March on Washington.

Attention all automotive parts suppliers, your industry is calling you to assemble in Washington, D.C., on March 1 to shut down the government through mass protest rallies and civil disobedience. Not all of that is tree, but wouldn't it be something if all of the associations and business groups, the National Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the myriad of others held a mass demonstration in the capitol demanding action from legislators on a number of items. A million upper management march.

One group, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, is planning an Aftermarket Legislative Summit in the capitol on March 1 for the purpose of ensuring that policymaker shave the information they need so they can make educated and informed decisions. They plan on having around 200 members. What if they had 2,000 or 20,000? Some of those guys would get more educated.

Getting the ear of a legislator is sometimes a difficult thing to accomplish. But the present time will probably be the best opportunity for the business community to press their agenda. The Senate and House are controlled by the people who were the recipients of the majority of the political contributions from business. It's time to call in the chits.

One problem the AAIA faces is that they are in opposition with the auto manufacturers on some legislation, and those guys are always calling in their chits. The automotive manufacturers have managed to manipulate the car service and repair market in such a way that a motor vehicle right to repair act will be reintroduced in the next session of Congress. If your car is newer than 1994, you know the repair options you have when the car's on board diagnostic system starts activating various warning lights.

The AAIA has made this legislation a priority, along with the problem of counterfeit parts. Hopefully, they're not the only group to go to Washington and be visible with the lawmakers. There is a lot of legislation that business has been promised and we can't let these legislators lose their focus. There were reasons the business groups contributed heavily to get a legislative branch of government with this make-up, and these windows of opportunity don't last. Another thing that doesn't last is the attention span of most of these legislators. Large numbers of people seem to get more attention. All business groups should choose a day and have all their members convene in Washington to remind those in Congress to deal with the business of America.