2014 Is Our Time To Restore Our Country.

by … Chuck Pithy

There are many things that we need to do in this year, but first of all, it is important for you to give yourself the tools to fight these battles. I’m going to start with a small list of things that you need to have to be ready and hopefully people will comment and add more to this. Many of these things will be easy to do and you may have already done them, some of them will be a little bit more difficult and require a bit more work, some will require a great deal of the commitment in order to accomplish.


I am certain you are aware that there will be several pieces of federal legislation that will be put forth this coming year as always.  One of the most critical will be the immigration bill.  Our input, one voice at a time, can change the way this bill is voted upon. I can’t stress to you enough that all of your legislators, whether Republican, Democrat or independent need to hear from you.


Get the email addresses of all your elected local, state and federal congressman, senators, governors and any other elected officials.  Start a special place in your address book so you know right where they are.  Get their phone numbers and put them in your cell phone so you can call them at a moments notice. When emailing legislators, always include your full name, address and cell number so they know you are a legitimate constituent and when calling do the same.  Remember, whether calling or emailing always be respectful, on topic and non threatening.  Remember the staff members who answers the phone is just doing his or her job.  If it is possible always refer to the bill specifically by its title or bill number so it is clear which bill you are commenting on. Emails and phone calls which include threats are often discarded, or not counted, sorry but that is reality!


One of the critical things you will need to do is keep yourself informed.  If you say I am informed, I listen to Fox news, or I listen to Rush, then you are not informed.  You need to find 3 or 4 good credible news sources that are liberal and 3 or 4 good news sources that are conservative.  I will also include Canadian and British news sources which often give information the American media may not. Never trust an initial report or something that you have only been able to find on one source.  I will not be listing any sources because it is important that you do the discovery process and find the ones that you feel you can trust.  While it is important to read conservative news sources it is almost more critical to read liberal news sources.  By reading the liberal news sources it gives you a good idea of the narrative the left is going to use.  Knowing your opponent and understanding how they think is one of the keys to overcoming their ideals.


The next thing on your list should be finding out what groups are in your area that have like minded members.  This may be a libertarian party, a tea party, a 912 group, the local republican party, or any other like minded group.  Before you jump feet first into any of these groups, try them on for size first.  Attend a few meetings, talk with the leadership, talk with members and then decide if this is the group(s) for you.  Most of us have specific gifts and talents that we can offer a group from which they can benefit.  Be honest with yourself and the time you can make available and let the group know what you can do and how much time you can devote to it.  Don’t be afraid to ask a group what their needs are and if you can’t or don’t want to do that, just be upfront, and say that is not for me.


Ok, great, you got yourself the tools,  here is what we need you to be doing with them.


Now lets say a few words about social media.  If your seeing this post, chances are you are on facebook, twitter, linkedin or some other social media.  These all are useful tools in their own way.  What makes them so useful is they are instant communication with others.   First, locate all of your legislators social media contacts. Write on them frequently and share those pages with all your like minded friends.  It is important that they see a strong stance on issues about legislation that is proposed. Social media can also be used to get the word out on almost any topic.  The Obama campaign used social media at a level that it had never been used before to help them achieve their wins in 2008 and 2012.  The Obama team got their ideas, stories and comments out over and over again until it became the accepted narrative.  We as conservatives have the same ability to do this.  While it is sad that we do not have paid operatives to do this like the left does, that does not mean we can’t get our message out, it just means we have to depend on volunteers like yourself.  We can change the narrative, we can get the truth out, we just need to be determined and to never give up.


Now it gets a bit harder, lets talk about candidates.  While we all have our dream candidates in mind, we need to be honest with ourselves that not everyone get 100% on our positions.  It is up to us to pick the candidates we feel would be best for us, given what we have to choose from.  FYI, this does not mean that you can’t talk to a candidate, get clarification on a positions or to try and get the candidate to see the light and change his/her position.   Now lets say you have ole Bill who has had his seat in congress for what seems like a 100 years.  And lets say you feel that your not being adequately represented with his actions or by his lack of actions.  Then it is time for you and your groups to search out someone who could do it better.  Incumbents usually win primaries, but this does not mean they can’t be unseated.  A great candidate, with a great message, who shows leadership, courage and honesty is someone that many people are looking for and will support.  I will not say this is easy to do, but it is not impossible either.


What about campaigns?  Unlike the left, we do not have the unions that will do our groundwork for us.  This means that we all have to be willing so do more to show our support than just vote. For those of us who volunteer for campaigns, we know how critical volunteers are.  There are so many things that need to be done, often little things, that just need hands, legs and time.  This is where you can be a valuable asset.  Knocking on doors, dropping of campaign literature, making phone calls, stuffing envelopes , walking in parades, are all things that are a part of a campaign.


By now I am sure your thinking to do all this I will have to quit my job to have time to do all this.  Like most things in life, these are ways to get involved and make a difference, nobody expects one person to do all of this, but it is intended to give people direction for making the changes we need.


But wait there is more!!!!  Some local and state bills that come up for a vote have hearing that are a part of them.  The hearings are intended for each side to be able to voice their concerns.  It offers elected officials view points about the legislation as well as offering those in attendance differing views.  At a local level, school or municipal building projects often have public hearings before a referendum is put forth.  At the state level, bills which deal with large issues often have hearings, such a mine being proposed,  new roads, or improvement and changes to roads.  Often bills which have an impact on social programs will have hearing too.  It is critical that our side and our opinions are voiced at these hearing.


While it may seem overwhelming when you look at all that needs to be done, I am certain you will agree that to do nothing is no longer an option.  The time to act is now!!!


I am Chuck Pithy and I tell it like it is!!!