The late House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill (D-MA) once famously said, “All politics is local.” Another ex-Speaker, Newt Gingrich (R-GA), turned O’Neill’s axiom on its head by nationalizing politics through the “Contract with America” in 1994.
 
Twelve years later, about the only thing that’s endured in the interceding political wars is the fact that government—whether local or national—is bigger and more intrusive than ever. It’s in your interest as a business operator to make your wants and needs known to public officials—be they in Washington, or at the local level. I know this may be difficult ...