Was flipping thru radio stations on the road to work today - some brave soul at one of the local Country stations stuck this on, and I'd share it - good thoughts to bear in mind now and after the 2nd of November.

I doubt John'd mind.


http://www.ianstenseng.com/JohnnyCashWhatIsTruth.mp3
- posted by Ian @ 11:41 PM

 
IAN STENSENG AUDIO UPDATE 01 - NEW FEATURE!!!

- posted by Ian @ 1:01 AM

 
Campaign Video - click below!

- posted by Ian @ 3:21 PM

 
Speech Ian gave at the CdA Democratic Club Luncheon
My name is Ian Stenseng, I’m 24 years old, and I’m running for the Idaho State Senate, District 5 in Post Falls. I’m a college graduate, a graphic and web designer by trade. I grew up in Olympia Washington and attended college there.

My Mom’s side of the family were miners, lumbermen, teachers, farmers, legislators, and citizens of the great state of Idaho, dating back five generations. My Dad’s family were Norwegian immigrants who came to America after the second world war seeking a chance at a better future.

My great grandfather, Alfred Lee was a Lutheran minister in occupied Norway who kept a radio in the tower of his church, which he used to relay Nazi troop movements to the Allies.

I had good training as a union supporter; my mom had me out on the picket line with her just about as soon as I was old enough to hold a sign… And growing up in a single parent household, watching my own mom struggle to raise two obnoxious boys, while going back to school to finish her BA and then go on to get her masters, all while working full time and trying to make ends meet, I developed a first hand appreciation and RESPECT for what women go through, and how hard the moms of the world work.

I tell you a little bit about family history because I try to pay attention to people’s stories, particularly the stories of my own family.

If we are smart, we listen to these stories because, the experiences, the ideas, values, and hopefully the wisdom, of our forebears and elders help to inform our character, and teach us how to be good friends, good family, and good citizens.

I also talk about family because as a candidate for public office, I want you to get to know me, to know what kind of person I am, and what I stand for. This can be difficult to do as a young man, as I’m a novice to politics and public life.

I don’t have a history of public service. Such a history can and should be used whenever possible, as each event in a candidate’s record is a waypoint on the path to assessing their character and the courage of their convictions.




I don’t yet have that history to examine, though I hope to in years to come.

But that’s okay. The best that any of us can do in our private or public lives is to speak our minds, to be willing to speak truth to power, to shoot straight and aim true, and to do our best by and for each other, and so I try to do just that.

Politics is not a game, and winning elections is believe it or not, not the ONLY relevant end result of the political process.


Disunity, politics in it’s most pejorative sense, and the practice of “anything for a vote” tactics - short term gains made at the expense of long term goodwill and party unity, have left the Democratic party’s future vitality in question.

We lost the hearts and minds of our base and I think it happened because this party got so caught up in politics, that it lost track of the people.

Politics in the best possible sense is people getting organized and using that power for positive change.

People, not lobbies, not pacs, nor legislative committees, or Leadership Councils, but people.

People in churches, people in sweaty gymnasiums. People sipping fruit punch and fanning themselves with handbills cause the AC is on the fritz again.

But much of what’s been happening in local and national Democratic politics has been politics in that pejorative sense, jockeying, infighting, lots of losing, a few somewhat pyrrhic victories, and a systemic inflexibility that has cost this party dearly.

The Russian philosopher George Plek an off said

Politics needs a flexible mind, for it has no immutable or eternal rules. In politics immutable or eternal rules lead to inevitable and swift defeat.


And so I ask, if the conventional party wisdom is so great, why is the party in such a state?

It’s because when we don’t win together we might as well not win at all.

I do believe we’ve gotten lucky for a couple of key reasons: one – because even though the money and the organization and the energy are there in the Republican machine, their vision isn’t appealing to most Americans.

We’re lucky because the average guy out there is a decent guy who’s really just been waiting around thinking, “C’mon Dems, let’s get it together here…” he’s waiting for us to get back to the REAL ideals of the Democratic party, solidarity, brotherhood, common sense, a respect for our shared social contract, and a willingness to protect the safety net that comes with it.

That’s the vision worth getting off your behind for, worth voting for, and worth fighting for, and the average guy is just holding out, waiting for us to get on track again and give him that America, the America that measures up to our shared dream of what it can and should be.

I guess you probably get the impression that I have a few opinions about things…

Those are some of the reasons why I decided to run for office. I’ll admit, I was a Deaniac, the Doc got me fired up and ready to get involved in politics, and for that I’ m grateful.

I think it’s very important for people my age to be getting involved in politics. We have some very serious issues to face as a generation, and it’s my belief that how we as a generation respond to these issues now will largely set the tone for what we as Americans believe, as well as what the world believes of us, in the 21st century.

We have an opportunity as young people to reject unjust wars, and unilateral cowboy antics.

We have an opportunity and a responsibility to condemn the torture and abuse of ANY people, and to strongly affirm our belief in basic human decency and human rights.

And we have a great opportunity as young people, minds unclouded by prejudice, to strongly reject any attempts to create legislation that discriminates against anyone based on their race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

We know better, and we need to remind our lawmakers that they have better ways to spend their time, and far more important and legitimate issues to address.


In North Idaho, we have some very basic issues to address. When I say basic, I don’t mean issues that are simple to fix, I mean we have problems with the basic necessities that make it possible for families and young people, average folks, to survive.

Living wage jobs, Access to affordable healthcare, and funding for sustainable quality education.

Many of our lawmakers in North Idaho have been ducking these issues for years, at the expense of the people in my community.


I want to go to the legislature and work to make sure that all my neighbors and friends can afford to get themselves and their kids in to see a doctor when they need to. I myself don’t have health insurance right now… this is no academic debate for me… I’ve got a temporary crown in there, and I know it’s just a matter of time, so something’s gotta be done…=)

I want to bring jobs that pay a living wage and benefits to North Idaho, Good jobs with a future, and I want to create economic incentives for local businesses who will pay living wages and benefits.
I drive all the way out to Airway Heights every day to go to work, so again, that whole having to travel into Washington to find work bit, that’s no abstract. That’s life for me.

And I want to get to the legislature and kick some butts so our lawmakers start doing the job they are paid to do, adequately funding our public schools so all kids in Idaho get a great education.









I know Idaho's teachers are incredibly dedicated, hard working, and underappreciated.

I see this on a day to day basis interacting with teachers who continue to serve their communities in North Idaho even though they could be making significantly more a few minutes across the border in Washington state.

Our legislators have been letting down our teachers, children, and families by not adequately funding our public educational system AS THEY ARE so MANDATED BY THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF IDAHO.


I’m running for office because I believe that the more of us that hold office because we all have something publicly to gain, the less there will be in public office because they have something personally to gain.

I’m running for office because I believe that Democracy is not simply something you believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles.
Dwight Eisenhower said that Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage.
Or, As Abraham Lincoln put it:
Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.



So I chose to act, to throw my hat in the ring. It’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a heck of a steep learning curve. Prior to running for office I’d never spoken in public in my life, and it probably shows…=)
Come November 2nd, win or lose, I won’t regret running for a minute. Of course I’ll not regret it a lot more when I win… But the point is, I’ve learned a lot about the political process, I’ve made great connections with wonderful, fun, forward thinking people in my community and across the state, and I’ve done a little something extra to fully participate in this Democracy I love so much and owe so much to.
Thank you all for having me, and I look forward to your support now and on the second of November!


- posted by Ian @ 9:58 PM

 

- posted by Ian @ 11:11 AM

 
Ian at the Harrison Old Time Picnic

 

It looks like the folks in Harrison could use a new bridge, so there's another task on Ian's list for when he gets to Boise!

- posted by Ian @ 10:39 AM

 

- posted by Ian @ 12:18 AM

 
Stenseng for Senate Campaign Endorsements

- posted by Ian @ 2:44 PM

 
Ian meeting with Idaho Supt. of Public Schools Marilyn Howard

- posted by Ian @ 1:58 PM

 


- posted by Ian @ 11:16 AM

 
Youth Rally Speech I gave in Spokane
Hey, it’s great to see you all out here today!

My name is Ian Stenseng, I’m 23 years old, and I’m running for the Idaho State Senate, District 5 in Post Falls.

I was at the state Democratic convention in Pocatello last weekend – I was a Howard Dean delegate – and I met a young woman named Dani Diaz there.

Dani was also a delegate, eighteen years old, very bright, and already very involved in politics and progressive action. And Dani said something that I thought had an element of truth to it.

She was talking about us as young people, and she said, “We always complain that people in positions of power don’t listen to us, but the problem is that half of the time, we’re not SAYING anything.” And I think that’s true, and I think that’s what today is all about, changing that.

We HAVE to start talking, and working, and butting heads when we have to with people in positions of power.

Every single aspect of our lives is regulated by some level of government, local, state, or federal. Everything from when the garbage gets picked up, what kind of jobs we can find, whether we can afford to go to college, to how much a gallon of gas, or a bottle of soda costs, is in some way affected or controlled by some middle-aged person in a cheap suit somewhere.

Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, and not that I have anything against the middle aged folks of the world, they’re just doing their jobs, and I’ll be one too someday. But we as young people have a vested interest and a responsibility, as the next generation to inherit the problems of this country, and this planet, to get involved, work the system, get our hands on some power, and make good things happen for positive change.

We also have some very serious issues to face as a generation, and it’s my belief that how we as a generation respond to these issues now will largely set the tone for what we as Americans believe, as well as what the world believes of us, in the 21st century.

We have an opportunity as young people to reject unjust wars, and unilateral cowboy antics.

We have an opportunity and a responsibility to condemn the torture and abuse of ANY people, and to strongly affirm our belief in basic human decency and human rights.


And we have a great opportunity as young people, minds unclouded by prejudice, to strongly reject any attempts to create legislation that discriminates against anyone based on their race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We know better, and we need to remind our lawmakers that they have better ways to spend their time, and far more important and legitimate issues to address.


There is a strong potential at this point that the current administration may be considering bringing back the draft. There are three bills in congress at the moment related to the draft, but more importantly, millions of dollars have been pumped into the Selective Service administration, which is rapidly filling local draft board positions and is nearing a state of operational readiness not seen since the height of the Vietnam War

The draft is not a popular subject, particularly not in an election year, so there hasn’t been a lot of talk in the media about this, but I think it’s a very real possibility. I personally have problems with the war in Iraq, and the justifications for it, and am not happy about the young people stuck over there now.

But regardless of your opinions on the war as it stands now, a potential return of the draft is something that will affect all of us, and something we all need to be aware of and think carefully about.




I know that where I live, in North Idaho, we have some very basic issues to address. When I say basic, I don’t mean issues that will be simple to fix, I mean they are the basic issues necessary to making it possible for families and young people, average folks, to survive.

Living wage jobs, Access to affordable healthcare, and funding for sustainable quality education.





Many of our lawmakers in North Idaho have been ducking these issues for years, at the expense of the people in my community, so that’s my fight.

I want to go to the legislature and work to make sure that all my people can afford to get themselves and their kids in to see a doctor when they get sick.

I want to bring jobs that pay a living wage and benefits to North Idaho,
Good jobs with a future.

And I want to get to the legislature and kick some butts so our lawmakers start doing the job they are paid to do, adequately funding public schools so all kids in Idaho get a great public education.

I’ve got my fight figured out.



Many of you probably do too. But to those of you that don’t –

Go into your neighborhoods, your communities, and start asking questions, listening, and if you don’t already know, find out what your fight is! Find out what the issues are that you can tackle to make your community a better place. And then you need to get involved. Join a community organization or a political organization like Democracy for America, or MoveOn, or Common Cause, and RUN FOR OFFICE! Run for the state senate or the house, or for Sheriff, or for the city council, or county commissioner, or the school board, or a board of trustees, or dog-catcher! Anything, just run!

The more of us that run for office because we all have something publicly to gain, the less people there will be in public office because they have something personally to gain.

We are all going to have to live together in this world for a long time to come. Let’s start making it a better place now.

- posted by Ian @ 11:15 AM

 
My name is Ian Stenseng, and I'm a Democrat running for the Idaho State Senate, District 5. As citizens of North Idaho, you and I share many of the same concerns and values. We live in one of the best and most beautiful communities in the world. Unfortunately, many of us are having a hard time finding living wage jobs in our own community.


I am concerned about creating and sustaining living wage jobs in North Idaho. North Idaho is in a period of profound economic transition. While the values and traditions we North Idahoans have shared for generations remain the same, our trades and industries are changing.


We must rise to the challenges that face us by growing local businesses and bringing new industries to North Idaho. To do this, we must focus on living wages, quality education, support for small businesses, public infrastructure, workforce training, and an affordable health care system that keeps families strong.


These elements are the key to attracting and maintaining living wage jobs in Northern Idaho. Our ability to create truly sustainable economic growth and a high quality of life will be determined by the skills and education we North Idahoans can contribute to our own economy.

The people of District 5, and all of North Idaho need and deserve fresh, energetic, truly representative leadership in the legislature. As your voice in Boise, I will support the needs and concerns of working families. Your priorities will be my priorities: jobs, healthcare, education, and fair taxation.


I will support our schools and our families. We all want to see capable Idahoans able to make a living in this community now, and in the future. Let's make that vision a reality together.

Ian Stenseng

208 777 0301

Stenseng@adelphia.net
- posted by Ian @ 12:10 PM