As you walked into the main room, you passed a long table with each of the many candidates handing out campaign literature. There were all types of candidates including candidates for the U. S. senate, state senate, judges, governship, etc. I wondered to myself what kind of person would want to subject themselves to this self-promoting and to the potential risk of rejection?

In fact, I am glad that there are people who are willing to place themselves under the scrutiny of the public. I never had that type of self-confidence when I was younger, else I might have tried it myself. Throughout the night our table was approached by candidates giving their pitch. I thought how could they keep repeating the same thing over again to each table throughout the night?

My questions were answered when I heard Senator Fitzgerald give his talk. He was an excellent speaker. He spoke distinctly and confidentally on each subject. In addition, his physical presense was commanding. He was well groomed, well dressed, and good-looking. And young. At age 41, he is the youngest United States senator.

I couldn't help think that all of the political candidates at the dinner wished that they had his presense and his power. That is why they are willing to undergo the rigors of a campaign. Short of being the president, a United States senator is about as high as you can go politically.

I couldn't help compare Senator Fitzgerald to John F. Kennedy. Both were young, rich, good-looking, good speakers, Irish background, Ivy league educated and had a sense of service to the country. Fitzgerald came from a rich banking family and his family fortune helped finance his campaign. Whether you like it or not, being rich is almost a necessity in order to run for a high political office. I can't say that fact bothers me either. Quite frankly, if you are rich and still wish to subject yourself to the rigors of political campaigns and public office, then I think that the person must be motivated by factors other than money or greed. I don't think that soft money will influence Fitzgerald's vote very much.

Senator Fitzgerald probably doesn't have the charisma of JFK but I think that you could say that he is morally ahead of JFK. Whether he has enough to get to the White House remains to be seen, but at his age he certainly has a bright future ahead of him. I appreciate his candor and independent thinking. Appearing before a crowd in the most agricultural county in Illinois, he had the guts to say that there needed to be a cap on farm subsidies.

In fact, it struck me that the city of Minonk was not very well represented at the Republican dinner. Our officials and our residents need to get more involved in county politics. Minonk is at the very northeast corner of Woodford County and many people feel that we do not get adequate representation in the county. That may be our own fault. Nobody from Minonk is running for the county board in the next election.

Minonk must establish connections with the politicians. It's how the game is played. We all owe Senator John Maitland a debt of gratitude for his role in keeping Section Six north of the city from becoming a landfill. You never know when we will need political help again.

I felt that everyone at the dinner that night had a common bond. Regardless of whether you were there to promote your candidancy or to assess the candidates, you were there because you cared about our country and its political process. It is easy to make jokes about politicians. Nevertheless, if we don't commit ourselves to running for office or even for voting, then we as citizens have no right to complain.

Attending this dinner reminded me how important it is that we encourage young people to become involved in the political system. We need to attract the best and the brightest to help run our country. I think young people's attitude towards their careers may be changing. I have a feeling that money is no longer the major priority in choosing a career. A sense of purpose and a desire to do community service are becoming more important. The Enron debacle illustrates the fact that there are sleazebags in corporate America also, probably more so than in politics.

I think President Bush's new USA Freedom Corps is an excellent idea whose time has come. This program would require a young person to give 2 or 3 years of community service to the country either militarily or domestically. It would be similar to a civilian Peace Corps. This would not only tap a tremendous source of energy to help rebuild our cities and aid the poor, it would also instill in young people a sense of service and community involvement that will benefit the communities they live in for the rest of their lives.

The other thing I wish to stress to young people is the importance of appearance and presentation. I am sure that one reason that Peter Fitzgerald became a senator is because he was able to make a good impression to the public as well as his peers. Presenting a good image and being able to speak well in public can sometimes carry you farther than being a genius.

The future of our country is dependent on the committment of our young citizens to make our country a better place to live. I believe that was the reason those 350 people attended the annual Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner last Saturday night.