I was out visiting with friends in the community recently and a woman comes up to me and said “I just wanted you to know that I voted for you.” Out of the blue, she told me that in spite of the fact that I was a Republican, she voted for me. She went on to say that as an avowed Democrat, she had never voted for a Republican but that my message was the right message for our time. She said that she has known me or about me for many years so I wasn’t a total stranger, but she knew we were on the wrong path with the leadership that was in charge and that she could trust me to do what I said.
I last ran for office in 2009 so this lady didn’t forget in all that time. I was flattered that she voted for me, but I was encouraged that my message of respecting property rights, smaller more accountable government had reached across the partisan divide and had at least reached one voter.
Since I ran for County Council in 2009, the political landscape has changed immeasurably. I remember talking to a popular Republican strategist in early 2009 about the fact that the mood in the country was changing. That in my interactions with my customers I could sense that people who had never been involved in the political process were getting fed up with the partisanship of both sides. They were concerned that Nero was fiddling as Rome burned. He told me I was full of crap.
There is no doubt that most of my loyal customers tended to be more conservative than liberal, but even the liberals were becoming alarmed with the direction their party was leading our country.
What followed that visit with the Republican strategist was the upwelling of the Tea Party movement. So who had their finger on the pulse on that one?
The lady that spoke to me the other day was a union member and she told me that I needed to know that even though her union advocated for a particular point of view, they didn’t necessarily speak for her or others that she knew in her union. She said that solutions to the problems we face will have to be based upon what is right for all the people first before the interests of the unions or the businesses. She said she respected my opinions and trusted that I would do the right thing.
That got me to thinking about how many other union members felt the same way. I didn’t have to look very far for my answer. One of my very best friends in the world is a member of the Operators Union. He works in the construction industry. He is one of the most conservative people I know. He has always maintained that the union did not speak for him.
Along the same lines, the suggestion that all business owners are Republicans is similarly false.
Our challenge in the coming months and years is to connect with union members who still believe in the benefits of union membership but also recognize that the message coming from union leadership is not necessarily the message of the rank and file.
Unfortunately, when union members speak publicly in opposition to the union stand on the issue, there is fear of retribution from other union members. The unions are not too tolerant of members who step out of line. It’s too bad that the unions can’t allow their members to disagree without becoming disagreeable. That may very well be their undoing!
My message to that lady the other day was to get involved. The days are gone when we can count on someone else to do what’s right. The stakes are so high at every level of government; we can’t leave the job to “others” any longer. If you are concerned about your community, then run for office or volunteer to serve on a board or commission to learn how the process works and you can be aware of the changes that are taking place right under your nose.
My message for everyone today is the same. If you are prepared to suffer from the decisions left to others then by all means go on your merry way, but if you are concerned about what is happening with your school district, fire district or diking district attend some meetings, volunteer for committees and commissions or run for office. Community service is a good thing.
If not, you may be leaving the decisions to folks with a radically different agenda! Can we really afford that?
No Loss for Words 
What’s Next for Egypt?
by Steve DanaI’m leaving for work this morning, watching the television news when the screen changes to Egypt and the word that something big is happening in Cairo. Momentarily the reporter on the scene turns to the camera and said something like “I have never seen anything like this, something really big is happening right now.” Then after watching a little more, he comes back and tentatively reports that President Mubarak had resigned.
Folks, this is one of those good news/bad news situations. It is good because the protesters got what they wanted. It’s bad because nobody knows what comes next. In my view, there are more unanswered questions now than before.
So I check my email at work and I am scanning the news on the internet this morning and a video comes up about expatriate Egyptians in New York City. It gets me thinking about all the Egyptians that have left their homeland because Mubarak denied them the freedom they could get in America. How many of them came to our country to experience all the benefits of a free society and now have an opportunity to go home and help shape the political process in Egypt?
Leadership in our country should be gathering as many of those expatriate Egyptians as they can to help them create a framework for a government they can share with their friends and relatives back in Egypt. To set up resources for Egyptians to use that will enable them to make informed decisions about their options.
If Social Media gets the credit for starting the revolution, Social Media can have the same impact in stabilizing the country after the fact.
Americans will not determine the future for Egypt, Egyptians will. We need to make sure that those who value what Western Style government can offer have every opportunity to share their views and have a seat at the table.
There have been “Opposition” leaders in Egypt in the past that have been imprisoned for their political views. Do any of them have tendencies supportive of both democratic style of government and “pro-western” interests that appeal to Egyptians in the square? Let’s get the bloggers and twitterers working to get it started.
Our government’s job should be to help Egyptians explore their options. Our job should be to empower Egyptians in our country and other Western countries to have a voice in their homeland.
The final outcome of this whole process will have repercussions around the world. The “butterfly effect” of events taking place in Egypt will be earth shaking. We need to watch carefully.
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