Jim Bracewell Executive Vice President & CEO
Is Government Broken?
Why Whining and Moaning Don’t Work
VIP Day
It is fall and football season is here again. On Monday morning, there will be a ton of whining and moaning by many of the teams that lost their games over the weekend. Coach Lou Holtz often said, the guy that complains most about how the ball bounces is likely the one who fumbled it. The people who complain that government is broken may well be the ones who are not registered to vote. They probably have not taken the time to know who their legislator is or where he or she lives. They may never have considered contributing to the election campaign of a candidate. If they are a pharmacist, I wonder if they have ever invited their legislator to our VIP Day Breakfast. Is representative government broken or are we the electorate, the voters, broken? Have we fallen prey to the political rhetoric in the media that says the government of the people is really broken? And we are helpless, only able to whine and moan about our elected officials? NO! Our form of government is not broken. We are the envy of nearly every country in the world. In Third World countries, people risk their very lives to vote, yet, in America, it is too much trouble to register and carry a valid ID. Your association has actively supported pharmacists for public office and today we have more pharmacists in our state legislature than in any other state in the union. Yes, we have more than Texas, more than California and more than New York. We are not broken. The only time I fear that pharmacists fumble the ball is when I have a legislator say “I just never hear from pharmacists back home in my district.” As pharmacist professionals, you are one of the most trusted members of your community and one of the greatest local influence leaders. Unshackle your influence; get involved in the political process. GPhA’s VIP Day – your Voice In Pharmacy Day at the state capitol – is Thursday, February 14, 2013. Today is the right time to invite your representative to join us for breakfast at the Train Depot across the street from the capitol on VIP Day. Don’t find yourself at the end of the next legislative session, whining and moaning that state government is broken. It is not broken if we do our part. Fix state government; fix the future of pharmacy’s role in healthcare in Georgia by getting involved in advocacy at GPhA. Where will you be on the morning of Thursday, February 14, 2013? I hope you are with us at GPhA’s VIP Day at the capitol, having breakfast with your state legislator and advocating with us on how to fix healthcare in Georgia.
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