Farewell, friends!
In another 1.5 months, I'll NOT pull CEO/janitor duties at 80-20 PAC anymore. My age (74) and my depleting "fire in the belly" compel me to back off from the front line. Yet my devotion to you remains. I'll STILL try my best to serve you in the second line. I want to thank everyone, especially the core team, who has poured their hearts and minds out during the past 12 years working together. It has been a great privilege and joy serving you through 80-20 PAC.
Yet, I've failed you many times. The biggest is my inability to get the Asian Am community to understand how politics work in America. Without that awakening, we trip ourselves up badly. Will you give me a last chance to explain how politics works for AsAms? Below is my swan song and last lecture. :)
Friends: Our aspiration, belief, political reality in USA, and political investment are not in synch:
o Aspiration: We want equal opportunity or fairness. We want government policies to give us a level playing field.
o Belief: Erroneously, we believe that ONLY government officials can affect government policies, because that is/was the case in Asia.
o Political Reality: However, in America, a NGO (non-government organization) like the 80-20 PAC can impact government policies greatly especially in civil rights issues. An example is how the Jewish AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Comm) influences not only America's
domestic policies but also its foreign policies, even though the Jewish population is not even half that of AsAms.
Is there proof for the importance of 80-20 PAC?
The elected and appointed AsAm officials knew about the lack of AsAm federal judges and the lowest glass ceiling against AsAms in private industries, universities, federal/state/local governments. Did they do anything? The officials include at least 5 governors, 2 lt. govs, 5 US Senators, 10 Representatives & 5 cabinet members.
In contrast, 80-20 induced Pres. Obama to double the number of AsAm life-tenured federal judges in 3 years. It also induced the Dept of Labor to enforcing a law to give us equal opportunity in workplaces resulting in unprecedented number of AsAm presidents and provosts in large & prominent universities, and a beginning whiff of pressure to promote Asian Am employees in private industries and in federal government. Progress in such issues are not just giving us more "meat and potatos." They involve fairness, self-respect and dignity.
Why is a NGO like 80-20 more effective than elected AsAm officials?
80-20 and elected AsAm offici 606b als are driven by different interests.
Elected AsAm officials seek re-elections in which the % of AsAm voters is minute. Hence they DARE NOT do things for AsAms that REALLY count for fear of alienating other voters. Otherwise, they may not get re-elected. They also fear losing their upward mobility to higher offices.
In contrast, 80-20, like AIPAC, seeks support from their own communities. They don't face elections by other voters. So they DARE to tackle issues of importance to you. Since such NGOs are also politically astute about the needs of the national politicians during elections, they can use their bloc votes to affect our government's national policies -- a glory of democracy enabling tiny minorities like us and the Jews to have a political voice.
Friends! The progresses are easily reversible without continued pressure from a NGO like the 80-20, which is only as strong as your support. We must makes the right political investment. I tried -- 12 years of my life and at least $100,000.
Do still give to good AsAm political candidates. We must invest more in politics for our children's sake. AsAm officials are good for us in different ways.
Farewell, friends. I hope that 80-20 will achieve DOUBLING of its membership and live to fight the impossible odds to achieve the impossible dreams for all of us. Won't you fight along with us?
I devoted 12 years of my life to Asian Ams, because, in my mind, we and the Arab Americans are the most disadvantaged of Americans. If AsAms by working together can establish a sizable political clout, it will help not only Asian Ams but also America! America becomes a "more perfect Union."
Most sincerely yours,
S. B. Woo
To join 80-20, click on http://www.80-20initiative.net
P.S. SB Will Work for YOU Still, But Differently
If DOUBLING is achieved by 12/31 of this year, S. B. still will shed his current daily duties. However, he'll crisscross the nation at his
own expense to recruit able, willing and noble souls to run for 80-20 President by Nov. 2012. He'll also help to raise at least $1 million to place
80-20
Initiative on a more solid financial footing by 3/25/2013.
For S.B. Woo's Swan Song in Korean and Chinese (Thank you to those who helped translate), please click on the appropriate link below. The PDF will download when you click the link. Please distribute the Swan Song and help keep 80-20 alive to help you!
Swan Song (Chinese):
http://www.80-20initiative.net/pdf/swan-song-chinese.pdf
Swan Song (Korean):
http://www.80-20initiative.net/pdf/swan-song-korean.pdf