Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America
The problem with small towns is that their #1 export is their "Achievers" like Tom Wiggans. Born and bred in Fredonia, an Eagle Scout and KU graduate, Tom Wiggans personifies the achiever who leaves the state due to limited opportunities. Wiggans went on to make great contributions in producing life-saving medicines.
Wiggans' recent return to his home state of Kansas puts him in a second category, according to Carr and Kefalas: Tom Wiggans is also a "a Returner," and a particular type of returner: a "High-Flyer" - one who succeeded elsewhere but returns to Kansas with a wide list of accomplishments.
My own hometown of Great Bend produced many "Achievers" who have left the state. The most memorable is microchip inventor Jack Kilby, a 1941 graduate of Great Bend High School who won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the integrated circuit - a device that made possible the miniaturization of electronics.
When Jack Kilby finished college, there were no companies in Kansas where he had a chance to solve the greatest mystery in electronics - how to defeat "the tyranny of numbers" - or, the fact that electronic devices were too big and bulky and had too many wires. Kilby's idea, to ditch the wires, and place the electronic components on a semi-conductor surface such as silicon - revolutionized the world. I wish Jack Kilby had moved back to Kansas after he invented the microchip, but he chose to stay in Dallas, home of Texas Instruments.
The fact that Tom Wiggans - an "Achiever" who left the state - has chosen to become a "Returner" to his home state is fantastic news for Kansas. And the fact that he wants to throw his hat in the ring for Governor is doubly fortuitous for the Sunflower State. The Kansas economy is weak right now. A successful visionary in the business world might be just what Kansas needs right now.
Having been born and raised in Great Bend, and having returned to my hometown after a few years in Wichita, I can say that Tom Wiggans' small town Kansas background says a lot about him. You see, in a small town, you can't remain anonymous. You have to interact with everyone. Most of our U.S. Presidents were raised in small towns.
Tom Wiggans, a Carpetbagger? No Way. He is a Kansan who achieved greatly; and getting people like Wiggans to return to Kansas is one of the solutions to reversing the brain drain that has so afflicted the Great Plains. If Wiggans creates Kansas jobs for our brightest young minds, he will have done his home state an invaluable service. Tom Wiggans, Welcome Home.
Might I disagree with your premise a bit. I too agree that talent coming back to Kansas is a good thing - but, how can anyone understand the needs of Kansas and its people when they've lived in California for the past 3 decades. Further, most people returning to their home state are doing so to return to their roots and retire. Mr. Wiggans had ample opportunity to move his companies back to Kansas to provide good jobs to Kansans, but he chose to remain in California. I think he's a better fit running for governor in California than Kansas. Running for governor less than 9 months after returning and without having your family return with you is carpet-bagging. It's also a stretch to consider him a Democrat. The Democratic party should not be a refugee camp for disaffected Republicans seeking a quick way into higher office. Mr. Wiggans is not a good choice for Democrats or Kansans.
What's the alternative? Sam Brownback is the only candidate other than Tom Wiggans. I think the choice will come down to - which is better for Kansas and Kansans - Tom Wiggans or Sam Brownback. As the campaign moves forward, the differences between the two should become much more clear.
Welcome home indeed Tom Wiggans. Personally, I lived out out state for two and a half decades and was a registered Republican until I saw the light; while I am not running for governor, the Democratic Party welcomed me as an old friend. Our Mr. Wiggans has a proven track record of creating jobs, managing business soundly and offers voters in this state a choice between an extremist who views life through a narrow one-angle lens. While some may view Wiggans running for governor as "a quick way into higher office," others are grateful for his desire to serve this state through dedication to hard work and sound ethics. Wiggans' sound business skills lend credibility to his desire to help people. I cannot think how a Brownback governor who wishes to privatize social security, education, or medicare, and take our tax code behind a shed and chop it with a dull axe would help this state beyond dragging it through the mud behind a worn-out tractor. Brownback did not amass a net income of ten million dollars for doing anything noteworthy. And living in D.C. with a primary residence in Topeka should have taken away the right for him to collect nearly a half million dollars in farm subsidies for a farm he no longer can claim as his place of residence. Brownback needs to put his money where his mouth is when speaking of wasteful taxes. Maybe people should take a long hard look at a disgraceful voting record before they jump on Brownback's bandwagon. Here is hoping that others will see the light as well.
The problem with both of your comments is the over simplistic way you are viewing the problem. Kansans will not vote for a Californian for Governor. If Democrats think they will, they haven't learned anything in the last several years. "Soft" Democrats won't go and vote - and no amount of cajoling will get them there. Flying in candidates to run, with the promise they can self-fund is a recipe for disaster.
As for Mr. Wiggans creating jobs - why if he wanted to help his "home" state, did he not bring his company back to Kansas and create the jobs here? Brownback as governor will be a disaster, but a bigger disaster for the Kansas Democratic Party is deluding themselves into thinking that running a multi-millionaire, carpet-bagging Republican for governor is a good idea. If Mr Wiggans is the standard bearer in November - Kansas Democrats will be a significantly smaller minority than they are now. Dem's will lose 5-10 legislative seats, Dennis McKinney will have the toughest race of his life, Steve Six will be toast and Dems will be in a position they haven't found themselves in since 1995.
Carpetbagger is not a fitting term for Tom Wiggans. He did grow up and attend college in Kansas. Wiggans has maintained close ties to Kansas over the years. Serving as a member of the Kansas Innovation Consortium, a gubernatorial-appointed group of business leaders in Kansas who are working to stimulate economic development through innovation and entrepreneurship. He is an adviser to the Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation at the University of Kansas Medical Center and he is a member of the Advisory Board of Heartland Bioventures, an arm of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. He is also a member the Board of Trustees of the University of Kansas Endowment Association. He is a life member of the Kansas Alumni Association. He serves on the Athletics Committee for KU First, and is a life member of the Chancellors Club. During KU First, Wiggans supported pharmacy and National Merit Scholarships, at the Dole Institute and facilities for athletics.
Wiggans has always given money to both parties - which demonstrates his bipartisanship, something the Democratic Party in Kansas has always supported. As for Dennis McKinney, there is no place for him in this conversation - Dennis will be fine.
Brownback has turned a shoulder to his own base by siding with neo-conservatives and I for one think the voters of all parties are looking for someone more mainstream. Tom Wiggans is that person.
In closing, I believe the Democratic Party has chosen the correct man for the position.
Denise - If you want to support a California Republican for Kansas governor, go ahead. It won't fly. Go find the KU Endowment Ass. yearly report for this year - you'll find the listings of all the board members and you'll then find - Tom Wiggans - Atherton CA. I find it very hard to believe someone who claims they care about Democratic politics worrying about Sam Brownback and his "base." I'm worried about the Democratic base and running a carpet-bagging party switcher as our standard bearer unacceptable. Tom Wiggans is not a mainstream Democrat. Any Democrat worth their salt would never be caught dead as a board member of the Hoover Institute. It's the ideas that came out of the Hoover Institute that got this country into the mess we're in. You know - Condi Rice, Don Rumsfeld, Milton Friedman, et al. Wiggans is simply trying to buy himself a political party because he knew he could never get through a GOP primary. They're smart enough to not vote for a Californian for Kansas Governor.
As editor, I'd just like to say that I appreciate this post as well as all of the comments offered here. Though there is disagreement among the commenters, I appreciate the rational arguments, thoughtful points and respectful approaches presented by both sides.
And I like that a thought-provoking book got the whole discussion started. Thanks, Marty, for doing some of the reading the rest of us can't find time for.
And now, too, I know why some of my smartest classmates from high school--now living out of state--keep reminding me that Kansas has a brain-drain problem. :)
Okay, I am still sputtering over the words "quick way into higher office". This is still a Democrat, trying to get elected in Kansas, right? The Republicans just sit back and watch us tackle our own players - play after play - while their own players relax on the bench.
Kansas voters use some impossible measurement system that has no context to accommodate Mr. Wiggans unique life decisions and experiences. But they never put their own name into the ring. We are assured loss after loss.
I have to say that I'm concerned about Wiggans' candidacy. While I applaud any Republican who defects (Arlen Specter comes to mind), I'm certainly troubled by the kind of "residency" arguments that Wiggans and Hillary Clinton came up with. While not illegal or immoral, I find it odd, to say the least. Two independently wealthy individuals go looking for a state where they can run for higher office. It's not the first time, and won't be the last, and we all know that Brownback would be an unmitigated disaster, but it does make a person wonder.