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The Keys Truckers’ ‘Letter to Capitol Hill’
August 15, 2011
| by: Todd Dills
File this one under “modest proposal.”
Seems Keys Truckers Jan and James (pictured) McCarter are always involved when a nice slab of satire graces the blog here, not to mention good music. In any case, last week was a banner in both quarters. Amid the week’s run of comments surrounding our top-10 trucking songs poll results, I found a vid I’d missed in “Bobby Boofay’s Trucking Songs.” Among the hits sampled on James McCarter’s hilarious alterego’s putative album include one (a takeoff on the chorus of “East Bound and Down”) that begins with “I ain’t made a dime since I started truckin’. I’m tryin’ to do what they say can’t be done.” Find the full vid here.
And then there’s “The Trucker’s Letter to Capitol Hill.” Published last week, it might win the title for best trucking modest proposal ever, beginning as such:
Hey guys, just thought I’d drop you a letter and sort of try to feel out what you guys are thinking. You have hit us up with many new regulations and rules and I’m pretty sure you don’t want us out here on the road anymore. Well, if that is your intention (and we all feel that it is), then there is a simple way of solving that.
First of all just tell all the politicians to quit buying stuff. Tell them to make do with what they have right now. Let’s start there and then the rest of the country can follow in your footsteps. After all, you guys are our elected leaders, right?
If they need food or clothing just tell them they can’t have any. If they need bottled water, just tell them to find a hose to drink out of. Oh, you think you’ll just go to the market and buy some. Trucks bring food and water to the market. Darn the luck huh?
If they need detergent to wash their clothes in just tell them to wear dirty clothes or bang them against a rock in a stream. Oh, don’t worry, the stream will be cleaner in a few years after the manufacturers go out of business. After all, trucks bring in the raw products to make their goods out of and there won’t be any….
Read the full piece here, and don’t miss Jan McCarter’s awesome song work via the Keys’ main page, too. Some great downloads available there.
Personally, I think this letter should be passed around the internet with electronic signatures attached and then sent to all the appropriate agencies, departments, and individual representatives in government.
Drivers have taken the time to respond to government websites such as the FMCSA, DOT, Congressmen and Senators, expressing their concerns regarding the new regulations and stating how they will negatively affect safety, the economy, and their livelihood, but with no avail.
Perhaps a more graphic approach such as this will get people thinking and create a “shock and awe” effect.
Also, if this letter could be released to the general public through a means of popular news media, then perhaps they too would wake up and become more concerned with what is happening to the professional truck driver and the affects it can have upon them.
So far all I see in mainstream media is what the lobbyists and special interest groups are demanding, MORE REGULATIONS.
Well, its about time and non too soon, I think.
Allen Smith, counnt me in. Its time we got their whole attention because the time to start firing people is upon us if the need be.
Lets start the electronic signature sheet, pass it around, garner momentum, it starts with the first signature and then the next, add mine to the list.
Enrique Morin
Freer, TX USA
Enrique,
You made a great point, “Get their whole attention”
That is one of the goals of the Truck Driver Social Media Convention in October….CREATE AWARENESS for these issues and teach people the power of social media. I hope you will be joining us at the convention.
What started out as a convention for truck drivers has now attracted attendees from all over the industry who are concerned about the trucking industry.
October 15th will be a great day for all of us within trucking.
http://www.truckingsocialmedia.com”
Uniting drivers and those who support them.
Great Idea to get an electronic signature sheet started! Let’s do it! Maybe it will open a few eyes!
Let me know when/where the signature sheet happens, guys. And thanks for the thoughts here.
[...] to Capitol Hill, redux And, finally, as discussed in comments to my post about the Keys Truckers’ “Letter to Capitol Hill” a couple weeks back, the Keys have posted the letter to allow you to append your electronic [...]
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