"The Man in the Arena"

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are. The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who "but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier.""

Taken from a speech by Teddy Roosevelt given at the Sorbonne in France.
April 23, 1910

The quote was part of a speech entailing the importance of citizenship in a Republic. I saw it today on a wall in a Bass Pro Shop. Points if you can name what store location it was. I pondered the meaning of that speech as I read the results of my 23rd District House race. My fellow Texas A&M classmate Will Hurd was narrowly defeated in a Republican runoff election. I am sorry he did not win. I don't know Will on a personal level, but I did meet him through being involved in some student government meetings. He was always straight forward and I appreciated that. Let's face it....being at a student gov. meeting that could last longer than needed was never one of my favorite places to be ( I mean...there was always the Chicken), but having clear cut goals and and agenda was never an issue with Will. I know he would have done well representing us, and I hope this small defeat does not persuade him from leaving politics. We need guys who get the big picture, are open to outside the box answers and strategies, and are fiscally responsible!

Fiscally responsible.....As the release of the "Pig Book" makes it way into the news we should really look at where the estimated 6 BILLION of pork spending is being used. I don't personally agree with all of it's contents. In fact, I support the spending on beef research, coral reef protection, and some other obscure bills. However, we should still closely monitor anytime our government spends our hard earned greenbacks. There are too many tragic economic indicators in the news. Example, our nation is extremely close to receiving a lower rating of financial ability due to our deficit spending. Essentially this equates to a junk bond rating in terms of our repayment ability. Thus, meaning a raise in interest rates anytime we as a country borrow money. Another indicator of turmoil....OPEC is considering changing the value of oil to the "euro" instead of the always used "dollar." Then finally, this will be the first year social security pays out more than it will take in. How's that going to work in the long run as more baby boomers enter the system?

Washington, does need a wake up call. I believe the "Tea Party" has started to open some eyes. Let's keep up the good work! My top concerns... if anybody was to ask...and I doubt that will happen. I would stress the need to re balance the deficit plan, put in place tougher regulations on lobbyists, and at all circumstances limit the expansion of government growth. As an economist I understand that when government grows independence stifles. This stifling truncates growth and encourages unfavorable economic conditions....kinda like we are seeing now.

My question is this. When November rolls around who will you be? Will you be the pretentious critic standing on the outside demeaning the government (the guy who didn't vote but knows all the answers). Are you in the bleachers watching and complaining? Or are you in the booth....."the arena"....striving valiantly to make a difference ?

See ya at the polls.

LB