"I want to be mayor someday"

I remember back in 2nd grade we had to talk about "what we wanted to be" when we grew up. Typical of most kids, you heard doctor, baseball player, football player, garbage man...you get the idea. When it came time for me to speak, I uttered "I want to be mayor someday." I have a memory like an elephant and those words have stuck in my head to this day.

I've always been interested in politics but as I grew older, I figured out quickly that my political ideals didn't seem to mesh well with the Republicans or the Democrats. I seemed to be a bit "conservative" on some issues, mainly economic issues and very "liberal" on social issues. I suppose that is why I found myself eventually becoming a member of the Libertarian Party, where I currently serve as Vice-Chairman of the local Southwest Michigan branch. My vision of true freedom isn't widely accepted, but I do believe deep down that most people who live in this country share my vision even if they do not realize it yet.

Now I'm running for office for all the right reasons I believe. But there is a little part of me who wants to see the dream of that 9 year old boy come true. I'm not running for mayor, but to be elected to the tribal council would be a dream come true. I want to serve our members with the respect they deserve and hopefully help our tribe truly become a sovereign nation.

After the Pokagon Election Office sent out the candidate statements, I've received well over 100 emails from members and only 2 have been negative. The level of support really touched my heart to the point where I actually found myself crying at one point. As I've stated before, I'm a realist. I understand that I have very little chance at winning this election. I've also always wondered how it would feel to lose an election after pouring your heart into the effort, just to come up short. After reading those emails, I now understand that you can feel a great deal of pride even in defeat. Should I lose on the 14th, I'm still going to feel like a winner. I'm going to save those many emails and read them over and over again. These people took the time out of their busy schedules to drop me a line and say they support my ideas. How can you feel like a "loser" after that?

Will my dream of being a public servant come true? Only time will tell, but I will never forget the kind words of support and for that, I thank each and every one of you.

Final Push

The election is about a week and a half away, so now is the time for 1 final big push. In the coming days I will tackle some issues that I haven't covered yet and will attempt to head out and meet some folks I haven't met yet. I'm getting some support from tribal members and to those who have sent me those kind emails, thank you very much. I can win this election, but I'm going to need your help in order to do so.

What can YOU do to help US win this election? (I say "us" because I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for everyone in the tribe who dreams of living in a truly sovereign nation)

1.Tell your friends. Encourage them to visit this website and encourage them to contact me via email.

2. Write a letter to the editor. If you go to my main campaign page (www.VoteGatties.org) you will see a list of newspapers to target. One letter can make a big difference.

3. VOTE!!!

Thats it really. We can make this dream a reality!!!

Do You Know Me?

I always find it funny how some people say to me "who are you?" or "nobody knows you" when we have over 3000 members and the fact of the matter is, I probably know as many members as most other people. I think to myself sometimes, unless you have personally met each of the over 3000 members, there is a good chance there are several candidates some of our members "have never heard of", including those serving office.

Running for tribal office is a very unique situation. It isn't like running for City Council or State Rep where you have all of the potential voters concentrated in one area. Our members are spread out over a 10 county & 2 state area, so "reaching out" to people is very tough. So sure, there are several people who don't know me and getting their vote will be tough. Can I still win??? Sure. Will I win? Hmmm.....

I'm also a realist and I know for a fact that I have almost no chance in winning, but to me, winning isn't the point. The point is, I've met some fine people and at the very least, I have a few people talking & thinking, whether they agree with me or not. It's not easy to open minds, its a long process. It took Christians thousands of years to get their views accepted by a wide audience, I feel the freedom movement is the same way. Any work I do now will hopefully pay off one day, if not now then perhaps in the future. I'm running for tribal office for the same reason I'm involved with the Libertarian Party, in the hope that one day, my kids or grand kids or great grand kids may live in a truly free society. Thats the ultimate goal, no matter how long it takes.

I've been offline for awhile

Unfortunately I've been unable to post much lately. Hopefully that will change soon. Between being ultra busy at work and having computer issues, it has hampered my campaign blogging quite a bit. My wife is working on fixing my computer as we speak and hopefully I can get back online on a regular basis and cover the other important issues that haven't been covered yet prior to the election.

Last week all the members received "candidate statements" and I must admit, some very classy people are running for office. I just hope they have the same passion for freedom and real sovereignty that I invision for this tribe. Members who requested absentee ballots also have them now and I hope you will consider casting your vote for me as I will offer the tribe real change.

Again, I hope to be back later in the week. I apologize to those who have emailed me over the past week, I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

Take Care

32 Years Ago Today, I was born.

Today is my 32nd birthday, although as I told my wife the other day, sometimes I feel like I'm 72...haha. Anyways, nothing special planned today other than spending time with the two most important people in my life, my wife and my son. I'm sure Dylan will make me a great gift. His father's day card was cute even though he spelled the world "even" wrong. He swears he was just in a hurry.

My wife bought me 3 gifts online that will be delivered sometime this week. No matter how hard I try, I can't get her to leak the info on the gifts. I'm terrible when it comes to suprises (got that from my dad) but she is a bit old fashioned and will make me wait until the gifts arrive before I know what I got, which is fine. She makes me laugh because she'll act like she's going to "spill the beans" and just when I think I got it out of her, she smiles and let's me know she's not telling.

I have my son this weekend, so maybe we'll all do something special at that point, I just haven't decided yet what that may be.

Hats Off To Lakes Entertainment & Our Tribe

The Four Winds Casino is looking absolutely incredible. Hats off to Lakes Entertainment and more importantly, those tribe members who put their sweat into building such a breath taking facility.

I was in Vegas last March as I won a trip to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and that place was amazing, as is most of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip. But for my money, they all pale in compairason to what is being built in New Buffalo Township.

I hope every tribe member as well as the New Buffalo community takes pride in what is Southwest Michigan's new crown jewel.

Busy Couple of Weeks

Unfortunately I'm not sure if I will be able to post much in my blog over the next couple of weeks. It's a busy time at work and work is taking up much of my time. To those of you who drop me emails, I truly appreciate the support, and even if I'm unable to post on the website for a couple of weeks, I will still read your emails and respond to each one as soon as I can. In any election, you will get your supporters and you'll get your detractors, both of whom you must take with a grain of salt. This has been nothing short of a positive experience for me and win or lose, something I wouldn't trade for the world. Trust me, it aint about winning...it's about getting people to talk.

I will try to post whenever I get a free moment or two away from work. Until then, take care.

Term Limits Part Duex

In the comments section, it was brought to my attention that we do have term limits. Maybe I missed something after I read our constitution, but all I remember seeing is the fact that 3 year terms are in place, but no limits on the amount of terms you may serve. This is also how it was explained to me by someone who has served in the past when I investigated the possibility of running for office.

Now if there is a solid limit, point it out to me and I will apologize, I have no problem doing that. If they do say you can only serve like 4 terms in office, hats off to our tribe then for having the vision to put such a limit on the amount of time served in office. However, show me the words and I will retract my statement about term limits and applaud the tribe for getting something right.

Candidate Statement

Today I traveled to our Election Office to hand in my candidate statement. The following is how my candidate statement read, minus the graphics.

*****
Dear Friends,

At some point in your life, someone warned you not to "follow the crowd." Many times since then, I'm positive you've had reason to grasp that advice. Some people seem to be content to let others dictate their destiny. But, your destiny is in your own hands. On July 14th, I challenge you not to follow the crowd and vote for someone who will represent your interests, and together help steer the course of destiny for our tribe.

My name is Jason Gatties and I would like to be your voice on the Pokagon Tribal Council.

My vision for our tribe is for us to be a true sovereign nation so that we can continue to grow and prosper as free people for generations to come. I feel that there are a few important changes that need to be addressed in order to make this dream of true sovereignty into a reality. The following is a small example of some important issues I would like to address if elected:

State Funding: Making state funding unnecessary so that our Tribe can move forward to become a true Sovereign Nation.

Term Limits: The introduction of Term Limits into the Pokagon Tribal Council electorial process.

Tribal Employment: Getting rid of college education requirements for certain jobs that could easily be filled by Tribal Members without such qualifications, based on past work experience.

Casino Profits: When the casino was proposed to us, I feel that certain promises were made that the casino would benefit our tribe first. As it turns out, it seems the casino is benefiting other institutions and government agencies first. If elected I will seek to persuade the Tribal Council not to squander any more of our profits.

Privatization: Using wise spending methods to increase the profits of the Tribe.

Health Insurance: Our current system of health insurance is very complicated and confusing to many tribe members. If elected, I will work to find a way to simplify the process.

Tribal Communications: Creating better methods of communication between Tribal Members and the Tribal Council.

Obviously there are many issues which concern me and it is for that reason that I have launched a website, located at http://www.VoteGatties.org. You will be able to read all the issues that concern me and issues that should concern you as well. If elected, I will also maintain a virtual office at http://www.Gatties.us where tribe members will be able to contact me directly. This website will also seek member feedback on important voting issues.

Change can be a good thing and I hope to provide the special attention that each member of this tribe deserves, something that I feel is lacking with our current tribal council. As a tribal member, you are the one to make the decisions-I would simply be your voice. Vote for me, Jason Gatties.

Issue: Term Limits

I love the fact that in our tribal government, we the people get a chance to elect our officials via popular vote. The downside of our current system though is the fact that term limits are not in place. If elected to the Tribal Council, I will seek to implement term limits in all branches of our government, from Tribal Council to the various elected boards.

Why are term limits so important?

1. It prevents elected incumbents from using the benefits of office to remain in power forever. If someone is elected to public office, they sometimes feel invincible because the temptation is, you always vote in the incumbent regardless of their voting record or whatever campaign promises they broke. To me this is not democratic at all. There is a term called "Cashing it in" which means in this case, the elected official would simply sit back and reap all the rewards of being elected to office without any concern for the people they are suppose to represent. Term limits would ensure that at some point, all elected officials would eventually be forced to step down from office, allowing others to take on the role.

2.Encourages fresh candidates and participation. To me, this also encourages diversity in any elected form of government. If you have the majority of your elected officials over a certain age, that group of people could not possibly understand the needs of the group as a whole. Term limits would encourage those who want to get involved to get involved and serving the people without fear of losing to someone who spent so many years entrenched in the system. This promotes fresh ideas, which is a good thing.

3. Term limits prevent elected officials from making decisions with the sole purpose of remaining in office.. If you look at the U.S. House of Representatives for example, many Representatives continue their careers by supporting certain policies that extend their jobs, rather than supporting the issues the voters feel are important. If an elected official knows that they only have "x" amount of years in office, they will spend those years working for the people, not for themselves. It's their way to leave a mark and cement their legacy in office.

So how many terms should each council member serve? I'm not sure, but it would be something I could discuss with others to find out the best course of action. Right now each council member is elected to a 3 year term. A term limit of say 12 years would give each member 4 terms in office, which is plenty of time to leave your mark, serve your people with respect and kindly step aside for the next generation of leaders. I just threw that number out there, it could be less.

Cast your vote for me on July 14th and I will seek out a way to ensure that term limits are implemented into our election system.

Back From Vacation

I had a great week off from work, but now it's back to the grind. This week, I will discuss why I feel term limits are important and why they should be implemented in our tribal government and I will also publish my "candidate statement" right here prior to it getting distributed to all the tribal members. There are several issues I haven't covered yet but rest assured, I will. Those issues can be found HERE.This is an exciting time for me. I've met some great people and knowing that I'm not alone when it comes to my concerns makes me feel good.

I need your help!!! Please click HERE to find out how you can help out with my campaign. Together we can make this happen!!! If you are new to this blog...welcome!!! Please take a look at the "Tribal Issues" section located to the right of your screen to see where I stand. This blog will become VERY active in the coming weeks as we count down to July 14th.

Vacation Update

Hello :)

Just wanted to stop by real quick and let everyone know that I'm enjoying my vacation. My wife did give me a hard time though because even though I turned my cell phone off, I kept checking my voice mail for work related messages...haha. She wants me to just relax over the next week, so I promised her I would try. I love her so much and along with the birth of my son Dylan, she is the best thing to ever happen to me. So I'll respect her concerns and take it easy.

As far as campaign stuff goes, later this week I will inform everyone how they can help me out, as we close in on the final month before the election. I will also share my thoughts later this week about the importance of having "term limits" in any form of government, including tribal.

Until then...take care.

Campaign Site Update

Just wanted to inform everyone that the campaign site is FINALLY 100% completed. The "Why Jason" section is up and running. My wife supplied the questions, I provided the answers. Check it out HERE.

Tribal Council Elections: Uncertified List of Candidates

Vice-Chairperson

Raymond Lee Bush
Mattew Joseph Wesaw
Micheal Lee Zimmerman

Councilperson (Member-At-Large)-2 Open Seats

Brent Campbell
Jason Robert Gatties
Michaelina Irene Magnuson
Kenneth B. Rader
Tina Louise Starrett
Donald James Sumners
Edna Faye Wesaw
Marchell Jeanette Wesaw

Salary Commission

Eugene Wayne Magnuson

Keep in mind that the deadline to request an absentee ballot is this Monday (June 4th) and the deadline to register to vote is June 14th. If you haven't registered to vote yet, I would encourage you to do so. Be part of the process...Be part of the solution...

Vacation Time!!!

Just 7 1/2 hours to go until I start my well deserved vacation! I will be taking a work break from June 2nd-June 10th. I'm really looking forward to this break and plan to do nothing but rest, both my soul and my back.

I'm a pretty outgoing person, however, during this vacation I'm making it pretty clear to the people who work for me as well as friends that I do not want to be bothered during my vacation...haha. Ever reach that point? I just need to relax and re-charge my batteries for over a week and I'll be good to go. I'm really looking forward to this.

During my vacation, I will continue to work on my campaign. Infact that's about the only thing I plan on doing...well that and watching alot of sports!

Only 7 1/2 hours to go!!!