Kathleen Sebelius: Electing Obama Should Be Priority

Recently, a Kansas newspaper's editorial board raised the question of whether I am working too hard on behalf of Barack Obama ("Absent: Sebelius gone too much," Oct. 20 Eagle editorial). First, let me say that I believe this is a fair question. Elected leaders should always be asked about their priorities, and I am happy to share mine.

It is a priority for me to elect a president who will invest in renewable energy, so that the farmers and ranchers of Kansas can benefit from new markets in wind energy, solar energy and biofuels.

It is a priority for me to see real health care reform in this country. There are now more Kansans without health insurance than at any other time this decade. Nearly 340,000 Kansans do not have health insurance, including 58,000 children. So I am working to elect a president who won't veto health insurance for children, who won't tax the health benefits offered by employers and who won't deregulate the health insurance industry the way he deregulated our banking industry.

It is a priority for me to see more of our friends and neighbors keep their jobs. As we watch the unemployment rate in Kansas slowly tick upward, I am working to elect a president who does not brag about sending a $35 billion defense contract overseas and costing Kansas 1,100 jobs in Wichita. I am working for the candidate whose tax cut for the middle class is three times larger than his opponent's.

It is a priority for me that we not settle for eight more years of the same. It is a priority for me to see the change America needs.

Governors need an ally in Washington, D.C., to work with us on education, health care, infrastructure and securing American energy independence.

My work in Kansas continues. We are working with agencies to get prepared for tighter financial times; I've met with local chamber of commerce leaders on ways to promote economic development in our communities; I've launched the T-LINK effort to chart the next steps for transportation initiatives in this state; I've established the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy advisory group to work on our statewide approach to climate change challenges; and I've continued to work with the Kansas Bioscience Authority on bringing the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to Kansas. I've even found time to report for jury duty.

It is a priority for me that Kansas has a president who does not take us for granted, just because we show up red on the political maps.

I have worked in various parts of the country for a new president, but I have worked across Kansas on the election of state and local leaders to move us forward. That's the thing about being an elected official: Every few years there are elections. It just goes with the job.

Thank you for this opportunity to share my priorities with you, because I truly believe that as president, Barack Obama will be the change Kansas needs.

Kathleen Sebelius is governor of Kansas.