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May 18, 2022

Episode #25 - Jim Lightfoot

Episode #25 - Jim Lightfoot

In this 25th Episode of the RF Factor, George and Pete welcome distinguished guest and former Member of Congress Jim Ross Lightfoot for a “fireside chat” on the way it was in Congress when he was there as a member and as the Chairman of a House Sub-committee on Appropriations funding such agencies as the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and ATF. In his earthy, common man, “Will Rogers'' style he speaks from the heart about the “old days” when he and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle would vigorously disagree on an issue one minute and then all go out to dinner the next, talking about baseball and exchanging the latest news about their families back home. He – like all of us – sees that some of the issues so important to our country today often take a backseat to caustic rants and raves, and misleading claims and counterclaims, all seemingly aimed at gaining power and control rather than solving problems. Listen as he shares the one simple word that he believes needs to be done in order to return to the days when leaders in Congress were able to find common ground and “get good things done”. Indeed, he describes a couple of innovations he himself helped launch involving an agency whose mission involves one of the most concerning and contentious issues today. You will hear him opine that changes are needed, are doable, and must happen - or else . . . 

Check out the preview here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therffactor.substack.com

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In this 25th Episode of the RF Factor, George and Pete welcome distinguished guest and former Member of Congress Jim Ross Lightfoot for a “fireside chat” on the way it was in Congress when he was there as a member and as the Chairman of a House Sub-committee on Appropriations funding such agencies as the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and ATF. In his earthy, common man, “Will Rogers'' style he speaks from the heart about the “old days” when he and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle would vigorously disagree on an issue one minute and then all go out to dinner the next, talking about baseball and exchanging the latest news about their families back home. He – like all of us – sees that some of the issues so important to our country today often take a backseat to caustic rants and raves, and misleading claims and counterclaims, all seemingly aimed at gaining power and control rather than solving problems. Listen as he shares the one simple word that he believes needs to be done in order to return to the days when leaders in Congress were able to find common ground and “get good things done”. Indeed, he describes a couple of innovations he himself helped launch involving an agency whose mission involves one of the most concerning and contentious issues today. You will hear him opine that changes are needed, are doable, and must happen - or else . . . 

Check out the preview here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therffactor.substack.com

Jim Ross LightfootProfile Photo

Jim Ross Lightfoot

This is a little long. but the only thing I have to grab quickly.
I took my first breath in a Home for Unwed Mothers. A wonderful farm couple, who were unable to bear children, adopted me and gave me the terrific experience of growing up on a farm.

Following an excellent old-fashioned education from a public school staffed with people who wanted to teach and a “Board of Education” with a nice handle hanging on the Principal’s door jamb, I joined the US Army. In the mid-fifties, the Draft was still in place. A prospective employer’s first question is, “Have you completed your military obligation?” If your answer was “no,” the employer had the same solution for you.

After the Army, I worked at several jobs on a part-time basis while looking around for something good and permanent

IBM thought I would make a good Customer Engineer and took me on at their office in Omaha, NE. They trained me at the extensive IBM facility in Lexington, KY.

I had heard that IBM stood for I’ve Been Moved. They were correct.

After a little over a year in Omaha, I found myself in the beautiful city of Tulsa, OK. My wife and I enjoyed the city very much. Things were going exceptionally well at IBM, then it happened.

The front office was going to transfer me to Selma, AL. I watched the news and had no desire to move to Selma. Refusing a transfer was the same as walking into the front office and saying, “I quit!” I declined the transfer.

We had a neighbor down the street who was a Sargent on the Tulsa Police Department. He informed me they w… Read More