"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." Patrick Henry
Whether its education, manufacturing or real estate, as a member of one of these industries or any other, talking to an elected official is intimidating. My perspective used to be that an elected official knows it all and already has their mind made up of how things should be. I have always thought that these intimidating people won't listen, therefore it is a waste of time to talk to them. Plus all of the baloney we see on TV, hear on the radio or read on the internet during campaign time turns me off. Well, let me tell you GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS is intimidating BUT CRITICAL. You can make a difference when you speak up. Don't let government "dominate our lives and interests."
Tonight, I had the pleasure of having dinner with the Attorney General of Washington State - ROB McKENNA. Here is an attorney, an elected official in one of the highest most powerful positions in our state, who is very intelligent but is someone who puts his pants on one leg at a time. Rob can be intimidating or at least his title can. But, Rob is one of us. On behalf of Washington State, WA State's AG claimed in his lawsuit this week that requiring a citizen to buy insurance goes beyond regulating commerce. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power "to regulate Commerce ... among the several States ... " Whether you agree or disagree with the Obama Healthcare Plan isn't the point of my blog rather it's that if you don't speak up to our elected officials then don't whine. We as citizens of the U.S. have the liberty to speak up about what we feel is right. Tonight at dinner Rob wanted to genuinely hear what we as citizens of WA State felt about the legislation and the lawsuit he filed. I spoke up. Rob listened. Like the majority of elected officials, Rob wanted to hear what we thought. He listened to criticism and he asked questions. This is in Pullman, WA (300 miles away from our state capital). He will take our thoughts and ideas back with him to our state capital.
In WA State's 2010 legislative session (which unfortunately is just entering week 3 of OT, sudden death, extra holes, or what our state's government calls "special session,") the real estate industry has been at the center of a lot of issues which could kill any momentum that it currently has. Whether it's additional Business and Occupation taxes on our service, increased Real Estate Excise Tax or some crazy bills about point of sale inspections (i.e. energy audits), our industry has the potential of being incredibly and negatively impacted. Based on my entrepreneur grandfather's perspective of real estate "It's the foundation of commerce and our economy," I can tell you that this negative legislation could kill any U.S. recovery to economic health.
Government Affairs is what it takes to make our voices heard. Paid lobbyists can try and protect our industry but it truly takes you and I, the Realtor, who are fighting the daily grind at making a living and tyring to improve the quality of life of our clients to make a difference. As long as we speak up, our voices are heard. Investing time in communicating with our legislators on why Real Estate is the foundation and the key component to economic recovery will reap huge returns.
Our industry is typically the front line to new residents coming to our communities and it is also in its own way the CHAMBER of COMMERCE. We are the cheerleaders for our community. We are the ambassadors of our cities. We continue to sell our towns and promote a positive quality of life. We are also respected by our elected officials and if they don't hear from us then they will assume status quo is ok or worse yet, they will go after just a little more revenue (taxes) from real estate because it is easy. Government Affairs is intimidating but it is critical.
My challenge to you is to protect the quality of life we have in each and everyone of our communities by stepping out of our comfort zones and speaking up for this ever so important industry. BE HEARD!
A terrific quote from Ronald Reagan exemplifies this point that if we don't speak up we are in trouble.
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidise it."
In the spirit of Ronald Reagan, speak up and let's build some momentum to this wonderful industry we call REAL ESTATE!
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