TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Soon We'll Know What Direction We're Headed

ADVERTISEMENT

By DONALD J. MYERS, A Mind of My Own

Hernando Today

Published: November 1, 2008

After a marathon election campaign, we will finally know what direction we will take as a country in just a few days. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most critical election in my lifetime, and I have been voting since 1956.
In past elections, there were major issues confronting this nation, but in my view this election will determine our direction for decades. The new president will nominate at least two Supreme Court justices and possibly three. If those justices are activists, I can see where our Second Amendment could be severely restricted. The new president will also appoint federal judges at every level of government.
It has been rare for the president to have a 60-member majority in the Senate, but the last two times were under President Johnson in the 1960s and President Carter in the 1970s. A 60-member majority prevents the opposing party from filibustering any proposed legislation. During President Johnson's time, we were given the "War on Poverty" and "The Great Society" that has transferred trillions of dollars from the producers to the nonproducers and it did not work. During President Carter's time, we had double-digit inflation, unemployment and interest rates. The good intentions of these presidents did not prevent these disasters, and the bills for them continue even today.
Sen. Barack Obama says that he will reduce the taxes of 95 percent of wage earners. About 40 percent of wage earners pay no federal income taxes. They pay withholding for Medicare and Social Security but no income taxes, so I suppose that he will be sending them a bonus much like the earned Income Tax Credit. He also intends to permit the Bush tax cuts to lapse, so that will be a tax increase for all those who had their taxes reduced with that tax reduction.
When "Joe the Plumber "asked about taxes, Obama went off the teleprompter and stated that he was for "redistribution of wealth." Joe the Plumber has since been attacked and had his background searched in an effort to discredit him. Is that what we can expect from a President Obama?
Sen. Joe Biden stated at a fundraiser that he expected a President Obama to be challenged by an international crisis within the first six months of his administration and that many would not agree with how he would react, but that his supporters should continue to support him. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright came forth and said that Biden meant that any president would be challenged and did not strictly mean a President Obama. If that were true, then why did he name a President Obama specifically?
I find it rather strange that a platoon of investigators were dispatched to Alaska when Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen as a vice president candidate to look into her background; one of the prison guards for Sen. John McCain was located in North Vietnam for an interview about how well he was treated while being a POW, and Joe the Plumber had his background searched. Yet there have never been any interviews with any of Obama's classmates from college or law school or have any of his associates in ACORN or the Illinois Senate.
Obama is supposedly a constitutional scholar and as such he gave his opinion on the subject in a 2001 presentation. It is obvious from that talk that he does not agree with much of our Constitution. The Bill of Rights is a limit on the power of government and is for our protection. According to Obama, the Constitution does not spell out what the government should do for the people. I must have read a different Constitution, because I believe that it does spell out its duties.
I suppose that he is on the side of those who think that the Constitution should be considered a "living document" that should be interpreted according to the times. If that is accepted then there is no constitution. That would be like playing football with no set rules. When I have the ball I only need to gain two yards for a first down, but as soon as you get the ball the rules change so you must gain 20 yards for a first down. When I score a TD it is 14 points, but it is only one point when you score one.
That does not make sense and neither does a "living constitution." The founding fathers provided a method to alter the Constitution and that has worked for more than 200 years.

Donald J. Myers, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at dmyersusmc@aol.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT