Contributed by Sandy May
The first thing that popped in my mind was ‘non stop campaigning’! Who is ever ready for that?! But then, somebody’s got to do it, right? That is the political process. We hear all of the ads, over and over again for months! Each candidate tells us that they are the perfect person for the position. It’s odd how most of them do sound worthy of our cherished vote. However... this is big...many of the candidates will tell us exactly what they know we want to hear, even though they already know that they will not honor their promises. Want twenty bucks an hour to work at McDonald’s? “Sure thing!” they say with a flashy smile.
It is time to start preparing ourselves for the political campaign onslaught! T.V., radio, mailbox, social media, cell phones ringing with information to vote for a ton of candidates. Oh my gosh and the commercials! No wonder so many people bury their head in the sand and decide to not vote for anyone. “I’m staying home! My vote doesn’t count anyway!” Ummmm….oh yes it does.
Every vote counts. Recently the Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries won by TWO votes. So, if you and your neighbor had stayed home and one other friend as well, Mayor DeVries would have lost by ONE vote. We need to encourage everyone to GET OUT AND VOTE in 2020! Not only are there elections for President & Vice President, Senator Dan Sullivan & Congressman Don Young (he is the youngest older gentleman we’ve ever met & can run circles mentally & physically around any Congressman/woman in D.C.!), the Alaska representative all have to seek office again for another two year term and some Alaska Senators are having to run for their new four year term.
The current Mat Su Borough Representatives and Senators are the stalwarts who stick to the Republican Party Platform (Google it if you are not familiar with it. It will be worth it!) and to the reasons we here in the Valley elected them to do. They took a lot of brutal abuse from the democrats that call themselves Republicans in the House and Senate. Those people would not allow the true Republicans’ bills or amendments to even be heard.What happened that Alaskans have hated during the last sessions, is the result of the Democrats and the Republican-turned-Democrats. Then along with their own stories and the liberal news sources they put out those lies mentioned in the first paragraph. If you do not participate at town halls or events where candidates are, you will never get the true information nor be able to meet these folks or ask them questions. Be prepared. There will be many opportunities to hear candidates. Our Mat Su Republican Women’s Club Est. 1947 is planning on hosting events & our monthly meetings for Republican candidates. When the time comes we will do our part to help form an informed electorate in our borough and will host candidates at events and our monthly meetings. We invite you to come and meet, listen, ask and decide for yourself who is the best person for the job.
Our meetings are the third Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Palmer Sunrise Grill across from the Visitors Center. You can follow us on our Facebook Page and find information on our
matsurepublicanwomensclub.org website. Our next meeting will be held January 18, 2020 at the Palmer Sunrise Grill in the meeting room at the back, 10:00 a.m. til 11:30 a.m. Speaker will be announced later on Facebook Page & .org.
Here are a few excerpts from the Alaska Republican Party Platform to stir your thoughts in closing:
“We affirm — as did the Declaration of Independence: that all are created equal, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We believe in the Constitution as our founding document. We believe the Constitution was written not as a flexible document, but as our enduring covenant. We believe our constitutional system — limited government, separation of powers, federalism, and the rights of the people — must be preserved uncompromised for future generations. We believe political freedom and economic freedom are indivisible. When political freedom and economic freedom are separated — both are in peril; when united, they are invincible. We believe that people are the ultimate resource — and that the people, not the government, are the best stewards of our country’s God-given natural resources. “
We wish each one of you a very healthy, prosperous, and safe new year!
