Many people ask me how can we go to Washington DC and ask the feds for money in a time when the federal deficit is higher than it’s ever been, and earmarks are pork and wasteful. I understand what they are thinking and how they feel. I too, have always had some trepidation in taking this trip each year. But when I fully think about it, it becomes clear and I am once again excited about moving forward with this effort. You see, One Voice isn’t about wasteful pending, and it isn’t about pork. It is about many other things. This is why I still believe in One Voice:

1. It is our first amendment right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. In the context of the Constitution and One Voice, what does this mean? I think it means that as citizens we have every right to go to Washington DC and ask our elected leaders for the things we believe are important. This ranges from the implementation of programs designed to defend our borders and punish those who might hurt our citizens, to health-care to immigration, to small business to unfair taxes. But it also means that we have the right, and I would even argue “duty” to ask for some of the dollars we send to the federal government back. We want to bring these dollars back to our own community to spend on projects that make us a quality place, and place where business and families can prosper. Therefore our grievance is, “We want some of our money back”

2. Our request for funding for an appropriation is not for dollars that are “above the budget”. All we ask is that our community be given the opportunity to show how these projects will be beneficial to us. Should a career bureaucrat following the rules in the federal register decide when and how our community is going to benefit due to some program that has arcane rules and national goals that don’t even come close to our needs? I say no. We send our congressional delegation to Washington DC to do our good work and represent us. The best thing they can do from time to time is make sure that we have an opportuntiy to share in our national wealth.

3. Our requests are well thought out and can withstand the  front page of any newspaper or media scrutiny. We have no “bridge to nowhere” (by the way, which if you looked at it was actually a decent project, its problem was the fast moving media frenzy that occurred after someone had the audacity to criticize it and subsequently become the poster child for waste and pork), we have good projects, and good outcomes. Our requests make it easy to for our congressional delegation to support.

Those are three strong reasons why asking our congressman or women for funding for good projects is right, fair and our duty. I love coming to Washington DC and spending time on Capitol Hill trying to convince my elected leaders to find a way to fund our projects. There are so many groups, delegations and people milling about, waiting to meet with their elected officials to tell them their needs. Autism research, green energy alternatives, composting, small business outreach programs, and a whole host of other ideas are brought to their attention every day. This what makes us America. I can’t imagine any other place on earth where we get to do this.