I couldn’t disagree more with the assertion that both of the November choices will yield even remotely the same outcome. There is an increasing number of people who are expressing their general distaste for vigorous political debate by saying that both choices are bad. It’s simply not true. Neither choice is perfect, but there is certainly one which will lead to an objectively superior outcome for the health and stability of the country.
There are two guys before you. The first guy has expressed clear intention to take your money and pay off the people who vote for him, to remove the personal property of individuals and nationalize them or give them to political allies (unions), to strengthen the state and weaken the individual. The second guy wants to back us up from the cliff we’re careening toward and protect individual property and rights. We would be incredibly disconnected, and surprisingly disaffected, to believe those are just different yet valid opinions or positions worth considering or compromising on with regard to the future of the country. When it comes to government and society, there is clearly a right and wrong way. History has shown us the perils of a state gaining too much power; the individual loses it, and the lowest common denominator of social behavior becomes the status quo. Mediocrity, cooperation with the state, and silence are rewarded, while individual achievement and highest aspiration is discouraged or punished.
I don’t consider reaching across the aisle to those who want to fundamentally transform America into a socialist state to be a productive exercise. If you will notice, plenty of conservative and independent voters, with various substantial or superficial motives, did in fact reach across the aisle to vote for the first guy last time. This president was elected by compromise at the voting booth (in a vastly conservative country by all polls). The return on investment has been shockingly expensive and painful for not only the economy, the rule of law, the constitution, personal freedom, and division between the parties, but socially. America hasn’t been this divided in my lifetime. And every conservative or independent I know (and I know many) who voted for the first guy, is sorry they did, and would never do it again. At least there are lessons learned there.
It’s inaccurate to lump two groups of such differing opinion on so many subjects into the bucket of “Americans” and then say “can’t we all just get along?” when the America that the two major sides believe in are actually entirely different places. I wish it were otherwise, and it used to be, but large segments of this population (due to changing demographics, moral relativism, and the relentless lobbying of social engineering) no longer consider America a force for good or a place to be loved and respected.
Love it or hate it (pun intended), the movie 2016 should have made clear, to anyone with an open mind enough to see it, that the values and beliefs that built America and continued to build it into the greatest nation and power in the world are not the values and beliefs that are held by Obama and his circle. Contrarily, those are precisely the values and beliefs he sees as the historically greatest force for evil in the world. And we let him become the president, with the power to “fundamentally transform it” into the dreams he got from his father, mother, step-father, and mentor (all proud and loud Marxists on the record). Remove reverence for America’s unique values or erode them to the point of becoming a minority voice and America becomes something similar to the many failed European socialist states. The part that amazes me is that the policies of the left aren’t even being masked as being true to the history and values of America anymore. Before a detached public, they are openly and brazenly sold for what they are: collectivism and socialism (which fundamentally necessitates the elimination of personal and individual rights for the good of the state) which I saw first hand and discussed at length while living in a Socialist state in Eastern Europe some time ago. This cycle has happened throughout history and I can’t believe it’s happening here, right under our noses, and that so many “Americans” either don’t care, don’t see it as a threat, or aren’t paying enough attention to realize it’s happening. If you know what’s happening, the only way you don’t see it as a threat is because you don’t know how bad it will be if the “fundamental transformation” is allowed four more years.
Divisive politics is certainly distasteful, but it’s either that or accept the erosion of individual rights and protections in the name of collectivism. Because the collectivists aren’t give up or giving any ground. I can guarantee you that their course is set and compromise isn’t something they will accept, so any attempt at it from my side is just giving ground.
There is no collective salvation. Only individual salvation. The division remains whether we are compelled to share by an ineffective bureaucracy with a focus on equalizing results (wealth distribution), or whether we are free to build our own success with a focus on equality of opportunity wherein we then have the CHOICE to spread some amount of our success.
As for me and my house, we will always serve the Lord and fight for the protection of the individual, the family, and America.