 745. Our thanks to Tyson Thrall for his time thank you so much Tyson we appreciate you coming out.
Tyson Thrall: Thank you John, and remember vote Thrall y'all.