Strange days

Major news events are happening so fast that it's hard to keep up. Three stories that matter to me, in no particular order:

Egypt. What happened? The people just decided enough was enough and asked their dictator to leave. And the amazing thing is that he did. I have significant concerns about extremists winning elections in Egypt. But the fact that elections are coming is pretty amazing.

Libya. I wondered why the people of Libya didn't rise up to throw off their crazy dictator earlier. He would not work as a Bond villain because he's too ridiculous. His family is already rich from their years of looting the Libyan economy. Why wouldn't he step down? The tragedy is that civil war has broken out and the rest of the world is too busy/distracted to provide the aid necessary to knock down the dictator once and for all.

Japan. My mind can not get around the tragedy. Historic earthquake. Tsunami. Nuclear disaster. Thousands dead. Debris will be washing up on the Pacific coastline for years to come.

All in all, I'm glad to be in Maryland.

Last World War I Vet Dies

Frank Buckles died at 110. He was the last veteran of World War I and, if I'm not mistaken, this includes all our allies and the Central Powers of Germany, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I mention him because history casts a long shadow. This is a man who fought against Kaiser Wilhelm. He was in his 40's when World War II broke out. In his 60's when the United States landed on the moon. Here's a man who could have tweeted or made a facebook posting about life in the trenches. That's pretty cool.

He was also the last World War I veteran that the United States is paying benefits for. That means that not only do we need to account for the billions of dollars that the war in Iraq is costing us now, but we need to account for the billions more in benefits that we will be paying to our veterans for the next 90 years. The policy decisions we make now will impact generations.

The good news is that people are living even longer. That means that we need to be even more aware of the long-term impacts of our policies. Our Iraqi vets may still be kicking around in 2150. And we will still have a responsibility to take care of them.

As the old saying goes, with great powers comes great responsibilities.

Mea Culpa

Hi Citizens.

It's been four months since my last real post. In internet time that's about a decade. I apologize for the delay.

Running for office is an interesting thing. You have to plan two futures: One where you win and one where you lose. They are mutually exlusive. Although I could have taken time off from the dayjob to spend three months in Annapolis, it wouldn't have done me or my family much good. And, as it turns out, there were a lot of things that I simply put off until after the election. I've been very busy in my personal life.

My family was happy to have me back. My children were thrilled that daddy would come home after work. I can eat dinner with my wife and kids. Good times.

I've picked up a few pro bono legal cases dealing with foreclosure defense and custody cases. The people opted not to send me to Annapolis, so I'll help a few individuals instead.

I met so many wonderful groups and people that I'm still trying to sort out where to put my volunteer time.

The budget in Annapolis looks to be another stomach-churner. My sympathies to the General Assembly. There are no easy answers.

Will I run again in the future? Probably. Stay tuned.

Final Results

Nicholaus R. Kipke Republican 24,143 21.96%

Steve Schuh Republican 22,805 20.74%

Don Dwyer, Jr. Republican 22,452 20.42%

Jeremiah Chiappelli Democratic 12,943 11.77%

Justin M. Towles Democratic 11,968 10.89%

Robert L. Eckert Democratic 11,856 10.78%

Joshua Matthew Crandall Libertarian 2,015 1.83%

Cory Faust, Sr. Constitution 1,660 1.51%

Other Write-Ins 105 0.1%


To the 12,943 of you who voted for me, thank you!

Win, lose or draw

Early voting has already begun. It is a week until the general election on November 2nd. And then the signs will come down and the robocalls and mailings will stop for another two years.

This will be my last posting until after the election so I wanted to share a few thoughts from my win, lose or draw speech.

First, thank you to everyone who voted for me in the primary and made me your nominee. I hope that I have run a campaign worthy of the honor. Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the general election. I hope that I have earned it. Thank you to my outstanding volunteers and long-suffering family who have gone that extra mile for me. Thank you to my wife and daughters who have hardly seen me since July.

I don’t think I’ve met any candidates who are running for the wrong reason. They all have the purest of intentions. I disagree with some of their philosophies and policies. It is interesting just how much we all have in common. We all want a better future for our
children. We all want a cleaner environment. We all want to feel safe.

I’ve met a lot of people and learned about a lot of interesting groups while on the campaign trail. I hope that those relationships will continue in the future. There are a lot of civic-minded people out there doing great things for their communities.

Has the campaign changed me as a person? Yes and no. I’m still the book-worm with all sorts of ideas for new laws and repealing old laws. But I’ve increasingly come to realize that the government is not going to solve all the problems facing us. You are.

My faith in the American people has grown. The people are angry but they don’t know what they are angry at. The people have lost faith in themselves. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we’ve had the answers all along. The people will create the jobs and get the economy moving again through small businesses. The people will clean the environment through their individual actions. The people will make themselves safer by locking their doors, reporting crimes and not being afraid of their own neighborhoods anymore. Government has a role to play, but it’s a supporting role to the people.

Win, lose or draw, I am excited about the future and plan to do my part to protect it.

Keep an eye on the papers and the internet to find out the results and DON’T FORGET TO VOTE CHIAPPELLI!

Teachers Endorsement

Thank you Teachers for endorsing me. I am proud that Maryland's schools have been ranked number one in the nation for two years in a row. I hope we can extend that record for the next four years.

On a personal note, I am a product of public education. I went to the Public Honors College (St. Mary's College of Maryland) and then to the University of Maryland School of Law. We have a good system.

I would not have progressed as far as I have without the help of public education, in-state tuition which has remained affordable and student loan financing. Thank you teachers and thank you Democrats for creating this ladder of opportunity to for me to climb up.

Only a few more days to go until early voting! Vote Chiappelli.

Cul-de-Sac King

Yard signs. Whether you like them or not, they're a sign of the season. We've been very active getting them out to our supporters in the area and I've learned a few things.

-Businesses don't like to put up campaign signs. And I don't blame them. You want customers no matter who they vote for. Why antagonize half of your potential customers? So for that reason, I appreciate my business supporters all the more. Thank you!

-Apparently most of my supporters live at the ends of cul-de-sac's. They have my sign in their yards, but only their neighbors can see them. I'm not sure what this means. Are my supporters very private people who like to live off the beaten path? Possibly. Do they live away from the main roads because they have young children who roam around? Probably. Thank you for your support!

-I like small yard signs because it seems more grassroots. I've tried to only place my signs on private property with the owners permission. It's an intrusion and I don't want to be rude with a billboard.

-The weather does not like small signs. Between the winds and the deluges, it's amazing any signs at all are still standing.

-The yard-sign fairies are alive and well. Who takes the signs? When do they take them? What do they do with them once they take them? Nobody knows.

What do you think of yard-signs?

Remember to order your absentee ballots now if you'll be away on Election day!