Our next Administration faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Reversing more than half a century of ballooning indebtedness and bloated bureaucracy will be daunting. Transforming health care and retirement plans so they are stable and sustainable will require courage and sacrifice heretofore unknown among politicians. Restoring our global influence and leading the resistance to intolerance and totalitarianism will demand humility, wisdom and moral and military strength. Advocating for life from conception to coronation and affirming compassion for the broken, poor and vulnerable will summon our best character and competencies. Standing with Israel while engaging in honest dialogue with Muslim leaders calls for Solomonic discernment.
Can we chart a fresh direction, revitalizing our founding principles for 21st century realities? Or is it too late and must we "adjust" to a "new world order" and "settle" for less? There is no way forward without pain. The only question is which type of surgery and recovery creates long-term health in the patient we call the United States of America.
There are two dispositions we must eschew and two we must embrace in order to construct a better, more inclusive and prosperous future. First, we must reject fatalism and fear, with their partners dependency and victimhood. Second, we must resist the extremes of hyper-individualism and collectivism. We must reaffirm that liberty is built on virtue and truth embraced by people with freewill. We are responsible for our choices. Yes, there are second chances and opportunities for redemption. There are, however, risks and rewards, positive and negative possibilities with daily decisions. Our future rests on accepting reality and affirming freedom - to fail or succeed. Hyper-individualism forgets that others do contribute to our progress - parents and pastors, coaches, friends and mentors, partners and even competitors are all part of the social reality that makes prosperity possible. The opposite extreme, the "you didn't build that" collectivism of the last four years (and perhaps longer, truth be told), forgets that the infrastructure that sustains growth is funded by the innovation of the market that produces tax revenue! Remember, the politician's are playing with our money.
On the positive side, we must embrace hope that is fulfilled by new habits. "Hope and change" only happen with habits and character. Hope is not wishful thinking and new habits begin with new hearts. Will we joyfully embrace the truth that "we are the change" as we diligently work, cheerfully volunteer and sacrificially serve the next generation? Secondly, we must live out the paradox of self-fulfillment through selfless service. Prosperity is adding value to others, not just extracting it. Our material wealth, emotional well-being and fruitful future rest on offering products, services and relationships that honor God and bring good to others. We buy certain products because of their (perceived or real) value. As we participate in the economy, we are stewards of God-given relationships and resources.
As we pray, vote and await the changes ahead, let's dedicate ourselves to a future founded on character and competence rooted in faith, hope and love. Our salvation is from Christ. Our ultimate future is a gift from the Triune God. But our current life is a partnership with God and people of conscience to forge a loving and just community. "Yes we can" change course and one day look back on a new era of compassion, opportunity and flourishing.
Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Monday, November 05, 2012
Thursday, November 01, 2012
The Morning After: November 7 and January 21
"There's got to be a morning after; if we can hold on through the night. We have a chance to find the sunlight; let's keep on looking for the light..."
These words from the theme song to the "Poseidon Adventure" speak to the hearts of millions of Americans as we prepare to vote and live with the consequences. (The song was the best part of an otherwise campy disaster movie!)
We will once again be part of a peaceful continuation and transfer of power, with some officials looking for work and others placed in offices that will require creativity, discipline and integrity if we are going to move forward.
I do hope we see a complete change of direction and focus in Washington, D.C. We need balanced budgets, intelligent projection of power against Islamic terrorism, sound social policies that care for the needy without bankrupting our nation and business and energy policies that recognize reward for risk and careful stewardship of the beautiful world God has bequeathed humankind. We can be energy independent and have a cleaner environment.
We also need a rebirth of civil debate that focuses on solving real problems and assessing fundamental issues without descending into the quagmire of name-calling, personal attack and hoary generalizations rooted in ideological myths instead of first principles and empirical realities.
We can affirm traditional marriage and offer legal status for other arrangements, without altering the universal understanding of marriage and family that has guided every civilization.
We can stop the holocaust of abortion and infanticide and help vulnerable parents raise their children, find adoptive homes and discover a better future.
We can balance a budget if we will stop trying to maintain a federal warfare and welfare state. We do have local and state governments that work...we can learn from these examples and re-empower local and state political and social progress.
We can create a just system of federal taxation. All it takes is courage, honesty and a willingness to be a one-term official.
We can support Israel and pave the wave for a new Palestinian state committed to non-violence and reciprocal prosperity. All it takes is moral courage, calling the bluffs of radicals and demonstrating that representative democracy is the best form of government. There is no place for Temple and Holocaust denial in a peaceful Middle East.
We can care for the medical needs of all our citizens with innovative private-public partnerships that are humane, local and subject to effective ethical oversight, not a bloated bureaucracy.
All of these ideas will only work with a nation of self-regulating, virtuous citizens. Failure to regulate our own moral, economic and social behavior brings anarchy and paves the way for totalitarian control.
We need to secure our borders and create hospitality centers that welcome hard-working people from around the world. There is a place for seasonal work and permanent residency. There is a way to create a pathway to citizenship for all that come legally. We do not need to atone any longer for real and false guilt from 1848 or any other moment. We need to empty our prisons of violent illegal convicts and deport them. At the same time, we can foster new channels to welcome and integrate new friends.
Thomas More's famous work Utopia literally means "no-where." ("U" = no; topos = "land" or "place"). I do not believe we can achieve perfection in this age. I do believe we can make progress.
What about race? In 2008 we proved to ourselves that skin color did not matter. We need to do the same in 2012. Character, competence, ideals and policies, along with leadership, relational ability and a love for our founders' principles should guide our decisions. I would happily vote for J.C. Watts. Condi Rice is admirable. I wish Thomas Sowell was the chief economist - we would have greater prosperity! We need the voices of John Perkins and Shelby Steele. Race is more than a black/white issue. There are people from every culture that will contribute to an American future. Let's celebrate our diversity-in-unity instead of balkanizing.
Please pray, get informed and vote. After the parties, the lamenting and rejoicing, the real work begins.
These words from the theme song to the "Poseidon Adventure" speak to the hearts of millions of Americans as we prepare to vote and live with the consequences. (The song was the best part of an otherwise campy disaster movie!)
We will once again be part of a peaceful continuation and transfer of power, with some officials looking for work and others placed in offices that will require creativity, discipline and integrity if we are going to move forward.
I do hope we see a complete change of direction and focus in Washington, D.C. We need balanced budgets, intelligent projection of power against Islamic terrorism, sound social policies that care for the needy without bankrupting our nation and business and energy policies that recognize reward for risk and careful stewardship of the beautiful world God has bequeathed humankind. We can be energy independent and have a cleaner environment.
We also need a rebirth of civil debate that focuses on solving real problems and assessing fundamental issues without descending into the quagmire of name-calling, personal attack and hoary generalizations rooted in ideological myths instead of first principles and empirical realities.
We can affirm traditional marriage and offer legal status for other arrangements, without altering the universal understanding of marriage and family that has guided every civilization.
We can stop the holocaust of abortion and infanticide and help vulnerable parents raise their children, find adoptive homes and discover a better future.
We can balance a budget if we will stop trying to maintain a federal warfare and welfare state. We do have local and state governments that work...we can learn from these examples and re-empower local and state political and social progress.
We can create a just system of federal taxation. All it takes is courage, honesty and a willingness to be a one-term official.
We can support Israel and pave the wave for a new Palestinian state committed to non-violence and reciprocal prosperity. All it takes is moral courage, calling the bluffs of radicals and demonstrating that representative democracy is the best form of government. There is no place for Temple and Holocaust denial in a peaceful Middle East.
We can care for the medical needs of all our citizens with innovative private-public partnerships that are humane, local and subject to effective ethical oversight, not a bloated bureaucracy.
All of these ideas will only work with a nation of self-regulating, virtuous citizens. Failure to regulate our own moral, economic and social behavior brings anarchy and paves the way for totalitarian control.
We need to secure our borders and create hospitality centers that welcome hard-working people from around the world. There is a place for seasonal work and permanent residency. There is a way to create a pathway to citizenship for all that come legally. We do not need to atone any longer for real and false guilt from 1848 or any other moment. We need to empty our prisons of violent illegal convicts and deport them. At the same time, we can foster new channels to welcome and integrate new friends.
Thomas More's famous work Utopia literally means "no-where." ("U" = no; topos = "land" or "place"). I do not believe we can achieve perfection in this age. I do believe we can make progress.
What about race? In 2008 we proved to ourselves that skin color did not matter. We need to do the same in 2012. Character, competence, ideals and policies, along with leadership, relational ability and a love for our founders' principles should guide our decisions. I would happily vote for J.C. Watts. Condi Rice is admirable. I wish Thomas Sowell was the chief economist - we would have greater prosperity! We need the voices of John Perkins and Shelby Steele. Race is more than a black/white issue. There are people from every culture that will contribute to an American future. Let's celebrate our diversity-in-unity instead of balkanizing.
Please pray, get informed and vote. After the parties, the lamenting and rejoicing, the real work begins.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Questions for Our Nation
The Presidential campaign season is here. Even before the conventions, we are subject to hourly pronouncements and trivia created to distract us from the compelling issues that demand a referendum in November. I do not care about high school pot-smoking or pranks; I am deeply concerned about the constitutional, economic, moral and social issues that demand attention from all our leaders in all branches of government. Rather than regale my readers with polemical profundities (smile), here is a series of questions for all the candidates as thoughtful people consider their choices. These queries are addressed to the women and men that aspire to "public service" - a notion that I hope can be revitalized from its current permanent ruling class.
"Ms. or Mr. [insert title and name here], what are your plans for...
...creating a hospitable environment for all people desiring to come here legally, while ensuring that only citizens vote?
...reducing government waste (including over-bloated Pentagon budgets) while making sure the poor and vulnerable are served?
...delivering health care in a just, decentralized fashion where doctor and patient are the focus, not a massive redistribution of wealth?
...facilitating private-sector economic growth without unnecessay regulation and totalitarian legal tactics, while refining a 21st century understanding of environmental stewardship?
...respecting the rights of those with deeply-held moral and religious convictions as well as those who differ greatly?
...supporting the fundamental institution of heterosexual, monogamous marriage while creating ways for adults in other living situations to care for each other and enjoy legal rights?
...confronting radical Islam and the insidious dhimmitude perpetrated by those who insist of separate rights and promote violence against their critics, while respecting our moderate Muslim neighbors?
...supporting Israel's right to live in peace and security while creating a democratic Palestinian state that renounces violence and unequivocally acknowledges Israel as a legitimate state?
...restoring power and responsibility for more governmental functions to the cities and states and reducing the size of the federal governnment, thus reversing an 80-year trend that saps our resources and effectivness?
...reigning in the power of public employee unions and privatizing pensions so we can actually afford to care for the elderly?
...insisting on a full audit of the United Nations' budgets and programs?
...balancing our federal budget and stimulating equitable global trade?
...confronting China, India, Russia and the 57 Islamic states concerning their human rights abuses?
...creating a hopeful view of the future?"
Thoughtful women and men are not looking for bumper stickers and cliches. We have proven to ourselves that minorities and women are equal partners; therefore, let's make November about ideals and issues, principles and practical work, values and vision. Our wonderful nation deserves our best, Ms/Mr. Candidate!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Disney Comes to Presidential Politics
The Disney brand is amazing. From amusement parks to films, from media products to toys, a colorful world of fantasy awaits the consumer. For entertainment and family vacations, no one can rival Disney's influence. There is a place for escapist fun and millions of people enjoy what Disney creates.
Today's political rhetoric rivals Disney. The fantasy worlds and outright fabrication of history and reality are stunning. We are facing the greatest crises in our history and all the American people are hearing are platitudes. Yes, there are a few practical policies buried within the sound bites; however, they are hard to decipher as the propaganda of image and word gush out over the airwaves and web.
Republican candidates need to stop lashing out at each other and debate the practical pathways to repairing the diplomatic, economic and policy disasters of the past three years. Let the press expose all the dirt - the candidates need to refine their solutions and explain to the American people the real road to a better future.
I wish Barak Obama was simply clueless or out of his depth. We could then elect someone else and remember a failed Presidency led by a Chicago political hack. What we are facing is the first President in our history who is contemptuous of our Constitution, disdainful of our heritage and determined to rule by fiat. Every honest measurement demonstrates the utter failure of his policies, from ballooning deficits (with no plan to change the trajectory), Un(der)employment growing, Islamofascism on the rise, family values under direct assault and an utter inability to carry on civil, rigorous debate. His favorite totalitarian phrase lately is "Don't let anyone tell you differently." Such language ends debate, stifles creativity and dooms us to paralysis.
Obama has created an alternate universe in his inner circles, with billionaires benefiting from terrible decisions (Keystone Pipeline cancellation). We have a burgeoning federal workforce and hundreds of union groups exempt from Obamacare, while small and medium business owners struggle to survive. Obama and the Keynesian socialists surrounding him despise private business (except for select Eco-groovy, organic progressives who will employ the undocumented). They hate the military and are gleefully touting a "peace dividend" as our troops come home from Iraq. There is no real "money" saved - just a slightly smaller deficit to corral. New agencies for ethics and environmental concerns sound good to some victims, but we have enough regulation. Obama's view of life is a government that bestows material well-being and political rights. He forgets that the US Constitution exists to protect the rights of the people and the states, while restricting the reach of the federal government.
Obama is not corrupt (he is faithful to his wife and family - a very good thing), clueless or just incompetent. Presidents of both parties have met these standards (Anyone celebrating Buchanan or Harding?). Obama wants to remake America - and the world - according to his globalist, post-American and anti-free-enterprise ideology. He really believes he is smarter that most and that he and his associates know what is best for the "the people." The fact that his election strategists keep on playing the class, race and envy cards is evidence of the paucity of substance at the heart of this Administration. Professors are placed in front of cameras and declare that anytime a Republican touts family values or hard work that they are homophobes and racists. Spin doctors ignore the sources of the Obama family's income and the extreme attempts to hide all childhood and young adult records, including published articles.
Republicans are not exempt from weaving fantasies in place of facts. The policies of both Bush Presidents did not arrest the spending patterns of a generation. We simply cannot sustain a warfare and welfare state at the same time. The fact that anyone listens to Newt Gingrich or Oliver North after their records of corruption is startling. Ron Paul's popularity is directly connected to the deep dissatisfaction of diverse groups with the current crop of candidates. Romney needs to tell the world, "I am rich. Here are my records." Gingrich needs to withdrawal and go back to a think tank and send ideas to the next President. Santorum is a solid citizen, but not without flaws. He must atone for some of his Senate pork, clearly affirm civil rights for all Americans while defending traditional marriage, strengthen his support for real borders and e-verify and communicate more compassion for those contemplating abortion (without compromising an admirable pro-life position).
The best thing that could happen would be the insertion of Mitch Daniels or Tom Pawlenty into the mix. Their combination of character and competence would be refreshing and confront the vacuousness of the current regime. At least they have led states toward a better future and not wasted their energies weaving mythological worlds.
Today's political rhetoric rivals Disney. The fantasy worlds and outright fabrication of history and reality are stunning. We are facing the greatest crises in our history and all the American people are hearing are platitudes. Yes, there are a few practical policies buried within the sound bites; however, they are hard to decipher as the propaganda of image and word gush out over the airwaves and web.
Republican candidates need to stop lashing out at each other and debate the practical pathways to repairing the diplomatic, economic and policy disasters of the past three years. Let the press expose all the dirt - the candidates need to refine their solutions and explain to the American people the real road to a better future.
I wish Barak Obama was simply clueless or out of his depth. We could then elect someone else and remember a failed Presidency led by a Chicago political hack. What we are facing is the first President in our history who is contemptuous of our Constitution, disdainful of our heritage and determined to rule by fiat. Every honest measurement demonstrates the utter failure of his policies, from ballooning deficits (with no plan to change the trajectory), Un(der)employment growing, Islamofascism on the rise, family values under direct assault and an utter inability to carry on civil, rigorous debate. His favorite totalitarian phrase lately is "Don't let anyone tell you differently." Such language ends debate, stifles creativity and dooms us to paralysis.
Obama has created an alternate universe in his inner circles, with billionaires benefiting from terrible decisions (Keystone Pipeline cancellation). We have a burgeoning federal workforce and hundreds of union groups exempt from Obamacare, while small and medium business owners struggle to survive. Obama and the Keynesian socialists surrounding him despise private business (except for select Eco-groovy, organic progressives who will employ the undocumented). They hate the military and are gleefully touting a "peace dividend" as our troops come home from Iraq. There is no real "money" saved - just a slightly smaller deficit to corral. New agencies for ethics and environmental concerns sound good to some victims, but we have enough regulation. Obama's view of life is a government that bestows material well-being and political rights. He forgets that the US Constitution exists to protect the rights of the people and the states, while restricting the reach of the federal government.
Obama is not corrupt (he is faithful to his wife and family - a very good thing), clueless or just incompetent. Presidents of both parties have met these standards (Anyone celebrating Buchanan or Harding?). Obama wants to remake America - and the world - according to his globalist, post-American and anti-free-enterprise ideology. He really believes he is smarter that most and that he and his associates know what is best for the "the people." The fact that his election strategists keep on playing the class, race and envy cards is evidence of the paucity of substance at the heart of this Administration. Professors are placed in front of cameras and declare that anytime a Republican touts family values or hard work that they are homophobes and racists. Spin doctors ignore the sources of the Obama family's income and the extreme attempts to hide all childhood and young adult records, including published articles.
Republicans are not exempt from weaving fantasies in place of facts. The policies of both Bush Presidents did not arrest the spending patterns of a generation. We simply cannot sustain a warfare and welfare state at the same time. The fact that anyone listens to Newt Gingrich or Oliver North after their records of corruption is startling. Ron Paul's popularity is directly connected to the deep dissatisfaction of diverse groups with the current crop of candidates. Romney needs to tell the world, "I am rich. Here are my records." Gingrich needs to withdrawal and go back to a think tank and send ideas to the next President. Santorum is a solid citizen, but not without flaws. He must atone for some of his Senate pork, clearly affirm civil rights for all Americans while defending traditional marriage, strengthen his support for real borders and e-verify and communicate more compassion for those contemplating abortion (without compromising an admirable pro-life position).
The best thing that could happen would be the insertion of Mitch Daniels or Tom Pawlenty into the mix. Their combination of character and competence would be refreshing and confront the vacuousness of the current regime. At least they have led states toward a better future and not wasted their energies weaving mythological worlds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
