by Fred Hernandez

Ah…Politics….from the Greek term politikos originally meaning affairs of the cities…. or, the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group. The word then transforms to mean achieving and exercising positions of governance, thus creating organized control over human communities.
In our nation, and indeed, even our own small community, politics is such that at times it almost seems like a blanket of darkness hovers over our daily lives, it threatens to engulf us and everything we stand for, work for, live for and even pray for…
So it can be a surprise when, out of nowhere, a beacon, yes… a beacon, cuts through this political gloom. At first it seems like a small light growing in intensity as it approaches. A glimmer of hope. And, as it comes closer you recognize the hope is really a person. A young, very talented, endearing, quick-witted lady by the unlikely name of Luck, Stephanie Luck. Not to mention that this Lady Luck is as attractive as they come. And lo and behold, she is running for State Senate in this year’s June primary. It seems like she has been preparing for this moment all her life.
From a very young age, Stephanie’s parents, who are fighters for the underdog, instilled in her the great American values that have remained deeply rooted in her psyche. While only in the second grade she already formed the notion that she wanted to be the President of the United States. In high school, partly inspired by then President George W. Bush, she had an abiding interest in politics, international affairs, how governments work and their agencies functioned. In college she had the opportunity to broaden her understanding of politics in general and found, to her dismay, that it was not so much about finding solutions and fixing problems as it was the art of making “sweetheart deals” and negotiating accommodations.
For the work she now seeks, Stephanie is well prepared. After attending high school locally, she went to a college in Switzerland, Franklin College in Lugano, just north of the Italian city of Milan. Among the full curriculum of studies, she was required to travel and learn French. Once back home in the U.S.A., she attended Syracuse University College of Law where she acquired her juris doctor before taking and passing the New York bar. After that it was off to Canada where she worked as a legal researcher for a Christian group that specialized in defending freedom.
Her core principles of freedom and the desire to help people, coupled with her training and participation in her Christian faith, form the foundation of the platforms on which she will run her campaign and, if elected, guide her performance while in office. In her opinion, the current model of governance is broken with the state unjustly meddling in the affairs of family, business, education, media and the church.
Stephanie is passionate and downright sincere in her vision that the influence of the state has to be diminished to allow people to have a bigger role in managing their own lives. One example she offers is from Biblical times when vine growers were allowed by their religion, tradition and culture to go through their vineyards once and then were expected to give the poor in their community a chance to gather the produce in a second collection. These individuals were given charity but they had to work for it. She believes we have to take care of the less fortunate but, we also have the responsibility of giving them the opportunity to receive the help with dignity, and without the state’s interference, something which most of the current social programs lack. She recognizes, however, that to change the current system, groups and individuals at the local level will have to build stronger communities – an endeavor she has been working on for the last few years.
Other core beliefs to which Stephanie firmly adheres are faith-based pro-life values, the need to strengthen the public’s understanding of the concept of “inalienable rights”, rights that come solely from the Creator and not from government, and a strong belief in the Constitution. In addition, she recognizes clearly that all people have inherent value and dignity, that the family unit and parental rights deserve respect, and that those in leadership have a responsibility to steward well what God has given us, whether taxpayer dollars or state resources, recognizing it is on loan to us from future generations.
Stephanie is not only counting on luck, she has worked very hard for what she deeply believes in and cares for. She has pounded the streets, going door-to-door throughout her district’s multiple counties to engage people from all stripes of the political spectrum. She says with conviction “you cannot represent what you do not understand” and, the only way to understand anyone is to talk to them and get their own feeling about each of the issues. “I have spoken with people of varying perspectives and, interestingly, many are surprised that I want to hear their thoughts. I’ve learned a great deal about the challenges facing our state from taking the time to listen, and I’ve also discovered that we have more in common with our neighbors than the media would have us believe.”

With LUCK in the primary, Colorado will have a great
Republican candidate for State Senator come November.