While I was at the Georgia State Capitol recently with the Georgia Nurses Association, I was able to stop by and visit with many of our elected officials. They are extremely busy and often give up personal time to perform their duties.
I could feel their hearts’ desires and the passion in their voices as we spoke about the needs for each of their districts. And it’s amazing how much information staff members accumulate for each bill that is going to be discussed in the General Assembly. Our representatives spend hours reading, listening, rereading and listening more before casting a vote for their constituents.
My granddaddy used to say, “You can tell when an elected official is lying — he is moving his lips.” My dad, mother and brother all served in elected positions, and I know they spoke the truth. Their vote may have been different from what another individual would have voted for, but what they did was always for their district first.
Do you know who is on your local school board, or who the elected representatives are at the city, county, state and federal levels? Take the time to look them up so you can be familiar with who they are. Our taxes from different forms of government are paying for their yearly salaries.
Here are the Georgia delegations for my district:
U.S. Senators: John Ossoff, Raphael Warnock
U.S. Representatives: Buddy Carter- District 1
State Senators: Billy Hickman – District 4, Derek Mallow – District 2, Ben Watson – District 1
State Representatives: Bill Hitchens – District 161, Carl Gillard – District 162, Anne Westbrook – District 163, Ron Stephens – 164, Edna Jackson – District 165, Jesse Petrea – District 166
We are fortunate to live in the United States of America, with its democracy and all its freedoms for individuals. Merriam-Webster describes a democratic form of government as one in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free elections.
Voting is one way to participate in the workings of our government. There are other ways to get involved, too, and to make sure the causes you care about are heard about. That’s what I did after Abbie died, and thanks to the efforts of many voices along with mine, Governor Deal signed the Hands-Free Georgia Act into law in 2018. I am proud to have been part of that, and I am just a married dad, taxpayer, business owner, house owner and church member in the great state of Georgia (Go Dawgs 2 Natty Champs!). Imagine what we all can do, together, when we speak up and stand up about the causes we believe in.
I forgot to tell you: I believe the best government is less government.
Live inspired,
Jimmy
Leave a Reply