Direct involvement in the political process is a must for every business; the smaller the enterprise, the more essential the engagement with local, state, and federal officials.

The association engages political figures at the federal level to ensure congressmen and senators recognize, if not understand, the basic challenges associated with aviation safety. An international organization engaging federal lawmakers is merely one stone in a member company’s political foundation. Other elements of the foundation include:

• Voter’s campaign—encouraging employees to become registered voters and participate in all elections. The company can make it part of the human resource offerings to provide paid time off for voting activities and can offer pamphlets and other educational information on how to register, how to vote, and how to find their polling location. The association has resources to help you engage in this area: http://www.arsaaction.org/voter-resources/.
• Political contributions—financial assistance to local, state, and federal politicians never goes amiss. Even if the candidate does not get elected, money is an important statement about the individual’s ability to participate in other political activities in the city, county, state, or federal government. ARSA has resources to help involve you in this area: http://arsa.org/legislative/get-involved/.
• Political activities—visiting the local, state, or federal candidate/official’s campaign headquarters or district office introduces influential people to your company, its contributions to the economy, the community, and the health and general welfare. Use the simple form found here to create a company profile that will make this important connection more relevant.
• Create political activity—inviting your representative to tour your facility and meet your employees. You can start with local folks, like a member of the town council or county commissioner’s office; ultimately, every elected official who represents you or your area needs to know and understand you, your employees, and your business. The association has the forms and support that make these invitations easier. Just be persistent!
• Write now and often—send your comments to your elected officials either directly through ARSAAction.org or indirectly through the media by writing or responding to an editorial.

Every one of these foundational elements can be used to create fairness in the governmental processes. There is no doubt the odds are stacked against businesses when it comes to laws and regulations; there are too many to count let alone understand and ensure compliance. The aviation safety regulations may be the backbone to the civil aviation industry, but they are not the end-all, be-all to compliance issues. In the American representative government system, a citizen’s direct involvement in the political process is essential to success.