Here in Indiana, we’re holding out next general election on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, which, at this moment, would be next Tuesday. I believe it is a very important election. However, most people, even moderately faithful voters, may not share my opinion. Why? Because voters often put a greater emphasis on the more exciting national elections. Next week’s election isn’t quite as flashy because of its local flavor of town and city counselors, mayors, clerks, and judges, yet that is the exact reason why it is so important.

This is one of those situations, where the opposite of popular thought is true. Popular thought, which results in voters coming out in droves, says that big national elections are the most important. However, it is more likely that the election of local leaders and the decisions they make will actually have a greater impact on the individual citizen.

You’ve probably heard that, while it may be illogical to play the lottery in the first place, it is even more illogical to play only when the jackpot hits all time highs. The reason for this lies in the fact that even though the pot is bigger, so are the potential number of winners because more people are playing which then forces the pot to be divided up into smaller amounts. The same goes for local elections. Your vote has more meaning and impact when there are fewer people voting. Your one vote out of 1000 affects an election’s result a lot more than your one vote in 100,000. It just makes sense.

In addition, the local election is the one that is more directly linked to your bank account. The local leaders are the ones deciding how to spend your property taxes, sales taxes, and state income taxes. Moreover, they are the ones deciding whether to raise or lower those taxes. In addition, these are the people making decisions about zoning, building codes, local road development and repair, the size of police and firefighter staffing, how to educate your children, and how to bring new businesses and jobs into the community. These are pretty weighty issues.

Why wouldn’t you want a part in selecting these decision makers?

Voting is a right. It is also a responsibility. But one day, if we don’t respect that right and responsibility, it may just disappear. Please take the time this coming Tuesday to do your civic duty and have your say in selecting your community’s leaders.

Jack Lugar is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District.  For more information about his campaign, to volunteer, or donate please visit Lugar for Congress.

The other day I was asked the question, “How do you eat an elephant?”  It was one of those questions that I had heard before, but didn’t have the answer right there on the tip of my tongue.  Asking for the answer, my friend replied, “one bite at a time.”  I immediately thought about my campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives.  I am running a grass roots campaign with a limited budget which will consist of a lot (and I mean A LOT) of door knocking, small gatherings, and connecting with the less active voter.

Every time I look at the big picture, like anyone, I can get a little overwhelmed.  Yet, when I take a step back and look at each step, I see that the goal is attainable.  I see that the “elephant” can be eaten.

The other night I read a tweet that said one of my opponents for the U.S. House of Representatives brought in over $250,000 in a fundraiser event.  Wow!  That was a very impressive feat, but I had to remind myself of an important fact in political campaigning.  There will be ups and there will be downs, but the final decision is up to the voters and not the fundraisers.

What is interesting about my friend’s question is that the Republican Party is represented as an elephant.  And as the political outsider in this primary election that is exactly who I’m facing – Republican “Elephants” with giant war chests. And the great part about eating these elephants?  They probably won’t even notice the first several bites.  And by the time they do notice, I expect it will be too late.

So as I continue to build my campaign to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, I will satiate my enormous appetite with elephant, one bite at a time.

To contribute to Jack Lugar for Congress and join my team focused on creating jobs, stopping overspending, and cutting down on restrictive regulations visit LugarforCongress.com and click the donate button.

In an effort to get into the community and connect with the voters, I am hanging out at Big Apple Bagels in Fishers every Friday morning from 6:30 -8:30.  My desire is that people who are interested in getting to know me and more about my candidacy will stop in for a cup of coffee and/or a bagel and sit down for a moment or two to chat.

Joe w/ Jack is an informal weekly event, so just show up and give me your two cents worth.  I look forward to meeting you.

You can get a map to Big Apple Bagels here.

**We have recently changed Joe w/ Jack.  Now, if you are interested in sitting down for a cup of coffee, contact the campaign office (317-537-1705) to schedule a time and location.  I want to be accessible to the voter, so let’s set a time to talk.

When I created this blog, I had the idea of using it as a tool to develop my writing.  I didn’t have a specific plan or focus for it.  I just wanted to see what ideas came to my head and then translate them into something that might more often than not be entertaining to read.  The biggest challenge for me in blogging has been finding a little extra time between work, family, and my other creative endeavors.

Now I’m taking on something even bigger over the next several months that will take me away from my normal blogging.  That’s not to say I won’t be posting here, but the tone will most likely be a bit more serious.  For several years, even while working in Hollywood as a producer and writer, I have envisioned myself taking on a role in politics.  One of my motivations for going to law school was to have a better understanding of the legislative process and the drafting of such legislation in order to pursue a legislative position.

Recently the question was asked of me whether I’d ever thought of running for Congress.  I laughed because I thought my friend had been talking to my wife, who had been encouraging me to throw my hat in the ring for many years.  Quickly, I discovered that there had been no conversation.  Instead it was a sincere question.  And I responded, “yes.”

So here I am today.  I’m throwing my hat in.  Today I am announcing my bid to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 5th Congressional District of Indiana.  I believe the next several months will be one of my greatest, most challenging adventures.  One that I have prepared myself for, however not like the typical politician.  I have worked in several industries, dealt with opposing viewpoints, owned small businesses, and overcome impending failure to achieve success.  I’m in this to win.  And that’s what I plan to do.

You can find out more about my Congressional bid by visiting my campaign website at http://www.LugarforCongress.com.  I hope you’ll join me, my family, and friends on this adventure by donating or volunteering.

I was a very proud dad last weekend.  I was also pleasantly surprised.

My 12 year-old daughter came home from school earlier this spring asking Elisabeth (her mom) if she could enter a pageant that was happening this summer.  That was a bit of an interesting request considering that she really had not shown a lot of interest in anything pageantry related.  Getting dressed up had never really been high on her list and spending time on her hair always came with a groan.  Elisabeth was eager to help our daughter prepare for the pageant because she too had appeared in a few in her youth.  I guess it’s in our daughter’s blood.

While I’ve never been a big fan of the beauty pageants we see on TV nor the toddlers being all dolled up and paraded in front of the cameras, I decided to take a supportive role and mostly stay out of the way.

The pageant that my daughter was entering was by National American Miss (NAM).  Being 12 years old, she was in the pre-teen category which was a no make-up age group. And even though I’m not opposed to girls exploring make-up at this age, it was nice to see that this pageant wasn’t solely based on glamming up little girls to see who could look like the most outlandish tramp.  This is not to say that the girls didn’t make up for some of that with ringlet curls, gallons of hairspray, and pricey ball gowns.

I was pleasantly surprised by the event because I felt that the pageant really gave my daughter and every other girl there a platform.  They each had the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience.  They each learned how to walk with their head up, shoulders back, smile, and show confidence in front of a crowd.  I recently read that 75% of all people have speech anxiety.  So what a great opportunity this was to teach my daughter how to be confident when speaking to hundreds of people.

It was a proud moment to see her take the stage in her beautiful dress and take another step toward becoming a lady.  It was just yesterday that I was changing her diaper.  While the cost of the event was extremely pricey (I’d say we spent close to $1000 by the time it was over), I think the long term benefits will be a quality return on our investment.

Did my daughter win? No.  She was able to walk away with a couple trophies, but more importantly, she had the opportunity to see what she could accomplish with focus, effort, and her God given talent.  So, as I said, it was a very proud moment for me.

This is a repost of what I wrote last year at this time. It may be a year later, but they put the sign back up, so this post still holds true.

Something’s wrong here.  Why is it when fireworks should be selling like hotcakes, stores are offering “buy one get five free deals?”  Usually, at the holidays, the corresponding products are overpriced with no discounts to be found.   At Valentines Day, roses are a ripoff as well as that box of candy.  As Easter approaches, the baskets, plastic eggs, and candy are all top dollar.  It’s only after the holiday when the prices drop.

So what gives with fireworks?  How can the store give five away after someone pays for only one?  There’s only one logical conclusion.  They’re ripping us off.  Now, as I see it, buying fireworks is already a waste of money.   Literally, your money goes up in smoke.  But the price of that one has to be way off the chart compared to its manufacturing and marketing cost.

While I prefer good old discounts like 25% off or even better 50% off, even a BOGO deal sounds more legit than “buy one get five free.”  (Here’s my BOGO rant.)  But once you start offering five with a purchase of one, it should trigger a question of how much are they over charging for the one?  Right?  They didn’t make the five “free” fireworks for nothing.  They have to pay for that somehow.  So either the free fireworks are duds or very boring, or they are not really free.

I hate stupid promotions such as these.  I hate BOGO, but I hate this one even more.  I guess I hate it because it plays to human gullibility.  Everything about it says the retailer is lying, which only makes me mad.

So what’s the limit?  Why sell one and give five away.  Why not go one better?  Sell one and give six away?  It’s like Six Minute Abs.  Why not Five Minute Abs?  So I propose that the fireworks sellers go all out and cut everyone a real deal.  BUY ONE GET A BILLION FREE! Sure, that first firework is really expensive, but the other billion fireworks are a steal!