Harris County Works Because of....YOU!

"Texas' prosperity depends on Harris County Working."-State Representative Mike Schofield.  Great quote, but what does that mean to you and me?  How do we keep Harris County 'working'?

I'm glad you asked because I have written and written and written some more about this very thing.  I think it's a two part answer, but the first part is by getting involved. I have also talked and shared with others about getting involved in politics.  I'm sure I've reached saturation level with some of the people I know, but somehow, I'm not sure that's enough talking OR writing, for that matter.  Not enough of them have been moved to action by it, so I'm going to try once more.

Even for my activist brethren, arguing with one another on Facebook or Twitter about things is NOT going to change anything.  We can all talk about how screwed up things are for the United States.  Sure, that's true, things ARE screwed up.  However, it's going to take ACTION on the part of the activist and voter to make a difference.  Not just by informing themselves about the candidates and voting, although that IS an important step.  I'm talking about lacing up tennis shoes, slathering on sunscreen and knocking on a door, or two, or ten!

If block walking isn't your game, then find something that is.  Phone banking, while I find it to be as boring as can be, is easy and effective.  You can call from home or from your local party headquarters.  I'll even go one step further and give you a link to the schedule of phone banks and block walks here.  See?  That wasn't so bad, was it?

You can also become an election worker and devote one whole day to it.  There is some preparatory work involved, but it's easy and accessible.  Be a poll watcher.  Again, some work involved, but worth the effort to ensure that elections are free and fair. 

The second part of the answer is that in order to keep Harris County 'working' we need to elect Republicans to local offices.  Did you know that the office of the president is less likely to affect your life than is your local judge?  Think about that for a minute.  Now, having said that, do you want a judge who's going to 'legislate from the bench' by being an activist judge, or do you want someone who's going to follow the law?  I know which one I want, and that's why I'm urging you to go to the polls this November and vote Republican all the way down to the bottom of the ballot.

So, why have I lumped these two things together, the two things that I personally feel will make Harris County 'work'?  Well, because during the 2008 presidential election, Harris County lost the judicial races by a razor thin margin.  I'll quote State Representative Mike Schofield again when he says that, "If Republicans had turned out just three more voters per precinct, we wouldn't have seen Republican judges swept out of office in 2008."   If there are three people registered in one household, that could just be ONE door to knock on!  I have personally decided that since I am able bodied, I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen again this election cycle.

You know, none of us are ever going to be 100% happy with the way things are in our government.  I'd be lying if I said we would ever by completely satisfied.  I'd also be lying if I said I didn't wish things were different.  I wish for a lot of things that won't ever happen.

Since sitting around and 'wishing' isn't going to change anything, past, present, or future, I'm doing what I can to change what's going on. 

I hope you'll join me. Start by block walking or phone banking or working your polling place on election day. I can't stress enough how important it is to be involved locally. Local government 'works' because of you, the involved citizen.