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When thousands of people donate no more than $100 per person per election, we can build a campaign without money from special interests. _______________________ But it's about more than money. We need your energy and your enthusiasm, too. Sign up to volunteer on Jim Hansen's campaign for Congress.
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A month of fairs and getting ready for school
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Location: Blogs Jim's Blog |
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| Posted by: Jim Hansen |
9/8/2006 |
I have been meeting so many people in so many places in the district over the past few weeks that it has been hard to keep up on the blog. There is a growing excitement about the campaign, particularly in smaller communities that seldom see incumbents. I have been to lots of county fairs and as school has now started I have particularly been hearing from parents and teachers about school issues they are facing.
From the middle of August to the middle of September, the county fairs are in full gear. I have enjoyed attending as many of them as possible, the latest being the big Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, which ends this weekend. School has started now, which means that as I took my own kids to their first day of school on August 28, I knew that for the next two months, they can only join me on my travels on weekends. They were excited about but also a little nervous about the new teachers and challenges they face but had lots of stories to tell from their summer experiences: traveling with their Dad and Mom to meet people face to face (not waiting outside a bunch of fancy $1,000 per plate fundraisers). Like my kids, I definitely prefer the paper plate and corn dog experience of old-fashioned campaigns. I don't want that to become a relic they read about in their history books.
I met with lots of teachers and parents over the past few weeks and shared their anticipation with the start of school, as well as their deep frustration with the continued toll the misnamed "No Child Left Behind" act takes on the resources of their schools. They have now had several years of this unfunded mandate that Congress foisted on them. The fact that the incumbent Congressman in this district has not come back to talk with teachers and parents and school board members, especially in the small school districts, is an added frustration.
At every fair and parade from Grace to Salmon that I attended, I heard first-hand stories about the schools and the amazing people who make them work, even as their local control and resources are being sucked away.
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