I am NOT political

I am helping my friend with a political fundraiser. He, Jeremiah Chiappelli, is actually the husband of a friend and a friend by proxy. Anyway, he is running for Delegate of District 31 in Maryland and is a Democrat. My tendencies are more Democrat than Republican, if I had to say, but I am open minded and think more about the state of the world at the minute and listen to what the candidates plan to do. I say, "plan" because political promises are like pie crust promises (as Mary Poppins says, "Easily made, easily broken").
I am helping Jeremiah because he is a good man and his plans seem to follow my vision of how things would work best in our community. He is also my friend and I have a skill set that he and his wife needed to plan a fundraiser. Anyway, we are currently at the point in the game plan that requires us to get people to buy tickets and donate prizes for the silent auction. To say that I am tempted to buy items for the auction is an indication of how much I loathe asking people to give to a political campaign. People who are in politics are built differently than me. Yesterday, I was trapped in a 15 minute one-sided conversation with a strong-opinioned Republican who believes that all of the evil that happens in the world is a direct result of Democrats. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad but he blamed the Democrats for putting all of his neighboring businesses out of business. Umm, do you think it could be the recession that the country was already headed toward before we had a Democratic President? I don't want to get into it here but I don't think the fault of world happenings is the fault of one party or the other.
Things happen because PEOPLE, (who have been elected by US) put into motion, plans that they BELIEVE will be what is best for...whomever. Maybe they do it because someone gave them lots of pretty things and they feel obligated to do what the pretty-things-people want. Maybe they do it because they have a lot of wealthy friends and they themselves are wealthy and they want to make them happy and be happy and still wealthy. Maybe still, they grew up poor and want to do something for that sector. Finally, maybe; just maybe, they are doing it because they really think that their actions are building a better world for our children - enter Jeremiah Chiappelli. Either way, there is a limited term for many of the political offices to prevent one persons' views (and friends) to influence things beyond the point of no return.
There are cycles and ebbs and flows. We can't always have a bull market just as we won't always have a bear market. Taxes will always go up as spending does. This particular shop owner believed that the spending needs to be curbed. Who can disagree with that? When your budget gets tight, you don't start by getting another job, you start by cutting the fat around your house - at least that is what is recommended. You get rid of a cell phone, cable tv, the dog skips the groomers and you bathe her yourself, etc.
I am glad that I don't have to work on these things for the general public. I always avoided the job of payroll after my first experience resulted in near-weekly threats and disgruntled employees...that is a story for another time. When you are in a position to mess with people's money, you might as well be prepared to piss some folks off. The fuller our wallets are, the happier we are and the more we "approve" of our elected officials. Sadly, it takes a lot longer to see the results of budget changes in the world of the government than it does in our own house. It is also a lot easier to tell a teenager that they don't have a cell phone than it is to tell a government official that they have lost their funding...talk about kicking and screaming!
At any rate, I know the title of this is, "I am NOT political". I also know that the message itself sounds much like I am political. The truth is, I know how impossible it is to please the masses and I know how hard it is to change minds and attitudes. I don't want to try to do either and; therefore, I am NOT cut out for this...