It has been said that all government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists, and the problem to be solved is not what form of government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect.
– James Madison
This nation was founded by men who were both appropriately fearful and appropriately respectful of government and the role it plays in society. Nowadays, and particularly among this industry, it is fashionable – rightly or wrongly – to display a generalized disdain for elected officials in Washington. Along with many of my peers, I have often darkly viewed many of our officials as little more than speed bumps on the road to economic progress. That may occasionally be true, but as the quote from Madison points out, our leaders in Washington may be imperfect but they are necessary. With this in mind, the responsibility for the character and degree of imperfection that we tolerate in our government falls to us, the citizens.
That is why I am delighted to begin my term as NOIA chairman at the same time as the association launches a powerful initiative to integrate civic education and political action into the operations of our member companies. Corporate America has always been shy about aggressively working to ensure that its labor force is politically aware and involved. In so doing, we have done ourselves and the country a disservice.
George Boyadjieff, Chairman, NOIA
Neither I nor NOIA are suggesting that managers tell employees how to vote. That choice is theirs to make. Instead, NOIA is giving its member companies important tools to make sure that their employees:
- Get registered to vote
- Have the time to vote
- Understand issues being dealt with at the state and federal level that can impact the bottom line of their company.
It seems simple, but so few companies have done it before that it's no wonder that the energy industry has served as the whipping boy of first resort for politicians of all stripes. After all, industry has not taken the necessary steps to ensure that Washington hears our concerns.
NOIA has dubbed its new Web-based civic action tool, Real CLOUT. At www.noia.org, interested employees can now register to vote, get absentee ballots, write their elected officials, and view how their leaders have voted in the past on issues of critical importance to the offshore energy industry. When the upcoming presidential election and many tight congressional races are likely to be won by less than a few thousand votes, it is critically important to get this information into the hands of industry's workforce.
Educated, interested, and eager to restore industry's past prestige, the labor force is an untapped reservoir of support. Real CLOUT cultivates this important resource, and it won't be long before Washington takes notice.
"All politics," former-Congressman Tip O'Neil once said, "is local." This simple sentence reveals a fundamental truth about the way that Washington works. Politicians respond first and foremost to the concerns of the voters that put them in office. As one might guess from the sheer number of octogenarians in the House and Senate that simply won't retire, these are good jobs. Those who have been elected to office tend to want to stay in office; and to do so, they will work very hard to cater to the needs of their constituents.
If industry can ensure that its workforce is motivated, knowledgeable, and active, the votes generated by employees will outshine all of the political money in the world. With an energy bill still languishing in Congress and serious economic issues on the political front-burner, complacence is no longer an option. Get involved today, and help grow industry's Real CLOUT in Washington. We can't make government perfect, but it is up to each of us to ensure that it is not as imperfect as it could be.
George Boyadjieff
Chairman, National Ocean
Industries Association
Chairman Emeritus and Director
Varco International
