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This election year, the political and socioeconomic issues are very hot topics. We are primarily facing a two-candidate race for the presidency at this time. I have a strong opinion, as you may have figured out, as to who should be in the White House after this coming election.
We have the great freedom in this country to voice our opinion even to the level of absolute contempt for these candidates as long as we don't threaten their lives. These are incredible freedoms that few other countries afford their citizens. We have a lot to balance as to why one should consider one candidate over the other. I think that it is no secret if you read the bottom line session that I will throw my hat in the ring for George Bush as I did four years ago. I will attempt to give a "connect the dot perspective" on those who would wonder why they should consider President Bush over John Kerry. First of all, lets look at the main issues that seem to trouble most Americans concerning George Bush.
Concern: President Bush has taken the country into a recession and caused the economy to falter.
Response: Anyone who believes that is what has happened with the economy is primarily President Bush's fault does not understand economics. If Al Gore were in office, he would have been dealing with exactly the same situation President Bush has had to given the 9-11 events and the recession. The 9-11 attacks were so devastating to the U.S. economy, that 2 major U.S. air carriers declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection within a year of the attacks. Tourism, and air travel were reduced to a crawl. It was the first time in U.S. Aviation history that the entire U.S. Air space was shut down to the normal commercial traffic that pours billions into the U.S. economy on a monthly basis. The ripple affect in terms of the lost economic productivity as a result of those terrorist attacks is still is not fully calculated to this day.
Also, the U.S. economy, cyclically, was due for a natural down turn. Do you think that Enron and MCI WorldCom just started having problems with their books in the past four years? One would have to believe in the tooth fairy to believe that. The problem with book cooking was prominent all during and even before the Clinton administration. Remember, it was during that time that all those hundreds of internet companies were allow to be valuated in the billions of dollars.
This gave employees and investors false hope as to their potential to earn profits that would support these high and unrealistic valuations, which in part drove the economy and indicators such as the NASDAQ and the Dow. Of course, we found out in short order that people still liked to go to Wal-Mart and the mall.
President Clinton should have learned from the savings and loans fiasco of the 80's to demand that companies be held absolutely accountable for the accuracy of their books. Bush, to his credit, is the only president that risked angering big business to demand accountability from these major corporations whose failures shook the economy. Before he did that, company CEO's still got their 100 million dollars plus their bonuses. They received a slap on the hand, while companies, employees, and investors lost everything as the business went belly up. When companies have serious integrity problems, investors and markets lose their confidence. This in turn causes a pull back in hiring due to lack of demand and a sense of uncertainty. President Bush, in essence, was handed an economic time bomb that would have been difficult for any president to handle.
Concern: Bush lied or misled the American people concerning weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Response: Many Americans have desperately grasped at straws trying to support this premise. All you have to do is but be honest with yourself in regards to this matter. Have you read the 18 United Nations resolutions concerning Iraq (there is a link to the state department below)?? I have.
This matter is of public record and as plain as black and white. Since November 1990, the UN has issued 18 resolutions concerning the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. Saddam Hussein balked and laughed at the UN and its member nations because the organization had become a paper tiger with no teeth. You hear all the wimpy people saying, "You should get the UN in involved." The UN is the organization that has been involved with holding Iraq accountable for all those 11 or so years. Granted the UN did destroy some of his weapons, but it is clear that even with the pressures brought to bear on him, he was still attempting at every turn to falsify, withhold, and deceive the International Community. These dignitaries at the UN are paid millions of dollar as ambassadors to waste time voting on resolutions they no intention of doing anything about. He kicked the inspectors out in of Iraq in 1996 which left him with no over sight for about 5 years, He had gassed his own people, waged war for no real reason against Iran where over a million people died, invaded Kuwait raping and murdering it citizens as he conquered the country.
He was paying the families of Palestinian suicide bombers the equivalent of about 25 thousand American dollars as they blew themselves up killing and maiming hundreds of people in the streets of Israel. With all this in mind, please visit the State department website link below and see for yourself. It is unbelievable. These resolutions make it clear that many nations agreed that Iraq possessed these weapons along with Russian, British, and U.S. Intelligence services. Even John Kerry himself said in a 9/14/03 "Face the Nation" interview that he believed Iraq had these weapons. What person would believe that nut, Saddam, saying that he did not have any weapons given his past patterns, behavior and conduct? His sons had become so emboldened that they were just as dangerous and sadistic as he was. The president had a decision to make. Given the climate in the world at that time, it is clear he had all the indicators he needed to strike Iraq and remove this profoundly menacing dictator from power. If he were left in power, he would have likely grown to such a threat level that no one would have been able to do anything with him, as he became more of an unstable loose cannon in the region.
http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/01fs/14906.htm
Concern: He did it because of the oil?
Response: One would have to be extremely naïve to think that oil does not fit into the equation. The entire industrial complex of the United States is dependent on foreign oil. This was long established before President Bush was elected to office. In fact, you would have to go back to the industrial revolution early last century to understand that the United States is a fossil fueled based society. Many people don't understand the full range and uses of oil and its derivatives. From every major city to small towns, oil is vital to out economy and existence, as we know it. The vast majority of the things we use whether they be for business or pleasure are derived directly or indirectly from oil. Oil runs huge generators that supply electricity to sub stations that in turn push the energy into towns and cities.
That energy powers hospitals, lights, stoves, washers, dryers, air conditioners, sewing machines, dry cleaners, etc, etc, etc. How would you like to have our country black mailed by the likes of Salaam Hussein controlling the oil of Iraq and Kuwait? If you think your gas prices are high now, you would really be walking for sure. I wonder what the people who make the claims of oil would say if they had to do a little stone aged living for a while?
In closing this session for the moment, I have not said nearly all I could say about these issues. There are other matters of concern about the president that people will still have. I wanted to focus this session on some of the most significant issues relative to considering the president for a second term. I do not agree with every decision or policy this president has promoted or suggested. No one agrees with every thing you do either. He is in a very big fish bowl and has a lot of pressures that you and I as ordinary citizens don't have. We, as a race of people have not understood that God vantage point is much larger than ours. The scriptures have admonished us to pray for them that have the rule over us. This makes me question men like John Kerry and the member of his campaign committee, Kweisi Mfume, Julian bond, and Harry Belafonte who have, with venom, done little but lambaste the president. I know of not one time these men called us to prayer or encouraging us to bless this man as he carries and shoulders the weight of responsibility that comes with leading this nation.
That makes me wonder whether they are men of faith and pray, or of anger, bitterness and unbelief. You have not once heard them give praise or accolades to the positive things that have happen during the tenure of this man during his time in office. If you think nothing positive has happened then I ask you this hard question, have you been praying for him, or just talking about him? I do feel that he is the man for this hour and that God knew what he was doing when he set this leader up. Please see the Secretary of Education's comments concerning the president and some things we do not hear about concerning matters that affect us.
There will be much more to come and hopefully I will have more answers for you if you have any other concerns about this present coming election. Please see some of the cartoons. They are graphic and to the point but as it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/07/07152004.html
Before closing, I just want to leave a few brief comments concerning the President and John Kerry. President Bush has demonstrated steady leadership in the face of relentless attacks from the left. He has shown himself to be consistent and determined in dealing with those who would destroy our democracy and way of life. He understands the power of faith's ability to change people's lives while John Kerry says that Hollywood represents mainstream America. The president is a man of faith and fears the Lord. He has at every turn stood for the rights of the unborn and understands the sanctity of God ordained marriage. John Kerry has proven that he has questionable moral integrity given his stances on abortion and "gay rights." He has promised to raise taxes and seems to be the consummate Monday morning quarterback. He had been relentless with his attacks on the President for months and when someone takes a swipe at him, he wants to cry foul, whine, and complain. He has a senate voting record that is more liberal than that of Ted Kennedy. He voted against funding of many of the major weapon systems needed by the U.S. Military and voted against funding for our troops in combat after he voted for the war.
He is a flip flopper it there ever were one. He talks as though he would be doing much better with the economy if he were in charge. He would not have been able to. He would have had 9-11, corporate scandals, and Hurricanes too. I believe the choice is clear as to who would be the strongest leader for the country.
In the years preceding the President Bush's entry into office, there were some major failures that led to a declining economy and the stage being set for 9-11 (see the Culpability of William J. Clinton at http://www.angelfire.com/md2/Ldotvets/Bubba.html).
You can blame another president for that, but I don't want to stir that hornet's nest right now. Perhaps in the next issue, I will give readers a better understanding of how our current president was, not intentionally, but none the less set up for failure. Right now if you care to see what a wispy washy flip flopper Senator Kerry really is, click the link below and watch the documentary about him, get this……….in his own words!
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