Shutdown Solution - Let's get Local

Last night after dropping some campaign door-hangers with my family we went to Macy's for ice-cream (I've found ice-cream is the primary currency with my kids when it comes time for campaign help).  I think I might as well set up my campaign headquarters at the Macy's Deli because I probably bumped into six or seven supporters that stopped to ask me how the campaign was going.

One friend lamented how frustrated she was at the Federal Government shutdown.  Although, I'm running for local office this topic often comes up during my discussions on people's doorsteps.  Having spent some time back in Washington DC, first as a graduate student on the Senate side, and then as a Legislative Analyst on the House side a few years later, I can certainly sympathize with the frustration.

Even working on Capitol Hill I could sense how difficult it was to truly make a difference.  Even a member of Congress was still just one of 535 people clamoring to be heard; let alone the single citizen trying to petition the Federal Government for some sort of change.  That's why I'm excited for the potential opportunity to serve locally.

Speaker Boehner and Nancy Pelosi will never drive our streets. Their children and grandchildren will never go to our schools.  They are so far removed from our daily lives that in many respects it's insulting when they claim they understand what the average family or small business needs or goes through everyday.

While we all feel a sense of helplessness regarding our government at the federal level let's do what we can in our local communities.  We best understand our local challenges and are better equipped to come up with solutions. Heck, I'll take Mayor John Curtis over Harry Reid any
day!

So to Congress, I say - grow-up, get back to work, and try to stay out of our way would you?