How do we the people counteract an overgrown State? What can we really expect to achieve when both parties seem far more interested in preserving power as career politicians than in serving the people as public servants?

I am not exactly sure. That's why my approach to leadership is to start by being honest with you, listening to your feedback, considering your concerns and questions, and staying engaged you and others to co-create a truly representative and winning platform.

So let me offer these honest thoughts below. And then I want to listen to you and begin a dialog that shapes the course of this campaign. Please read below and send me and my campaign staff an an email at opinions [at] jimtrautz [dot] com.

I don't believe true leaders should have much allegiance to a political party. Parties help bring organization, structure, and resources, but true leaders bring the values and principles that serve the people and inspire them to reach new heights. You know a true leader from a party loyalist by the differences in how they speak. A true leader will say what they mean and mean what they say.

True leaders don’t need to identify themselves as anything other than what they are and what they believe. This is why the leader's conscience is so important--and why in a representative government a leader must be thoroughly honest and transparent about the core beliefs that shape one's conscience.

The best leaders I have known are always learning, allowing one's conscience to be shaped by one's interactions with those one serves. This is why listening is critical to effective leadership. Listening to the struggles of others should always produce an attitude of gratitude for the privilege of serving one's fellow man. One's sense of duty to what is right and true fuels a leader's willingness to sacrifice and perform at a high level day in, day out, so that others may benefit.

This is why true leaders don’t need to be “handled” or led by political calculus. If they’re worth a grain of salt, they’ll be too busy listening to others and observing what works and what doesn’t as they lead the way. That’s why you’ll find real leaders on the front lines. They’ll be the ones on the frontlines, taking risks, driving the action forward. The leader is the one riding the horse, waiving the banner, rallying the troops, fearlessly calling others forward into battle.

True leaders don’t hide, cower, or evade the real issues. They take them on–head on—with care, with wisdom, and with a tenacity to succeed. There are true leaders like this in every sphere of life. They serve in our homes, in the marketplace, in our places of worship, in the world of sports, in the military, in the arts—they are prevalent everywhere, it seems, but in our political leadership!

Could a lack of listening be the reason Congressional approval ratings have fallen through the floor?

We the people want real leaders. Effective leaders know how to identify the problem accurately, propose a compelling solution, and then include others in a productive dialog to shape the solution into something suitable and sustainable. That's what this website is about. These values all hold together in these pages because they hold together in reality, and I believe they will hold America together if we return to them.

What do you think? Please send us an email at opinions [at] jimtrautz [dot] com. We will get back to you and keep listening as we go. We need your your insights to refine this candidacy into a source of true leadership in Washington.
Please comment below or, better yet, send us an email at opinions [at] jimtrautz [dot] com.