Amerimix
CrewTracks
EZ Scaffold Corp.
EZG Manufacturing
Hydro Mobile, Inc.
Loot
Non-Stop Scaffolding
PROSOCO, Inc.
SOLA/Keson
SPEC MIX LLC
Stabila
Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
Find-a-Contractor Masonry Buyer's Guide
December 2004

Elections 2004: An Interesting Political Year

President’s Message

By

At the time of this writing, the presidential victor was just announced. Whether I agree with the results or not is irrelevant. What matters is that we have a decisive winner, and Congress and the White House can now get back to the business of governing. And we as an Association can continue our work to influence decisions at all levels of government.

The makeup of the House and Senate will be extraordinarily different next Congress. I hope many of those newly elected to the Senate are strong supporters of our industry and have committed to voting for Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation when it comes to the floor for consideration. Of course, we may still have our work cut out for us to make that happen.

As far as the Executive Branch is concerned, according to Marian Marshall, MCAA's Washington lobbyist, there will be an enormous exodus from the White House, particularly at the Cabinet level. She personally foresees some changes at the Justice Department, the State Department, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development and, quite possibly, Homeland Security. Fortunately, MCAA has established some very solid working relationships with both appointees and career officials in important positions at the Departments of Labor and the Treasury ? many of whom will remain in their posts and maintain their sensitivity to our concerns, whether it's silica, hexavalent chromium, hearing conservation, the elimination of the death tax, or tax deductions for apprenticeship training.

At the Department of Labor, Marian's prognostication is that Secretary Elaine Chao will stay on, but the Assistant Secretary for OSHA, John Henshaw, may decide to return to the private sector. Henshaw has been a real ally and worked very well with our staff in Washington. So our new challenge will be to find someone even more familiar with our industry that we can quickly educate without losing much ground on the regulatory matters to which we've devoted so much work. Our MCAA lobbyist has already begun a dialogue with some of the other construction trade associations to look for possible candidates to recommend to the White House for this important position.

Last but not least, we cannot forget the Supreme Court. The illness of Chief Justice Rehnquist has already stirred speculation about a replacement. It wouldn't be surprising if there were other members of the high court to step down. So while this year's elections were historical for many reasons, the next candidates to serve on the bench will undoubtedly influence many important cases that affect our lives tremendously. The Senate's handling of those nominations will be an intriguing process to witness.

Sir Winston Churchill once said, "In war: resolution. In defeat: defiance. In victory: magnanimity. And in peace: goodwill." Let us hope that after such a momentous election both parties will truly be magnanimous and work together to bring peace in Iraq and the Middle East, defeat the terrorist cells around the world that threaten our country, create goodwill among our allies abroad, and foster prosperity here at home.

Chairman’s Message Archive

The American Dream

August 2019
The American Dream

Doing Our Part

May 2019
Doing Our Part

Preparing for D.C.

April 2019
Preparing for D.C.

Recent Updates

September 2018
Recent Updates

Masonry’s Future

August 2018
Masonry’s Future

Worthwhile Work

June 2018
Worthwhile Work

A New Beginning

February 2018
A New Beginning

Givers Gain

January 2018
Givers Gain

Things to Remember

March 2017
Things to Remember

Looking Forward

February 2017
Looking Forward

A Fresh Start

January 2017
A Fresh Start

Who Moved My Cheese?

September 2016
Who Moved My Cheese?

Giving back

December 2015
Giving back

An exciting year ahead

February 2015
An exciting year ahead

Defining success

December 2014
Defining success

Staying busy for you

August 2014
Staying busy for you

Ready for action

February 2014
Ready for action

Thanks

January 2014
Thanks

Happy holidays

December 2013
Happy holidays

MCAA Midyear update

November 2013
MCAA Midyear update

The MCAA in D.C.

August 2013
The MCAA in D.C.

A Lot Happening

July 2013
A Lot Happening

Eye opening

June 2013
Eye opening

Positive movement

March 2013
Positive movement

Headed to Vegas

February 2013
Headed to Vegas

New beginning

January 2013
New beginning

It’s finally over

December 2012
It’s finally over

My trip to the Rockies

November 2012
My trip to the Rockies

The 2012 election

October 2012
The 2012 election

Stay involved

September 2012
Stay involved

Networking

August 2012
Networking

Summer time

July 2012
Summer time

Exciting time

June 2012
Exciting time

Working for you

May 2012
Working for you

New beginnings

March 2012
New beginnings

Farewell!

February 2012
Farewell!

One more to go!

January 2012
One more to go!

Join us in Vegas

November 2011
Join us in Vegas

As the world turns

August 2011
As the world turns

A Bright Future

May 2011
A Bright Future

Tidbits From MCAA

March 2011
Tidbits From MCAA

Time Flies By

February 2011
Time Flies By

The End of the Year

December 2010
The End of the Year

Busy Times!

November 2010
Busy Times!

South of 40

October 2010
South of 40

What Are We Doing?

August 2010
What Are We Doing?

Moving Forward

March 2010
Moving Forward

A Fond Farewell

February 2010
A Fond Farewell

A New Year

January 2010
A New Year

Start the Year Strong

December 2009
Start the Year Strong

MCAA in D.C.

September 2009
MCAA in D.C.

Brick Voids

August 2009
Brick Voids

Vision 2020

February 2009
Vision 2020

State of the Association

February 2009
State of the Association

The Silver Lining

January 2009
The Silver Lining

Impact on the Hill

June 2008
Impact on the Hill

New Horizons

February 2008
New Horizons

Wrapping up Another Year

December 2007
Wrapping up Another Year

Greetings From Italy!

November 2007
Greetings From Italy!

We Need Your Help!

January 2005
We Need Your Help!

The Strength of Unity

November 2003
The Strength of Unity

Changing of the Guard

February 2002
Changing of the Guard

“We can make a difference together and bring masonry back.”

Paul Oldham
Ollier Masonry, Inc.
MCAA member since 2001

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