Soap Box

It's obvious that, at least a significant portion of the American electorate want a change in Washington and I believe that the overwhelming reason for that is that Americans don't feel safe and don't trust the ability of their government to insure a safe environment for their families and their well being.

They don't feel safe when it comes to their employment future.

They have watched manufacturing jobs leave the country as small town after small town joined the rust belt when industries that had been the biggest employer in town for a couple of generations moved their facilities offshore to take advantage of more favorable tax and regulation climates and, the frustrating part, they continued to sell their products in the U.S. as if nothing had happened, with no penalty or restriction, profiting from the American economy while contributing nothing to it.

They don't feel safe on the streets of America.

Although the crime statistics the government keeps will tell you that crime has fallen off in numbers, the very high percentage that remains has become more violent as the murder rates in any large American city will reflect.

So far this year, in Chicago alone, 410 people have been murdered, with 2095 shot and wounded without even counting burglaries, robberies, muggings, rapes, home invasions and the daily intimidation citizens in gang infested neighborhoods have to live with every day.

We have come to expect the murder rates in our big cities with high gang populations to be high, but if you were to look up the top crime per capita cities in the nation, like me, you'd probably be appalled at the number of smaller and intermediate sized cities in the top 20, cities like Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Rocky Mount, North Carolina and Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

They don't feel the country is safe.

In the last few years they have watched the advent and growth if ISIS and other terrorist organizations, the exponential expansion of terrorist attacks around the world and fear that there are cells and lone wolves around our nation that will one day spring into action in our shopping malls and schools.

They don't feel safe with a president whose first reaction to almost any terrorist attack is a defense of the Islamic religion and his repetitive mantra about more gun control.

While we watch the rapid build up of the militaries of Russia and China and their continuing development of bigger and better weapons, our military is the smallest it has been in 7 decades and our navel and air fleet have shrunk to the point that having enough planes standing at the ready at any one time is a problem.

We watched our sailors not only captured, but also humiliated and belittled while Secretary of State John Kerry acted as if the Iranians did us a favor to release them. There was a time when, had a U.S. president demanded their release, they would have been handed over immediately, but the world has no fear or respect for America any longer.

They don't feel safe about the economy.

It' s becoming apparent to all but the very least informed that our economy is vulnerable, a house of cards underpinned by printed currency, a volatile stock market, a shrinking manufacturing base and a very real danger of losing our position of having the currency that international business is conducted in.

They don't trust and don't feel safe with their government.

President Obama recently made a speech in which he said that the world is safer than it's ever been, the economy is doing well and painted a rosy picture of America's future, but this is the same man who told us we could keep our doctor and couldn�t, or wouldn't even try to mount a military response to the slaughter in Benghazi and stood by while his Secretary of State and her State Department perpetrated a bald faced lie about the cause of the uprising.

So, I believe this election will come down to which candidate the people of America feel can make them feel the safest and right now, it's anybody's guess.

Do they trust President Obama's security, foreign and domestic policies, which in all likelihood Hillary Clinton would continue with?

Or, will they spring for a maverick who promises new directions, new energy and a new way of doing things in Washington?

We'll know shortly.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, out police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels