Should I Laugh or Cry?
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that when I was elected to office that some people would try to use my volunteer work against me. However, that is just what some people seem to want to do. I have had two or three people who openly worked against me in the last campaign look me right in the face and suggest that my work with the region’s seniors and veterans, in giving them a voice to share there memories, are truly political in nature. Is this some kind of twisted thinking leading up to the next election? Give me a break! I don’t have time for that foolish logic. Here are some basic facts about my volunteer work. I, along with my family, donate several hundred hours a year talking history and organizing other forums to share their memories. We do this work completely for free to non-profits in the Northeast Kingdom, and I refuse to speak for groups that include a mandatory fee for people who wish to attend the event. Many people wonder why we would donate so many hours to the community. There are several reasons but here are some of the main reason.
1) We love the Northeast Kingdom2) There is little more we love doing than giving our seniors a voice to share their memories with the world. They have a lifetime of wisdom to offer us.3) My wife and I were both born into working poor families. Our parents didn’t have money to bring us to Florida, but they instilled good values into all of their children.
4) As a successful writer and researcher, I see using my talents to promote our region of the state as my way of giving back to a region that has given me so many breaks in life. I started my volunteer speaking engagements, sometimes throughout the state, in 2002 – long before the thought of me running for office ever entered my head. (This does not include our years of volunteering at our childrens’ schools)
Those who have attended my events know that I do not talk politics at them, and I frown upon anybody else using this time to talk politics. During this last political campaign another fellow Republican said he planned to attend one of my events. I asked him not to wear his campaign buttons and hat because the events are not political. Thankfully he was respectful enough to follow my advice. So what do I do about people who have criticized me for my volunteer work, or to other people thinking about using my volunteer work as a political target? One thing I won’t do is abandon my seniors, my veterans, and my beloved Northeast Kingdom for the sake of appeasing some misguided political foes. They could write letters to the editor, and maybe even hold a press conference demanding that I not volunteer my time while I serve in office explaining to the good people of the Kingdom that volunteering is a good concept, but woe be the person who actually does it. Thankfully my family and I are only five of the many Kingdomites who realize the value of volunteering.
Would those who wish I wouldn’t volunteer rather see me turn into one of those politicians that wave and smile at you on the road side every two years during election season only to disappear after the election? I guess the best thing I can politely say to my politically misguided friends is: “It’s obvious you have too much time on your hands. Stop worrying about me donating time to my community and its people, and join me in making this region of the state an even better place to live. If you are not aware of any volunteer opportunity, please contact me and I’ll find you something.”
What will my detractors come up with next? Maybe insist that I stop hosting my famed summer cookouts because of their fear that they might be a cover for some shady political gathering.
My last words to those who doubt me is - stick to my voting record in critisizing me and don’t try to punish the people I volunteer with in an attempt to cut me down. The only people that you’ll hurt is them, not me.