Pocahontas "Prez"

Native American was her claim,

An ancestry test brought her shame.

    Pocahontas laud; Pocahontas fraud.

Her greatest longing: gain all fame,

Being President was her aim.

    Pocahontas try; Pocahontas lie.

The goals she promised she thought tame,

But our great nation they would maim.

    Pocahontas wail; Pocahontas fail.

She hates the wealthy; just the same

Seeks their money to play this game.

    Pocahontas bash; Pocahontas cash.

The campaign she runs, I proclaim,

Will fail due to this prideful dame.

    Pocahontas boast; Pocahontas TOAST!

Candidate Joe

There once was a man named Joe.

The words of others he stole.

    Beg, borrow, and FEEL,

    He lost his appeal.

For President we vote no.

Eliminating the Electoral College: A Bad Idea

Let us remember, we are the United STATES of America.  The founders wanted most of our government handled at the state level, not the Federal.  This is why the Constitution enumerates what powers are granted to the Federal government.  All other power is left with the states.

The election of a representative to lead the Executive branch (i.e., the President) must be someone selected by the united STATES, not simply by the majority of Americans.  If the majority of voters selects the President then it is very possible for an individual to win the highly metropolitan areas but not the majority of the STATES.  Our leader would not even have the support of the majority of states.  That is not what a representative government should desire.

The Electoral College imbeds the population of the entire country with the assurance of smaller states having a say in electing the leader of ALL STATES.  Yes, sometimes that leader will not win the most votes.  But we are a REPUBLIC, not a democracy.

Keep the college!

November 8, 2016

I'm ready to vote!  And, in case anyone is interested, here is my stance on the candidates and issues:

President/Vice-President:  Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence (please, no more Clintons!)

U. S. Senator:  Roy Blunt

Governor:  Eric Greitens

Lieutenant Governor:  Mike Parson  (please, no more Carnahans!)

Secretary of State:  Jay Ashcroft

State Treasurer:  Eric Schmitt

Attorney General:  Josh Hawley

U. S. Representative for District 3:  Blaine Luetkemeyer

State Senator for District 23:  Bill Eigel

State Representative for District 65:  Tom Hannegan

Circuit Judge Circuit 11 Division 2:  Deborah Alessi

Associate Circuit Judge Circuit 11 Division 13:  Rebeca McKelvey

County Council District #6:  Mike Klinghammer

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Richard B. Teitelman:  NO

Missouri Court of Appears Judges, Eastern District Philip M. Hess:  NO

Eastern District Court of Appeals Judge James M. Dowd:  NO

Constitutional Amendment No. 1:  NO

Constitutional Amendment No. 2:  NO

Constitutional Amendment No. 3:  NO

Constitutional Amendment No. 4:  NO

Constitutional Amendment No. 5:  YES

Statutory Measure Proposition A:  NO

County of St. Charles Proposition S:  NO

Hillary supporters

I want to ask those of you who support Hillary Clinton one question:  WHY?

Can you truly believe anything this woman says?  Do you really believe she is going to do all that she has promised to do?  If you answered "Yes" then I ask again, "Why do you believe her?"

Actually, HOW can you believe her?  She has lied and lied and lied some more.  As the letters continue to surface, her entire campaign, her entire life is a lie.

Those of you are support Hillary and are followers of Christ, remember who the father of lies is.  One who is a liar by nature has learned that skill from their "father".

Enough said.  Save our country and vote for someone other than Hillary Clinton.

Increasing taxes to pay for pre-k education

The ads are running frequently on television promoting a massive increase in the cigarette tax to pay for pre-k education.  These promotions even use children to sway the hearts of those watching.  The announcement proclaims this tax to be a "hands off" tax by the politicians meaning the money may only be used to fund pre-k education.

20 years ago the promotion was that the tax on casino gambling would take care of our education system.  That money would all go to public education.  That was a lie.  Here we go again.

I do not promote smoking and have never smoked.  Such smoke bothers me so I avoid it at all costs.  I understand its addictive nature and feel badly for those who cannot shake the habit.  But increasing their tax is not going to help education.

Suppose the tax passes.  Suppose the money does go completely to education.  Suppose the higher prices result in a reduction in cigarette smokers.  What happens, then, to education costs?  Who is going to pick up the slack when the funds begin to run low?  The government will never permit this new bucket of money to disappear and soon a new tax will be proposed to help our kids.  I suspect kids will be in that ad as well.

We pay more and more every year for public education.  More money is not solving the problems with our school systems.  While we have many very good teachers, we also have "slackers".  The children are, for the most part, not learning as they should.  I have taught in various colleges in the area and I see what the public school systems are producing:  young men and women who cannot do math (especially if you take away their calculators!), who cannot write a paper, who know little of our country's history, and so on and so forth.  Something is amiss and it is not funding!

I urge people NOT to support this tax increase.  In fact I urge voters not to vote for ANY TAX INCREASE, PERIOD!  

It's time our government takes a good, hard look at their budget and makes appropriate cuts.  They do not need more of OUR money.

PROVIDE for the common defense (not merely promote)

PROMOTE the general welfare (not provide)

SECURE the blessings of liberty (not remove)

More Election Fodder

One of the clear messages sent by the American public in the election of Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for President and the overwhelming support for Bernie Sanders during the Democrat primaries is they want new blood in government.  Trump talks about "draining the swamp" and, I agree, much of it needs draining.  Let's start with the Clintons, the Obamas, and the McCaskills of the world!

But we must also exercise caution.

In Missouri, there are two races of special interest.  First is the race for Governor between Eric Greitens and Chris Koster.  While Greitens is the true outsider in the race, Koster has been leading the polls for weeks, coming across as a level-headed politician, interested in helping the people.  Yet Coster has been in politics for quite some time.  Furthermore, he supports big government, he supports Obamacare, and he supports the legalization of illegal aliens in our country.  None of those items will help our state or people.  I am not a Greitens fan, but Greitens has a better plan for Missouri than Koster.

Even more interesting is the Roy Blunt/Jason Kander race for U. S. Senate.  Blunt has been in Washington for many years and, so, he is naturally one of those "in the swamp" that needs to be drained.  OR SO IT SEEMS.  But Kander has been a government official (Secretary of State) since 2012.  More than one election in our state was poorly run while he served in this position, a position in charge of elections.  Kander, like Coster, is a big government, "I love taxes" politician who supports Obamacare.  Furthermore, much of what he has said in his campaign ads against Senator Blunt is untrue.  I like Roy Blunt.  Perhaps he has been in Washington a bit long.  But at least I sense he is fighting for me and my family.  Blunt-yes; Kander-no.

Now some might argue that I simply support Republicans.  Well, that is not true.  Over my many years of voting, I have voted for people from both parties as well as for an independent here and there.  But, in all honesty, I don't see any Democrat these days who has anything to offer us but the same, old, left-wing, big government, tax increase policies of the past 40 years!  The party has continued to drift farther and farther left towards socialism and even communism.  Democrats always talk as though the government has the solution to our problems, that they know what is best for us.  But, in my 60+ years on this planet, I can count on one hand the number of programs the government has run which are truly successful.

Our Founders knew better.  They made our Federal government a LIMITED government.  It was designed to PROVIDE for the common defense (not merely promote it!), PROMOTE the general welfare (not to provide it!), and to SECURE the blessings of liberty (not take them away!).  That's why the Constitution contains the powers given to the Federal government.  They are limited to those powers so enumerated.  Yet the bigger our government gets, the fewer our freedoms become, and the more power they usurp.

I know of no Democrat who has any answer to any problem unless it is MORE GOVERNMENT.  Personally, I want the government off my back and out of my wallet.

The Presidential Election 2016

The Presidential election is nearly upon us.  I will admit at the outset I am not a fan of any of the candidates nor did I vote for any of them in the primary elections.  I have read and listened to policy statements from the 3rd party candidates and, to be perfectly honest, much of what most of them say makes little sense.  There is no doubt that NONE of them have any chance of winning this election.  The next President will be Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton whether I like it or not.

I have voted for the Republican candidate for over 30 years because they most closely align with my political beliefs.  Many of them have been decent men (no one is perfect).  Some of the things Mr. Trump has said do not set well with me in terms of his character.  Of course, much of what the media has said about him is not true since the Clinton server e-mails prove the media, for the most part, is "in the tank" for Secretary Clinton.  

My other possible choice is Secretary Clinton.  Mr. Trump has character flaws but this women IS a character flaw!  She is a constant liar and a liar on a grand scale.  She has spent her entire adult life with one goal:  to be the first woman President.  That has not been Donald Trump's lifelong goal, I know that much.  In a battle over character, I will take Donald Trump any day over Hillary Clinton. 

What will each of them do if elected?  Go read their web site statements.  Listen to their press conferences.  Replay the debates.  We can only rely on what Mr. Trump has said he will do since he has not served in a political office before.  I do know Donald Trump can handle money and jobs so I put much more confidence in him to turn around our economy than Mrs. Clinton who intends to keep President Obama's course of action.

But, with Mrs. Clinton, I have not only her words but also her works.  She has been involved in government for over 30 years as wife of the Arkansas governor, First Lady, New York Senator, and Secretary of State.  What positive contributions has she made in any of those positions?  ABSOLUTELY NONE!  Our present world situation (ISIS, return of Russia) has occurred under President Obama while Mrs. Clinton was Secretary of State.  Can anyone objectively say she has made a positive contribution in that position?

Mrs. Clinton has treated secure data loosely with her server.  She has repeatedly lied to the American people about the server and her e-mails.  She stood next to grieving relatives of those killed in Benghazi as their caskets arrived and lied to their faces concerning their deaths.  Can you really believe anything she says?  

She intends to "keep the course" and maintain President Obama's legacy.  Are you REALLY better off today than you were 8 years ago?  Our national debt has DOUBLED in 8 years and Mrs. Clinton wants to spend more money.  Our nation cannot handle it.  She wants to raise taxes again on those who create jobs.  That only discourages job creation (as well as results in jobs going overseas).  She supports Obamacare.  In fact, if she had her way, we would move to a single payer insurance system where the government is that single system.  Obamacare is presently falling on its face.  

These are only a few of my issues with her policies.  I believe she is the MOST dangerous candidate who has ever run for the office of President.  If elected, she will nominate anywhere from 2-4 Supreme Court justices who do not support the original intent of the Constitution, resulting in a more radical turn in our courts.  Kiss many of your freedoms goodbye (as her about your 2nd Amendment rights!).

While I have problems with Donald Trump, I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton.  Some of you might argue that I should vote for a 3rd party candidate.  But I am a mathematician and such a vote from me actually supports Mrs. Clinton by reducing Mr. Trump's vote by 1.   Any vote that is NOT for Donald Trump is, in effect, a vote for Hillary Clinton no matter how you try to convince yourself otherwise.

This election is too important!  I will vote for Trump, character flaws or not. 

What Future America Do I Want?

I saw a post this morning which noted the different worldviews being expressed by the two political parties.  This election will decide the future direction of our nation since these two parties how completely opposite worldviews.  The question was asked what type of America do you want in the future? 

I decided to answer the question briefly.  Opening a new text file, I jotted down the following thoughts as they came to my mind.  I haven't edited anything so don't expect anything profound.  The order in which they are listed are the order in which they popped into my head.  I'm sure there are many others and, perhaps, some would like to add them via comments.  Anyway, here we go.

What Future America Do I Want?

I want the America of the future to be:

• An America which fears God, not ignores Him.
• An America which cherishes the unborn, not silences them.
• An America which thrives on capitalism, not fails with socialism.
• An America which supports Israel, not ignores her.
• An America which guards our freedoms, not removes them.
• An America which stands with our allies, not bows before our enemies.
• An America which lives within its means, not spends whenever and whatever it pleases.
• An Americh which protects a citizen's right to arm themself, not attempts to take that right away.
• An America which has a small and limited Federal government, not a large and unlimited one.
• An America which provides for the common defense and promotes the general welfare rather than promoting the common defense and providing the general welfare.
• An America which honors the Biblical and traditional view of marriage, not the man-made definitions.
• An America which lets us keep the money we earn, not take more and more of what we earn.
• An America which utilizes its own natural resources, not restrict their use.
• An America which depends more on itself, not more on foreign nations.
• An America which leads the world, not follows.

Survey Sickness

For the past several months, I have received, on average, two survey forms per week in the mail. Usually they are from the GOP or some similar organization, requesting my opinions on various political/social matters, and then asking for a donation. Without fail they are accompanied by a postage free envelope for easy return of your completed form. Sometimes the envelope has a notice requesting you supply a stamp to offset their mailing costs.

Well, yesterday I received three (yes, 3) surveys in one day. Long ago I stopped filling out any of these surveys. Instead, I enclosed a "to the point" note in the envelope and mailed said envelope WITHOUT adding my postage. Yesterday's barrage was about all I can stand.

The Democrat Party left me years ago (circa 1980) and have continued to drift leftward until they are where they are today: far left and still moving that way faster than ever. The Republican Party began their shift away from my personal convictions in the early 90s. They, too, have shifted left though not nearly as far as the Dems. In the past I have usually voted for the Republican candidate (though not always) but, recently, have often found myself supporting the "lesser of two evils". Well, that day is over. I am no longer affliated with either party and will vote for the person who best supports my conservative views no matter from which party they come. If there is no such candidate for a given office, then my vote remains in my pocket.

Some of the GOP just don't understand this, I guess. They keep sending out the same surveys and must be having difficulty understanding the feedback they receive. No, we don't want the John McCains or the Lindsey Grahams of the GOP. We want conservatives, get it!

So, from this point forward, I am taking the survey form and writing all over it the following:

NO GOP
NO MORE SURVEYS
NO MORE DONATIONS
NO MORE MODERATES
LEAVE MY HEALTH CARE ALONE
I WANT REAGAN CONSERVATIVES
I WANT ACTION

Then, I am placing the survey form in the envelope and writing the same words on the back of the envelope. Finally, I am mailing every survey without adding the postage.

Will it do any good? I doubt it. I suspect the surveys will continue, the request for donations will increase, and the same lousy Republican moderates will be thrown our way as the solution (more government is NOT the solution; history confirms this). Strangely, though, I now find the possibility of receiving such a survey exciting! At least I get to express my feelings straightforwardly rather than answering their same old questions.

Congratulations President-Elect Obama

The following paragraphs form a letter I sent to our newly elected President this morning via e-mail. Given all my prior posts opposing him, I thought it only proper that I post this letter as well.


November 5, 2008

President-Elect Obama,

Congratulations on your campaign and your victory! Your election is further proof of the greatness of the United States of America!

I did not support your candidacy and did not vote for you yesterday. Your past legislative record and your remarks throughout your career alarm me. I have written blog entries and letters opposing you throughout the past few months and will continue to oppose the policies you outlined in the campaign. Nevertheless, I respect you as my next President and will pray for God to give you wisdom in your position as the leader of the free world.

Your election fulfills the dream of the Civil Rights movement. The African-American community, once slaves to white Americans and often punished and even killed as such, have now seen America erase that dark spot in the election of one of their own as President. Praise God such racial slavery has been removed from our nation! But, Mr. President-Elect, there still remains a civil rights battle in our country. There are still those in the United States who are in bondage and at the whim of their masters. They need their rights restored and I call on you as President-Elect to make this your number one priority. The group to whom I refer are our unborn children.

Every day in our nation since 1973, 4000 unborn Americans have their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness destroyed because their mother exercises her “freedom to choose”. The life of the mother, rape, and incest account for a small percentage (less than 5%) of the abortions performed in our country. Thousands of unborn Americans lose their right to life everyday at the hands of a mother who doesn’t want to be burdened by them.

Mr. President-Elect, women do not lose their “right to choose” if the practice of abortion is ended. When women engage in the sexual act they exercise their choice and must accept the possible consequences of that act, namely, a new, unborn American.

I call on you, President-Elect Obama, to lead the charge in our nation to eliminate the barbaric practice of killing our unborn citizens and, instead, to restore their right to live equally with other Americans.

Sincerely,

Bruce D. Walker
St. Charles, MO

Why Vote for Obama?

Over the weekend some folks asked me about the letter I sent to the editor of the St. Charles Journal which was published in the October 29. Here is the text of that letter.

So you are going to vote for Sen. Barack Obama. I congratulate you for exercising your right to vote.But before you do so, may I ask you one question? Why Obama? Change? He gives good speeches? He's young"?Consider the following:

• Sen. Obama has done nothing of significance in the Illinois or U.S. Senate.
• Sen. Obama has not reached across party lines in the past.
• Sen. Obama will raise taxes. Despite his claims, he always votes for tax increases.
• Sen. Obama will redistribute wealth, which, in turn, will raise prices and cost jobs.
• Sen. Obama will raise the capital gains tax, which will also raise prices and cost jobs.
• Sen. Obama will pull out of the Middle East and reduce our military strength.
• Sen. Obama supports the killing of the unborn. He supports partial birth abortion, an unnecessary and cruel practice.He also supports not caring for aborted babies who survive the abortion attempt.
• Sen. Obama will implement national health care requiring more taxes. Furthermore, when has the government ever successfully run any agency?
• Sen. Obama will not support new oil drilling or new nuclear plants in our country.
• Sen. Obama will appoint liberal justices who will legislate from the bench.
• Sen. Obama will give the Democrats control of both the legislative and executive branches of our government. Nothing will stop liberals from implementing their agenda.

Please vote. But, seriously, why Obama?

The Patriarch's Pen: Election 2008, Article 3

This is my third blog post on the candidates for the Presidency in this year’s election. I have already presented my reasons why I will not vote for Senator Barack Obama as well as the various 3rd party candidates. The only candidate I have not discussed is Senator John McCain. He is the subject of this post.

First, let me be upfront on Senator McCain. He was not my choice for the Republican nomination during the primaries. I am not a John McCain fan. There are many reasons why I could vote against him. Here are a few:

1. McCain-Kennedy. This was the infamous “comprehensive” immigration bill which resulted in such a public outcry that it was wiped off the face of the earth. No matter what you call it, the bill was an amnesty bill and a major strike against Senator McCain.

2. McCain-Feingold. Supposedly a campaign reform bill, McCain-Feingold essentially helps incumbents maintain their seats.

3. McCain-Lieberman. The Climate Stewardship Act which would have depressed the economy more than saved the environment.

4. The Gang of 14. Senator McCain was one of the leaders of this informal group of 7 Republican and 7 Democrat Senators who worked together on President Bush’s justice appointments. In my humble opinion, Senator McCain was far TOO bi-partisan with this group, leaning toward the Democratic side way too often.

5. His energy position. Senator McCain has been against off shore drilling and drilling in ANWAR for some time. To his credit, he has changed his position on off shore drilling and now supports it since our nation badly needs this oil. I am hopeful Governor Palin, who supports drilling in ANWAR, will change his mind on that matter as well.

If Hilary Clinton had been the nominee running against John McCain, the above items would probably have driven me to vote for Chuck Baldwin even if that meant giving the Presidency to Clinton (believe me, that aggravates my stomach even to think about it). But Senator Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination, Senator Obama did. If there was another candidate more conservative than John McCain AND who could realistically defeat Barack Obama, I would vote for him. But, there isn’t. So I am left with John McCain.

My remarks should not be interpreted to imply there are no reasons why I would vote for him. He does have several positive stances with which I agree.

1. He is pro-life. As he stated at the Saddleback Forum earlier this year, Senator McCain believes life begins at conception. There have been concerns expressed over some of his views on cloning, but, when contrasted with Senator Obama’s radical view on the life of the unborn, Senator McCain’s position is outstanding.

2. He is pro-military. Senator McCain argued for some time to expand the size of our forces in Iraq and he has been proven correct in that assessment. Foreign leaders know McCain as President is not someone who will back away from a fight. Even more importantly, Senator McCain supports the military and understands the need for strong technology for the defense of our country. Again, his position compared to Senator Obama’s position is like day and night. Obama’s desire is to reduce the military, McCain’s is to strengthen it.

3. He is against pork barrel spending. Although I am disappointed with his vote to approve the most recent bail out package to which the Democrats attached some pork barrel spending, Senator McCain has generally fought against such additions to bills as they came through Congress. He is one of the few Senators who have consistently fought against pork barrel spending and I believe he will continue that commitment as President by vetoing such bills when they arrive on his desk.

4. He is experienced. This is a no brainer. Neither Senator Obama nor Senator McCain has executive experience in the political world. But no one can argue that Barack Obama has the experience level of a John McCain. For example, Senator McCain has made numerous trips to the Middle East even in the past few years. Senator Obama has made one and that one was a political photo shoot. John McCain, for better or for worse, understands how Washington works.

5. He will appoint justices who do not legislate from the bench. Given his track record with the “Gang of 14”, I must admit I’m a little concern about his future judicial appointments. He has publicly declared he will appoint only judges who judge and do not legislate from the bench. Again, McCain’s pledge when compared with Obama’s stand on judicial appointments is 180 degrees different.

6. He does work “both sides of the aisle”. For years John McCain has proven he will work with members from both parties in Congress. I believe at times (e.g., “Gang of 14”), he bends too far to the side of the Democrats. But, like it or not, when McCain says he is bi-partisan he means it. Barack Obama claims he will unite everyone and work both sides of the aisle but, honestly, Senator Obama has done nothing of the sort during his time in politics.

7. He chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Without question, John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his Vice President won my support to the ticket. Given Obama’s far left philosophy, I was slowing warming to Senator McCain as the only hope of defeating Obama. But when he picked Palin that settled it. To me, this choice illustrated McCain’s political savvy and his good judgment.

Unlike the bad press Governor Palin has received, she is a very intelligent woman who has done a remarkable job both as an Alaskan mayor and as the state’s Governor. She has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country and probably one of the highest of any state or national politician. She is strongly pro-life, fiscally conservative, and a reformer by nature. Governor Palin has more executive experience than either Presidential candidate as well as her Vice President opponent, Senator Joe Biden. She has done far more in her state of Alaska for her people, than Senator Obama has done for the people of Illinois either in the state house or the United States Congress.

Given the choice of a far left wing candidate who supports killing the unborn (and, in some cases, even those already born!), espouses socialism, is weak militarily, and has no experience or a moderate candidate who supports life, is strong militarily, espouses capitalism, has a running mate who is even more traditional and conservative, and can defeat the socialist candidate, I must vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin and I will do so proudly and gladly.

I encourage everyone to exercise their right and vote. But I do encourage those who are seriously considering Barack Obama take a time out, forget the national news media, and check out the Senator’s extremely liberal positions. Are those positions what you really want for our country?

The Patriarch's Pen: Election 2008, Article 2

The Presidential election of 1912 was an interesting one. When, in 1908, Theodore Roosevelt honored his 1904 pledge not to seek another term, he threw his support to his Vice President, William Howard Taft. Taft won the election but, in Roosevelt’s eyes, betrayed the progressive program Roosevelt had instituted. Roosevelt sought the 1912 Republican Party nomination but, when the GOP gave it to Taft, Roosevelt and his supporters left the GOP to form the Progressive Party (also known as the Bull Moose Party).

The Democrats took 46 ballots to select their candidate. The favored Champ Clark of Missouri, current Speaker of the House, could not gain the necessary votes on the first ballot and the battle was on. When influential Democrat William Jennings Bryan threw his support to New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, the tide began to turn and Wilson was ultimately selected.

President Taft was never very enthused about the Presidency. He aspired to a position on the Supreme Court (which he later received) and did not exert much effort in the 1912 campaign. The fireworks were primarily between Wilson and Roosevelt, both known reformers.

The GOP split resulted in a landslide Electoral College win for Wilson. The final tally for the 1912 race was:

Wilson: 435 electoral votes; 6,293,152 popular votes
Roosevelt: 88 electoral votes; 4,119,207 popular votes
Taft: 8 electoral votes; 3,486,333 popular votes
Debs: 0 electoral votes; 900,369 popular votes (Socialist Party)
Chafin: 0 electoral votes; 207,972 popular votes (Prohibition Party)

Theodore Roosevelt was a 3rd party candidate who beat a major party candidate though failing to win the election.

My point of all this: NONE of the 3rd party candidates running in 2008 is Theodore Roosevelt. They CAN NOT win the election.

One of my son-in-laws has noted that they can win if folks vote for them on Election Day. That is absolutely true assuming they are on the ballot in all 50 states. But this is theory. Most Americans can’t even name one of the 3rd party candidates this year. If we are pragmatic about the matter, we will admit, despite the theory, Senator Obama or Senator McCain will be the President-elect on November 5.

Does this mean voting for a 3rd party candidate is “wasting your vote”? I guess it depends on what you mean by wasting. If you are voting your conscience when you select one of these individuals then your vote is right and not wasted.

There are, at least, four candidates running for the Presidency other than the “big two”. I am listing them with some brief personal remarks based on information I have from their campaigns. For more information, check their web sites.

Charles O. “Chuck” Baldwin: Baptist minister. Solidly pro-life. Eliminate or greatly reduce several government agencies (including education, FEMA). Eliminate all family income taxes (he says they are unconstitutional). Eliminate or greatly reduce other taxes. Strong on crime. Get government out of business. Support traditional energy resources as well as research on alternatives. Gun advocate. No federal government health care. Against illegal immigration. Scale back foreign aid. Withdraw from Iraq. Essentially get out of international military matters. Permit private accounts for Social Security.

Robert L. “Bob” Barr Jr.: Pro-life with minor exceptions (e.g., rape and incest). Reduce funding of some government agencies but greatly increase defense funding. Greatly reduce personal income tax across the board. Decrease or eliminate other taxes. Strong law enforcement. Strong drug enforcement. Parental choice in education. No government health care. Against illegal immigration. Withdraw from the United Nations. Take action if Iraq does not comply. Permit private accounts for Social Security.

Ralph Nader: Says pro-life with minor exceptions (e.g., rape and incest) but also says “supports the principles articulated in Roe v Wade and its progeny). Eliminate funding of national missile defense. Increase alcohol taxes, capital gains taxes, cigarette taxes. Eliminate the death penalty. Decriminize marijuana use. Allow vouchers for education choice. Strengthen regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. Strengthen emission controls. Support the Kyoto treaty to limit global warming. Immigration reform but supports illegal immigrants having all the rights and privileges of United States citizens. Government oversight of business especially in terms of pensions and health care.

Cynthia Ann McKinney: Sorry, but after reading her Green Party’s platform, I have no further comment.

I believe it is safe to say Baldwin and Barr are the more conservative while Nader and McKinney are more liberal. Therefore, my opinion is IF YOU COULD ONLY CHOOSE BETWEEN Obama and McCain, those voting for Baldwin or Barr would vote McCain and those voting for McKinney or Nader would choose Obama. So, if you vote for Baldwin or Barr you are, essentially, taking a vote away from McCain. And, if you vote for McKinney or Nader, you are taking a vote away from Obama.

Like it or not, none of these 3rd party candidates are going to win. Personally, I like the positions of Chuck Baldwin even more than I do those of John McCain (more on McCain later). But if I cast a vote for Baldwin (who can not win) then McCain (who can win) loses a vote.

In 1996 President Clinton ran against Senator Bob Dole. I have never been and never will be a Bill Clinton fan. I also didn’t care much for Bob Dole but held my breath and voted for him in hopes of defeating Clinton. Of course, that hope was not realized. While I do not like President Clinton, I would have easily voted my conscience in 1996 by voting for Chuck Baldwin, if he had run. Yes, Baldwin would not win. Yes, I would be taking a vote from Dole. Yes, I would be helping Clinton win. Oh, well…

So, you might ask, why aren’t you going to vote your conscience in 2008 and choose Chuck Baldwin instead of John McCain? I can answer that question in 3 words: Barack Hussein Obama. Obama is far worse than a Bill Clinton. At least Clinton wasn’t an outright socialist.

While I like the policies of Chuck Baldwin, my conscience says I must vote for a candidate who can keep Obama out of the White House. I must do whatever I can, in good conscience, to beat Obama. The only candidate who can do that is John McCain.

President Obama

Based on the latest CBS New York Times poll, those of us who are not supporting Barack Obama might as well stay home on election day. The poll gives Obama a 14 point lead over John McCain in the race for the White House. With three weeks to go, he should be invincible.

Of course, I suspect the poll was conducted among the staff of CBS and the New York Times (with a few outside conservatives thrown in for good measure). Since the other national polls have Obama up only by 5 or so, it is safe to say the CBSNYT poll is dubious at best. So, if you are supporting McCain, forget the polls and make certain you vote.

I still maintain hope that Americans will wake up and realize what they are getting if they elect Obama. Yes, I know, John McCain has his faults (more on this in a future post). But I find it hard to believe that Americans would elect a man like Obama to be the next President. Surely we have more sense than that. Why would you vote for him?

1. In just 4 years (almost 2 of them spent running for President), Obama has earned the title of the most liberal man in the United States Senate. His running mate is number 3 on that list.

2. He has never accomplished anything of importance in his political career either in the Illinois Senate or the United States Senate.

3. He is a committed socialist, a position which has become more apparent in recent days with his remarks about redistributing the wealth.

4. He supports not only abortion but also permitting babies who survive abortions to die (i.e., he opposes protecting infants born alive).

Oh, well, I have listed these elsewhere in this blog so I don't need to go into the entire list again. Suffice it to say, I have hope the American people will wake up and, on election day, NOT elect Obama to the Presidency. I can guarantee you one thing: if Obama is elected, I will be hoarding all the money I have. Forget eating out. Forget sporting events. Forget entertainment venues. Forget traveling. Forget expensive gifts. An Obama Presidency is going to cost each of us a lot of money despite his talking points ("if you make less than $250,000").

Here are just a few web sites which provide some comparisons of the candidates and the party platforms.

• Family Research Council
• Project Vote Smart
• American Family Association
• Platform Comparisons
• Huntley Brown "Why I Can't Vote for Obama" (well written article on Jeremy's blog)

May the Lord have mercy and spare us from an Obama Presidency.

The Patriarch's Pen: Election 2008, Article 1

I know politics and families do not often mix. Politics is, likely, a subject I should avoid in a family blog or newsletter. Yet, this year’s Presidential election greatly concerns me. Therefore, I want to express my opinion (albeit briefly) about the various candidates just to provide the “Patriarch’s” thoughts on the matter.

This entry concerns Senator Obama. The November newsletter, which will be published just before the election, will discuss Senator McCain as well as 3rd party candidates. Those entries will appear on the Wild Walker World blog during the early party of October.

Why I will NOT Vote for Senator Barack Obama

The following are many of the reasons why I will not and can not support Barack Obama for the Presidency. Apart from item #1, the reasons are listed in no specific order.

1. Senator Obama supports the killing of the unborn. Senator Obama not only supports the pro-death cause, he goes far beyond where most abortionists go. Senator Obama supports partial birth abortions. Furthermore, he supports not caring for aborted babies who survive the abortion attempt. He has denied the latter charge but the facts are clear that is his position. He fears caring for such children will result in a “slippery slope” discussion which might end abortions.

Personally, I need no other reasons than that. I will never vote for any candidate of any party for any office at any time when I know they support killing unborn children. How can I trust my life and my family’s lives to the hands of someone who has no problem murdering these infants?

2. Senator Obama will raise taxes. I know Senator Obama promises a tax cut to everyone who makes under $250,000. But I have also heard he will remove the cap on Social Security taxes, eliminate the Bush tax cuts, keep the death tax, and raise sales taxes. Furthermore, he’ll need money for his national health care program as well as other plans he has. He may send you $1000 as he has promised but I suspect that will not turn out to be a cut overall but just a slight reduction in an overall increase.

3. Senator Obama will pull out of the Middle East. Great, given Russia is working with Venezuela and Al Queda still intends to destroy us. Let’s bring the battle to our own front yards.

4. Senator Obama will reduce the military. He has especially noted his attempts to cut the missile defense technology. Well, President Clinton also cut back the military when he was in office. So, when we needed a military to fight in the Middle East, we had to spend tons of money to rebuild it. A reduced military in light of worldwide terrorism is stupid.

5. Senator Obama believes in redistribution of wealth. His “Robin Hood” philosophy of “taking from the rich and giving to the poor” has been clearly documented. This is not only Robin Hood’s slogan; it is also the slogan of socialism and communism. Where is the motivation for those who earn a lot of money and already invest that money into the lives of others via the businesses they run to continue to make money when the Senator and Congress intends to give it to those who will not work? Furthermore, where is the motivation by those who do not work to seek work when the government is giving them the money from the wealthy? I am not wealthy but I also don’t want the government giving me someone else’s money.

6. Senator Obama will raise the capital gains tax. Increasing capital gains will especially hurt small businesses. Such an increase will force companies to: (1) increase the price of their products (see 2 above), (2) reduce employee pay (see 2 above), (3) replace employees with cheaper foreign labor, (4) reduce staff (i.e., layoff), (5) any combination of the above or (6) close up their business. Furthermore, an increase in the capital gains will reduce the incentive to start new businesses (e.g., companies to find alternative sources of energy).

7. Senator Obama supports national health care. He wants health care for everyone, a health care system run by the government. Here is another socialist program we can not afford. Are the rich paying for this in addition to giving their money to others? Or, will there be some type of new tax (go back and reread #2) to help fund this program? Furthermore, name one program the federal government created and ran which was successful? Think about your trips to the local License Bureau or to a Social Security office. Do you really want your health care funded and directed by the federal government?

8. Senator Obama opposes drilling off shore and in Alaska. He supports alternative forms of energy as does any sane person. But, like it or not, we MUST have oil for the near term. However, he will not support drilling off our coasts or in ANWR meaning we must keep buying from foreign nations including some which are becoming less friendly to the United States. He would prefer taxing the “wealthy” oil companies and, somehow, force them to find alternative sources of energy. If additional taxes are placed on oil, the oil companies will pass them on to you by increased prices (see item 2 above). Furthermore, why is it the OIL companies’ responsibility to find ALTERNATIVE energy sources? They are in the OIL business. We need new businesses to deal with that problem. Oh, I forgot, the increase in the capital gains tax will make new business ventures more difficult.

9. Senator Obama has no proven leadership characteristics and has accomplished nothing in the political world. In neither the Illinois Senate nor the United States Senate, Barack Obama has done nothing of importance. Many of his votes in the Illinois Senate were “present” rather than “yes” or “no”. A leader has to be able to take a stand and Senator Obama has not proven he has that ability.

10. Senator Obama has questionable personal ties. His life and political background has been repeatedly tainted by the close associates he has had: hate spewing preachers, a known and proud terrorist, a crook, Wall Street tycoons, etc. Who will he have to advise him while in the White House?

11. Senator Obama will appoint liberal justices to the Supreme Court. One or two justices will certainly retire during the next administration, maybe more. Senator Obama will appoint and the Democrat Congress (see # 12 below) will approve justices that are liberal in philosophy. This will result in a Supreme Court which creates law rather than interprets law and will do so long after Senator Obama is out of office.

12. Senator Obama would put the Federal government under the control of one party. His election, barring some miracles in the House and Senate races, will give the Democrats firm control of the legislative and executive branches of government. Given the far left philosophy of Senator Obama (called the most liberal man in Congress; by the way, Vice President candidate Joe Biden is listed as the 3rd most liberal man in Congress) as well as the far left bent of many in Congress, such a scenario will result in a far left turn for our nation, a turn from which we may never recover.

In my opinion, Senator Barack Obama is a very dangerous individual for those who love our country and the freedoms we have.

Patriotism per Obama/Biden

Do you want to be a patriotic American? Then PAY MORE TAXES! That’s what Democratic Vice President nominee Senator Joe Biden told us yesterday.

It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.

I’m sorry, sir. I have no interest in giving more of the money I work hard for to the government which has no idea how to use it. Helping others who have need is great and I do so via the various charities to which I contribute (Senator Biden, by the way, averages less than $400 a year to charitable contributions despite the fact he makes a lot more money than almost any one reading this blog). You, Senator, and your running mate, Senator Barack Obama, want us to give you more of the money which we have EARNED so you can give it to anyone, including those who won’t get off the couch and do anything! And you have the gall to say that’s patriotic?

If you are reading this blog and are planning on voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden then I ask you take some time and ask yourself why. Ok, you don’t like President Bush. Well, he’s not running. You don’t like the Republicans. Ok, but the Democrats presently control both houses of Congress and are the ones doing nothing to solve any of the problems facing our country. You don’t like John McCain. Ok, but is THAT the reason you are going to vote for Obama? There are other candidates running. I ask you to seriously consider and rethink why you really want Obama. Do you have any idea what he intends to do if elected?

I stumbled across an interesting Internet site last night entitled BarackObamaTest.com. You answer several questions on a variety of subjects and your answers are compared to Senator Obama’s positions. The site doesn’t tell you for whom to vote. It simply returns a value indicating how close Barack Obama is to your position. I took the test and Senator Obama and I agreed on 4% of the issues.

Whether I like President Bush or the Republicans, I will not cast my vote for a candidate which agrees with me on the issues only 4% of the time!

That, Senator Biden, is patriotic!

"People Who Get Things Done"

Before class last evening, I was chatting with another professor in the hallway at the school. He commented that he found it interesting that each party was getting a boost from people who are great at giving speeches (Obama, Palin). He said our country needed "people who get things done" rather than those who can give good speeches.

Actually, I think we need leaders who do both. They need to be able to get things done yet also able to communicate what their plans are for this country to the people. I commented to the professor that, in this race, the nominees, for the most part, are people who have gotten things done.

Think about it. Whether you agree or disagree with their policies or actions:

• Senator Joe Biden is a person who has gotten things done.
• Senator John McCain is a person who has gotten things done.
• Governor Sarah Palin is a person who has gotten things done.
• Senator Barack Obama ... hasn't accomplished one thing worthy of note either in the Illinois state house or in Washington.