Support our associations: Be heard in Washington
Jerry Epperson -- Furniture Today, January 11, 2010
I just e-mailed my two senators … again. They heard from me more in 2009 than in the last 60 years combined, and not because I am hunky-dory with the happenings in Washington, a mere 90 miles from my office. So near, yet truly another world where gravity and other laws probably work backwards. Wonder from what direction the sun comes up there?
As a student of the home furnishings industry, I have studied the American economy for four decades. On a regular basis, I have a modest dialogue with the Federal Reserve, explaining how our industry is doing, and years ago, I was invited to The White House (as opposed to my white house) to discuss consumer spending and home furnishings. Back then (I sound old because I am), they at least pretended to seek some input from outside D.C., even from those who disagreed with them.
Somehow, over the last 20 years, Washington seems to have gone selectively blind and deaf, sort of like a bad waitress when you are trying to get her attention.
This appears to be a bipartisan ailment, which I blame on too much big money, too much influence in too few hands, too much celebrity (they are on television too often), too much being surrounded by yes-persons (and never hearing another opinion), too much delegation of their work and homework to others, and way too much media coverage diluting everything into black or white, good or bad, right or left, all with no middle ground.
Whichever side is in control tries to run their agenda through quickly, before another side can react. It was true in the early Bush days, and it is true today.
Our industry's only hope to have any collective input is through our associations — and too often they have been hurt more in this economic mess than others. This is sad because this is when we need them the most.
Getting our industry to agree on anything has never been easy; it's been impossible. But we have to stop taking the great work done by the devoted individuals at our associations for granted. They need our support, and we need to recognize that we need them.
I am not as aware of the work of many of our strong regional associations, but I work closely with the International Sleep Products Assn., the American Home Furnishings Alliance and the National Home Furnishings Assn. They do great things now, but with some broader support, our voices could really be heard. If you are not involved with these associations, please join. If you are a member, do more to help them.
And do more than just write a column in Furniture/Today like me.
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