09/10/2024
This weekend a friend that I attended school with at BHS misread a post of mine on social media and responded in a manner that I didn’t understand. I in turn responded with the following response and realized that I wanted to share this with everyone in case you didn’t read all the comments on one of my previous posts. Both of us responded openly and what I felt was respectful. He apologized to me for misreading the initial post and I appreciated him doing this. I wish MORE people, both friends and family would STOP, reread messages, pause, breath, and decide if it is really necessary to create rhetoric and hate over something that may have been a simple misunderstanding. I have found that if we all will simply stop, slow down and listen to others, many of us are similar to one another than what we may think. Many of us want similar outcomes. PLEASE review my initial response:
“I respect your opinion and what I am hoping EVERYONE would do is bring the level of HATE and RHETORIC down in America. Go back to speaking with each other instead of letting everyone be polarized by the BIG media between now and 11/5. I am running for State Representative for District 56 - Belton and Raymore, our HOMETOWN! I didn’t share this to have a debate about immigration, abortion or gun control. I shared this to remind people to remember a woman who left her home one morning to teach our children, just like many of the same teachers we had at BHS, and sacrificed her life in PUBLIC EDUCATION! I am willing to sacrifice my business, my income, my family life and time to GO SERVE two years in Jeff City to make a difference here in District 56 where I now live and grew up because I am tired of career politicians polarizing us as constituents and NOT REPRESENTING US! I want someone to have a VOICE for US and DO THE RIGHT THING for once and DO SOMETHING! This State Representative position is a thankless job especially with the campaigning that is required and when I hear individuals say they aren’t going to vote for me because of what they THINK about NATIONAL and FEDERAL ISSUES that can’t even be addressed at a State level - IT IS FRUSTRATING! I am simply trying to have a VOICE for Belton and Raymore! Represent us because we haven’t had representation for the last 4 years! So, if ALL VOTERS would STOP looking at D’s or R’s behind a candidate’s name and start paying attention to the ACTUAL person, maybe we could start making some changes in this country! I am stepping up because I didn’t feel like I could stand on the sidelines and point at someone else and say it was someone else’s responsibility to do it if I wasn’t willing to step up and jump in the deep end to volunteer to go serve myself! SO HERE I AM! Never been a political person in my LIFE BUT at least I was willing to put my name on the ballot and volunteer to make our community a better place for my grandson! 💜🙏💜
BTW, I am also a responsible gun owner.
