Newt sets the wheels of change in motion.
(Manchester, NH– May 2007)
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Yesterday, Newt Gingrich ended speculation about a run for the presidency, and instead, began a movement that might, in the long run, have a greater, longer lasting effect on all levels of politics. By announcing that he will focus on the American Solutions project and his work at the Center for Health Transformation, Newt Gingrich pulled the rug out from under the cynics that called his effort at creating and connecting local grass-roots activism nothing more than a veiled front for a presidential campaign. If what we experienced yesterday in our local "Solutions Day" project right here in Laconia, NH is any indication of what happened in the hundreds of such events that happened simultaneously throughout the rest of the country, it is entirely possible that Newt will have set the stage for grassroots education and activism that could realize his goal of working to bring about real change to our seemingly broken system of government.
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American Solutions workshop in Laconia, NH
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In Laconia, we had 39 people in attendance. While some left as the afternoon went on, having other commitments, many stayed till the end, and then some. Following Newt’s closing remarks, the first question asked was,
"When are we doing this again?"
After some 5 hours of viewing roundtable discussions livecast over the Internet and engaging in followup and conversation about each topic, the group was ready for more. It was very uplifting to be among a group of folks that want to become engaged and involved in their government, wishing to play a role in bringing about the fudamental change that we so desperately need at all levels.
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As a group, we decided to create an ongoing entity that will continue to meet, educate ourselves, and work to bring about change in our towns and cities, state, and at the national level. There is no rule or law that says only politicians have the answers. Why can’t ordinary people, each with their own particular skills and ideas, come up with logical, workable solutions to what needs to be fixed?
What Newt accomplished, through the use of technology and the efforts of regular folks scattered throughout the state and country, is seemingly unprecedented. To be able to capture the imaginations and resources of large numbers of people simultaneously working together, and focus that energy against our leviathan systems of government in an organized way, is one way that we might finally begin to change some of the broken facets that have been that way for far too long.
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As Newt says, we have a world that works– WalMart, Fedex, and UPS, to name a few examples– and a world that doesn’t- FEMA, the INS, etc. If enough people rise up and demand change, armed with examples and solutions, change will happen. We need enough people to tell each and every one of the over 500,000 elected officials here in America:
If you’re not for real change, you shouldn’t come back.
Amen! And that goes for ALL politicians- Republican, or Democrat.
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As an aside, it appears that our group will work both within the confines of American Solutions and beyond. Many people at the Laconia event were really excited at the prospect of helping each other as we look to change here at the most local level. The plan is to network and work together to back each other up as we all look to begin to change the "business as usual" mode that is locked in place in many locales by the "good ‘ole boys (and gals)" that seem to control things.
Real change requires real change. It has begun…
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Ordinary folks in Laconia doing what the politicians won’t: solving problems.
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