Complacency Kills – Courage Is Contagious – with Bill Brewer – [Ep. 224]

Linda J Hansen: Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101® Breakroom Economics Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host and the author of Prosperity 101® Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics online course.

The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on Prosperity101.com. I seek to connect boardroom to break room and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs. 

My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests, and be sure to visit Prosperity101.com. 

Thank you for joining with me today. I am live at the site of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There's so much going on all around town. And today I am at an event, a Moms for Liberty Townhall with several, major speakers and really addressing issues that are important to our nation. 

And my guest today is someone that I think you will be very interested to hear from. But before I introduce him, I want to remind you to please go to the website, Prosperity101.com and sign up to become a Prosperity Partner. You can find the link right there on the website and support us with any amount. We love those recurring donations to help us keep things going and keep these podcasts on the air. But please do go to Prosperity101.com and become a Prosperity Partner. And you can also find in the show notes, the list of our Strategic Partners and please support them and the freedom economy.

But today I'm going to talk to you about, Moms for Liberty, but also, different things that you can do in your hometown and your workplace to help spread the freedom message. My guest today is Bill Brewer, and he is a Moms for Liberty ambassador for the state of Wisconsin. And no, he is not a mom, nor is he claiming he can be one.

So I would like to introduce you to Bill Brewer. And could you tell the listeners a little bit more about yourself and how you got involved with Moms for Liberty? 

Bill Brewer: Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me. And yeah, I have, I always say, I didn't turn in my man card to become a member of Moms for Liberty. But, yeah, my name is Bill Brewer.

I'm from the Slinger School District, a little town up there and about 45 minutes northwest of here. And I got involved with Moms for Liberty just watching them from a distance at first and seeing what they were all about and just kind of learning like everyone else would through the media, but not the slanted media, but really looking into what they're really all about, and the fact that they stood for parents rights. 

So a little over a year ago when we started a chapter in my county, I joined right away. I was already active in the community. Someone who's run for school board a couple of times, really active in issues related to parents rights, protecting kids, having the right kind of media, the right appropriate material for kids as well, coming from a Christian perspective as well, and knowing that God's really been missing from our public schools for many, many years. 

And so, when I had the opportunity to just join the organization and do something with it, I did. And then, a couple of months ago, it was April or so, I learned that they were actually wanting to actively grow the organization here in the state, and they were bringing ambassadors on board to do so. So this isn't my full-time job, but it's something that's a passion point for me and just want to raise awareness and build membership across the state of Wisconsin.

Linda J Hansen: Well, that is really exciting. And I feel like there's probably several men who are listening that are wondering, a man in Moms for Liberty, and what kind of responses have you had when you've told people you are an ambassador for Moms for Liberty? 

Bill Brewer: Well, it depends who I'm talking to. Some people, some of the guys are like, you know, so you identify as a mom now and that sort of thing. And it's always in good jest. It's never been a bad thing. 

Most are just really supportive of it. They're surprised at first, but then they're very thankful. And usually the most common comment I get is we need more dads and granddads to step up. And so, most of the time the reaction in the end is a thank you. That's usually what it is. 

Linda J Hansen: Well, we have seen the demasculization of the American male and/or the feminization of the American male. but it's great to see men stand up. And I think, you know, we're recording this just a few days after the assassination attempt on President Trump. And one of the things that is unifying the nation is just the fact that he showed such strength.

You know, he just, like, right after being shot, he says, fight, fight, fight. He knows that we are in the fight of our life to save our nation, and he is showing strong leadership and that's really what's been missing in America, is strong leadership and strong leadership in families. And so, I really applaud you as a dad, as a community member, not only trying to lead in these issues, but then also trying to be involved as being an elected official.

And then, can you tell us a little more about the rest of your life, what you do and what you're, tell us about your family and more about how you came to this point in life where you wanted to be an ambassador for Moms for Liberty?

Bill Brewer: Yeah. It's interesting, my first role, when everybody asks me what do I do, it's Christian. I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, have been for a couple decades, actually over 30 years now. And it's interesting you talk about the family and leadership in that context. 

I was just reading this morning in 1 Peter 3 about husbands and wives and how there should be mutual submission and, you know, reflecting on how that really builds trust. But truly the man in that relationship has to take the lead. I feel like it's our mandate as men to earn our wives trust, to give her security, to help her to know that she's highly valued, that she's valued above me, and that I'm there for her first and foremost, you know, that aside from Christ, she's my number one, and I'm behind all that.

And when you give your wife that kind of security, your home becomes a happy home. It becomes a home full of joy, even in the difficult times. And when there's mutual trust flowing freely, that's based on Christ, you can't lose. You win. Even when life gets tough, you're in the right place and you're living with joy despite the circumstances. So, yeah. 

Linda J Hansen: And that is really a beautiful story about the family and people think about Christians and family, like we're so close-minded, whatever, but really not. It's really about serving one another. Serving one another as we serve Christ and building each other up, helping each other become, all that we were created to be, and in turn, really helping our children to be that, too. And that's what you're trying to do is make sure your children have the freedom to do that. What you do for employment?

Bill Brewer: Yeah. So my main job, I'm a, what's called a region product manager for a medical device manufacturer. My region is the US and Canada, so it's a pretty big region. It's not like, you know, a portion of a state. 

And what that means is I take a global product strategy and I make it meaningful for our region, our sales teams, and bring that to life for them and help them serve customers’ needs and also help make sure that the product is fulfilled in a timely fashion because hospitals and clinics depend on us to serve them, and to get them the equipment and the training and the service that they need so they can serve their patients. 

Linda J Hansen: Well, and I'm sure as someone who's in the business world, you see the effects of policy on the business that you work in and the industry. And I feel like there's so many things that could be said not just about the family policy, which we're talking about with Moms for Liberty, but that affects every bit. 

You talked about what's in the schools and things. It affects everything down the line. I always tell people, don't think like a politician, which is the next election. Think about things like a statesman, which is the next generation. 

So when you see the policies that have been coming through and affecting your business and your family, what would you say to employers who are wondering if they can speak up. If they should, you know, get engaged, if they should do something to help save this country, what would you tell them?

Bill Brewer: I would tell them just think courageously about what you really value. You know, it's one thing, and obviously every business is in business to make money. I mean, make a profit, either profit your shareholders or if you're a sole proprietorship or partnership, privately owned business, it's to, you know, build a nest egg for your family to support them today and also build a future for them, all those sorts of things.

But if you're sacrificing your values and what's truly important to you for that money, then what are you really gaining in the end? Because no matter what, I heard it said recently, when it's all said and done, everything you have today goes back in the box, you know, when you're done on this earth. So what's the point in putting the highest value on that? Still, it's valuable because you can do things with it, but it's a tool. It's a means to an end and not an end. 

And so I would say, find the courage to really run your business according to your values, and if you're a Christian, that means go to the Bible first, and seek God in prayer, and seek God in scripture, what does his word say. And follow that first, foremost, and always, and everything else will fall into place from there.

Linda J Hansen: Well, exactly. Everything will fall into place from there, and I have said often that I believe, what I do with Prosperity 101® and trying to help promote liberty and freedom throughout the land does keep the soil fertile for the gospel. 

As you think about the parable of the soil and the good seed and the rocky soil, we want to keep America free so that we can create wealth to bless others. We want to keep America free so we can share the gospel and people of all religions can be free to choose. We want them to have that freedom. 

With that though comes responsibility. And when we think about Moms for Liberty’s mission and what they're doing in terms of trying to help protect children from inappropriate material in school libraries and stuff, I want to make sure that everyone listening realizes Moms for Liberty isn't about banning books or censoring. It's about having age-appropriate things. I mean, you wouldn't give a five-year-old the keys to your car, right? And or have them drive an airplane or pilot an airplane, you would, help them grow into that ability. 

And you know, of course we would feel like some things are, are just inappropriate no matter what. But as adults, we have the opportunity to choose that. And that's one of the things about living in America, freedom of the press, freedom of speech.

However, it's up to us to protect that next generation so that they can grow to their fullest potential. And what would you say to parents, employers, community members who are concerned about the cultural shift we've seen in America? 

Bill Brewer: Yeah. You know, when you talk about books, that's a great example. And the misnomer that we ban books, right? People who ask these questions are banning books. 

What most people don't realize when they say that, or even when they hear that, is that there's a real process. So, the first thing I would say to citizens, companies, whomever, is to understand the policy in your local school district, right? If it's something along those lines because every district is slightly different. Every district gets their policies from somewhere, but then they reinterpret it. 

Most often, that process that we talk about, to stay in that example of the books, it's called reconsideration, which is literally a citizen approaching the school district, first, usually a principal in a building. And then the school board, ultimately, if you've got to keep going, to take a look at material and say, is this appropriate? You decide. 

So, they have a process that they go through to evaluate those books or whatever, and then they make the decision. So, if the decision is made to remove the book from the library altogether, who removed it? It wasn't the parent who placed the request, it was the school district that removed it. 

So, if you're going to yell at someone for banning books, go talk to your school district. Petition them for making that decision in the first place. But one of the things that I find really interesting, and we were talking before about complacency, you know, in my school district, we've got one policy for books and one for movies.

The one for movies says, basically, you've got to follow the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings. So in other words, I can't show a rated R movie in a classroom to a bunch of 14-year-olds. Because that's really intended for 17 with your guardian, right? So you have to follow that according to the movie policy.

But you back up one section to the book policy and there's nothing like that. There's no consideration for that and essentially it's kind of wide open. And so when you employ the reconsideration process, if there are elements within your district, whether they work for the district as either administration or school board members or their teachers, or maybe there are parents that are like, oh, you can't do that.

I'm just following the policy that lays out this process. And if they say we're not going to do anything, that is their choice. And now I have a choice as a citizen to choose whether or not I want to continue to elect officials who hire those types of people. That's how the process is supposed to work.

And that way we get rid of all the rhetoric. But unfortunately, way too many people would rather reside in emotion and feeling and not look at the facts and not engage the process and do so objectively and even entertain that, hey, guess what? I might be wrong. That's usually at the heart of it. And so, when someone does engage the process, they get really upset about those sort of things rather than just taking responsibility as a citizen to do what we're all called to do, which is if we have a question with the way we're being governed or the way things are presented with our tax dollars, then we have a right to ask what's going on. 

Linda J Hansen: Exactly. And I want to encourage everyone out there, too, to really find out what is being, shown to children in schools now. You would be surprised, especially if you don't have kids in school now. This is not your mama's school district anymore. You know, this is not the library you grew up in. 

And so you need to take a look because many of the things that are in children's books are very pornographic. They're very inappropriate. And I'm sure you would not read them to your children. In fact, we've seen examples of parents and even students reading books in school board meetings to expose what is happening. And they might be get shut off or the school board members walk away because it's inappropriate. Or they say, you can't do that here. Well, why would we teach that to a five-year-old then? 

So, parents and taxpayers, I'm not just speaking to parents here. I'm saying, if you live in a community, you are a taxpayer and your money is paying for everything at that school, so find out and hold your elected officials accountable. Don't be afraid to speak up.

You know, you see these stories about, you know, parents and school boards getting in trouble with the law or whatever because they're speaking up. Well, you know what? Courage is contagious and we will win. We will win because truth is on the side of right. And we know that we just need to be faithful to the call.

And so I want to challenge everyone who's listening, if you are a parent, a taxpayer, a grandparent, it doesn't matter. And especially if you're an employer, please think about what you can do to reach people and help them understand about the policies that we need to support and uphold to keep our country free and ask yourself and ask God what it is that you can do. We don't expect you to do everything, but everybody can do one thing. 

So, what would you say in closing to anyone who's a little afraid to engage? 

Bill Brewer: Yeah. We were talking before about being a pilot and I'm an Air Force pilot or former Air Force pilot. And we learned something early on in flight school phrase, complacency kills, right? And it's really important that we not be complacent. 

I was just out knocking doors just over the weekend for president Trump as well. Even before, it was just before the assassination attempt. And I met up with several people who we had great conversations. We're aligned in almost every issue, but in some cases, at least, when you say, hey, would you like a sign, just a yard sign? Something that's small, but it indicates where you're standing. Some people shrink back from that. 

And I think actually the majority of people who are well meaning, often conservative, family-oriented, good neighbors, all those types of people, responsible, they don't want to stick their neck out because they don't want to make waves. Well, there's nothing really wrong with stating your position.

We should be able to do that. We live in the freest country on the planet. We should be able to do that with freedom and not be scared of the repercussions. And what that does is when you begin to adopt that kind of an attitude, it pervades across your, kind of your entire stream of action, and then you can get complacent.

In the cockpit, they say complacency kills because if you're not really looking at your instruments and kind of going around on a continual basis until you've landed, you could find yourself in a really bad trouble. The least of which way off course, worst case, may be in a position where you may have an actual accident.

It's the same thing in life. We have to continually cross track, continually recalibrate ourselves. Make sure that we're oriented and moving in the right direction. That's what God does in our lives if we'll let him, if we submit to him, he'll go ahead and reorient us on a continual basis. We won't get complacent.

And we'll be willing to step out when He says, hey, it's time for you to be courageous in this moment, and this is how I'd like you to do it. We'll hear Him. We'll know His voice and we'll follow through. 

So that's, that's the advice I would give is just remember that complacency kills. So don't get complacent in your walk with Christ or in your family life or really anywhere else in your life.

Linda J Hansen: Yeah, that's perfect. Complacency kills and in our walk with Christ in our family, and in stepping up for the values that made this nation great. You know, a strong America makes for a stronger world, and we start with ourselves. 

And so we need to be brave and courageous, and stand up for each everything that we believe in and want to hold on to for America. Well, thank you, Bill Brewer. We appreciate you taking time for this. If people would want to reach out to you, what's the best way for them to do so? 

Bill Brewer: Yeah, the easiest way to find me is bill@momsforliberty.org. That's the email address for me as an ambassador. And you can find out more about Moms for Liberty at at momsforliberty.org 

There's plenty of resources out there about the organization. It's a great organization to be a part of. It's free to become a member. You can get plugged in to a local chapter in your county if they exist. And if they don't, hey, maybe God's calling you to start one. It only takes you and four more people to do it, so give us a shout. Let us know. 

Linda J Hansen: Well, that is great. Well, as you can see, you don't have to be a mom to be part of Moms for Liberty.

Bill Brewer: No, you don’t.

Linda J Hansen: And all of us need to find the way that we can help protect our own liberty here in America and for people around the world. So thank you again, Bill. It's been a pleasure to interview. 

Bill Brewer: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. 

Linda J Hansen: My pleasure.

Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity 101® podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a great review. Don't forget to visit Prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book, Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, or to enroll you or your employees in the Breakroom Economics online course.

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