On June 23rd, the Ottawa County Republican Party celebrated its annual summer picnic.  This year’s event, which was sponsored by Brann’s Sizzling Steakhouse, took place at Victory Farms in Hudsonville.  We set a record in attendance for a non-election year gathering, drawing nearly 200 people.  Those in attendance enjoyed an evening of great food and fellowship with other members of our community.  More importantly, the attendees got a first-hand glimpse of Victory Farms, an exciting family business that represents the best of our agricultural heritage.  Holding our picnic at Victory Farms emphasized the traditional Republican commitment to agriculture.  It also highlighted the importance of that industry to the economic well-being of Ottawa County, our state and the nation at large.
A few days after the picnic, which celebrated our party’s historic past, the Ottawa GOP turned its focus to the future by co-hosting an important relationship-building event with the Latino community.  The casual get-together was held at Primera Plastics, an award-winning, minority-owned enterprise that employs more than one-hundred people and is on the cutting edge of the injection molding industry.  The event gave our elected officials at all levels a chance to hear from Latino business leaders, all of whom play an important role in the future of our community.  Our Latino neighbors share the timeless values of hard work, personal responsibility and family.  We cannot afford to lose their interest to the empty promises of the Democrats.  As a result, the Ottawa GOP is unfolding an ambitious outreach program intended to forge a lasting, vibrant relationship with this growing part of our population.
These recent outreach events remind us that the American Dream takes many forms.  The willingness to build, create and improve our community cuts across industries, ethnic lines and any other perceived division in our society.  Yet, the ability of future generations to pursue the American Dream is in peril.  During the past two years, our nation has been subjected to the explosive growth of an intrusive federal government that regulates too freely and spends our tax dollars too recklessly.  The economic policies of Barack Obama threaten the opportunity of our children and grandchildren by shackling them with insurmountable debt and unfunded mandates.  We simply cannot allow this downward trajectory to continue.  The excesses of the past cannot be allowed to compromise the prosperity of our future.

The 2012 election cycle is the most important of this century.  Our nation’s future hangs in the balance and we must act decisively.  Join the Ottawa GOP and ensure that the virtues of limited government, fiscal discipline, and respect for life prevail at the ballot box.  Help us lead the way in the urgent restoration of our nation’s greatness.  Working together, we can uphold the promise of the American Dream.