With roughly two months left before the nation goes to the polls to elect a new President, I can't seem to find anyone who hasn't already made up their minds. But the national polls continue to remind us that most people don't trust either major candidate, and that anywhere between seven and fifteen percent have yet to make a decision, one way or the other. I assume that some folks are stuck wrestling with the old cliche, "the better of the two evils". The dilemma they face is trying to decide just which one deserves that less-than impressive designation. Regardless, this election is tremendously important, probably the most significant presidential election of my lifetime. For those persons who have not decided who to vote for, and for those who have, lets take a minute and review the more pivotal issues involved in this election of 2016.
The issue that should be most important to Americans, is the selection of Supreme Court Justices. For years, it appeared that the Conservatives on the Supreme Court would be in the majority indefinitely. Unfortunately, a few Justices who were selected by Republican Presidents, have proven to be liberal in their interpretation of the Court's job (preserving the Constitution as opposed to re-writing it), and have voted as Progressives. It has been hypothesized that the next President will have the opportunity to fill as many as five seats on the Supreme Court, depending on the likelihood of a second term. The next President will be in a position to dictate the ideology of the Supreme Court for decades to come.
How important to you is the issue of Immigration? This topic is not confined to persons entering the United States legally or illegally. The ability of a nation to defend and protect its borders is directly related to the safety of its citizens. What about Amnesty? Do you have an opinion regarding the legalization of twenty million persons who live in the United States illegally? The two candidates have very.different opinions on the issue of Immigration. As you read this blog, the Obama Administration is settling thousands and thousands of refugees from Syria here in the United States. The laws have been thrown aside in order to facilitate this process, almost as if the Administration does not want these new arrivals to be properly vetted. The United States spends billions of dollars every year on Border Enforcement, yet we no longer deport people. Why not just disband the Border Patrol and use the money somewhere else?
Entitlements and Social Security are two terms that have been used ad nauseam by both candidates in this election. Social Security is bankrupt and has been for some time. The various Administrations and Congresses of the past half-century have played kick-the-can with this issue. We have a record number of Americans on Disability, a record number of Americans on Food Stamps and other assistance, and a record number of Americans taking advantage of unemployment benefits. On top of this crisis, certain Senators and Congressmen continue to milk the system to create unnecessary multi-million dollar projects in their home states or districts, just to build up votes for the next election. Whoever wins this election has an obligation to all Americans to find a fix for Social Security, which pours out way more money than is collected.
Taxes: we are in dire need of a simplified tax system. Both candidates seem to agree on this. The divide comes when discussing what would be the best way to tax Americans. One candidate believes that the rich should pay more taxes, which would pay for all the new give-aways she promises (no mention of prioritizing and paying down the twenty trillion-dollar debt Obama will leave). The other candidate talks about lower taxes for businesses, so more money is available to hire more employees and improve overall performance. Don't let yourself be fooled about rich people not paying taxes. Persons making $500,000 per annum and more PAY OVER 51% of taxes, and 46% of Americans pay NO TAXES whatsoever. We don't need more money, folks. We need to be smarter and more accountable with what we already collect.
Foreign Affairs and the military. One candidate speaks in depth about supporting the military and guaranteeing good health care for our veterans. The other candidate rarely speaks about Foreign Affairs at all, which is odd, govern her experience as Secretary of State. Are you concerned about Veterans and healthcare? Do you believe that the military needs to be modernized? How do you feel about the terrorist threat? Do you believe that ISIS and Al-Qaeda can be contained, which is the intention of one candidate, or should we work to destroy terrorist groups altogether?
We have left many important issues unmentioned, but I don't want to lose the few of you who have made it this far. I want to leave you with this one request: if you believe strongly that your candidate is the right choice, please don't become complacent. Encourage like-minded folks to get registered. This election is way too important to be ignored by anyone. Try and set a goal for yourself of convincing at least five people every week, to get registered and to vote. The next time you are at the Post Office, pick up a handful of registration cards. Every vote counts.
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