The Masthead

In the ideal, good government exists to serve the people.  America’s ideal is a representative government, elected by the vote of we citizens.

My parents lived in the tiny neighbor of a land found in the shadows of the former Soviet Union.  Having lived through the Nazi occupation of Hungary, the bombing and gun fire of all sides, they were drawn in stages by the magnet of American freedom to the United States as legal immigrants.

Evening Island, Chicago Botanic Gardens

Your writer was the first born in our family on these great shores.

The ideal of America meets the reality of the corruption of ideals by ousted and now convicted former IL governor Rod Blagojevich.

I believe it was Ben Franklin who said, exiting Independence Hall in answer to the question, “Sir, what form of government have you given us?”

“A republic, ma’am, if you can keep it.”

We – you and I – are the keepers of this Republic.

Cultivating Freedom

I do not plan to get into politics in this column.  But I will encourage the political process and understanding of issues!

Listening or reading the facts, considering them, and then working towards the answers of our generation’s challenges is what freedom calls us to responsibly pursue.

When we fail to listen to or consider the thoughtful input of others, we are all diminished in the process.

I will draw your attention to Marty Lavin’s latest Industry Voices article.   We all want to save chattel lending.  We need to consider how that might be done.

We encourage intelligent association engagement and respectful political involvement, too.  Why?

Because it is good for you, our customers and our great Country.

Abundant Roses

We in manufactured housing can serve almost all segments of the population.  No other form of housing can do that as we can!

We should craft our message, line up our allies and pull together.

That is the American Way.  A safe and happy 4th of July to you and your family. # #

Photos from the Chicago Botanic Gardens, by T. Kovach

Business growth is often very much dependent on government activity. The right, or wrong, actions or inaction on the part of government can help or harm the business environment. We all know that fact. We know, too, that organization and concerted effort can pay off; this is true of the winner of each and every political campaign. The one better organized, the one that creates the most appeal and gets out the most votes, wins.

“What sort of government have you given us?” It is said that this was the question asked by a woman as Ben Franklin and others finished their work on the U.S. Constitution. Ben Franklin replied, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it!”

When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we pledge our allegiance to the Republic, not to the democracy. We are a representative republic. On the national level, our laws are passed by representatives of the people. Our representatives in turn need to know what we the people want, in order for them to deliver it to us via the mechanism of law.

I can look you in the proverbial eye, and ask you to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. I can do so because I’ve done so this past week; I did it, then turned to my colleagues and teammates and asked them to do the same! We can advance the cause of manufactured housing and modular home construction if we each do our part. That part can be done in just minutes.

Those timely contacts of our elected officials can lead you to the business growth you are investing your time, talent and treasure in!

If a dozen or two of us sound off, oh well! But when hundreds or thousands of Industry professionals like you, your associates and ours sound off, then WOW is the impact on Congress! From there, we can foresee how Congress can move to pass legislation or muster its weight to move regulators on issues that need to be addressed.

Manufactured and modular housing builders need to learn from and support each other. I will simply draw your attention to this article, Builders of Mods and HUDs, can they get along?

Then, I will say, we can and should be learning from each other and working together! We are stronger together – politically and economically – than apart.

Modular and prefab builders have an agenda that could be aided by HUD Code manufacturers, and vice versa. “Factory built housing” is a broad umbrella, one well worth each segment mutually supporting the other!

The summer break for Congress is over, and they are going back to work in Washington. 2010 is a key midterm election year and we are going into the final weeks of an election. There is no better time to get rapid results than NOW!

I am asking YOU to write. Please see the list of issues on my previous blog post; add some of your own if you like. Or do a personal intro of yourself and your company, and then attach all or those parts of the message we sent that you like. (The links for contacting your Reps and Senators are given in that previous blog post, too.) But please, I am asking YOU to do it! Because if YOU do it, you can rightly ask others to do it, too!

Then, I hope some of you will have the oomph to inspire others by posting a copy of the letter, fax or email you send to your Congress person and Senators below, or on LinkedIn. Or share the message you send to your Congress person and Senators with others you know in the Industry. This is a great time for concerted action!

You and your company are in business to make money. Congressional action can help that cause. There are far more reasons to act than not to act. Action ALWAYS trumps in-action! Thanks for all that you and others like you, in associations or businesses do to promote and advance the cause of manufactured housing today.

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach, MHM – publisher, editor and The Masthead blogger at
Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management trade journal at
www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com aka www.MHMSM.com
tony@mhmsm.com
847-730-3692

And remember! Tony also does contract marketing and coaching for industry clients. Marketing that doesn’t ‘cost;’ it pays off on your bottom line. Enough said! # #