Pub. 2 2019-2020 |Issue 2

6 because it’s too time-consuming. You deal with the problems and then move on. It’s the same with politics. Acting sooner is better than later. The earlier you head-off problems, the easier they are to solve. Neglect the problems, though, and they only get worse. In politics, the effort required isn’t overwhelming if we all participate. How do we do that? Educate yourself so you can vote in ways that will benefit your businesses, participate in NCDU political events, contribute to our PAC and get to know your legislators. There are many reasons for becoming involved with our association efforts: 1. They are effective. Few people participate in the political process, so those who do take part have more influence than they would have otherwise. Liberal activists have I see our success every day in our packed service departments, where we’re working to staff the best technicians and where customers come for warranty, recall and maintenance work. And that will only continue. Because if you think it’s going to be easy fixing an all-electric or fully autonomous car without a tried and true service department network to back you up, you’re in a dream world. continued from page 4 known this for years. You can often find politicians who are involved with grassroots organizations. It’s only natural for them to recognize the importance of such organizations, and to listen to what these organizations have to say. 2. We work hard to educate voters and legislators, especially when media sources are not getting the story right. By informing other people about important issues, it becomes easier to involve those others about making changes. Most people suffer from information clutter — there is simply too much going on for people to be able to thoughtfully consider every piece of information that comes their way, and it can also be hard to know who to trust. A grassroots organization, such as NCDU, can solve these problems, extracting the most important parts and deciding where effort can be made to maximize results, and then give that information to those who are interested. The result? People who are informed and know they can make a difference are much more likely to vote than people who are apathetic because they are unprepared. 3. Grassroots organizations train future leaders. When someone gets involved at a grassroots level, it can sometimes become obvious that they have the ability, the intelligence, and the willingness to do more and be more. As people provide service through a grassroots organization, it’s not uncommon for them to be noticed and then given additional opportunities. The political opportunities we face today can, and do, transform government on every level, from city government to federal government and everything in between. Why is grassroots activism effective? It’s simple. That’s where you can cause the most change. 3