Is politics a beast or a system?

Do you think of politics as an uncontrollable monster? Is it an unstoppable beast you have no hope of influencing? Is it a Goliath?

Do you want to ignore politics, and just live your own life? You may want to ignore politics, but politics is not ignoring you!

There is no aspect of modern life that is not constrained by laws, regulations, and rules. From food production to energy production, from home building to shipping, from banking to monetary policy —it’s all politics. And many of the people making the laws that control your life, your business, your job, your safety and your health do not have your best interests in mind.

This was the same problem the Founding Fathers faced with King George. As they studied ancient political systems, the founders had a revolutionary idea. They realized government was a thing, and not a person. When you shift your concept of government and realize it’s a system with inputs and outputs, then you begin to understand it’s possible for everyday people to repair and upgrade the system.

If government is an “It”— like an airplane — you can start to take back your power. Airplanes have passengers, crew, and pilots. Up till now, you’ve probably been a political passenger. But before any plane can fly, it needs maintenance from mechanics. Our constitutional republic depends upon citizens who are empowered and engaged mechanics.

Anyone, including you, can develop the skills necessary to be an effective political mechanic. The time to start learning these skills is now, because the 2022 legislative session will begin Monday, Jan. 10, and it’s going to be a wild and crazy ride! The progressive Democrats have a supermajority in the legislature, so they’ll be up to no good. It’s very important for us to educate ourselves and work to influence the Democrats and persuade them to give up on some of their most toxic ideas.

I invite you to join a team of political mechanics and work together to Influence Olympia effectively this 2022 legislative session. My friend, Ruth Peterson, and I have developed an online class titled “Influencing Olympia Effectively.”

This easy class is self-paced, and set up to allow you choose to dive deep into the systems or just wade in the shallow end of the political pool. We aim to help you quickly figure out how to find bills by topic of interest or by number. We will help you figure out how to track a bill, from pre-file to committee to floor to cross over and back again. We’ll provide a comprehensive list of the bills we are most concerned about, and also give you our personal recommendations on how to have a greater impact on the movement of those bills.

At each step of the process through the lawmaking system, there is something you, the mechanic, can do to impact and influence the lawmakers as they consider the bills you are tracking. Find out what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and the best timing for each step of the lawmaking process.

If you’ve never tried to follow legislation and lawmaking, I highly recommend you focus your attention on one to five bills you really care about, and follow them every day of this session. It won’t take long, and you’ll come to look forward to figuring out how to have a greater impact on the issues that are important to you.

It’s fun to get involved in politics, and to understand the complex system of lawmaking. It’s empowering to take action, even when the results of that action are not always clear or obvious. Don’t get too hung up on results, like getting a reply or stopping a bill. We’re playing a long and complex game. The most important thing we can do is just get on the field, make the play, and support the team.

Build a local team of people who are willing to become Olympia Influencers. A small group of three to five people can accomplish a great deal! Many small groups can change this state for the better! Try to play the game of political mechanics every day. We have set up a Facebook group for you to join after you register for class so you can easily connect with other mechanics in your county.

This is the most important game you could possibly play, with the biggest impact. Play for yourself, your family, your community and your country. We need you to help us make America great again, one bill at a time. You do make a difference when you participate!