Colin,

Having delt with MANY politicians, attending testimonies in committees, seeing the responses from politicians to "our plight", meeting with representatives privately and trying to explain the passion many have for what we do and having it fall on deaf ears, I have come to a conclusion. If we want results, we must take a note from the Tea Party's handbook. Herpers need to run for public office . Any public office is good but at a minimum we need folks at the state level. "What good would one or two herpers in state office do?" you ask. Well it’s simple; representatives count on one another to support their agenda and their bills. If a herper is in office, he can make herp friendly agenda HIS pet project. All he/she has to do is to tell other reps, if you want my vote or ANY cooperation, you will support my bill(s). The fact of the matter is, they really could care less about this issue. It's just one of a myriad of window dressing/feel good issues that they can flag wave to their constituents to say, “look what I did to keep you safe”. This being the case, if they need your support for their bill, they will help your bill. This is how it works. There are some very good politicians out there. I have met a few here in Texas. The unfortunate situation that we are in however is that most folks just do not understand why we do what we do and no amount of explaining is going to enlighten them. Joe Forks had a great idea last year and took a representative out herping with him and now, that Rep. understands the plight a bit better and is sponsoring a bill for us. Bottom line is that we NEED herpers in state offices who can vote. Standing on the sidelines and begging for someone to understand is like trying to break open a pecan with your forehead against a rock. Sure, you might finally get to eat some pecan but you’re going to get a hell of a headache and some blood in the process. It would be much easier with the right tools.
We have the financial base to support candidates if everyone gets involved. It IS doable, we just need folks to step up. The is absolutely no reason why we cannot…
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

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