Youth Impressed by Governor, Promises

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=686045" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#3399CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>You can also find this article on the Internet at</b><B> </b><A HREF="http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/family/article/0,1651,TCP_1042_1130270,00.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/family/article"><U><B>By Clicking Here</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#66FF99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>Saint Lucie County Teenage Republicans</b></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Saint Lucie County Teenage Republicans"><U>home</U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Youth Impressed by Governor, Promises</div> <div> Youth impressed by governor, promises </div> <div> <B>By Sue Ellen Sanders Family</b></div> <div> <B>May 6, 2002</b> </div> <div> "I heard it was your birthday." I watched as the tall man leaned down and put his arm around my son, Jake, who, for a change, was speechless. "How old are you?" </div> <div> "I just turned nine," Jake blurted, "But I changed my birthday party so I could come to see you." Jeb Bush, governor of our fair state, grinned and thanked Jake and then handed him a red, white and blue tote bag filled with surprises. "Happy Birthday, son," he said. </div> <div> "I heard you want to be President when you grow up," the governor continued his private conversation with my son, just as though there weren't hundreds of people crowding around waiting to shake his hand. "Can I give you some advice?' </div> <div> "Sure," said Jake. I waited by his side, ready to hear some profound words of political savvy from this man who is our governor, brother of our president and the son of a past president. </div> <div> Then Jeb Bush patted my son on his shoulder and told him quietly, "Remember to care more about other people than you do about yourself and do things for them. If you do that, then you will be successful for your whole life. Can you do that?" </div> <div> "Yes, sir," said my son. "Thank you." Event organizer Mike Brown, who had passed along information about Jake to the governor, looked on, smiling, as Bush signed Jake's tote bag and posed with him for a picture. It was one of hundreds of snapshots taken that afternoon. </div> <div> At a barbecue on the Adams ranch last week, Jeb Bush stood baking in the hot Florida sun, signing autographs, shaking hands and posing for photographs for many more people than just my son. </div> <div> This is not a political statement because I don't address political issues here; that is not the type of column I write. This is about a man who saw how important he was to a little boy and took a moment to help him grow. </div> <div> Our neighbor, ten-year-old Scott Cooper, was on hand to greet the governor, too, along with about 850 other folks. Some were dressed in boots, jeans and cowboy hats and looked as if they belonged among the beautiful oak hammocks at the stately old Florida ranch that is cattleman Bud Adams' home. Some had political agendas. </div> <div> Not Scott. He was there because he wanted to meet the governor. As the winner of a school district-wide contest, Scott had written an essay to Bush about what he could do to clean up the environment. </div> <div> Scott brought a copy of the winning essay to the barbecue. "I thought it was cool the way the governor took out his reading glasses to look at it," Scott says. "And even though everyone was sweating because it was so hot, he just kept standing there in the sun so that he could meet everyone who wanted to shake his hand." </div> <div> The crowd followed Jeb Bush from one spot to the next, swarming him like bees around honey. His smile and handshake never wavered, no matter how crowded and sweaty he got. </div> <div> Finally, Bush stood on the bed of a pick-up truck to talk to the crowd. "It takes hard work to be governor," he said, and sweat dripping down his face proved that was no lie. "I'm going to continue to work hard to be the best governor I can. Education will stay a top priority," he said and I saw the man's promise reflected in my son's eyes. </div> <div> I was thinking about the bottom line: Florida has a long way to go, in everything from teacher salaries to overall education spending. Where do we go from here? Will the Governor be able to keep his promises to my son and the rest of our children? </div> <div> Jake raised his fist in jubilation. "Yes!" he cheered Jeb Bush. "Go, education!" </div> <div> His postponed birthday party would wait for a week, while he got his first lesson in politics, watching Jeb Bush care about other people.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>