Trust Begins with ME

Hello Neighbors my name is Geoff Stone. I was born on January 1, 1970 in Springfield, MO. I have worn many hats in my life: son, father, husband, student, teacher, soldier, employer, employee. I am a white American, who generally believes in a more limited government. My views, values, and morals have been shaped through my life experiences, and those experiences have been processed through a filter shaped by my family, my Christian beliefs, and a deep love for my country. I am conservative by nature but also have some liberal beliefs. I like to refer to myself as a LibCon, a liberal conservative. I grew up a Boy Scout where I learned to “leave it better than I found it”’

I have spent most of my adult life working in the construction trades, I have the hands, back, and shoulders of a man who has lived his life through hard work. I had my children when I was young, therefore it’s hard for me to imagine life without the responsibility of another constantly present. I haven’t always lived up to that responsibility.

I have been both fortunate and unfortunate, housed and homeless, loved and unloved, grateful and ungrateful. Honest and dishonest. While I have tried to live my life through trust and faith, I often fall short of my ideals. I look to others as both guidance and warning. Too many times the phrase “but for the grace of god go I” has popped into my head when I see my neighbors struggling. 

In my life I have been bullied and been the bully, I have lifted my neighbors up and abandoned them in their time of need. Quite frankly I have been both faithful and unfaithful to my core beliefs. I’m pretty sure you and I are similar in many of these ways regardless of our socio-economic position, race, gender, or even age. I have experienced many of life’s treasures as well as some of its lowest moments. Simply put I’m not perfect.

As I lay out for you the changes we can enact as neighbors please remember that last statement. Not just about me but about our other neighbors. I  pledge to you that I will do my best not to fail you or disappoint you, even if our beliefs contrast with each other. I will not let our differences separate us. I will constantly work toward a more perfect union with you and all our neighbors. That includes being accountable and transparent about everything that relates to our coalition. 

In addition, I expect each and everyone of you to do the same. If we are to trust each other, we must be confident that our trust partners are open and honest with us. Can I use the phrase “Trust Bucket”? Well today I drip the first drop of trust into our trust bucket by being open and honest with you about the beliefs and values that color my views. Thereby, you can judge every blog, social media post, or any opinion I have, based on how my values and beliefs color my viewpoint.

I will be calling a spade a spade regardless of party, age, gender, race, or status. There will be no sacred cows here, only objectifiable truth. If any “fact” cannot be verified it will not be presented as fact. I have a deep mistrust for the extremes of both parties and, am sickened by the state of affairs in my country today. I have watched one group of peoples destroy the history of my country and cried when I watched others who had taken an oath to “serve and protect”, like I had, assault our seat of government. 

If you can relate to any of this, we are brothers and sisters in a common struggle. While we may struggle differently shouldn’t we struggle together? Should our cause not be a common cause?  If we are going to leave this country better than we found it, we must be allies. I will be yours; will you be mine?