2008 Soap Box Archives

Politics Today

I can remember some awesome Presidents during my lifetime. They were by no means perfect and made mistakes, but all in all they were real leaders who did not govern by a poll in the New York Times and truly held the welfare of the nation ahead of the welfare of any political party.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, who lead this country through some of the most difficult financial times we've ever experienced, who led us out of the Great Depression and led us through the darkest days of the Second World War. The man who said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Harry S. Truman, the implacable little Missourian who ended the war and saved untold lives by dropping the only atomic bombs ever used in battle. The man who said, "The buck stops here."

Ronald Reagan, who regained America's military power and prestige and who was not afraid to use it. The man who said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

What ever happened to all the great leaders? What is the difference between the Roosevelts, Trumans and Reagans and the candidates the national parties put up for us to vote for these days.

In my humble opinion, most of the candidates we are able to vote for these days have no center and will forsake their principals just to get elected.

In fact, there is very little difference in the three Presidential candidates who are still in the race. This is not right. People should be offered a real choice not three candidates running around the country basically spouting out the same old mantra that America's problems can only be solved by bigger and bigger government.

John McCain has fallen hook line and sinker for the global warming hoax and joins Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in proposing actions that would be catastrophic to business in America while not laying a finger on the real culprits in China and India.

The three of them claim to have different approaches to health care but as usual the devil is in the details and the only thing any of them are proposing is a massive socialist, government-controlled program that will have disastrous effects on America's economy and lower the standard of healthcare as it has with the other unfortunate nations where it has been unsuccessfully tried.

The best thing any of them can come up with to solve the energy crisis is to take about eighteen cents of federal tax off a gallon of gas for the summer, a totally symbolic gesture that makes absolutely no difference while the gas companies raise the price every day.

They're all opposed to drilling in ANWR and just about every other practical solution anybody has come up with.

So what are our choices here? About the only difference I see in the candidates is that at least McCain really cares about the War on Terror and the men and women in our military, while it is my firm belief that an Obama Presidency would set the military back at least a decade and in this world of dedicated terrorists, we won't have time to fix it again.

And we've seen what the Clintons think of the military.

The Republican Party will probably lose more seats in the House and Senate and Hillary or Obama in the White House could well be more than America can take.

The Republican Party deserves to lose seats, not that the Democrats deserve to gain them, but the Republicans have forsaken the very thing that put them in the White House, the Senate and the House simultaneously a few years ago.

They're afraid of their own shadow and "conservative" has become a nasty word to them.

What this country needs in the years to come is strong leadership, not some wimp whose loyalty goes whichever way the wind is blowing.

Sometimes I let this get to me because I so deeply love America and truly fear for her future under a Clinton, Obama or McCain Presidency.

Then I just have to stop and think that my ultimate trust is in a much Higher Power than any President or government could ever be and no matter how big a mess any earthly government makes, one of these days His Son is going to come back to Earth and straighten it out, once for all.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

May 16 , 2008