☆ lob·by·ist (noun) - a person, acting for a special interest group, who tries to influence the introduction of or voting on legislation or the decisions of government administrators
(1) FUN - we stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel with a bunch of students and optometrists from all over the country (about 500 total), and had excellent food, cheese and wine shmoozing parties and other alcohol events (I always got an ice water with lemon). It was so exciting to see historic sites such as the White House, the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and a bunch of other cool looking buildings that I'm sure have historic significance.
(2) AFFORDABLE - to pay for the trip, the AOA (American Optometric Association) gave me a scholarship of $500. My expenses included $140 in airfare plus $120 for food, taxis, etc while on the trip. I was PAID to go on this trip!
(3) EDUCATIONAL - I had NO idea how important it was to be involved politically in my profession. If it were not for the AOA, optometrists literally wouldn't have any rights. Just 50 years ago or so we weren't even allowed to dilate patients' eyes, and now we're treating medical conditions like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. It was also very eye-opening to see how our government works. I was very surprised to find out how nice and available our congessmen are. The handful that I met with (from OH) were very sincere, concerned, and honest men. This was very refreshing. I also learned that they could never possibly become experts on every single issue that they vote on, so they need US to be the expert on the issues that matter to us, and to inform them about what issues they need to support and why. Many times we complain about government, yet we sit idly by not allowing our voices to be heard.
While I forgot my camera (oops), we took lots of group pictures, so I'll post some when I get a hold of those... they should be on facebook in a couple of days, but I'll put a few up on the blog when I get them.
3 comments:
How fun. Brett told me you were in D.C. but had no idea why. I love learning about the government the older I get. I still wish I knew more and get more involved.
Did you get to see any sights?? I LOVED it there - beautiful city!
We didn't really have any time to "see" the sights, but we were right on capitol hill, so yeah, we saw them as we walked by :)
Even so, it was really great to be there.
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