The “Dead Zone” After Election Day
Yesterday was Election Day in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and New Jersey. So, this morning our news here in Northern Virginia is all about what happened and what we can expect come January, even while around us we seem to be entering a political “dead zone.”
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a welcome “dead zone,” when phones finally stop ringing from the incessant pollsters, and mailboxes and television programs are no longer full of political attack ads. Things get a nice kind of quiet.
But we can’t assume that means nothing is going on. The people elected yesterday are busily preparing for January, while those voted out will be do all they can to tie up loose ends.
The Parental Rights Foundation is in a similar spot.
While the only thing on the surface may be our White House petition (visit here for more information and sign today!), behind the scenes we are frantically preparing for January.
First, we will be launching a weekly podcast, to debut January 7. Each week, we will discuss the issues that matter to you, with the people who have been there. We’re lining those guests up now to keep you informed in the new year.
Even more, though, we’re laying plans for the coming legislative session in a number of states. Volunteers in Indiana and Florida are already in gear to pick up where last year’s efforts left off. And I had a terrific phone call from a lawmaker in Colorado just yesterday who is focusing not just on January but on building a long term relationship with our efforts and with parental rights concerns in general.
In addition, our president, Jim Mason, is working on an amicus brief to support parental rights before the Texas Supreme Court. And we are working on new model legislation to address the child welfare reforms we’ve been talking about in recent months—providing due process before a name goes on an abuse register, and replacing anonymous hotline reports with confidential reports, to reduce or eliminate false reports that clog the system.
When only four percent of calls are reliable but 100% have to be investigated, innocent families are traumatized while children in actual abuse situations are harder and harder to find.
I’m looking forward to sharing more with you about these efforts—the amicus brief, the model legislation, and the podcast. I feel like I’m wrapping Christmas presents, and I can’t wait for you to open them! But all in good time. (I can’t share with you our brief that hasn’t been written yet, right?)
In the meantime, I want to encourage you. Things are a little quiet, but we are not dormant. We are not idle. We are busy preparing for big things to come in 2020.
In the meantime, the White House petition needs your help. We’re 14 days into our 30-day window and have only reached about 21,000 signatures.
Please take a moment today to share the link and encourage your family and friends to sign. President Trump has a platform to draw attention to any issue of importance; help us use that voice to protect children by empowering parents through a Parental Rights Amendment!
Thank you for standing with us!
Sincerely,
Michael