November 2, 2008

In our choices for this nation which we face shortly, the choice of president naturally comes to the forefront of our minds, even though we also have many other offices to elect persons to, and many of us have amendments or referenda on which to vote as well.

In electing a person to office, we have a chance to indirectly elect responses to the issues that confront our nation at this time. We should take special care when we choose a person to lead us, to make sure that they will not respond poorly to these issues, and lead us to a place that is harmful.

The job of a leader is a difficult one, because even the best intentions and the best plans can still lead to disaster. I therefore propose to look closely at where the main candidates for the presidency have proposed to lead us, and at how well they have managed to lead us in those directions in the past.

Senator Obama's foreign policy is so far quite unnerving. He has changed his policy several times, because when stated, people hear it and find it crazy, possibly even dangerous. He told us that Iran, simply because it was small, was not a threat. The senator asked us to believe that because the nation is small and because its leaders misrun it, that Iran's equipping of terrorists to kill innocents in Iraq, Iran's desire to achieve nuclear weapons, and the repeatedly proclaimed desires of Iran's so-called president to destroy Israel, can all be safely ignored.

Governor Palin, the running mate of Senator McCain, has demonstrated a more consistent and comprehensive knowledge of foreign relations than has Sen. Obama. Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain understand that in today's world, we can't assume that we're safe and we'll always be safe. They are prepared to walk in tried, true, and honorable American traditions of treating our friends as friends, and our enemies as enemies, sternly rebuking them and giving battle as necessary, while inviting them to change their ways and join the civilized world.

Meanwhile Senator Obama has dismissed the courageous efforts of the Iraqi people and of the coalition forces in Iraq when he suggested in a July 24, 2007 debate (I'm referencing the second bullet point at http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/blackwell.asp) that Iraq would collapse and Syria and Iran would have to be the ones to put it together. First of all, I think that for reasons of honor, practicality, and necessity, the heroic efforts to create a free and peaceful Iraq, in the face of the death of loved ones, should not be dismissed in a few words as doomed to failure. Secondly, the people of Lebanon could tell us that Syria is not the sort of nation that can be trusted with power. Thirdly, Iran, which lacks true freedom and true elections, which has been funding the murder of Iraqi men, women, and children, is a nation which under no conditions should be allowed to perpetuate its agenda of hatred upon Iraq from a position of dominance.

In contrast, Sen. McCain has recognized for years that the Iraqi people were capable of standing on their own two feet, and that our soldiers were capable of defeating the enemy. He advocating sending more troops to overwhelm the enemies and give the people of Iraq an even better chance of breathing freely. That strategy has worked. The people of Iraq were encouraged to see that we were not ready to give up, and they helped to root out of Anbar those who would murder their children, many of whom were funded by Iran. The evidence supports Sen. McCain.

But what am I doing talking about terrorists who would like to murder us in our beds? Don't I know that our economy is sliding into a morass thanks to the evils of the Bush tax plan?

The economic downturn is bad. I've lost money, though not nearly so much as some people have lost. I'm coming to learn that being hit in the pocketbook can cause real wounds. But I'm not prepared to say that we are all victims, and that we can't come through this night without the aid of the government.

I don't believe that we are babies that need to be carried. I don't believe that any one person or any group of agencies, no matter how smart, has the ability to fix everything exactly as needed. There simply will never be enough smart people, and they won't be able to be everywhere at once. If we don't have enough money, we ought to start borrowing less and working more, and if we feel compassion for those around us who can't do those things, then perhaps we ought to take the initiative to help them ourselves, rather than waiting for the government to mail them a check.

Besides which, is the president really to blame for the bad economy? Have we forgotten already that it was a Republican president and Congress that gave us a much-needed dose of middle-class tax relief? Have we forgotten the tax rebate checks that we received?

Have we forgotten that Sen. Obama has historically raised taxes while in the Illinois Senate and U. S. Senate?

To me, one of the saddest parts of this campaign is seeing Sen. Obama, who has repeatedly professed his desire to change Washington, is in reality part of politics as usual. He's protecting big contributors instead of cleaning up their corruption. The contributors I refer to are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Despite Congress' discovery of book-cooking in those organizations about a decade ago, the political contributions of those entities allowed them to lend with even fewer controls.

Believe me, it's nice to be able to give a poor person a house. But is it really so nice to give them a house they can't afford, and then foreclose on them, or give them a bad credit rating and a bad reputation?

Maybe we should help people get their own houses through their own efforts, through communities coming together in charities such as Habitat for Humanity. In that organization, the future homeowner helps build their house along with many volunteers. The people helped by that organization are not treated like victims or idiots, who can't get a home unless the government gives it to them. They are treated as valuable people who can improve the community.

Senator McCain is for real change in Washington. He wanted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be regulated. He has fought to end the earmarking system, which leads to egregious pork. Gov. Palin is also someone who fought for change, taking on corruption in her own party and in her own state, and going on to win.

Senator McCain doesn't promise what he can't perform. We can't pretend that any president, of a nation or a company, can simply speak words and make money pour in. Presidents and the rest of us have to do work in order to make money. Senator McCain doesn't promise us that the government will care for all of us, and fix the problems of everyone, because it can't. He does understand that the economy will only get worse if we take away money from it.

It's clear from those issues alone, not to mention many others, that we need good leaders in all branches of our government. We need to make sure that we pick the best ones that we can for president, for senators, and for representatives, both nationally and locally.

Whether or not you agree with anything that has been or will be written on this page, I encourage you to vote. The issues are important, and they will impact you and those who will come after you. Many before us and many right now are sacrificing much so that we can vote, and many in our world long for the ability to vote, but are blocked by evil leaders. Let us use well the opportunity that we have been given.