By Paul Henry on July 24, 2014
in Liberty Blog, Lobbying
“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”
― Pericles
― Pericles
 |
| In the photo above, the description of it on Wikipedia reads in part: “The Dachau camp was created for holding political opponents." |
The camp opened in Germany in 1933 and operated until liberated in
April 1945. Students of history will recall the first camps opened
immediately after Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. One
prisoner in the camps was Pastor Martin Niemöller, who is famous for writing about German citizen inaction in politics:
Many people take no interest in politics. It’s often a very tiresome and disgusting process when you take a look at how things are supposed to operate in a constitutional republic vs. how they actually operate. Pericles lived circa 495 to 429 BC, so his statement is not a new concept.
Working in the political field for a few years now, it’s very apparent people do not get involved in something until it directly affects them. The sad part about this is that by then, it is more difficult to address the problem. Most people realize routine medical checkups can prevent dangerous conditions later by detecting them when they are more easily treated.
Here’s one very relevant example: On occasion, I get the question “Paul, I just got a red light camera ticket, what should I do?” My first thought is what we all should have done was fight this battle before it became a law in 2010. Life of course gets in the way, in my case I was volunteering full-time for a friend running for Congress. There’s an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What this means for politics is that it’s far easier to stop a bad bill than it is to repeal or modify it once it is law. The state estimates around 900,000 camera scheme tickets are issued each year. On this issue alone, if just 1 out of 100 people receiving a camera scheme ticket were to donate the $158 fine amount to the LFN annually (or about $14/month), we’d have about enough to employ dozens of lobbyists. Keep in mind we work on many other issues.
The Liberty First Network was established to perform the early detection and treatment on liberty issues, such as the free market to include micro breweries and our rights to include property, 2nd Amendment, red light cameras, and REAL ID. We’re the only statewide organization that is fighting these battles and lobbying in Tallahassee. Most people have a negative opinion of lobbyists since the ones that lobby to limit government are so few and far between and are unknown to them. Unlike the rest of the lobbying firms, who pay just one lobbyist almost $130,000/year with benefits, we can field three for just a bit more than that. We cannot do it without your monthly support. Please pass this request along to your friends, and ask them to support our efforts with a monthly donation. The cost now is relatively low. If you’re still not interested, how long will it be before politics takes in interest in you?
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Many people take no interest in politics. It’s often a very tiresome and disgusting process when you take a look at how things are supposed to operate in a constitutional republic vs. how they actually operate. Pericles lived circa 495 to 429 BC, so his statement is not a new concept.
Working in the political field for a few years now, it’s very apparent people do not get involved in something until it directly affects them. The sad part about this is that by then, it is more difficult to address the problem. Most people realize routine medical checkups can prevent dangerous conditions later by detecting them when they are more easily treated.
Here’s one very relevant example: On occasion, I get the question “Paul, I just got a red light camera ticket, what should I do?” My first thought is what we all should have done was fight this battle before it became a law in 2010. Life of course gets in the way, in my case I was volunteering full-time for a friend running for Congress. There’s an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What this means for politics is that it’s far easier to stop a bad bill than it is to repeal or modify it once it is law. The state estimates around 900,000 camera scheme tickets are issued each year. On this issue alone, if just 1 out of 100 people receiving a camera scheme ticket were to donate the $158 fine amount to the LFN annually (or about $14/month), we’d have about enough to employ dozens of lobbyists. Keep in mind we work on many other issues.
The Liberty First Network was established to perform the early detection and treatment on liberty issues, such as the free market to include micro breweries and our rights to include property, 2nd Amendment, red light cameras, and REAL ID. We’re the only statewide organization that is fighting these battles and lobbying in Tallahassee. Most people have a negative opinion of lobbyists since the ones that lobby to limit government are so few and far between and are unknown to them. Unlike the rest of the lobbying firms, who pay just one lobbyist almost $130,000/year with benefits, we can field three for just a bit more than that. We cannot do it without your monthly support. Please pass this request along to your friends, and ask them to support our efforts with a monthly donation. The cost now is relatively low. If you’re still not interested, how long will it be before politics takes in interest in you?
