The Best of Traditional Values in Public Service

Our dear departed Congressman J.J. "Jake" Pickle was the best. He loved his constituents and they loved him. They consistently sent him back to Washington because they knew he represented their interests. No, he couldn't/didn't always vote their way. But he listened, knew the art of political compromise, studied the issues and explained his actions. And we knew he had our backs. Regardless of party affiliation.

Jake was a political mentor of mine and many others. I marveled at his tenacity and patience in representing diverse interests with give and take and integrity. Whenever he was back in Austin he was out with the people. I took this photo when he was preparing to be Grand Marshal of a July Fourth parade. He proudly sported this amazing tie that his daughter Peggy had given him years earlier.

When we wince at the embarrassing lack of BIPARTISAN political leadership, we can harken to a time when there were more public servants of courage and integrity to serve our interests. Jake immediately comes to mind for me. You'll have others who are your role models for public service. I'm unwilling to give up hope that we can resurrect these values,  reclaim a sense of community and make the "government of the people" work for everyone. Mosey with me while we consider some possibilities. And let me quickly say that when I say "resurrect values," I certainly don't mean backsliding to the past discriminatory  practices and policies that were racist, sexist or otherwise biased. I mean the values of compromise, integrity, fairness, diversity, inclusion and community.

How Do "We The People" Raise Our Game?

Accessibility to the political process has changed dramatically in just the past few years. The past was more personal. Meeting the candidates, walking the precincts, door-to-door visits with prospective voters. More intimate rallies where you could gauge candidate response to the issues of the day. Now we have less personal access. More influence from spinmeisters, scripted positions, media soundbites and social media posts. Lots more noise than knowledge.

This Jim Hodges sculpture from the Aspen Art Museum grand opening is a great prompt. And let's expand our concept of justice to include the economy, education, healthcare, social justice, immigration, environment, etc. JUSTICE FOR ALL! That's got a nice ring to it. But it doesn't happen without our active participation.

Some Key Considerations

Know your key elected and appointed representatives. You may be disgusted with politics and think you don't care. That it doesn't involve you. But it does. They're taxing you and spending your tax dollars. On THEIR priorities, unless you take an interest.

Know who your specific City, County, School Board and Legislative reps are. And make an effort to meet the first responders in your neighborhood. They're your tax dollars and government at work, too.

Connecting and Communicating With Your Representatives. If you can contact the main gals/guys, super! However, if you're a mere mortal such as myself, identify the aides, assistants, secretaries, legislative aides, other research associates and gatekeepers. These are your strawberry shortcuts to successful communications and progress with issues. Cultivate these relationships. Both you and they will benefit from your thoughtful efforts to be constructively involved.

Issue Consideration....Let's Get Serious!

We/They/It can't be just business as usual. We've gone through too long a period where bipartisan gridlock, lobbying interests or partisan extremism dictated issue priority and progress. Or lack thereof. We have ongoing challenges with the many staple issues of the economy, healthcare, transportation, social justice, education, environment, etc. And we've got to promote a bipartisan review of re-districting, education and healthcare funding, open carry and our regulatory environment.

Whoa, Mosey Man! We were with you until you mentioned the 800 lb. Gorilla Issues such as Open Carry, Re-Districting and Education Funding reform or revision. We can't influence those issues. They're out of our league. Nonsense. We can and we must. By more effective collaboration with our representatives. We need to get on and stay on their bipartisan wavelengths. So they'll know we mean business and we expect same from them. We'll discuss some action strategies in coming weeks.

FOR INSTANCE.....Choose an issue of importance to you. Contact your rep's office to determine the issue status....research, pending legislation, lobbyist stalemates, progress strategy."I'm sponsoring legislation" is no longer a satisfactory response, unless there's a success strategy, timeline and options if "Plan A" doesn't work. That's where alert and committed constituents (you and me) can make a difference.

In Closing for Now.....Our role in "By the People, For the People" can make a big cumulative difference in effective government. Give this some thought. Consider how you, your family, neighbors and work colleagues might raise your community game to effect significant change. It'll take some work, heart, compassion, tenacity and informed votes. Real progress always has. It's easier when we work together. LET'S MOSEY!

NOTE: We'll have other commentaries on this theme of participatory government. When they resonate with you, share them with your network.......Thanks.....DRB