All - from Jason Larrabee, aide for Congressman Doolittle,
12/8/06

Today is my last day formal working on Capitol Hill for Congressman John T. Doolittle.  Almost six years ago I left the life of a farmer and traveled to Washington, D.C., completely unaware of the challenges I would face, and began the most incredible and memorable experience of my life.  All those experiences have brought to today.

First, I owe a debt a gratitude to Former Congressman Doug Ose (R-Citrus Heights), who took a huge risk on a farm kid with very little political knowledge, and gave me a my first legislative job.  I'll never forget my first talk with Doug after he hired me when he said "...Jason, you know the district, you know the issues, you know the people.  If you teach me what you know, I'll teach you Washington."  And with that, we were off.

Second, I owe an even larger debt of gratitude to Congressman John Doolittle (R-Roseville) who's employed me for four years now and has been nothing short of one of the finest men I know.  The last two years have been especially trying considering the unrelenting attack and down right liable nature of the media against Mr. Doolittle.  For those of you who don't know him, I ask you get to know the man as I have and I know you will see he's not the villain they make him out to be.  Thankfully, the voters of the 4^th district have greater wisdom than the Sacramento Bee and I know he will be a great member for years to come. 

D.C. is a place I will never forget.  Whether it was attending a 4^th of July celebration on the White House lawn, watching the Pentagon burn from our office balcony on 9/11, being on the House floor during final passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, being thrown into a large omnibus appropriations debate after only working for Congressman Doolittle for a few weeks, meeting my future wife, Jill, visiting Ronald Reagan's casket as he lie in state under the Capitol dome, traveling to foreign countries and meeting high ranking dignitaries, or watching your hard work turn to mush because a senior members simply doesn't agree, the experience has truly been a once in a life time event. 

Looking back, what I will cherish most is helping the region and state I grew up in and lived all my life, receive better attention from the federal government and seeing their problems resolved.  It truly was the little things that made the constituents back home appreciate the job we did, not the press conferences or bill signing ceremonies. 

I have no regrets and encourage anyone who has ever thought of working on Capitol Hill to jump head first into the endeavor.  I highly doubt you'll be disappointed and may even find your true calling in life.  I even found my soul mate here and she turned out to be from California.  It only took us both to travel 2,500 miles from home to find that happier place in both our lives.

I leave D.C. with new friends and no regrets.  I look forward to spending more time with my family and friends from California, and enjoying a slower pace of life.  I will be joining my family farming operation in Butte City and staying active in the community.  If you need to reach me, you can do so with the following information:

Jason Larrabee

For those of you who will continue to work with Congressman Doolittle, Evan Goitein will be taking over my job as Legislative Director.  He's cc'd to this email and would welcome hearing from all of you (although probably not all at the same time)  My House email account will work until December 19^th and then will fade away into history as one of the many House staff before me.

It has been a real pleasure to work with all of you and I hope our paths cross again!  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Warmest Regards, Jason