Let's Get Serious!

Let's Get Serious!
By H. Powell Dew, Jr.
2016 Republican Candidate for US House of Representatives
North Carolina Congressional District 1
 
August 10, 2016
 
Dear Friends,
 
Today’s political environment has become incredibly confusing for many people.  The daily political news is driven by endless questions about Hillary Clinton’s emails and the latest misstatement by Donald Trump.  It sounds like a kindergarten fight about who is stronger and who is better!   Between Donald Trump’s claims of being able to “Make America Great Again!” and Hillary Clinton’s claim that Donald is “dangerous for America”, the voters today are not hearing the important information they need to make a thoughtful choice for a candidate that can help guide our nation. 
 
Very few of the candidates are talking about the serious issues that our Nation is facing.  If they are, it is in vague phrases and sound bites with only small tidbits of information that may not tell the whole story about what is happening in America and around the world. 
 
Over the next few weeks, I will be posting a series of articles that briefly highlight the issues our nation is facing and possible solutions.  Like many issues that face our nation, they are complex and multifaceted.  When candidates are given time to speak to a group of people, they often only have “ten minutes.”  Most of that time is used to introduce themselves to the group and why they are running.  There is little time to begin covering the important issues.  There is a multitude of issues Congress deals with each year. I have decided this format would be the best way to communicate with those that want to “Get Serious” about how critical many of these issues are and begin the process of finding solutions instead of engaging in the endless gridlock and partisan politics that Washington DC is embroiled in today. 
 
Back in July, I was invited to come to Washington DC and meet with a series of policy experts at the Heritage Foundation.  My visit was an eye opener for me to begin to grasp the depth of the MANY issues our nation faces and how important each one of them is to our countries future.  Over the years, I have been following many of these topics through the usual media outlets but, like many Americans, I was only getting a brief overview of the issue before the newscaster moved on to another topic.  Even those brief overviews were delivered with a biased point of view designed to mold and shape its listeners perspective.  The same set of facts can be seen from two totally different perspectives and have two totally different solutions. 
 
What I want to do in this format is to inform my constituents of the issues our nation is facing. This dialogue may include many facts, tables, or charts.  Some of the solutions that the Heritage Foundation suggests, I can agree with fully.  Other solutions they put forward, I feel are incredibly idealistic but will never come to fruition because of the political divide and the pain those policies may inflict.   
 
The Heritage Foundation has broken down the issues of today into nine different categories.  For the purpose of this series of articles, I will be following those nine different areas to begin my discussion of these topics.  Those nine areas include: 1) the economy, 2) money and the market, 3) regulatory overreach, 4) culture and society, 5) entitlements, 6) constitutionalism, 7) defense, 8) geopolitics and flash points, and 9) foreign affairs. 
 
If you have any questions or concerns as I write about these various topics, I will try and answer or address as many as I possibly can.  You may not agree with the perspective in which I am writing, but let us at least begin the conversation about these important topics.  Like many congregates on a Sunday morning, the preacher may “step on your toes.”  Don’t worry; next week another person will get their “toes stepped on.”  In the end, those words need to be said, even if it did hurt a little bit.  Over the next few weeks, these serious topics may “step on your toes” as well.  But at the end of this series of topics, I hope I have said what needed to be said to help us all, even if it hurt a little. 
 
It is time we “Get Serious!” and get our house in order.  Our community, state, and nation are depending on their representatives to do the work necessary to set us on a path for all people to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It may be a messy path getting from here to there.  With the right leadership, I believe it can be accomplished. 
 
That is why I am running as the 2016 Republican Candidate for US House of Representatives for the North Carolina District 1.  With God’s help, and your vote, I am ready to go to work for the people of North Eastern North Carolina and help put us on a path that helps us all. 
 
Your Future Congressman,
 
 
H. Powell Dew, Jr.
Stantonsburg, North Carolina
 

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