Who To Vote For

The primaries are behind us, and the 2010 mid-term elections are only weeks away. In most instances, you will have the choice to vote for a Republican or a Democrat. In some instances, there will be an Independent, a Libertarian, or perhaps some other obscure party represented. It will be great if there is a candidate on the ballot whose beliefs and platform meld perfectly with your plan for America and your social and spiritual beliefs. Of course, that candidate needs to be just about perfect so that no one will be able to sling any "mud" his or her way. However, that will not be the case.

No one is perfect. Everyone has made mistakes. Not only are your fingerprints unique to you, so is your vision of the perfect candidate. You will not find a candidate with whom you agree on every issue. Instead, you must determine the key issues that are the most important to you, rate them in importance, and then find the candidate who will best represent you. Here are my "platform" issues, ranked in importance to me. Hopefully you will agree with some. I am sure you will have others. What is number one on my list may be number ten on yours. That is OK.

Uphold the Constitution as written by our founding fathers and interpreted in their writings
Limit Federal Government as demanded and outlined in the Constitution/Return power to the States
Promote Free-Market Capitalism
Fiscal Responsibility/Reduce Spending
Reduce Taxes/Abolish the IRS/Implement the Fair Tax
Reduce Federal Regulation/Abolish most Cabinet Level Departments (move them back to the states)
Maintain a strong National Defense/Reduce foreign deployments
Protect our Borders/Enforce current Immigration Law

Although I am a Christian, you will notice that I do not mention any moral issues or abortion. You will also notice that I do not mention roads, energy, national parks or farm subsidies. Once power is returned to the individual states and our laws are brought back into compliance with the Constitution, each state will be able to pass the laws its residents desire. If you want to smoke dope and marry your "partner", move to California. If you want to live in a dry county in the Bible Belt, move to Alabama. If you want mandatory recycling, move to Vermont. I believe in a United States where the states compete for residents by passing laws and providing the services that its citizens want and are willing to pay for. Mississippi's schools may not be as good as Florida's, but they are not now. If the citizens of Mississippi want better schools, they can vote to raise taxes, reduce spending elsewhere, or get more involved in the process. It is not Oregon's or Ohio's responsibility to improve the schools in Mississippi. The states should be able to compete for business and for their population. It is not the Federal Government's job to "level the playing field" or to redistribute the wealth of America among the states (as has been the case for the last 100 years) or among their people (as has been the case since FDR.) If the citizens of Connecticut want to give free health-care and early retirement to its citizens, then they can expect an influx of immigrants (both foreign and domestic.)

I believe in personal responsibility. Then community responsibility. Then State responsibility. And lastly, Federal responsibility. Luckily, the Constitution clearly outlines what the Federal Government's responsibility is to its citizens. Read it, and then vote for the candidates who most closely represent your views and beliefs.

2010 Mid-Term Elections

Have you ever read the United States Constitution? It is really a pretty simple document, especially the Articles and Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments.) The website U.S. Constitution is a great site in that it provides links to notes within the body of the document, and highlights changes (amendments) made to the text you are reading. Every American citizen, and those wanting to gain citizenship, should not only read, but also study, the U.S. Constitution, for it is the guiding light that has illuminated our country's path to greatness.

Our country is at a crossroads. The current administration (and to a lesser extent many administrations since the 1900s) have decided that more government and fewer individual liberties and less personal responsibility is the way of the future. The Obama administration has told us in both word and deed that it wants to FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE AMERICA. They are disregarding our Constitution. They are taking more and more power away from individuals and the states and usurping it for themselves. Not only has the Executive Branch overstepped the bounds of its authority as delegated in the Constitution, Congress has completely failed in its job of limiting Executive power by controlling the purse strings. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have completely abandoned their role as the protectors of the Constitution and the citizens!

The 2010 mid-term elections will be a referendum on the spirit of the American People. If only 30% to 40% of our voters turn out, then most likely the incumbents will stay in power, Obama will get his way, and our country as we know it will no longer exist. We will lose our ability to have individual liberty and to take personal responsibility for our families and our lives. However, if a large majority turns out and votes, then chances are there will be a major turnover in Congress, and even those remaining will understand that Americans are not going to stand idly by and watch the fundamentals of government change from being based on the Constitution to being based on a progressive/socialist agenda.

Limited Government. Fiscal Responsibility. Free-Market Capitalism. These are what made America great! This is what our Congress must work for as it upholds our Constitution.

May God Bless America.