Anthony Wiener: Are morals irrelevant in U.S. Politics?

Does what happens at home or away from the office matter in U.S. Politics anymore? After the second round of accusations against former Rep. Anthony Weiner we must wonder if they don't. He has since begun to fall behind in polling, but is still a major contender for Mayor of New York City. This same sexting scandal was thought to be so disgusting to the American public that he resigned from the House of  Representatives in 2011. Much seems to have changed since then . 

We shouldn't pretend that fidelity and morality are as high of priorities to the current generation as they were to our parents and grandparents. We are certainly living in an age where many people see morals as relative, rather than the moral absolutism of the past. If anything it seems that the winds are blowing against traditional morality today more than ever. 

We are far from the days of the Victorian era of high morality, but the question remains, shouldn't we require a higher standard of honesty and fidelity from our politicians when it comes to basic honesty and fidelity in marriage? Should a concern arise about the type of role models we put to our children through our political leaders if we elect men that lack credibility and any form of basic honesty or integrity.

John Adams said "(It) is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." Many of our founders believed that morals and honesty must be the foundation of our society. Though these men were not perfect, I would say that they were men of profound vision. Some of them were known to be less that perfect on this very topic, but they understood the need for virtue in society. 

So to what standard should our politicians be held? If adultery and lewd behavior is an acceptable fault then why not dishonesty in business, cheating on taxes or stealing? It seems the only thing that seems to matter in political contests is that the name is well enough known, that they have enough money and that they are popular enough. It seems that it has become the new norm to ignore all questions of integrity, but rather to focus on their popularity instead. I understand there are differences of opinion on morality and what moral values should be upheld, but when we are talking about marital vows that have been broken and continue to be broken. It is pretty easy to see the basic need for high moral values for our leaders when it comes to honesty, as they are dealing with large amounts of power and money. With special interest groups holding a great deal of power, how do we fight back against that when our leaders are immoral as well?

We need to encourage good men to stand up and accept the role of leadership ones who have integrity and who are not merely wealthy and popular. What it will take though, is the American people to wake up, become informed, and get involved. Voting is not the beginning and end of our civic duty. Honesty and integrity need to be renewed as basic values to Americans, starting in the home, where both parents teach those two values. It then continues in our school, where cheating isn't just discouraged but unthought of. If we continue this chain we can regain a great deal of the foundational values that our forefathers built this country upon, without it our foundation will crumble and be lost.

The Fourth of July: Why We Are Celebrating Today

British colonies had been established on the North American continent for well over a hundred years. The French and Indian war had shortly been brought to peace just a decade earlier. For about two decades however, legislation had been passed with continued hostility toward the American colonies, with a lack of representation continuing. The intolerable acts couple drove the colonies to act. With the Boston Tea Party coupled with the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, the colonies had entered into pure state of rebellion. By summer it became clear that the crown was sending an expeditionary force to enforce it's will upon the colonies, and that this force would include foreign mercenaries known for their ruthlessness.

Congress had been meeting for months on the matter of independence. On June 11th it was decided that a committee to draft a resolution to declare independence should be formed. This committee was made up of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and a young Virginian named Thomas Jefferson. It was decided that Jefferson(the only member from the southern states) would be the member to write the initial draft. After revisions by the committee and by congress as a whole, the final document was voted on and accepted on July 4th, or the day we now refer to as Independence day. I wish now to quote from that document :

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
With those words on that day we staked our claim to independence. However, it was not ours to be had by merely laying claim to it. Our independence was not easily won and I firmly believe it was only won by the assistance of heaven. Many men gave their lives for the hope of a future nation, and for the hope that with such a nation our natural rights would be ours to be had and not easily be taken from us. For generations we have looked back to that founding, as our assertion that there are certain rights that no government should usurp without due process of law. This declaration established our reasons for breaking allegiance to our mother country, and firmly rooted within our culture the idea that our freedoms should be held sacred. We as Americans have held their sacrifice as sacred within our hearts and we have honored them through the past two centuries.

Independence was won eventually, but it was not until another document was also written that our nation was on a firm foundation. Our constitution was enacted  to ensure that these rights and privileges would continue to be protected. It established law and justice in our country as well as ways for individual citizens to address their grievances through a representative republic.

 Although some see our constitution as limiting, I see it as both sacred and protecting. It established our country on a firm foundation of law and justice that has governed us well for over 200 years. Our path as a nation has not been the easiest, we have had times of prosperity and peace, and we have had times of depression and war. Overall though, we have shown that as we work together, not always agreeing but finding ways to compromise that we can accomplish great things. I do not believe that the days of our great accomplishments are past, and I still see America as a shining beacon on a hill.

As we celebrate our nation this Independence day let us not forget those who have sacrificed all to protect our nation and our freedoms. Let us remember them and honor them for their heroic sacrifice. Let us remember our founders and their great work. And let us look to the future with hope that the future years will continue to show that we live in a wonderful country of freedom and justice.

We are celebrating today because we have a great nation established on freedom and justice. So wave a flag, sing our national anthem and other patriotic songs, grill some hot dogs and watch some fireworks, but please remember why we are celebrating.

I Believe in America

As many of you who know me well are aware, I am a bit of a history geek. This passion has led me to study intensively the history and founding of our nation. I believe deeply that it is important to remember that throughout our history, we as a people are responsible for the leaders we elect. The election we are now preparing for could possibly be the most important we have ever had, for it is a battle for the soul of

America, or rather, it is a battle for what America will be.
I believe in our country, I believe in our proud heritage and I believe that America has the ability to continue to be a great nation. I believe we can be the best force for good in the world, and stand up for what is right and good. We can understand believe that with the right leadership we can get headed in the right direction. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, we can be the shining light on the hill to the rest of the world.

As we consider leaders, we often seek ones with experience, with leadership qualities we admire, and with a good ability to communicate. Today I will focus on experience though. When we think about the United States of America, it is a very large and complex body, comparable to a very large ship. It has many varied moving parts, personnel that need leadership, and it needs direction and navigation both to move through the storms ahead, to reach the destination we seek that of an America that is the beacon of hope to the world.

America deserves a captain that is familiar with the ship, its parts, its personnel, and has a clear view of the greatness that America can achieve. That is where Mitt Romney comes in. His experience in such various roles, from businessman to governor has prepared him to be a great leader in America. He has weathered storms as captain of the 2002 Olympics. He has an intricate knowledge of the economy, and a clear view of where we need to go in our future.
Our current president, on the other hand has come into this office with little to no real experience and America has suffered. It is not his fault the economy was suffering when he came into office, but it is time that we realize, under Obama things have not improved as they should have. Why? The reason is because we have had a captain that hasn’t known how, where and when to lead. He relies on his advisors to lead, which has led to some of them being out of control and unaccountable. He has attacked business owners and business in general. FDR once said “the business of America is business.” It seems to me that our current president’s opinion is that the business of America is to attack business.

Financially Obama has increased our debt more than any president, and he has done it in less than 4 years. What has it accomplished? Are we safer than we were four years ago? Is our economy better off than it
was four years ago? No. Having a captain who doesn’t know how to turn the ship around has led to Americans suffering to survive. Attacking crucial mechanizms through over regulation, burdensome tax standards, devaluing our currency, allowing other countries to bully us on economic policies, and leaving future generations with a load of debt that seems insurmountable, does not strengthen america.
In simple terms, we can’t afford to spend four more years on a president who doesn’t understand how the economy works, who doesn’t appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit, and who doesn’t seem to have a  clear view of where America should be heading.

We need a captain, a leader, someone who has been storm tested and has a definite view of the destination. In the following posts I will outline both Barack Obama and Mitt Romneys views on certain issues, as well as their records, and the views of others as to their efficacy. I will show how if you believe in America, there really is only one choice for you.
I believe in America,

do you?


Some reading I encourage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/romneys-foreign-policy-the-opposite-of-obamas/2012/07/24/gJQAytNc6W_blog.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-did-the-state-make-you-great/2012/07/19/gJQAbZOiwW_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-the-imperial-presidency-revisited/2012/07/05/gJQAR66PQW_story.html

The Battle for the Soul of America

As we begin to consider national elections this year we must begin by understanding ourselves and what we wish for our country. The majority of our country believes that we are not heading in the right direction. I believe that we must seek for wise leaders who have correct priorities in their actions as elected representatives. The question becomes what qualities should we look for to determine said wisdom?

Recently a friend of mine Kyle stated "If you really want to change the country for the better then fix the family and study the founders. And I don't even need to say study conservatism because once you study the founders then conservatism becomes the obvious choice. It is the perpetuation of everything the founders stood for - most importantly freedom and individual liberty." I believe that strong conservative values have been the foundation upon which our country has been built.

As a conservative at heart I do believe that conservative values that promote individual liberty and limited government are essential to a free society. Our country was founded on the belief that hard work, strong moral values, and faith in God were essential to our success and prosperity as a country. Through the last few years we have struggled in more than just economics. We have struggled for the soul of America. This struggle on whether we are going to stand by the same values we have held for many years or let them fall.
Values are essential and we must not compromise our values. Our founders had varying opinions of what a free society needed in terms of government, especially the national government. What set them most apart, and what we remember them most for was their ability to compromise, and by so doing bringing to pass action, which in turn has brought to pass a prosperous country of over two hundred and thirty years. We have come to an age however that it seems that individual thought clouds the capability of many of our elected officials from being able of acting in the best interest of the country as a whole. While I do not blame either party individually I do blame both for playing to the extremes of their parties. However there does need to be compromise on the issues where we can come together.
What we most need are leaders who will unite us and lead us rather than divide us and follow others. We need leaders who understand how to inspire us to action and to be more than we are. We also need leaders who will lead us into the future.
I encourage you to consider these as you decide on who to vote for this year, I especially encourage you to research each candidate including and most importantly your local officials, and make a decision according to your conscience and vote.

NLRB and the American Jobs Act

As Americans across the country have been suffering from high unemployment and low job creation, our nation's leaders have been charged with finding ways to create and keep more jobs within the U.S. 
Recently congress has been considering two different bills that could both affect job creation in the United States. the first of these is the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act which was passed by the house on Thursday. This bill is in response to the National Labor Relations Board's actions to prevent Boeing's production line for the new 787 Dreamliner, due to alleged misconduct with unions in Washington State. The bill would reign in the NLRB and prevent them from being able to tell a company to close or relocate a workplace.
Democrats argue that this bill would take away much of the real authority that the NLRB has and would eliminate any responsibility that Boeing would have for the said misdeeds and strangely claim that this would make it easier for a company to ship jobs overseas, which seems to be more of what the NLRB is currently doing, discouraging job growth in one state in order to protect workers in another.
While the constitution gives congress the authority to regulate commerce among the many states, I do not believe it should delegate so much authority to regulatory agencies in order to dictate where they can conduct their business. This is something that, if enacted will keep jobs in the U.S. and will make it easier for American companies.
The second thing with job creation is president Obama's 450+ billion dollar American Jobs Act. Which while it will produce some jobs or save some jobs if enacted, and work to improve the infrastructure with roads, etc. It does not do enough to fix the real problems and will increase taxes more than 467 billion dollars. The three things that need to be done are, reform the tax code to simplify it for American companies and individuals, reduce the business tax and regulations against American companies, and work to building our infrastructure including our digital infrastucture.
By doing these things and more, our government can help fuel job growth within the U.S. and continue to strengthen our economy as we recover from a recession.

Independence Day

As we near the day of our independence I wanted to take time to say a few words about our great nation. We live in a nation that was born of a desire to be free. Through representative democracy we have established a nation where the people rule, one of the first of it's kind. Through the blood and tears of men and women we established a nation where we could have all freedoms here including that we should be entitled to the life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Through a Constitution and Bill of Rights which I believe to be divinely inspired we have insured more freedoms. Some of these include the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the right to due process, the right to bear arms, and the right from unlawful search and seizure.
Throughout the history of our nation we have sought for more freedom, including to free slaves, give equal rights of voting, housing, employment, and schooling to all of the people of our nation no matter their race, religion, birthplace, gender or sexual preference.
These freedoms have come at a dear price, from the graves of Gettysburg to the shores of Normandy, freedom has been our goal. We have been called on by many nations to stand in the face of tyranny and injustice and we have fought for those freedoms. The blood of our soldiers both past and present stands as a reminder that the freedoms we now enjoy come at a price.
We must remember as the battle rages on that our nation is a great one and that in order to maintain the liberty we now possess we must continue to make it great. We must remember the words of our former president, John F. Kennedy who said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
As we celebrate our day of independence tomorrow let us remember what has transpired to make this nation great, let us remember in our hearts the sacrifice of the men and women who have made it great. That we must be "one nation under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 
God Bless America