U.S. Capitol

As many of you know, Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part I is one of my all time favorite movies. I especially love the character Comicus. You know, the “stand-up philosopher” who defines his work this way, “I coalesce the vapors of human experience into a viable and meaningful comprehension.” To which the clerk responds, “Oh, a *bullshit* artist!”  I often recall this scene with a laugh whenever I find myself in a political arena. I am not a political person, at least, I didn’t think I was. Recently, however, my involvement with public education and National Council of Jewish Women has landed me at many political gatherings.

Yesterday morning I attended the CCCLN Legislative Breakfast (All those capital letters make it look important, right?). To sum it up, 9 Senators and Representatives had breakfast with people in our school district and answered questions from the attendees. With the recent failure of Prop 103, the questions were, not surprisingly, all focused around funding for education. While some of the officials practiced their art of stand up philosophy, a few gave actual examples of what they were doing or trying to do in their role as a representative for the people.

I am not going to talk Democrat vs Republican or list who is doing what because, just like we should all be able to watch what we think is best for our family on TV, I also believe we should all be entitled to fight for what we feel is in our families’ best interests as far as politics is concerned. What I will say is simply this – get informed!

I think a big reason I avoided politics was because I was afraid it would all be too hard for me to understand. All the HB-this and Proposition-that seemed daunting. Over these past 2 months of simply attending political events as an observer, I have learned a lot, and it really wasn’t even that scary or mind scrambling. I still don’t like the politics of politics but I am getting a much better understanding of how and why things happen the way they do. Most importantly, I have learned that people like me really can have an impact on what happens. Just by showing up, I have become acquainted with Senators and Representatives who share my concerns and are willing to have actual conversations with me.

I can’t say for sure yet how any of this is going to turn out but I am encouraged by my new adventures and I encourage more people to take the plunge and get involved. All the little steps are bound to travel somewhere!