Politics is not a dirty word

by Larry Meyer
MRA Chairman and CEO

Where are you in the election-year cycle?

Are you just now paying attention to the national race, with the conventions over and the campaigns heating up? Or are you already tired of campaign promises and pundits? Did you have more interest in the outcome of favorite Olympic events than in the upcoming election, or is your car sporting campaign bumper stickers?

Politics is a funny word—it can make you squirm, roll your eyes or cheer with enthusiasm, depending on how it’s used. People talk about “politics as usual” to show their frustration, amusement or cynicism about systems that sometimes seem to cater to the worst in people.

And yet we feel proud of the political system that gives us our freedoms and that allows us to choose our leaders and change our system when it needs it.

“Political action” is another term that arouses mixed feelings. It’s really just about speaking up and acting on issues that affect you, your community, your state, your country—seeing to it that your best interests are considered when candidates are elected, laws written, government budgets set, taxes levied.

Your best interests as a retailer need looking after, too, and that’s what the MRA Political Action Committee does. Contributions to the MRA PAC help elect and re-elect state legislators whose philosophy on public policy is generally similar to ours.

This is a game we have to play. Every major industry or interest in the state now has an active PAC that helps elect candidates and helps get its viewpoints heard.

Most PACs have been growing in recent years. Michigan Education Association PAC, for example, has $1,182,515, (up 29.6 percent from last year). Michigan Association of Realtors PAC has $639,457 (up 36.7 percent) and Michigan Trial Lawyers Association PAC has $517,688 (up 21.2 percent).

MRA PAC, less than a tenth the size of these, is effective—but think how much more effective it could be representing our collective interests with better funding.

And MRA PAC does more than give financial support to retail-friendly candidates; it unifies us as politically informed and active MRA members. It is a strong vehicle with which we can make our voices heard.

This year, Eric Rule, our director of governmental affairs, has been aggressively promoting issues important to our industry, from getting the streamlined sales tax bills passed to continuing the long struggle on item-pricing reform and stopping the petroleum industry from forcing retailers to disclose sensitive information unnecessarily.

The PAC helps make Eric’s work possible. The process must begin by electing and re-electing legislators with whom Eric can build relationships. All the persuasive arguments in the world won’t affect legislation without legislators whose approach to public policy is compatible with our agenda.

To those who have contributed to it in the past year—including the 16 employees of MRA who gave a total of $7,000—thank you. If you haven’t made a contribution this year, please consider doing so today.