Acting Locally: Endorsing Principled Candidates
I have decided to support to candidates in Northwest Indiana. The first is Ron Tabaczynski who has decided to make a run for the Indiana House of Representatives for the First District. Ron has held this office before and did a fine job. I have known him since our days in college together. He is a down-to-earth guy with strong ties to the Calumet Region, strong ties to his family, and an honorable apporach to good government. He graduated from Calumet College with a focus on Political Science, but has technical training in computer networks, telephone systems, facilities management, and property tax assessments. His wife, Mary Beth, is a teacher for the School City of Hammond, who also graduated from Calumet College, and has been a lifelong resident of the Calumet Region as well. Ron and his family are honorable people that reach deep to help others. I strongly urge anyone registered to vote in the First District to turnout during the primary and vote for Ron.
The other candidate is Larry Chubb for Indiana State Senate in the Fourth District. I just met Larry a short while ago, but he has struck me as a man of principle and insight. His campaign is actively building up steam and his web site is slowly being built to diseminate his position statements. His focus is on getting government to do the good things that it is supposed to focus on, even out the playing field on taxes and tax assessments, and build up the local economy with jobs that actually pay a living wage.
I have only lived in Porter, Indiana, for a short while. During that time I have seen some very entrenched politics that are patently unfair, exclusionary and unserving of the general public. I am endorsing Larry Chubb in hopes of changing some of those dynamics. I urge anyone registered to vote in the Fourth District to turnout during the primary and vote for Larry.
During some meetings lately, some of the reasons for my political activism have been discussed.
First, statistics: Out of all the folks in Northwest Indiana eligible to vote, only about 50% bother to register. Out of the number that bother to vote, only about 50% of that number bother to turnout for the primary elections (10-11% for the Democrats and 12-13% for the Republicans). That means that 25% of the adult population of Northwest Indiana is determining who shall be candidates for the general elections. Is it any wonder that we do not get good government? The statistics for the general elections are not much better. We need to change these statistics and turnout to vote for the primary and general elections. Changing these stats are a key to changing the backward direction our politicians are headed.
Second, education and understanding: A recent article in the mainstream media indicated that more Americans could identify the details of the cartoon series, The Simpsons, than could identify the six basic rights outlined and protected by the First Amendment. Now, mind you, this wasn't the entire Constitution, nor was it the entire Bill of Rights... JUST THE FIRST AMENDMENT! Is it any wonder that we have so many folks sitting at the end of a bar complaining about our government when we are not effectively teaching and practicing the first principles that are embodied in our Constitution? What does it say about our "great nation" when most of us do not understand what makes it great?
GET OUT AND VOTE! FIND A CANDIDATE THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT AND HELP GET HIM/HER ELECTED! Principled leadership is not achieved by "politics as usual," but by active involvement and direct evaluation of the candidate.
I have known Ron Tabaczynski for many years. I know the quality of his mind and the temper of his heart. I deliberately went out to meet Larry Chubb to measure what kind of man he was, and to see if I could support his run for office. I made my decision not out of any loyalty to a political ideology, but from meeting and getting to know the person seeking the job.
Since this is the season for fund-raisers and political campaign events, there will probably be any number of "CBS" (Chicken, Beef & Sausage) dinners, spaghetti feeds and pancake breafasts to attend... But I urge you to more. Volunteer for a campaign. Dig deep into the ideas of a candidate and ask vital questions about ALL the positions held by the candidate. Don't measure a candidate by party alone, but meet the person and judge his/her mind and heart.
STOP BEING A POLITICAL COUCH POTATO AND GET INVOLVED!
The other candidate is Larry Chubb for Indiana State Senate in the Fourth District. I just met Larry a short while ago, but he has struck me as a man of principle and insight. His campaign is actively building up steam and his web site is slowly being built to diseminate his position statements. His focus is on getting government to do the good things that it is supposed to focus on, even out the playing field on taxes and tax assessments, and build up the local economy with jobs that actually pay a living wage.
I have only lived in Porter, Indiana, for a short while. During that time I have seen some very entrenched politics that are patently unfair, exclusionary and unserving of the general public. I am endorsing Larry Chubb in hopes of changing some of those dynamics. I urge anyone registered to vote in the Fourth District to turnout during the primary and vote for Larry.
During some meetings lately, some of the reasons for my political activism have been discussed.
First, statistics: Out of all the folks in Northwest Indiana eligible to vote, only about 50% bother to register. Out of the number that bother to vote, only about 50% of that number bother to turnout for the primary elections (10-11% for the Democrats and 12-13% for the Republicans). That means that 25% of the adult population of Northwest Indiana is determining who shall be candidates for the general elections. Is it any wonder that we do not get good government? The statistics for the general elections are not much better. We need to change these statistics and turnout to vote for the primary and general elections. Changing these stats are a key to changing the backward direction our politicians are headed.
Second, education and understanding: A recent article in the mainstream media indicated that more Americans could identify the details of the cartoon series, The Simpsons, than could identify the six basic rights outlined and protected by the First Amendment. Now, mind you, this wasn't the entire Constitution, nor was it the entire Bill of Rights... JUST THE FIRST AMENDMENT! Is it any wonder that we have so many folks sitting at the end of a bar complaining about our government when we are not effectively teaching and practicing the first principles that are embodied in our Constitution? What does it say about our "great nation" when most of us do not understand what makes it great?
GET OUT AND VOTE! FIND A CANDIDATE THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT AND HELP GET HIM/HER ELECTED! Principled leadership is not achieved by "politics as usual," but by active involvement and direct evaluation of the candidate.
I have known Ron Tabaczynski for many years. I know the quality of his mind and the temper of his heart. I deliberately went out to meet Larry Chubb to measure what kind of man he was, and to see if I could support his run for office. I made my decision not out of any loyalty to a political ideology, but from meeting and getting to know the person seeking the job.
Since this is the season for fund-raisers and political campaign events, there will probably be any number of "CBS" (Chicken, Beef & Sausage) dinners, spaghetti feeds and pancake breafasts to attend... But I urge you to more. Volunteer for a campaign. Dig deep into the ideas of a candidate and ask vital questions about ALL the positions held by the candidate. Don't measure a candidate by party alone, but meet the person and judge his/her mind and heart.
posted by Jim Downey at 8:23 AM
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