Election Summary
(source)
Kidologist.com: Karl Bastian’s Personal Site and Blog
Archive for Politics
Thoughts on the Election of 2008
First of all, congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama.
I won’t even pretend to imagine the significance and impact of Obama’s election to my African American friends and all those who never thought they’d see the election of an African American to the highest political office in world. It is a great testimony to the progress of America and especially to the color blindness of young Americans who, if they do consider race, lean more toward supporting minorities than fearing or resisting the progress of fellow Americans who are different than they are. I sincerely am happy for our nation in the sense that the election of Barack Obama proves that indeed any one can become President of the United States no matter their race or background, and that, in and of itself, is a good thing - and I am proud to live in a country where the People choose their leader and the transfer of power, even in a fiercely fought election, is peaceful. America continues to be the grandest experiment in human history.
Indeed, Obama was unstopable in this election. While I never gave up hope, and did my little part to support Senator McCain, I felt in my gut that Obama’s election was inevitable. His combination of his political skill, the nations appetite for “change” and the fear brought on by the financial crisis came together to bring about not only a historic election because of his race, but an incredible rise to power of a very unknown man whose many weakness were largely considered irrelvant by a nation blinded by a message they wanted to hear. The reasons Obama won are varied. On one hand, I think race was a huge factor. For a some what positive reason: America was eager to ease its collective conscience by electing a black president. On the negative side, Obama out-spent McCain and that was possible in large part due to him breaking his promise to accept public funds, but I’m not sure that really made the difference. There are many reasons and explanations, but I think at the end Obama won for ONE REASON: His Message of Change. That message was more important than the facts. The concept of “Change” was more important than even the details of what kind of change he would bring. Our nation wanted change at any cost. No one knows what they cost will be, or whether it will be a welcome cost or not.
For all the things that concern me about Obama, what he did best was set himself up as the American Hero - the Right Man at the Right Time. He was eloquent. His sweeping themes and wonderful sounding generalities were music to American ears. Unfortunately, he was never specific, but ironically, even when he was, no one cared. When he slipped and alluded to “spreading the wealth” people didn’t care. When he admitted he wants energy costs to “skyrocket” people didn’t care. When his associations and mentors were shown to be radical and even anti-American, people didn’t care. They liked the Message of Change without little consideration of what that “change” would be. It’s actually quite puzzling or impressive depending on how you look at it.
What I like about Barack Obama is his claim to be open to new ideas and to working with both parties to find solutions. I will pray it is true. I live in his home state of Illinois which is riddled with coruption. Our last goverenor is in jail, and our current one appears to be headed toward being in the next cell over. Obama has never even spoken against Illinois coruption, let alone done anything about it. He has never gone “across the aisle” to accomplish anything, and voted “present” often when a bill was contraversial. He has no executive experience, and now has the highest executive office in the country. It’s really rather amazing. I have to admit, as a campaign “executive”, he got it done. But I do hope that he has painted himself into a corner where he has to live up to the retoric and perhaps he actually will do some of the things he has so eloquently promised. If he does, he’ll earn my respect as a leader. Right now, my respect is limited to what he accomplished for his race and his party. As President, there is much more to accomplish.
One of the things that concerns me about Obama is that no one seems to know this guy. Even Democratic political pundits are now saying they have no idea how he will lead. Will he lead as the most liberal President ever? (He was the most liberal senator.) Will he lead center-left since he has a democratic majority who will want to finally push its agenda. Or will he lead center-right, which is how he campaigned stealing many Repiblican themes - many of which he and his party were against before he was a presidential candidate. I find it amazing that even those who supported him, don’t know how he will lead. Yet they voted for him. Even Obama, in his own book, described himself as a “blank page” upon which people can write whatever they want to believe about him. You got to hand it to him, he is a master of being, not whatever he thinks people want to be, but being vague enough that you can think of him being whatever YOU want. Only time will tell what he actually does. You can’t vote “present” when you are President. He will have to take some stands.
Another thing I do like about him, is that he does seem to move slowly. Hopefully very slowly. But he has really painted himself as a centralist while his opponents have created a lot of fear around him. (and I think the fear is fair) I already think he is smart, if he is wise he will realize that his opponents are eager for some “I told you so” moments, and the best thing he can do for long term success is rob them of those moments, and live up to his retoric and promises to work together, to lower taxes, to reduce energy dependance, to win the war in Iraq, etc. If he does that, it will be good for America. If those were campaign talk and he leads as he used to vote (or not vote) and as his Democratic party used to vote, it will hurt our country.
Obama revealed a lot about America. His election shows just how badly our country wants change - and a lot of that desired change is change away from Christian ideals. How are we going to deal with that? In a godly way? I think this election, and how we deal with defeat, will tell a lot about us to a watching world.
Let’s be godly in how we handle the fears that Obama stirs up in Christians. Let’s be honest, when we’ve had Presidents we liked, it has never helped the cause of Christ as much as we hoped or thought it would. Lives are only changed when they encounter Jesus Christ, and that can happen in any country, in any political climate, and under any President. Amen?
SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN?
A lot of people “believe” in Obama… or believe in the “Change” he promises to bring. My biggest concern with Obama is not his belief babies born alive in a failed abortion should be killed or left to die. (and he does, don’t buy the rewriting of history going on). It isn’t his economic philosophies, though they are scary. It isn’t his anti-American statements and associations. (I think being President will cure him of his anti-American setiments.) It isn’t higher taxes, even though they are coming. (I won’t enjoy saying ‘I told you so’ but its inevitable now.)
My greatest concern is actually a secret hope. The concern is that too many people are looking to government to solve their personal issues so they will give too much power and control to the government that in turn will end up choking our economy and undermining our freedom even as it sincerely tries to help Americans. In the end, Democratic policies tend to hurt the very ones they are seeking to help by creating dependency, stiffling freedom, frustrating entrepreneurial spirit, burdening small business, and growing bureaucracy and with it taxes.
Why is this concern also a secret hope? Because I hope that more and more people (Christians included) will finally realize that our hope can’t be in government, it must be in God. Government can’t create the security it so often promises, God can. Govenment can’t create opportunity, God can. Govenment can’t solve the problems that ail our world, God can. Government can’t meet our needs, God can. Government can’t provide our financial needs, God can. Government can’t give us purpose, God can. Government can’t give us Hope, but God can.
And finally, no government or president can bring Real Change, or “Change you can Believe in” but God can.
While I still believe that Christians MUST stay engaged and ought to be the voice of Truth, morality and for the unborn, our energies most be primarily engaged in building the Kingdom, not our nation. Christians ought to vote - and I know many did. Now we must vote with our feet by going where God calls us to go. Vote with are hands by helping our neighbors. Vote with our mouths by sharing the Gospel. Vote with our wallets by financially supporting our church, missionaries and any ministry we can that is helping to reach the lost or further the Cause of Christ.
Best case scenario - Obama surprises those of us who opposed him, and things get better and the resulting econompic growth will help churches and the Great Commission.
Worst case scenario - things get worse, but as a result more people turn to God. After all, the Church has always grown more during times of distress and persecution.
Anything in the middle - keep your main focus on your walk with God, your family, being a light for Truth in our world, and praying for our nation.
Obama will soon be walking into the White House. As Christians we will need to stay engaged to seek to protect our freedom and help keep America a place where God is honored and glorified and where “In God we Trust” still rings true.
But more important is who sits in the ‘Oval Office’ our our heart and our homes.
Does OUR LIFE reflect, “In God We Trust?” Does our life honor God, honor life, and reflect the Truth we claim to believe in?
Let’s pray for our nation and pray for President Obama. He certainly needs it.
May God Bless America… but may we bless God in how we live for Him.
Have a Beer, on Me!
(I figured that title would grab the attention of my readers!) You have got to read this parable that clearly explains the US tax code, and what Obama is planning to do with his “tax cut for 95% of Americans,” 40% of which do not pay any income tax.
But first, the story:
A brilliant explanation of our tax system using actual percentages, the impact of a tax cut, and the public reaction that everyone should be able to understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.So, that’s what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. ‘Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share’?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so -
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar,
too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!’‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’
‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of GeorgiaFor those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not, or will not understand, no explanation is possible.
(only read on if you promise to engage your mind, not your emotions, please.)
I am amazed at how many people are for Obama IF they understand his position on taxes and what he will do to our economy with a most-likely liberal Congress and House. It will be the first time in over 40 years that the White House and Congress/House will be controlled by the same party, and the anti-business / pro-high taxes / bigger government party. His rhetoric not only doesn’t match his record (never once voting for a tax cut and 94 times for a tax increase or against a tax cut) but his math doesn’t add up, or results in socialism. Again, for those willing to look beyond the eloquent rhetoric and look at the man’s real record, writing and the philosophies of those who he names as his influences and mentors in his extremely short political carreer.
FACTS:
- Obama will effectively raise taxes on all Americans (except those not paying any) when he allows the Bush tax cuts to expire. He can say he didn’t raise taxes, but that’s like a fireman refusing to turn on the hose saying he didn’t burn the house down. Obama can raise taxes by doing nothing.
- 40% of Americans pay no income tax. A “tax credit” to them is a hand out or welfare check, essentially buying future voters, as to reverse that would be nearly politically impossible.
- The bottom 50% of Americans pay only 2.9% of the federal tax burden. The top 10% pay 70% of the tax burden. We already have redistribution of wealth - more will only hurt our economy more.
- The government does not create jobs. (Other than federal employees, but the tax payers pay 100% of all their salaries, benefits and retirement.) “Evil” businesses and corporations create jobs. The more the government takes from companies, the less jobs they can create and the government takes in less money, and then they take more, and the downward spiral is devastating to the economy. Companies exist to make more money and every dime they get to keep is spent growing the company which results in new jobs and… more income for the government as a result.
- Every single time taxes are lowered, economic growth results. The Bush tax cuts brought in unprecedented income to the federal government. Record cash into the government cophers!
- The deficit was not created by the Bush tax cuts, it was created by Republicans and Demoncrats spending MORE than taxes brought it.
- Bush’s greatest failure was not the tax cuts, it was his inability (or willingness) to curb spending. Out of control federal spending on shaky credit created our current government fiscal crisis. Lower taxes actually brings in more money to the government. Democrats do not raise taxes so much as to get more income, but as a means of control and vote collection.
- Raising taxes is the WORST POSSIBLE THING for our nation and economy. The BEST THING IS NO NEW TAXES and CONTROLLING SPENDING. I only hear one candidate and VP talking about less taxes and less spending.
There is a lot to like about Obama - but his economic plans for our country are disasterous. Imagine if you ran your home the way Obama wants to run the country. The government can try to “bail out” others, but who bails out or “rescues” the governemnt when it goes awry? YOU. The taxpayer.
You now work from January into July just for all the taxes you pay, income tax, state taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and taxes included in the products you buy and services you use. And Obama wants you to pay even more. Your “fair share.”
Anyone who votes for him can’t complain later when the tax man comes and the economy suffers - your vote is surrendering your wallet to more government control and more of your hard earned money going into the sink hole of the US government.
A vote for McCain/Palin isn’t the solution to everything - but it is the best way to hold the greed of the federal government and keep more taxes at bay for at least four more years.
Please vote, and vote Republican.
Sincerely, your fellow tax paying American.
(Click image to see full size)
Catholic for a Day
While I am not Catholic - I have great respect for so much that the Catholic Church has done and stood for. While theologically my saving faith is in the person of Jesus and not the Church, when it comes to what is at stake in this political season, I find the following video from CatholicVote.com to be right on:
I am tired of hearing Christians say they aren’t going to vote for one reason or another. ANY REASON NOT TO VOTE IS A LAME REASON. Hey, I’m in Illinois, voting Republican is a “waste” of my vote, but I vote because I am an American and many have died to give me that freedom.
Be American and VOTE. I don’t even mind if you vote for the man I think is the worst possible leader for our nation. I will still applaud you for voting. We are both Americans after all.
Post Turtle
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who’s hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our president.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Obama is a ‘Post Turtle’”.
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was.
The old rancher said, “When your driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a ‘post turtle”.
The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain. “You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, and he doesn’t know what to do while he’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put him up there to begin with”.
Apologies to my friends who like Obama and plan to vote for him. I like Obama, honestly, and what he represents in progress in our nation. But we are not electing a symbol, we are electing a leader. It should be blatantly obvious that Obama is now saying whatever will get him elected. I don’t pay as much attention to what candidates say during an election as I do what they have done in the past (if they actually voted) and what they said before they knew they’d be running for president. The only “change” I see in Obama is how much his message and policies changed once he knew he was running for president. I’m not a huge fan of John McCain, but they man has been saying and doing the same thing for decades. What you see is what you get - a man dedicated to working hard for our nation, even when it wasn’t popular from either side. That’s leadership you can trust after the campaign is over.
Remembering Tony Snow
I know I am late, but I wanted to post this testimony from Tony Snow for my own keep-sake. Tony was a powerfully articulate speaker (my favorite Rush Limbaugh substitute) who was appreciated and admired by friends and foes alike. I learned so much from him about how our country works. He made me proud to be an American and understood the issues of today better than most and supported his positions with facts and logic instead of just angry emotion like so many of his opponents. And he was always upbeat and positive and respectful. Below is his testimony as he was dying of cancer. (FYI: the same cancer that took my mom at the same age: 53. Way too soon for both of them.)
Tony Snow’s last televised briefing. Photo by Getty Images
This is an outstanding testimony from Tony Snow, President Bush’s former Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster, Tony Snow, announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April, 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, - leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but later resigned, ‘for economic reasons,’ and to pursue ‘ other interests.’
Tony Snow’s Testimony
(prior to his death July 12, 2008)
‘Blessings arrive in unexpected packages - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God’s will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence ‘What It All Means,’ Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations. The first is that we shouldn’t spend too much time trying to answer the ‘why’ questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can’t someone else get sick? We can’t answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don’t know why I have cancer, and I don’t much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out. But despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don’t know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere. To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life, - and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts – an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly and exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease, - smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance; and comprehension - and yet don’t. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
‘You Have Been Called’. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. ‘It’s cancer,’ the healer announces. The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. ‘Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.’ But another voice whispers: ‘You have been called.’ Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter, - and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our ‘normal time.’ There’s another kind of response, although usually short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There’s nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do. Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God’s love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples’ worries and fears.
‘Learning How to Live’. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God’s arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love. I sat by my best friend’s bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was a humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. ‘I’m going to try to beat [this cancer],’ he told me several months before he died. ‘But if I don’t, I’ll see you on the other side. ‘His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend,  and that one can in the  throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms. Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don’t matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?
When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us! This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don’t know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter  how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God’s hand.’
T. Snow
Newt on How To Lower Gas Prices
Finally someone talking sense about the rising gas prices. What you hear on the news is so distorted it borders on lies. I’ll resist the urge to rant on the real reasons for why gas prices are going up so high.
Watch this video, Newt’s got a smart plan that actually makes sense:
There is a follow up one here:
He mentions over 25,000 signers, it is now over 1.2 million. Americans are tired of the backwards thinking that is control
A Political Post Everyone Will Enjoy
OK, as a peace offering to all my friends (and Canadians) who don’t share all my conservative Republican views, here is a tribute I think we can all agree with!
GOD BLESS AMERICA… ALL OF US! (even the weirdos) HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
Thanks to Tannerman on Twitter for the link!
Why Are Christians Afraid of Politics?
Why are Christians afraid of politics? Getting Christians to discuss politics is harder than getting non-Christians to discuss Religion. I know the old saying, “Don’t discuss politics and religion,” but that saying comes out of the fear that we shouldn’t talk about things of which we might disagree.
But Christians, of all people, are the very ones who OUGHT to MODEL talking about what we disagree about. I mean, don’t we celebrate how well different denominations can get along and often work together even though they have very sharp differences when it comes to theology?
So why can’t we discuss politics nicely? Every time I do a post about politics I get e-mails about them - and very few comments on the post. No one ever e-mails me in response to my blog posts (except a few relatives that don’t know how to do the comments - I love you guys, and its ok!) But when it comes to politics, I get e-mails. And I don’t mean all the e-mails are negative, most aren’t - but I find it interesting that they are sent privately via e-mail instead of posted live on the blog. If Christians stay silent, we surrender our voice!
I wish more Christians would be willing to talk about politics. And disagreeing is ok. If you didn’t like my last post, and want to vote for Obama - it’s really OK with me - that what makes America AMERICA. But the best thing FOR America is to talk about why we like or dislike the policies of those who make the decisions that effect our nation. Notice, it is the policies that concern me, not the people. I’d have lunch with Bill Clinton or Obama and probably enjoy it! But I’d also enjoy talking with them about their ideas for what is best for America. I’d hope to change their minds, but I’d also learn a few things too I’m sure.
Then there is the old attitude that the Hope of America isn’t Politics, it’s Jesus. Absolutely. Amen! But we do have to live here. And while I’m all for giving unto Caesar what is Caesar’s - it’s not bad to want Caesar to ask for less and regulate less and take over less of what the people can do better than bureaucracy.
Anyway - just wanted to ask a favor of my readers. You don’t have to agree with me. But don’t email me your comments, post them with your name and stand up for what you believe.
I’m not excited about John McCain. But as an American, I take seriously my role of learning about the candidates and making my vote count, as little good as a Republican vote does in Illinois, especially being Obama’s home town! But that is what America is - and it is the SUM of every American doing their small part that makes the grand experiment of Democracy work. Everyone must do their part responsibly, or they really can’t complain. I’m very very concerned with what the voting record of Obama reflects that he would do as President despite what all the wonderful speeches say and with his lack of understanding on how the economy truly works. I’m sure he is a nice guy and I’m proud that America has finally nominated an African American as a Presidencial candidtate - that we can be proud of.
But we vote for ideas and policies and philosophy - none of which seem to make the news or even campaign ads. Do your homework and VOTE.
And don’t be afraid to be part of the arena of ideas… that is what made our nation great! This is a critical election that will have a LONG LASTING IMPACT ON OUR NATION… I ought to have lots of comments on this post….
if you dare. (but be nice, I’ll approve disagreeing comments, but I don’t have to put mean ones live, its still my blog after all.)
Comment away…. it’s your country too.
