For nearly 4 1/2 hours this past Saturday, Beaver Stadium in Central PA was the White House, save for a few maize and blue shirts scattered around.  With nearly 107,000 rapid fans strong plus countless people watching from their living rooms, a football game between two iconic college football programs held everyone captive. In the coming years, everyone who watched the game will swear that they were in attendance.  The players, if they had differences, settled everything on the field and not in the papers or on Twitter.  

As the clock struck zero ending the 4th quarter ending the game in a tie, the Michigan cheerleading coach turned to me and said, "it is a shame that someone will lose."  The goal of a sporting  event is to compete against yourself and/or your opponent. If we didn't compete to win, why would we compete at all?  Because, we wouldn't improve.  Winning makes us want to keep winning.  Losing makes us want to win.   
 
No one in Washington, DC these days wants to lose -- anything.  Power. Control. You name it.  The only improvement they seek is in the number of elections that they could win.  If your party wins elections, then you assume power and all is well with the world.  When will the party elite's understand that they will only truly win when they first improve their relationships with their constituents - whether they agree with them or not?

Hey local GOP.  Maybe instead of telling people to get off welfare, maybe you should first start showing love to
those less fortunate.  How?  Why not start by building relationships with them by opening up free counseling centers to teach them how to apply for a job or to how keep a checkbook or a setting up a location that offers reduced day care. How about educating the poor on the importance of self-worth and independence from government as opposed to dependence on it.  After a solid relationship is built, who knows, you may have a new Republican on your hands.  If not, you still win by getting a family off of welfare.   
 
People holding public office must learn to get out of their comfort zones and meet their constituents where they are and not where politicians want them to be.  While you may believe that this line of thinking is naïve, well, maybe you're right considering today's political climate.  However, yelling, taunting, writing letters to the editor in response to attacks, only works to incite the masses.

If I were a holder of a political office, I would strive to hold as many public forums, town hall meetings and/or conference constituent calls that I could in order to understand the thoughts, issues and dreams of the people that voted me into office.  It's better to discuss issues face-to-face instead of hiding behind an op-ed, or an email.

Building authentic, time-tested relationships first would be my goal.  Sure, I may decide to vote for legislation that may differ from some folks; however, those who opposed me know that I will listen when another issue
comes up.  And maybe.  Just maybe.  I may see their side on the second issue.

Spread love.  Build relationships.  In the end, everyone wins.

If you open up the paper, watch television news or listen to talk radio, the majority of the articles, stories and topics are about the partial government shutdown (only 17% of the federal government is actually shut down), the Affordable Care Act and/or whether or not to raise the debt ceiling allowing the US Government to borrow more money. 

The side you are on will dictate where you will get your information: MSNBC, NY Times, Ed Shultz on the left to FOXNews and Sean Hannity on the right.  No matter what side you are on in these issues, you most likely soak up and fully digest the arguments that are most true to your heart.    I try and listen to both sides.  Rarely have I heard anyone come up with a solution.

Someone asked me recently, "If you were a Member of Congress, what you you do?"

(Note: If I were running for office, my advisors would say that putting my response to that question in writing provides the opposition with fuel to potentially obliterate my position.  And this, my readers, is why nothing gets done in Washington because both sides are too quick to criticize without working together.  However, I'll keep writing).  

So, WWTD?  My answer may be viewed as naive and because I am not "in" Washington, I am discounted immediately.  However, my solution is as follows:

First, we must understand that our national form of government is a republic and not a democracy.  The people elect citizen representatives to be their voice in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.  Collectively, these two bodies (houses) form one of the three branches of our government.  All proposed laws originate in this branch.  If a certain piece of legislation passes both houses, the legislation goes to the executive branch of government.  It is here that the President can either accept the legislation by signing it or veto it, where it returns to the legislative branch for rework or for possible override.  

Over the last several decades, Congress has given too much of its power to the executive branch.  Instead of Congress working collectively as one body, it has allowed Presidents to dictate to them what they would sign; therefore, the President has become accustomed to shaping legislation and not Congress.

In October 2013, the GOP controls the House and the Democrats control the Senate.  Despite the differences, it is time for Congress or both houses to begin open and honest dialogues.  If Congress unites behind compromised legislation, it would put the onus on the executive branch to make the choice of approval or veto.

Unfortunately, the Senate democrats have voiced their unwillingness to to negotiate with the House, thus causing the House Republicans to to negotiate with President Obama.  And these talks, will be lukewarm at best.

If I were a Republican member of the House, I would try and build a coalition of R's and D's in the house that would put pressure on the Senate to negotiate in order to come up with a unified plan to the President.  Will concessions have to be made?  Yes.  While I have differences with the President on policies, I do not believe that this current fight should be raging on against only him.  

The legislative branch appears to mirror a dysfunctional family.  All the American people want to see is that their representatives stop the name calling, grandstanding and downright unwillingness to do the job that they were elected to perform.

This family should get their house in order first.  So WWTD? Have a televised joint meeting of leaders and non-leaders in both Houses of Congress and openly debate and discuss the issues before the American people.

Naive? Probably.  Simple?  Seems so. Hard to get everyone to talk?  You bet.  However, it is worth a try.  Here in America, we tend to overcomplicate everything even talking to each other.

I guarantee you if Congress is united, the President will be under tremendous pressure to agree to their direction.  And in the end, the country can take a deep breath, at least for moment.

I read this tweet yesterday, "God's plan for your life > Your plan for your life."  Or in other words, God knows what He is doing so why don't I realize it?  Regular readers to my blog know that I have been struggling with a plan God has for me.  Below I have written a letter to my readers that in all honesty, is a letter to me.  Maybe, I will believe in what I have written.

Dear Readers of My Blog,

All of us want to impact in this world positively, whether that impact affects millions of people or a small few in your neighborhood.  God's plan for you might be to work in a coffee shop, be a CEO of a company or a stay at home mom.  The key to your life is knowing or sensing what is God's plan for you, accepting that plan and then executing it to the best of your ability, all while remaining humble.

Unfortunately, society today tends to only advertise those "jobs" (for the lack of a better word) that is perceived to affect the most people.  Human nature sometimes takes over and whispers in our ears that jobs not emphasized are not worthy enough to make a difference so therefore, we tend to overlook ways to make an impact. We overlook God's plan for our lives because it is not big enough.  

(part 3 of 3)

As a kid, I loved when it snowed.  As soon as the radio deejay announced that Warwick was closed, I ran out the door, armed only with my snow shovel.  The snow, that had fallen so effortlessly overnight, landed on the sidewalks throughout my development, which had to be removed with effort.  These snow covered lanes of concrete became my means to earn money.

I quickly learned that the most money to be earned was made at those corner lot houses that contained the largest sidewalks.  Moreover, I learned to never go to a house that had kids because they would be the ones shoveling their sidewalks; therefore, no money to be had.  I also learned to get out early in the development to beat the other workers to the punch.

Over the years shoeveling snow, I learned how to sell myself to prospective clients, how to market my business, how to negotiate a fair price for my services and how to do a good job so that I would earn repeat business the next time it snowed. Foremost, I learned that work leads to self worth.

I used my earnings to buy sneakers, model airplanes, record albums or candy.  Somehow, the candy tasted sweeter, the albums sounded better and my sneakers last longer because I used my money.  I also made my purchases a little more carefully because I was using my money. Before making a purchase, I would ask myself if I really wanted to buy those sneakers.  If I didn't have enough money to buy a particular brand of sneaker, I either had to shovel more sidewalks or I had to buy a cheaper pair. 

I became dependent on me if I wanted to buy those $35.00 Puma sneakers --- not my parents.  I was a steward of my money. 

In 2013, the government needs to become a better steward of this nation's money.  Americans work hard for their money.  We are generally ok with social programs and the like that give temporary aid to those in need - "temporary" aid to those in need.  However,  keeping the money flowing without end does more harm then good to someone's self-worth and work ethic. Eventually, those recipients become dependent on government and not themselves.  Government, then, can dictate how they can spend their money, such as what food to buy, where to live or the insurance plan that they must use.

I want this nation to return to a place where individuals have the freedom to define their course -- and not a course designed by the government.

My desire to lift people from the muck and mire that is government dependency is why I can't put this leading to run for public office to bed. 

Hey Washington.  If you truly want to help this nation, start empowering people from all races and economic levels instead of empowering the government.  In the end, individuals gain self-worth.  Isn't that what we all want anyway?

I am getting my second wind - my tiredness is disappearing.  I have no intention of sleeping.  We can turn this nation around.  I haven't lost hope in the American People -- just our leadership.  

Who will join me?  #TeamTim