hillbilly
01-29-2008, 06:59 PM
I have been involved locally for about 7 years now as an electoral judge & precinct delegate. Recently I was offered the opportunity to speak in front of a group of our Republican ladies. I am the youngest by about 20 years in this group. I am in my 2nd year of active layspeaking (substitute preacher lady/person) but this is the first time I have had any opportunity to speak publicly & politically. I did promise that this would not be a Ron Paul speech, but rather geared towards inspiring young people to become active within the Rep party.
I found that by invoking both Reagan & our founding fathers quotes, these old WWII & Korea generation old folk received the message very well. I shared the spotlight with our county chair & he was the first to give me a standing o when I was done.
There was a Q&A afterwards & the only question I received was, "When our your meetings?" It was only then that I mentioned Dr. Paul's name in my response, "Our Ron Paul meetups are...."
I invited my meetup folk to come on out, but none showed,
But actually getting my meetup members to do it/anything other than a sign wave is like tryin to pull teeth.
Here's my message to them (I'm sharing it because I found it to be quite effective, please feel free to copy & share with whomever)
I am so glad to be here today. Growing up in the Asheville/Black Mountain area, it’s probably not too surprising that my parents were very liberal, my father has passed but my mother is still a beacon of Unitarianism & liberalism in her own community. I was raised in this manner & it was only when I was able to move away, to move here, that I was able to learn to think for myself. That I was able to employ the critical thinking skills I learned from making a living as a single stay-at-home mom and take those skills in different directions; to focus them on different things. Only when my girl was between 8 & 10 years old did I work full time in our community here. When my husband & I had our son, it was a mutual decision for me to stay at home. The past 7 years spent staying at home has enabled me to focus on what I like to do. And what my passions in life are, I’ve discovered, are religion/faith, American history & politics.
I was registered Unaffiliated up until 2000. A man named Alan Keyes was running and I was blown away when I heard this conservative man talk about how he didn’t want to be called an African-American or even a Black American. He was convinced that bringing up differences like that helped keep the idea of separatism alive; that those labels helped to un-unite us as a nation. I changed my voter registration to Republican in order to vote for this man in the Presidential Primary of 2000. The more I learned about the conservative ideals of the Republican party, the more I realized I belong here, in the Republican party.
Sue was kind enough to invite me to this group a few years back— after first inviting me to be an elections judge a few years previously. It has been a true pleasure getting to know the ladies here. ……. One thing that I keep hearing over & over again from you ladies and from other organizations is, “Jessica, how do we get young people like you actively involved?” Up until fairly recently I have had no answer to that question.
And I may not have the answer. I don’t think anyone can know all the answers. But what I can do is to share with you what I see the young people around me wanting.
Last fall, I was approached by a contact out of Raleigh to help out a little group in Jacksonville; help them get organized. This was a group of young folk, mostly military, all who hold traditional conservative values close. I’ve been asked, “What exactly are traditional conservative values, Jessica”. And I have a response to that.
From Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (1931-because I like old things):
• Republic: 1. A common wealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy of democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty directly. 2. Common interests: the public.
• Conservative: Conservative (a) 1. Preservative; having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or from loss or injury or waste. 2. Respecting old institutions, methods, customs, and the like; adhering to what is old or established; not given to change merely for the sake of change; said of persons and their principles; as, a conservative physician. A 1934 Webster’s dictionary also includes 3. Within safe bounds; moderate; as, a conservative estimate; also, adhering to sound principles; believed to involve little risk; not speculative; as, a conservative investment; a conservative step in opposition.(n) 1. A person or thing tending to preserve from ruin or injury; a conserver. 2. One who aims to preserve from innovation or radical change; one who wishes to maintain an institution or form of government.
What I see the young folk around me wanting is a return to the great institutions that made this country such a wonderful country in the first place. I don’t say this lightly. What started as a small group of about 7 or 8 has blossomed to about 75 members in Carteret, Craven, & Onslow counties just since October. We meet monthly, for me that is 3 Monday nights/month. And what we talk about are the issues that are facing us today. Those issues being: Rising unemployment rates, the housing market plunging & foreclosures abounding in the immediate future, rising taxes all over the board, inflation like we (us young folk) haven’t seen in our lifetimes. Also a decline in morals & values; a lack of righteous indignation in the continuing of barbaric abortions. A social apathy that has pervaded America. I have right here a stack of statistics from reputable sources to back up these statements. The future is looking bleak indeed for us young folk.
At the same time, these same young folk see their leaders continually & recklessly spending the resources We the People provide through our expansive & exorbitant taxation system on all kinds of foreign aid, and by implementing excessive inefficient government controlled programs. Not to mention outrageous government contracts, from oil tycoons all the way down to the plumber who installs the gilt pottys at the White House.
These kids aren’t stupid. And not all of them are kids. When I say ‘young folk’ I can say that 90% of these young folk are my age (35) and younger. I can also say that 90% of them is either active military or a military spouse. These young folk, both military men & women, took an oath to defend our Constitution. And these young folk have taken that oath seriously.
Someone told me recently- half jokingly, “Jessica, you’re much more of a Constitutionalist than a Republican.”
What young people want to know is which party is preserving& defending & representing & standing for the Constitution? The US Constitution IS that venerable institution that conservative minded folk ought to preserve by definition.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
What young people want is a federal government with truly conservative fiscal policies in
place so they have a true chance at the American dream.
The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. ~Ronald Reagan
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson
William Jefferson Clinton said, “It depends on want “is” is”
What young people want are leaders that know what “is” is .
What young people want is a true moral compass.
Our forefathers said that without a belief in God and strong morals this form of government would become a God-less tyrannical empire.
What young people want is a government that remembers and actively acknowledges that it does indeed serve We the People, not the highest bidder.
What young people don’t want is to live in a state of constant fear. They don’t want to be prodded along into the vast government machine on the premise of “It’s for your own safety.”
*Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. ~Ronald Reagan
*Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin,
Young people today want our leaders to think of the future generations and to take into account how the decisions they make today will either hinder or hurt those future generations.
*All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse. ~Benjamin Franklin
We the People, American citizens, are not answerable to our government. We are answerable to ourselves and to God. The government needs to be answerable to us. We do not need nor desire for our government to take care of us. The young folk want our leaders to understand this.
*"Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. The federal government is our servant, not our master!"- Thomas Jefferson
*I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves. ~Ronald Reagan
Sure there are young people out there who believe that the preamble of the Constitution says “provide for the welfare of the people” instead of “promote the welfare of the people. But not all of them. More and more, young folk are waking up & employing critical thinking skills for themselves. The Constitution was not written in some ancient dialect that makes it impossible to understand. And more and more young folk are taking the time to study our Constitution, our Bill of Rights—the venerable institutions of our great country. They don’t want their views to be considered naive or foolish; those venerable institutions are timeless & ought to be revered & preserved. These young people want to return to the conservative Republican values that have served past generations so well.
These young people, whose numbers are growing daily, have come to the Republican party because they have found a man who has never voted for a tax increase. A man who has never voted for an unbalanced budget. A man who has never voted to raise Congressional pay, who has never participated in the lucrative congressional pension program. A man who has never taken a government-paid junket. Who has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch. A man who embraces the ideals of a truly conservative Republican party. This man is leading in individual contributions to his campaign, note, not corporate contributions. He is leading in campaign donations by the active military. A good many of those folk are young folk, too.
This man is what the young people of this nation want. He is bringing them out in droves. At the very first meeting we held, we registered no less than 3 right there on the spot, young folk who had never registered to vote before. Young folk who never before saw hope before, now see the bright beacon of Hope for America.
If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again. ~Ronald Reagan
I found that by invoking both Reagan & our founding fathers quotes, these old WWII & Korea generation old folk received the message very well. I shared the spotlight with our county chair & he was the first to give me a standing o when I was done.
There was a Q&A afterwards & the only question I received was, "When our your meetings?" It was only then that I mentioned Dr. Paul's name in my response, "Our Ron Paul meetups are...."
I invited my meetup folk to come on out, but none showed,
But actually getting my meetup members to do it/anything other than a sign wave is like tryin to pull teeth.
Here's my message to them (I'm sharing it because I found it to be quite effective, please feel free to copy & share with whomever)
I am so glad to be here today. Growing up in the Asheville/Black Mountain area, it’s probably not too surprising that my parents were very liberal, my father has passed but my mother is still a beacon of Unitarianism & liberalism in her own community. I was raised in this manner & it was only when I was able to move away, to move here, that I was able to learn to think for myself. That I was able to employ the critical thinking skills I learned from making a living as a single stay-at-home mom and take those skills in different directions; to focus them on different things. Only when my girl was between 8 & 10 years old did I work full time in our community here. When my husband & I had our son, it was a mutual decision for me to stay at home. The past 7 years spent staying at home has enabled me to focus on what I like to do. And what my passions in life are, I’ve discovered, are religion/faith, American history & politics.
I was registered Unaffiliated up until 2000. A man named Alan Keyes was running and I was blown away when I heard this conservative man talk about how he didn’t want to be called an African-American or even a Black American. He was convinced that bringing up differences like that helped keep the idea of separatism alive; that those labels helped to un-unite us as a nation. I changed my voter registration to Republican in order to vote for this man in the Presidential Primary of 2000. The more I learned about the conservative ideals of the Republican party, the more I realized I belong here, in the Republican party.
Sue was kind enough to invite me to this group a few years back— after first inviting me to be an elections judge a few years previously. It has been a true pleasure getting to know the ladies here. ……. One thing that I keep hearing over & over again from you ladies and from other organizations is, “Jessica, how do we get young people like you actively involved?” Up until fairly recently I have had no answer to that question.
And I may not have the answer. I don’t think anyone can know all the answers. But what I can do is to share with you what I see the young people around me wanting.
Last fall, I was approached by a contact out of Raleigh to help out a little group in Jacksonville; help them get organized. This was a group of young folk, mostly military, all who hold traditional conservative values close. I’ve been asked, “What exactly are traditional conservative values, Jessica”. And I have a response to that.
From Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (1931-because I like old things):
• Republic: 1. A common wealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy of democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty directly. 2. Common interests: the public.
• Conservative: Conservative (a) 1. Preservative; having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or from loss or injury or waste. 2. Respecting old institutions, methods, customs, and the like; adhering to what is old or established; not given to change merely for the sake of change; said of persons and their principles; as, a conservative physician. A 1934 Webster’s dictionary also includes 3. Within safe bounds; moderate; as, a conservative estimate; also, adhering to sound principles; believed to involve little risk; not speculative; as, a conservative investment; a conservative step in opposition.(n) 1. A person or thing tending to preserve from ruin or injury; a conserver. 2. One who aims to preserve from innovation or radical change; one who wishes to maintain an institution or form of government.
What I see the young folk around me wanting is a return to the great institutions that made this country such a wonderful country in the first place. I don’t say this lightly. What started as a small group of about 7 or 8 has blossomed to about 75 members in Carteret, Craven, & Onslow counties just since October. We meet monthly, for me that is 3 Monday nights/month. And what we talk about are the issues that are facing us today. Those issues being: Rising unemployment rates, the housing market plunging & foreclosures abounding in the immediate future, rising taxes all over the board, inflation like we (us young folk) haven’t seen in our lifetimes. Also a decline in morals & values; a lack of righteous indignation in the continuing of barbaric abortions. A social apathy that has pervaded America. I have right here a stack of statistics from reputable sources to back up these statements. The future is looking bleak indeed for us young folk.
At the same time, these same young folk see their leaders continually & recklessly spending the resources We the People provide through our expansive & exorbitant taxation system on all kinds of foreign aid, and by implementing excessive inefficient government controlled programs. Not to mention outrageous government contracts, from oil tycoons all the way down to the plumber who installs the gilt pottys at the White House.
These kids aren’t stupid. And not all of them are kids. When I say ‘young folk’ I can say that 90% of these young folk are my age (35) and younger. I can also say that 90% of them is either active military or a military spouse. These young folk, both military men & women, took an oath to defend our Constitution. And these young folk have taken that oath seriously.
Someone told me recently- half jokingly, “Jessica, you’re much more of a Constitutionalist than a Republican.”
What young people want to know is which party is preserving& defending & representing & standing for the Constitution? The US Constitution IS that venerable institution that conservative minded folk ought to preserve by definition.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
What young people want is a federal government with truly conservative fiscal policies in
place so they have a true chance at the American dream.
The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. ~Ronald Reagan
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson
William Jefferson Clinton said, “It depends on want “is” is”
What young people want are leaders that know what “is” is .
What young people want is a true moral compass.
Our forefathers said that without a belief in God and strong morals this form of government would become a God-less tyrannical empire.
What young people want is a government that remembers and actively acknowledges that it does indeed serve We the People, not the highest bidder.
What young people don’t want is to live in a state of constant fear. They don’t want to be prodded along into the vast government machine on the premise of “It’s for your own safety.”
*Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. ~Ronald Reagan
*Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin,
Young people today want our leaders to think of the future generations and to take into account how the decisions they make today will either hinder or hurt those future generations.
*All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse. ~Benjamin Franklin
We the People, American citizens, are not answerable to our government. We are answerable to ourselves and to God. The government needs to be answerable to us. We do not need nor desire for our government to take care of us. The young folk want our leaders to understand this.
*"Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. The federal government is our servant, not our master!"- Thomas Jefferson
*I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves. ~Ronald Reagan
Sure there are young people out there who believe that the preamble of the Constitution says “provide for the welfare of the people” instead of “promote the welfare of the people. But not all of them. More and more, young folk are waking up & employing critical thinking skills for themselves. The Constitution was not written in some ancient dialect that makes it impossible to understand. And more and more young folk are taking the time to study our Constitution, our Bill of Rights—the venerable institutions of our great country. They don’t want their views to be considered naive or foolish; those venerable institutions are timeless & ought to be revered & preserved. These young people want to return to the conservative Republican values that have served past generations so well.
These young people, whose numbers are growing daily, have come to the Republican party because they have found a man who has never voted for a tax increase. A man who has never voted for an unbalanced budget. A man who has never voted to raise Congressional pay, who has never participated in the lucrative congressional pension program. A man who has never taken a government-paid junket. Who has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch. A man who embraces the ideals of a truly conservative Republican party. This man is leading in individual contributions to his campaign, note, not corporate contributions. He is leading in campaign donations by the active military. A good many of those folk are young folk, too.
This man is what the young people of this nation want. He is bringing them out in droves. At the very first meeting we held, we registered no less than 3 right there on the spot, young folk who had never registered to vote before. Young folk who never before saw hope before, now see the bright beacon of Hope for America.
If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again. ~Ronald Reagan