100 Business Days Out: Day 84 - Honest Talk

Yesterday we ventured away from Quonnie. This was the first time I have traveled more than 30 miles since I have been here (other than for the emergency trips to the animal hospital for Louie). But this was also momentous as it was the first time that I have had a pair of long pants on, not to mention dress shoes in over a month. Okay, let's just cut through it, the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle is not bad! But, there has to be those times when even Jimmy gets dressed up. We did so yesterday as we attended a reception and fundraiser for West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, put on by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, at the home of Senator Clairborne Pell. The event was great in many aspects, which I will write about, but first of all, it was very special to be in the presence of Senator Pell, who authored the Pell Education Grants, which I received while going through college. It was an honor to be in his home. It was also an extraordinary event as Senator Rockefeller gave, from what I have witnessed, the most honest talks of any politician I have ever heard. He hit on all of the hot topics but in summary what he said was that he holds the same trepidations and concerns that most of us have about the future. He talked about the next 30-40 years being "years of sacrifice" if we want to leave behind a better country for the next generations. His genuine concern and words about the inability to get things done in today's government were not said to inspire or bring about hope. They were to ground us in the reality that we are a country in trouble. We do not have the financial strength or capabilities to do all that is needed. We are in tough times and a difficult situation and we aren't going to get through all of this without having to make significant changes and sacrifices. Patti and I didn't go home excited or buoyant, but we did go home feeling like we had been spoken to honestly, plainly and bluntly. That is a rarity in today's age. I continue to believe, and while it does cost money, that the best way to gauge our political representatives is to spend time with them face to face in small groups. For this one it took two Californians to be across the country and available (another blessing of this time away), invited by a Rhode Island Senator, to meet a West Virginian Senator. But, for a few words of honesty, it was all well worth it.