by Matt Jensen, ALC President 
The American Loggers Council has been going strong since 1994. As I assume the presidency for 2011, I would like to thank Mike Wiedeman for his service to our organization. Mike has been a dedicated and passionate leader for ALC for many years. I have enjoyed being on the board and the executive committee with him.
As we move forward, I see reason for optimism. The ALC has a wealth of experience and more importantly, people with great character on its board. Many of our state associations have very involved and dedicated executive directors that bring a lot to the table as we fight the battles in our industry. All of these attributes add up to a solid organization that is governed by loggers for loggers. It is no wonder that the ALC has become the place where the professional logging community and state loggers associations go to for answers.
The success of the ALC truly depends on a team effort through communications on federal and state issues and how they affect all of us. We have some very important mid-term elections at hand. If there were ever a time to be engaged politically, it is definitely now. There seems to be an ever growing disconnect between Washington D.C. and the real world. As freedom loving Americans we need to take a long hard look at the direction our current government officials are taking the country. There could be many new faces in congress this year as the anti-incumbent sentiment is taking place all over the country.
A pro-business, less intrusive government, family values agenda would be a welcome change. We do not yet know what impact “Obama Care” will have on small businesses in America until it actually happens. The talk of raising taxes in a time of recession doesn’t sit well with anyone I know. Cap and Trade seems like a great idea if you are the one selling the “imaginary” carbon credits. The debt our government is incurring is unsustainable. In my personal opinion, it seems our government officials are doing the exact opposite of what I would do to stimulate the economy.
In these important times, we all need to stay engaged and let our politicians know exactly what we expect of them as loggers and business owners. After all, they do work for us. It is not too late to turn in the right direction.
Matt Jensen is the President of the American Loggers Council, which represents over 50,000 logging professionals in 30 states. Matt’s operation, Whitetail Logging, is headquartered in Crandon, Wisconsin.. For more information please contact the American Loggers Council office at 409-625-0206 or e-mail at americanlogger@aol.com.