D.C. drives us nuts, but also inspires

As I type this, the country has been without a Speaker of the House of Representatives for three weeks. This dysfunctional part of our government is what drives us crazy out here in John Q. Public land.

But I recently had a chance to attend the National Newspaper Association Convention in Washington, D.C. And I was inspired by the symbols and idealism upon which our country was founded, which further stoked my flame for our democratic experiment.

The NNA convention was the first time I had been to the nation’s capital since my music days in the 1990s. Three decades later, it was an honor to represent the Texas Press Association and also the Fredericksburg and Rockdale newspapers.

We got to lobby for our industry. Two other Texas publishers — Randy Keck of The Community News in Aledo and Don Dodd with The Examiner in Beaumont — and I visited with Rep. Roger Williams, the Texan car dealer who also sits on the Small Business Committee. Williams is Randy’s Congressman.

We expressed our desire for him to support The Community News and Small Business Support Act, and Williams seemed receptive. (No, the bill is not specific to Randy’s newspaper.) The bill would let all publishers deduct a payroll tax credit for employees for a four-year period.

Another part of the bill would let small business advertisers deduct a portion of their advertising expenses when they did business with community journalism publications. This would help lots of small businesses.

It was an experience to be on Capitol Hill at that time. Most members of Congress were busy as they were trying to work out a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down. So we appreciated Rep. Williams taking time to visit with us.

At the NNA conference, we also got tips and best practices from publishers around the nation. I love attending our industry conferences because I feed off the energy of those who lead their operations and their state associations. The event also was a trade show, so we got to see many new products and hear their pitches.

And we had a discussion with Karen McCormick, government relations manager for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service. That public service is also trying to shore up its business model.

Postmaster Louis DeJoy has more consolidation plans in store for the nation’s post offices, we were told. While McCormick couldn’t offer details, stay tuned. We’re just hoping we can get mail subscribers their newspapers promptly — like the USPS used to do.

The conference wrapped up Saturday and I was able to take long walks Saturday evening and Sunday morning and see the sights. I got to see the massive Washington Monument that towers over the D.C. landscape.

The FDR Memorial has statues, of course, and inspirational quotes from The New Deal president. And the Lincoln Memorial inspires us to do what is right even when it is difficult. On the “monument trail,” I also took in the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue and his quotes that have lasted through history.

Most of us have only read about what Black people faced between emancipation and the Voting Rights Act (and beyond). It’s a particularly shameful part of our country’s legacy and it doesn’t need to be hidden from children’s history books.

My favorite was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which features a huge statue of him that towers amid the Neoclassical style dome and columns. Perhaps our most eloquent president, he was also a very human walking contradiction in some ways. Yet he defined the ideals to which we as a nation aspire.

Lastly, I walked along the Vietnam, Korean and World War II Memorials. The traffic noise seems to quiet in those sacred spaces, and the statuary and names of those who gave all leaves a lump in one’s throat.

All these words and monuments to our past leaders inspired, even as our politicians barely came up with a way to fund the government a day earlier.

We all deal with the craziness and antics of some of our politicians. But I still respect the institutions and believe better men and women serve for the right reasons. While we routinely fall short and fail to be appreciative of our freedoms, our ideals and sacrifices are on display in Washington for all to see.

On the bookshelf:

“Smart Brevity” by Axios founders Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and  Roy Schwartz. A look at how to shorten communications to help us better lead our organizations.

Please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (@kenestencooke), or email me at ken@fredericksburgstandard.com.