Last week, I was approached by an official by the Massachusetts Republican Party and asked if I would consider running again for State Representative of our heavily Democrat district.
Man, was I torn.
You know me; I’m a fighter. All I would have to do is ask one simple question. A question that many around the nation should ask of their local representatives: “Are we better off now than we were two years ago?”
I ran, not as your stereotypical Republican, but purely on an economic development platform. I laid out my plan to make our district the most business-friendly in the state of Massachusetts (which really wouldn’t take much effort). I spelled out my plan to build badly needed new schools with private monies, thus sparing the property taxpayers from the additional burden any state-sponsored construction would incur. These two initiatives alone would hopefully inspire our young people to perform better in school, as there would be an employment light at the end of their education tunnel.
But, as it turned out, I wasn’t running against an incumbent Democrat. I was running against George W. Bush and The Iraq War. Local Democrats wanted to send a message to the administration about their disdain for The War. If I may be so bold, did that message put food on one local family’s dinner table?
As I watch the red taillights leave town every morning for the only available employment opportunities, as well as see yet another home being foreclosed on because of the poor economy, I ask “Are we better off now than we were two years ago?”
One of our annual events, the radio-television 12-hour simulcast “Food-A-Thon”, raises thousands of dollars in foodstuffs and cash for local food banks. Every year, our local state representatives call in (and sometimes personally appear) to hail the efforts of the many volunteers who give their time and money raising food for those who go hungry. Doesn’t anyone see a problem with this?
If I were state representative of a district, I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable acknowledging the fact that people under my leadership, in the United States of America, were going hungry. I certainly wouldn’t go on the air touting my accomplishments knowing that there is a noble, local industry that daily feeds people who, for one reason or another, cannot afford to feed themselves. Eradicating the hunger of my constituents would be a mission, not an opportunity to self-promote, but that’s only me.
All it takes is some initiative.
I’ll admit, (I may have been a little pissed, but) after the last election if the incumbent chose to implement the simplest of my economic development ideas, we would have seen an improvement. I’m sure many of you around the country have local representatives who won’t lift a finger locally unless their own job is threatened, or they are instructed on what to do by their party boss.
Bringing jobs to an area is not rocket science. It does have everything to do with ideology.
Republicans seek to make people, and their areas, function independently. We seek to create a climate where people can grow existing businesses, and easily start new ones. When people work, they can afford to pay mortgages and pay local taxes that keep services running. On the other hand when it comes to Democrats, if government can’t control (thus tax and regulate) businesses, then creation is low on their agenda items. Thus we see them squirm, trying to come up with new excuses to raise your taxes, while cutting services.
Some of you out there just need look at your local situations and see if yours meets one of those patterns.
So as the general election slowly approaches, ask yourself, “Are we better off now than we were two years ago?” If the answer is “no”, try to honestly reflect on your vote back then. If the answer is “no”, then your area’s current situation may not only be the fault of an initiative-challenged politician. You may have to look in the mirror.
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where jobs are in abundance, it may be because your area is politically competitive. When politicians know THEIR jobs are on the line, everything is a crisis. More times than not, regardless of party, when THEIR job is safe, yours is not.
I hope the next set of challengers ask one simple question, “Are we better off now than we were two years ago?” If you decline to truthfully answer that question and decide to send another “message”, ask yourself one more question.
Can you afford to ask “Are we better off now than we were two years ago?” two years from now?
A formal announcement to come….
