Hayden Collins’ upcoming shootout fundraiser was featured by CBS News, as part of a story about the response in Atlanta and across the country to the passage of the health care bill earlier this week. The WGCL News piece about violent reactions including the firing of shots into a Washington D.C. office- linked Hayden’s event to current events. Hayden pointed out the competition shooting event had been planned for weeks, and reflects the campaign’s issues as well as his family’s traditions, and he welcomes the coverage for the event.

\”Political Shootout\” Gets Attention After Healthcare Violence

What can we do about the state of the economy – you, me, or any of us in Bartow County?  Our country is struggling, and we have watched a succession of government programs – including incentive checks to individuals and bailouts to corporations – result in little to stem the tide of unemployment, and many, many families are stretched to the end of their resources, trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. 

Sadly, these liberal policies have done more harm than good.  Yet the conventional wisdom is that we just have to wait – wait for something, somewhere to turn it around, to make it a better day, to make the jobs and opportunities come back.  Inside that conventional wisdom is the idea that the government will have to lead it.

We have an opportunity in Bartow County now to change this course.  We do not and should not be waiting on the federal or state government to fix this.  As individual members of the community, what can we do to support economic recovery – both our own and as a contribution to Georgia and to our country?

Small business is the force that drives our economy.  Small business is not going to wait on the government – small business has its own policies, and it deals with profit.  We want our community to be attractive to business, and to encourage new businesses to locate here, benefiting our communities through their business purchases of good and services as well as the jobs they bring.

One of the things that attracts new businesses is a capable work force.  We have opportunities in Bartow County to present a superior work force, and every member of the community needs to be committed to making the most of the opportunities before us. And be ready when the opportunities arrive. 

Get the training you need to present yourself in the best possible light.  Self improvement is the answer.  We are going to make ourselves more attractive than any other county in the State of Georgia and draw business here.  Part of that plan requires a community-wide effort for self-improvement and individual training. 

Use your community college, your technical schools, use FEMA and other online training courses, use the library and the unemployment office that is here.  Use any way possible to act as an entrepreneur. 

This is how entrepreneurs think: see a need and fill a need.  Job opportunities surface based on what a community needs.  Look at the needs of the community and the opportunities will surface.  If you need a new type of experience, consider volunteering in a place where you can get it.  Look for these opportunities, and take the initiative to make your service an investment in yourself, as well as in the community.  It is the willingness to serve, as much as the skills you know and the experiences you bring, that will be recognized.

This is what I tell the Civil Air Patrol cadets:
Build your skills in such a manner that you always have something to fall back on.  This is an individual responsibility: you take of yourself and take care of your family.  If you’re waiting on the government, you’re going to be waiting a long time and you may be grossly disappointed.  You will never be disappointed with your own success.

When you are fighting for your community, the battlefield is no longer the nuts and bolts of the business you’re in, or what you are selling.  The battlefield now is the American dollar.  Every time you spend a dollar, you have an opportunity to spend it in Bartow County and keep it here.  Help our small businesses and our community.

Early in my Army career, I heard on the radio a speech by Ronald Reagan. In it, he said, “Opportunities do exist for those who dream, who believe, who work hard, and who willingly take risks. The Constitution does not guarantee success. It guarantees the opportunity to succeed.”

We in Bartow County have the opportunity to succeed. We don’t need to be waiting on the government, or holding ourselves back.  We don’t need to be asking questions – we need to be about it.