“We Are All Custodial”

Back in the fall of 1994, my brother Bill and I were both accepted into the Walt Disney World College Program from Oregon State University.  We were the only two Beavers accepted that term, so hence we got a private family photo with Minnie Mouse as you can see.

The Walt Disney World College Program is an internship where you work at various locations around the Walt Disney World Resort and take classes from Disney in business management.  Upon being accepted at the time, Disney assigned students into one of four Categories: Attractions, Food Service, Hotel Services, and Custodial.  I was assigned to food service at the Fort Wilderness Resort at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue.  Bill was assigned to the Magic Kingdom Custodial crew.  In our first orientation class, the Disney lead proceeded to ask us questions.  “Who is in Food Service?”  I and a dozen or so raised our hands.  “Attractions?”  Another dozen showed their hands.  “Hotel guest service?”  And still others.  “Custodial?” My brother and the last remaining few raised their hands.  He then says, “No!  everyone should be raising their hands.  We are all Custodial.  We are all responsible for the Walt Disney World Resort and how it looks, not just the few assigned  to the the task.  If you see garbage on the ground, pick it up and throw it in the trash.  If you see a mess, clean it up.  You should take pride in being a cast member at this Resort”

We have some serious financial problems in this country.  Our government and its elected leaders have spent almost 20 trillion more dollars than we have.  That is over $59,000 per citizen and more than $161,000 per tax payer.  We have future obligations like Social Security and Medicare that have unfunded liabilities much closer to the amount of 100 trillion dollars.  We have lied to ourselves by keeping interest rates artificially low and printing money through “Quantitative Easing.” We have done this to continue our failed fiscal policies rather than to change course.  To add insult to injury, we have created class warfare and put the blame on the wealthy rather than putting the blame where it belongs, on ourselves.

We did this together.  Whether directly or indirectly, we all were involved.     We all contibuted to this mess.   We have voted in poor leadership.  We have taken more from the government than we contribute.  We have asked government to do the jobs we should have been doing for ourselves.   We have failed to save.  We have failed to be self reliant.  We have failed to be good stewards of the greatest nation ever created on Earth.  Now we have a big bill to pay.  Some in government think  we can keep kicking the can down the road for the next generation and deny the obvious.  But that has never nor will it ever work.   We must confront the burden that is in front of us.  We must cut spending.  We must expect less from government and more from ourselves.  We must unleash the American workforce and start building things again.  We don’t need to tax income more.  We need to create more income to tax.

I don’t care if you are rich or poor, young or old, black or white, gay or straight, man or woman.  None of those things matter.  The fact is…We are all custodial.  It is all our job to clean this government up and make it something we are proud of.  My name is Brian Heinrich and I am running for US Congress in Oregon’s 1st District.