COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE

COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN

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As mid-MIssourians and as Americans, we have so much to be thankful for. If you’ve watched the news recently and seen the daily destruction taking place in the Middle East, it’s easy to recognize how good we have it! During campaign season, we are forced to highlight the things that divide us, and the differences in how we see the world, and the government’s role in our everyday lives. But after the campaign rhetoric dies down, we are given the opportunity to highlight the things that can bring us together. I know many people don’t agree with every position I hold politically, but I firmly believe if we keep the dialogue civil and respect at a high level, we have a legitimate chance to view the problems our state and nation are facing, and find solutions that aren’t necessarily driven by political affiliations, but by the needs of the people we have been elected to represent. That is my desire and hope as I enter my first session as a State Representative.

I hope and pray that this Thanksgiving provides new opportunities for you to love on your friends and family, and to be thankful for the many blessings God has given to us. Politicians will come and go, but the relationships we build will be the legacy we leave for those who will come after we are gone.

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” ― Shannon L. Alder

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Caleb Rowden
44th District State Representative
www.calebrowden44.com

And that’s the point of this brief note…to bring attention to the literally hundreds of individuals who volunteered in one way or the other during this campaign. With such a small margin of victory, it could have been any number of really small things that ultimately pushed us over the top. So I can say, without any hesitation, that every volunteer played a part in this campaign’s success. Some wrote checks, some walked in parades, some knocked on doors, some put up signs, and the list goes on. But it was the perfect combination of all those things happening that gave us the edge we needed to get a few hundred more votes than our opponent.

I have never been so proud to be a part of this great community, and consider it one of the greatest honors of my life to have the chance to take the journey with, and speak for, the people of the 44th District. I plan to serve with deep conviction, high character, and intense passion, and I invite you to take this journey with me. We can always do more together than we can apart!

– CR –

– David Walker I US Comptroller General from 1998-2008

I’ll admit it…in 2008, I was swept up in the glitz and glamour of then candidate Obama. I did not vote for him, but seeing this great nation put years of oppression behind them and elect their first black president was an extremely powerful moment to witness. Did I think he had the chance to do some good things? Sure. After all, he had a majority of the county rooting for him. His speeches had captivated the hearts and minds of Americans to believe in ‘hope and change.’ But what we have seen in the last four years is not the kind of change we hoped for.

I am a Conservative, but I feel like I see the world from a pretty balanced perspective. I don’t always vote ‘straight-ticket’ Republican. If I like a Democrat, I’ll vote for them. I don’t think that makes me a bad Republican…I actually think it may make me a better one. I simply want to do my best to call it like I see it.

I don’t doubt President Obama’s motivation and passion to do what’s best for this country. But the way that has been carried out in the last four years has been nothing short of disastrous. Standing at a podium on the campaign trail in 2008, Obama said that the addition of $4 trillion to the national debt under President Bush’s watch was ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unpatriotic.’ And yet as we stand at the brink of a financial meltdown, the things we are talking about 14 days before the most important election of my lifetime are ‘Big Bird’ and ‘binders full of women.’ It seems to me as though President Obama and his campaign truly doesn’t understand the magnitude of the moment we are in. If we think that these upcoming decisions will simply decide an election, we are sorely mistaken!

I agree with the quote that started this blog post. Out of control national debt is not only the greatest threat to our nation’s security in the present…but also the greatest threat to the livelihood and well-being of my little baby boy who will breathe his first breath in February of next year. As of this moment, we have stuck him with a $50k burden that he had no part in creating, and in my view, that is simply WRONG.

I’m not sure Mitt Romney was my first choice during the Republican primary. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I liked any of the candidates enough initially to step out in early support. But over the last few months, what I have come to know of Mr. Romney as a candidate has drastically changed my view of him. Romney was a business man before he was a politician, which I think gives him a depth of perspective that those in government need to have. His handling of the Olympics is by far his greatest triumph in the public spotlight. Taking something mired in chaos and failure and making something great out of it is never an easy task…but he did it, and turned a few heads in the process.

I believe Mr. Romney to be a man who values faith and family above anything else. It’s easy to see the love his wife has for him and the respect his sons have for him. Too often, you see politicians on every level place too high of an importance on the government work they do, to the detriment of their family life. I believe Mr. Romney’s foundation is solid, which must be the case for someone seeking to be the leader of the free world.

I admire Mr. Romney for his successes in business. There are some on the left [not all, but some] who seem to want to demonize success. Some of this is simply tied to this election cycle and doing or saying whatever is necessary to win, and I understand that. But America has been built on the backs of men and women like Mr. Romney, who had an idea, worked hard to see it eventually become successful, and then were able to provide a legacy and stability for future generations because of that success. If we ever get to the point where that is not the thing we strive to attain here in America, we are in trouble.

In my mind, this election is not black versus white. Rich versus poor. Givers versus takers. Or even Republican versus Democrat. This is an election to decide the path we choose as a country. I sat on my couch that November night in 2008 and shed a few tears watching the reaction and response to the election of President Obama. It was just one of those surreal moments. Agree or disagree with his politics…it was magical.

But our nation can’t sustain itself on feel-good moments. We must absolutely address our most pressing issues immediately, or the country we have grown to love will become something we simply will not be able to recognize. And given all of those variables, I am proud to support Mitt Romney for president of the United States. I don’t expect that endorsement to win him any votes, but this was a post I felt I needed to write. If for nothing else, it is a way for me to express my sincere love for this country, and my view of the challenges we face going forward. I sincerely believe that our future can be brighter than our past, and I will stand with you if you will stand with me to help see that come to pass!

– Caleb