WOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR VOTE

Consider the fact that it has only been six months since the general election in November 2008. Since then, consider all the events and issues that have bounded into our daily considerations and concerns. Once you have digested that question, I ask again my inquiry in a little different way; if you knew what you know today would you vote the same way?

Chances are your answer would be yes, because the political debate has continued to become even harsher on both sides of the fence. It is absolutely amazing just how many issues have developed onto the front burner of concern in the last six months. Would you believe for one minute that our federal government would essentially nationalize our automobile industry, our major national banks, AIG, several large financial institutions, announce the closing of Guantanamo’s detention center, order the immediate troop reductions in Iraq, create record levels of national debt, and sign into law massive spending legislation without even reading the details?

I want to draw your attention to a very informative article I read on Time magazine’s website by David Von Drehle titled WILL THE GOVERNMENT SAVE GM? It is well worth reading and can be obtained via at http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1901345,00.html
Von Drehle really opens eyes relative to our government’s heavy handed treatment of the bondholders, and car dealers compared to their favorable intervention on behalf of the unions. Long established legal standards were clearly abused by our new administration, and legal scholars will study these actions for years to come. After reading this article I wonder if all those who voted for Obama would do so again.

It is your Commander’s opinion that both the Republicans and the Democrats are to blame for our current economic crisis. Why did Bush delay action in the automobile crises until Obama took office? Why did both Bush and Obama throw good money after bad in propping up General Motors and Chrysler, unless they wanted to kiss the Union’s ring?

Both the Bush and Obama administrations have been totally irresponsible in their spending and appropriation habits, but we are responsible for permitting these dangerous actions to occur. We are now sitting on the precipice with several looming problems; the collapse of Social Security and Medicare, exploding credit card debt, escalating national debt, record setting unemployment, and ever increasing foreign tensions. What about the future in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Israel, Russia, China, and the ever violate Third World Countries in Africa?

Nationally, presidential administration after administration has passed the buck addressing a fair solution to the growing financial burdens caused by immigration. There is no end in sight for this, because politicians want the Latino vote now and into the future. The failure to solve this one matter is causing the financial chaos in the State of California, and its problems are spreading across the nation.

Our supposedly brilliant leadership in Washington is daily borrowing massive amounts of money from foreign investors that could at anytime call their notes of obligation. How can we place our financial future into the hands of questionable friends such as Saudi Arabia, and China to name just two? We cannot even count on these countries to support our interests in the United Nations, so why would we naively believe they would not pull the rug out from under us when they saw the right opportunity which would also provide their provincial national interests?

I believe we were ill served by the main stream media during our most recent election because they did not properly vet either candidate. Media was so busy belittling Senator John McCain, and falling over themselves in praise of Senator Barack Obama, many voters chose to ignore the opportunity to evaluate the true significance of their vote. Who believed back in November the extent of the socialist vent our new administration really was planning? Well, we know now and it’s only 4 months into the Obama administration. And now, we are about to see our Supreme Court move even further to the left with the pending appointment of Sonia Sotomayer. Obama may have another appointment or two in the future…I can’t begin to think about that just yet.

Would you have changed your vote had you known what you know today? I doubt anyone would, unless you could have looked into the future like a fortune teller or could read the cards. Let us never forget that our past leaderships have repeatedly failed to serve our long-term survival interests, and we sank the hook into our mouths this time with a very slick, well organized, questionably financed political campaign.

The Republican Party will need a near miracle to get back into power, but they have come back from the floor before and they can do it again. They desperately need a qualified, broadly appealing candidate. I think the GOP is struggling to find its voice and its speaker with that vision. It is very important that a multiple party political system survives.

Only we, the voters, can save this great nation by demanding the necessary actions by their elected officials. Write them, call them, and demand that they pay attention to your interests and not the special interests that have been propping them up and lining their pockets. Your vote can be more powerful than the politician’s over-stuffed war chests. If we, the voters, don’t address our interests we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

COMMANDER GRANGER