I am humbled and honored to have served you over the past six years as your Representative. In a representative democracy, we elect men and women of judgment and discernment to represent our views in the state legislature. When first taking office, I received wise council from a seasoned senator who, pointing to the reporters and lobbyists in the hallway, said, “Those are not your constituents. Your constituents are back at home at work and taking care of their families and counting on you to make the right decisions for them.” I have never forgotten that wise council.
Based on that sobering council, I set about studying how to be a principled representative. I studied the constitution. I studied the County Republican Platform and thought about my views and synthesized those into three succinct statements or guiding principles.
First, the family is the fundamental unit of society and strengthening the family is paramount. All the ails of society are but symptoms of the deterioration of the family.
Second, taxes are a sacred trust and must be used properly and only to promote the proper role of government.
Third, government should be maintained small and close to the people. The family is ultimately the best and most efficient form of government.
Issues come and go with each passing session, but principles endure from generation to generation. I determined to be a principle-based representative weighing the issues of the day against seasoned principles that last. Over the years, I have distinguished myself as having the most consistent and principled voting record in the House of Representatives.
I recognized that in order to make principled decisions, I would need accurate and pure information and facts untainted by special interest or hidden agenda.
As a young father, following a hard day of work laying brick, I was sitting visiting with my wife when my 18-month old daughter toddled in with a little cup of water in her hand. I was thirsty and the water looked enticing. I encouraged her to give it to me and when she did I gulped it down and immediately felt some satisfaction. I asked her to go get me another cup full of water. As she toddled off, my wife looked at me incredulously and said, “Where do you think she’s getting that? She’s not tall enough to get it out of the sink.” I bolted after her in time to see her dip another cup from the source of her water – the toilet. I immediately became a little ill.
Similarly, incomplete or skewed information can give some immediately gratification, but ultimately leads to poor decision-making and bad judgment. Proper information and facts are readily available if you take the time to find the correct source. Taking the word of lobbyists, reporters, or political pundits can be dangerous. Reading the language of the bills and finding out facts through neutral sources are far better ways of making informed decisions and providing principled representation. It’s easy to point out problems and far more difficult to find principled solutions. I’m reminded of a poem I learned as a young man:
I saw them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a “yo-heave-ho” and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman if these men were as skilled
As those he would hire if he were to build.
He laughed and said, “Oh, no, indeed,
Common labor is all I need;
For I can wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken years to do.”
I asked myself as I went my way
Which of these roles am I to play;
Am I the builder who builds with care
Measuring life with a ruler and square?
Or, am I the wrecker who walks the town
Content in the role of tearing down?
--author unknown
It is my hope that we, as a grassroots group of concerned citizens involved in the political process can work together to build families which will, in turn, build communities and build our state. It is my hope that we will be builders of a strong future generation. I commit to continue to provide principled representation. I would appreciate your continued support and confidence. Thank you very much.
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