1994 - Bob Dole Home
1996 Republican Presidential Candidate
Sometime in the mid 90s, Jack Ferris, the leader of the National Federation of Independent Businessmen came to see me about joining the NFIB. He said my brother Rick had given him my name. I also had written a recent letter to the editor extolling the virtues of small business. I had pointed out the sacrifices that the small business person has to make to provide jobs, products, and services to the general public and how under appreciated these sacrifices were.
My house was a mess and I was embarrassed as I offered him a seat. I was such a voracious reader that my living room floor in front of the couch was usually strewn with discarded periodicals. I explained to him that I was libertarian and believed in free markets without government interference and hoped that NFIB would not be lobbying for special favors for small business, but only to reduce interference in the economy by government. We talked for 15 minutes or so and I wrote him a check and joined and he left.
One of the first questionnaires I was sent from NFIB had as the last line a place for me to put "Suggestions and Comments to Congress." Under the suggestions line I wrote "Get a Job." Several weeks later I was watching an interview with Senator Bob Dole on national TV when he was asked about input Congress was getting from its constituents and he brought up several concerns and then at the end he laughed and said "And One Get A Job!" I got a good laugh out of that.
On the talk shows I was calling into in the 90s I was pushing the idea of resurrecting the 10th amendment to the Constitution which reserves to the States or the people all powers not specifically granted to the Federal Government in the body of the Constitution. I noticed when Bob ran for president in 96 he would often pull the Constitution out of his pocket and mention the 10th amendment. It was just that after so many years in Congress ignoring that amendment it was hard to take him seriously.