Our community is unfortunately politically relatively immature. We may have an inordinate fraction of people who are really eager to get a government office without a commensurate sense of justice, integrity and obligation to the Asian Am. community.
Don't Let such people take over
We've seen such people in the past. When the community was in trouble e.g. the Asia Gate of 1997, they hid. When there was work to do e.g. winning equal opportunity and justice for Asian Ams., they were too busy. When we needed to mobilize the Asian Ams. in battleground states
to get a bloc vote for Obama, they sat idle. Indeed some of those folks were the same ones who got the entire Asian Am. community into deep trouble in the 1996 fundraising scandals. However, when there are appointments, these same people come out and want to take over. :-(
How To Learn a Lesson From the Past
I am not seeking any appointment nor will accept any*. So I don't have the turf motive. I just want our community to examine our mistakes of the past and NOT repeat it. It may be that we want to discuss
1) how our community allowed those mistakes to occur,
2) why did people hide and not fought for our community when things got tough, and
3) what kind of people our community should be supporting to represent us, instead of just letting the greedy and the selfish take over again.
We've had bad political role models
We have also had bad role models -- people who were in high government positions & who would not care if Asian American enjoy equal opportunity or not. They considered themselves the high class Asian Americans and are loath to hear our grievances. They should follow President-elect's urging: CHANGE.
Stopping the bad apples
Our community has politically matured a great deal, partially owing to the e-newsletters of 80-20 PAC and 80-20 Educational Foundation. But many of the rotten apples may not hear us, because they have such a different value system from the rest of us. Because they are greedy,
they are also very aggressive.
This e-newsletter is a clarion call to let these folks know that we'll not sit idlely by. They need to show their awareness of and willingness to address the grievances of our community first.
Do your share to nominate the good folks
Do your share to nominate the good folks. The best way to block the bad folks from getting office is to come up with our own good nominees. President-elect Obama wants an open government. So please take time to nominate the good folks. To write to the Transition Team, click on http://www.80-20initiative.net and then "Send your view to the Transition Team."
"People who don't work for good government deserve to be ruled by those are worse than themselves." Source Unknown
Yearning for you to do your share,
S. B. Woo
President, 80-20 Educational Foundation, Inc.
* An irrevokeable promise by me to the community since 1999.
