The Vision I Seek. As the Republican field
for the 2016 presidential nomination grows and the rumble of a Hillary
Alternative continues to fester, I am going to take a different approach
towards an early endorsement (hah!...FWIW)
in the race. Instead of putting forth a
candidate of choice, I am going to put forth what I want to hear from that
candidate.
As
I have written many times, I believe Barrack Obama is the worst president to
have served in my lifetime. But many of
the problems that exist in our country and our government did not begin with
him; he just made them a whole lot worse.
The great tragedy with Obama is, and always has been, a matter of lost
opportunity. Government policy and
regulation is not a rifle; it is a shotgun.
By the time legislation goes through the messy business of passage, then
the messier business of regulation promulgation, and then the even messier
business of actual implementation…well, it does not always come out as it was
intended. So I am not going to advocate
for specific law or policy. I want to
talk a bit about the principles I would like for this country, and its
President, to adhere to.
Fiscal Responsibility: There is absolutely no doubt that the amount
of waste and redundancy in our government is massive; beyond any question
massive. But to talk about how much you
can save by “eliminating waste in government” is an overused and empty
pledge. People are tired of hearing it
spoken and want to see it demonstrated.
It can be done, but it must start with one program, one agency, one
department at a time and then begin to spread incrementally until it is an
accepted practice in government. We HAVE
to get this behemoth of a government under control or it will sabotage the
future of our children and all those who come after them. I can accept the judicious use of deficit
spending; there is a time and a place for it.
But I have seen Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich govern in a bipartisan
fashion and with the benefit of the Reagan Recovery, this country had a balanced
budget for a short time. With the
application of a government that provides both incentives for economic growth
and opportunity for all citizens, our economy can astound people and recover in
dramatic fashion. And when that happens,
we need to refrain from spending the windfall that is realized. We need to do what all normal people do when
that happens to them; we need to start paying down our debt.
Entitlement Reform:
The entitlement programs in our nation, in their current states, are not
sustainable. They will eventually break
our country; both fiscally and socially.
There is a large area of agreement between the two parties and
professionals about how we can reform Social Security to shore it up. Let’s get it done. My children tell me they have no expectation
of ever drawing Social Security. That is
a shame for a program that drains such a large percentage of every paycheck
they receive. Medicare and Medicaid must
be reformed. There is every reason to
expect that those among us who cannot, through no fault of their own, afford
basic and fundamental health care, should receive some support from our government in
this area. We have a moral obligation to
care for the least among us. Medicare
and Medicaid hold the potential to accomplish that, as do the plethora of HHS
programs. They can serve as a critical
element of the transition away from Obamacare and to a free-market and
efficient national health care system.
We MUST get back to providing a “hand up” instead of a “hand out” and we
MUST get back to holding every citizen accountable for contributing to the best
of their ability before demanding support that is taken from the labor of others.
National Defense:
There are very damn few among us who have the capacity, the intelligence, and
the resources required to make competent remarks about this nation’s foreign
policy. The plain and simple truth is
that we must trust our elected leaders to make the right decisions in this
area. We must have a President who
understands his or her limitations, can surround themselves with smart and
capable people, and appreciate both the limitations of American power and the
preciousness of American blood. There
are certainly times to fight and times to refrain. I would like to see more cautious restraint
from our military, more transparency on why we do what do in foreign policy,
and a clear vision on what kind of military we want to finance and how we
intend to utilize it to preserve our health and safety.
Immigration Reform. The history of our nation screams out
IMMIGRANT. We are nothing else if not a
melting pot of the good, the bad, and the ugly that the world offered up for
entry into this land we call America.
But if are to be a nation of laws, which we must be if we intend to
preserve this democracy for future generations, then we must enforce laws as
they are written. We can do so in a
compassionate way and we can reform those that need revision, but we must have
secure borders, we must have an orderly process for legal immigration, and we
must have a common-sense compromise on how to deal with the illegal immigrants
that are already in this nation. We must
recognize that no matter how much we might desire such a thing, we cannot adopt
all the orphans of the world and treat them the same as we do our natural
citizens. Open doors, reasonable and
compassionate policy, and respect for human dignity do not, and should not,
immediately translate into governmental benefits and support. Those are items that must be earned through
the established systems that are in place. Immigration reform is all about “earned
opportunity” and that is where the discussion needs to begin.
Race Relations. In this diverse nation of immigrants, find me
a race or class of people who have not experienced some form of
discrimination. Our nation’s shameful
treatment of the American Indian; our profit of human flesh from the slave
trade; Asian detention camps during the War; the anti-Semitic practices that
are still prevalent in our culture; there are few who are untouched by some
form or another of discrimination.
Obviously, there are degrees and regional concentrations of
discrimination, but it is an ugly side of our culture that has always existed
to some degree. It has resulted in disadvantage
for some and advantage for some others. At
some point, we must come to terms with the fact that as long as we continue to
make significant distinctions of the basis of race, there will be a “cottage
industry” of interest groups that thrive on all aspects of those
distinctions. The word “quota” should be
removed from our language. Reverse
discrimination is, in principle, no more justifiable than the original
discrimination it is intended to remedy.
Until we begin to classify, recognize, record, and relate to individuals
as AMERICANS, we will continue to struggle with race in this nation. Every law, every program, every regulation
that draws a distinction on the basis of race perpetuates the existence of
discrimination. Laws must be written to guarantee
equal rights for all people, regardless of race; the privilege to life, liberty,
dignity, and the pursuit of a good and decent life. We all had
ancestors who were both discriminators and discriminated against. Do not hold me responsible for the sins of my father;
hold me accountable for my life today and how I live it.
Abortion and Gay Rights. Lord knows I believe in state’s rights and
support the principles associated with it.
But there must be some laws that are universal across our country; even
if we acknowledge up front that our government is not fully competent to render
such impactful judgments. I fear for the
rulings that are headed towards, and coming from, our Supreme Court. Our Court has become overtly politicized
and it is a tragedy; but it is what it is.
Regardless of your convictions, none of us are qualified to sit in moral
judgment of another. An abortion in the
first three months is a decision to be made by a mother and father, not the
government. An abortion in the last
three months is murder, plain and simple and that unborn child deserves the
same governmental protection as that of its parents. It is the three months in between that must
be discussed in a measured and intelligent fashion, with a compromise solution
that respects the concerns of both sides and the implicit understanding of our
small understanding on this complex issue.
There is no need to change the definition of marriage. It is the union of a man and a woman and
there is no overwhelming majority of opinion to change that understanding. Should a new understanding of a “marriage
arrangement” be discussed and the civil rights of same-sex partners be elevated
to a level comparable to traditional marriage?
Yes; clearly that time has arrived.
But gays cannot demand moral acceptance by those opposed and straight
personalities do not have the right to demand specific moral behavior as a
condition of some civil rights. Respect
and human dignity are not contingent upon semantics; they are contingent upon
human goodness.
This Democracy. It is far too arrogant for me to assume the
ability to submit a reasonable improvement to our form of government, but here
goes. For all the cons associated with
them, and all of the pros associated with our current system, I support term
limits for our Congress and the Executive.
If history has taught us nothing else, it has shown us that the best of
us, the most wholesome/ethical/intelligent/non-partisan, can and will be
corrupted by the political environment of Washington DC when left in its
confines too long. How long is too
long? That is certainly open to debate,
but here are some starting points.
Instead of a President spending 60 to 80 percent of the first term
working towards re-election, let’s give them 6 years to get their agenda in
place. You might argue that 6 years is
too long for a bad President and we have elections every four years to serve as
term limitations. I would respond to that
by pointing out that nearly all Presidents, whether good or bad, are remarkably good at getting
re-elected. Far too much time, money,
resource, and political capital is being spent by our nation’s top executive to
remain in office. Let’s go ahead and settle
that issue on Election Day and get on with the business of governing. It is tricky business to consider how long a
U.S. Representative should serve, as well as a U.S. Senator. We need to have a reservoir of experience
that the bodies can rely on to help guarantee the continuation of normal
operations; but the day of career politicians needs to come to a merciful
end. For the House, I will propose a
maximum of 6 elected terms. 12 years in
WDC should be more than adequate for our “citizen legislators”. For that arrogant body of deliberation known
as the Senate (the closest thing we have
to royalty in this nation), give them a limit of 3 elected terms and send
them home or, more likely, another job in government. 18 years is plenty of time to serve with
distinction in our most esteemed legislative body.
If
by some slim chance you are still with me at this point, please forgive my
assumption of status as one who has all the right answers. I don’t and we will not find a President who
does. But perhaps we can find a man or
woman who will have the faith to espouse these fundamental principles, have the
ability to put them forth in clear and concise manner, have the courage to
fight for them, and have the wisdom to compromise in practice to get them
implemented. If we can…that person has
this man’s vote.
