On the Friday immediately following the mid-term election, Ledger Dispatch editor, Sean Rabe, wrote an editorial entitled, "What a difference a Day Makes." After bringing us up to date on the local election, he gloats: "And how about those Democrats? ... And how about Nancy Pelosi?" Now he is entitled to his perspective, but as he pointed out in his front page column, the Gold Country came out strongly against the statewide trend in the election. He made no mention in the editorial about our own Dan Lungren posting margin's over his opponent that exceeded that of even Arnold Schwarzenegger's impressive victory. To his readers, Sean Rabe must have appeared haughty and prideful in his declarations.

This reminded me of an incident which occurred at the Sacramento Zoo, where I had served on their board of directors. Supporters had gathered to mourn the loss of Jewel, the zoo's Hippo. She had been a favorite of adults and children alike for many years. During the memorial, a little boy pushed to the front and began dancing around singing "she's dead, she's dead, she's dead." The boy was clearly disturbed. He was begging for attention at the expense of others. Perhaps he just longed for correction by his father, which soon followed, when he was patted on the bottom and escorted from the park, screaming. As they say, "every absurd act is a cry for help."

I could just picture Sean Rabe dancing around his office at the Ledger Dispatch on election night singing "we won, we won, we won." But, what was he really reacting to? It clearly was not the Democrats regaining the Senate and House by such slim margins that they could not overturn a Presidential Veto, and which leave them vulnerable to being unseated in the next general election.

What Sean is missing here is a fundamental understanding of representative government. In Amador, Alpine and Calaveras counties, we elected Dan Lungren to represent us in Congress, not Nancy Pelosi. It would be naïve to think that Nancy Pelosi even knows where Amador, Alpine and Calaveras counties are, much less our needs and our interests.

What the authors of the U.S. Constitution intended is that the states be represented in the federal government by their senators - senators who were loyal to their states not their party. Their congressmen in Congress represent the interests of the people. When we elect officials to federal office, the state of California collectively votes for representation in the senate, but we the people of Amador, Alpine and Calaveras counties are voting for our representative in Congress. In this case, we reelected Dan Lungren.

Based on how we vote, the Gold Country doesn't share many political views with the rest of California much less the current leadership in Congress. All we can do is pray that Lungren has the fortitude to make our voices heard in Washington.

Rabe ended his editorial: "As Bob Dylan said in his famous song, 'The Times They Are A-Changin'." "How can you argue with that after this election?" asked Sean.

It is ironic that Sean Rabe found inspiration in that stanza of Bob Dylan's ballad, for he missed the stanza which spoke to him directly. It reads:

"Come writers and critics/Who prophesize with your pen/And keep your eyes wide/The chance won't come again/And don't speak too soon/For the wheel's still in spin/And there's no tellin' who/That it's namin'./For the loser now/Will be later to win/For the times they are a-changin'."

Regardless of your political affiliation, I certainly hope that you write to Congressman Lungren, congratulate him and share your prayers for strength and wisdom, and that he represent us well. It is certainly to be a contentious two years in Congress.