Which Course Will We Choose
“Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the
gospel of envy whose inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.“
– Winston Churchill
Four years after President Obama’s historic election, the nation’s good will and hope has been squandered. The promise of a unified country under a post-partisan administration seems like a line from an actor’s script. “I don’t see red states, I don’t see blue states, I see the United States,” the president famously proclaimed. A good campaign theme but apparently never intended for implementation. Former President Bush is castigated, Republicans are vilified, patriotic Tea Party supporters are ridiculed while the Occupy protestors are embraced.
The president calls things that are not as though they are and things that are as though they are not.
He imposes suffocating regulations and promises that they will help small businesses. Mr. Obama’s EPA wages war on the oil and gas industry while he takes credit for increased domestic production. He constantly conjures images of “fairness”, a “fair shot” and a “fair share” yet he taunts businessmen who believe their companies have been built by hard work. Exactly where does President Obama want to take us in a second term?
The dutiful silence and willful cooperation of the lap dog media allows the president to create his own reality without fear of fact-checking from the networks or the NY Times. Mr. Obama announces that Al Qaeda is “on the run” while our embassies are under attack and our Libyan Ambassador is assassinated. He publicly shuns President Netanyahu and yet insists that our alliance with Israel has never been stronger. Thinking he is off-mike he whispers to Russian Prime Minister Medvedev that he “will have more flexibility after the election”. Flexibility to do what Mr. President!
It is stupefying to witness such bankrupt theories of economic and foreign policy being so carefully repackaged by a politician and tirelessly defended by the official media. Does the president really believe that higher taxation, stricter regulation and more burdensome bureaucracy will actually create investment and employment? Is the press so ignorant of history that they are unaware that these policies have created scarcity and human suffering wherever they have been implemented? Has the electorate become so infected with envy that they are willing to suspend common sense in order to exact “revenge” on “the rich”?
The Obama Administration bears a striking resemblance to the Jimmy Carter presidency of the late 1970s. Mr. Carter raised taxes and the economy stalled. He passed the windfall profits tax and gasoline prices sky-rocketed. He withdrew America from geopolitical leadership and Russia invaded Afghanistan. He coddled dictators and treated Israel with contempt and our Iranian Embassy was overrun, resulting in a 444 day hostage crisis.
The nightmare of Jimmy Carter’s failed presidency ended with the election of Ronald Reagan and the country was spared the pain of a second Carter term. I can only imagine the course he would have taken had Carter’s economic and foreign policies been ratified by the voters. Fortunately, we never had to find out. Likewise, Mitt Romney must be elected in order to deliver us from Barack Obama’s vision of a “fundamentally transformed America.” If Mr. Obama is able to secure a second term on Tuesday we will surely learn what he means by “the best form of revenge” and Prime Minister Medvedev will find out what the president was implying when he promised “more flexibility after the election.” I think we have a pretty good idea.
This Sunday our pastor recognized a Chinese member of our congregation who was hosting seven Chinese human rights lawyers. These defenders of the persecuted are in Texas to observe our election. None of our Chinese guests have ever seen a ballot and can only dream of actually casting a meaningful vote. Before their Chinese-American host offered a prayer on behalf of our foreign visitors he offered a few observations. He stated that the world watches our elections because the outcome affects all of their lives. He said that they hoped that America would be restored as a “shining city on a hill” and that she would regain her position of strength and courage as a beacon to the rest of the world.
As the world watches, over 130 Million Americans will have cast their votes by Tuesday evening. Almost 2 Billion souls compelled to labor under communism or statism will tune to static radios to learn the outcome of our election. Those who dream of escaping to “The Land of the Free” or hope of protection from “The Home of the Brave” will awaken Wednesday morning to find out if the Shining City has continued it’s lurch to the left or regained her historic commitment to liberty. Which course will we choose? The world and seven human rights lawyers from China are watching.
Kyle Stallings is a member of board of directors of the Liberty Institute, The Texas Public Policy Foundation and operates a small business in Midland, Texas.
Please visit Liberty or Bondage at www.libertyorbondage.com