By Kathleen Haynes
Canton, MN
Ronald Reagan made that famous in 1980. Donald Trump has revived that same question.
Unfortunately, 2020 was a very difficult time. COVID was on the rampage. Millions of people died, President Trump touted quack cures, ie. bleach injections. Studies have estimated 400,000 U.S. lives could have been saved with a better federal response.
In a new CBS poll approximately 50% of voters rate Trump’s term as “good,” while 33% of voters rate Biden’s term as “good.”
Those “Trump Term” positive feelings are probably centered on lower grocery prices, interest rates and gas prices. However, 11 million new jobs were added in Biden’s first 2 years (double Trump’s), wages have risen, unemployment is low and stable, and the stock market is hitting fresh highs.
Perhaps it would be important to compare the political positions of the Republican and Democratic parties.
The Republican party’s fiscal conservatism includes support for lower taxes, gun rights, free market capitalism and free trade, deregulation of corporations and restrictions on labor unions.
The Democratic Party generally supports a larger governmental role in economic issues, a positive involvement in other nations in the world, equal pay for men and women, and protection of the environment. Justice and equality for all middle class Americans plus a secure and healthy retirement. (Are you happy with your Social Security and Medicare? Do you want to keep it? )
We are a politically polarized nation. We worry about the state and future of Democracy in the 2024 election…
Which candidate and which political party will help maintain the Democracy we have enjoyed for 248 years?
That is your choice as you go to the polls and VOTE!
Gerald J. Boyum says
Good comments, Kim.
I will provide key historical information and items to consider in answering the question of which candidate and political party will help maintain the democratic processes used in our Constitutional Republic. With all the emphasis on “great”, a person would think that our mainstream media and education systems would provide answers.
1. What made America “Great” in the first place? “America became a great nation because, as a county we adhered to those eternal rules of order and right which heaven, itself, had ordained.” (“America, Return to God”) Some of the primary items are listed below:
a. A Nation Under God. Our Founding Fathers explicitly founded this nation under God.
b. Unalienable Right to Life., the God-given, inalienable dignity and right to life of every American citizen. [Without this right, nothing else would matter.]
c. Ordered Freedom. The third principle was the principle of liberty. Our history was one of freedom, but freedom ordered to the laws of nature and the laws of nature’s God. [This is one big reason why America is considered “exceptional.]
d. Traditional Family. Because America was founded upon the Judaic-Christian ethic, as a nation we were pro-family.
e. A Solid Work Ethic. America was founded upon the dignity of hard work. Our free enterprise system encouraged ambition, incentive and competition, as well as, blood, sweat and tears.
f. A God Centered Education. Just as the Bible and the New England primer were the official textbooks throughout our land, all education was to be God-centered. [The first colleges were founded by Christians with missions to search for the truth and to train ministers.]
g. Divinely Ordained Homes and State. The home was always considered the basic unit of society. Parental responsibility was supreme, and all teachers would teach in the place of parents themselves. Proverbs2 9:2, When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people roam.”
h. Freedom of Religion. Every American citizen was free to express their own religious conviction.
2. The English jurist, William Blackstone, included the tenants of Judaic-Christian theism in his commentaries and opened them with a careful analysis of the law of God as revealed in the Scriptures.
3. Next, let’s look at the “Fundamental Principles of American Political Philosophy” from “A Principle of the Traditional American Philosophy” by Hamilton A. Long
a. The Spiritual Is Supreme. God is supreme and Man is Divine. Belief in Man’s Divine Origin is the foundation of the fundamental American principle which controls his relationship to government: that Man, the Individual, is of supreme dignity and value because of his spiritual nature.
b. Every human government ever established was the product of definable political theory; each embraced a philosophy that justified its existence and manner of conducting affairs. (David Barton in “Original Intent, p. 213”. This philosophy is uniquely American; no other people in all of history have ever made this principle the basis for their government philosophy.
c. There are moral absolutes or truths which are binding upon all individuals at all times under all circumstances.
d. Concept of Man’s spiritual nature excludes any idea of intrusion by government into this Man-to-Man spiritual relationship.
e. It excludes disbelief in — even doubt as to the existence of God as Creator of Man, and therefore excludes all ideas, theories and schools of thought — which reject affirmative and positive belief in God as Man’s Creator.
4. There is so much more, including our Constitution and its philosophy and Preamble which I will address in a following comment. At any rate, it shouldn’t be too hard to determine why there are such huge problems in our country and what we would need to do to get back on track in line with our Founders’ vision of “A shining city on a hill!”
Gerald J. Boyum says
The U.S. Constitution was written using the philosophy of utilitarianism, or to provide the “greatest good for the greatest number. It established the structure of the government, protects individual rights, and aims to create a cohesive and prosperous nation for both current citizens and future generations. A key part of the Constitution is the Preamble which outlines the who, what and why of the Constitution, and itemizes the primary objectives as guidelines that all elected and other government officials, especially at the national and state officials should support and strive to achieve.
1. The Preamble to the Constitution states six objectives that should be accomplished as follows:
“We the people of the United States, in Order to:
a. To build a more perfect union,
b. Establish Justice,
c. Insure domestic tranquility,
d. Provide for the common defense,
e. Promote the general Welfare,
f. Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
g. Ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
2. In addition to being a statement of purpose, the Preamble is also the first sentence of the Constitution. It must be read [and understood] by all officers of the United States when taking an oath of office, thus symbolizing the acceptance of those values in our governmental system. It also could be used to develop job descriptions for all public officials, which surprisingly enough, I have yet to see, starting with the President of the United States. I keep reading about “best and worst” presidents, but nothing about primary job responsibilities or job standards have ever been included.
3. These principles should always drive our country’s leaders as they make decisions about what role the Federal government should play in society, how it should conduct itself at home and abroad, and how funds should be allocated.
4. In addition to serving as a guide for future presidents and members of Congress, the Preamble is also important for what it says about the values our country stands for, e.g.: “liberty” and “justice. These two ideas are at the heart of what it means to be an American. We believe that all people are entitled to certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We believe that justice should be available to everyone, regardless of their status or position in society.
5. These principles outlined in our Preamble are also excellent guidelines for determining how eligible voters should choose our leaders. Which candidate and party policies more closely adhere to these objectives. It should not be difficult at all. when look at “Provide for the common defense” which includes border security and should be the #1 priority. Failure here and nothing else matters. If anyone needs additional information here, just ask the Ukrainians and Israelis! Also, the right to life is the most important right- without it, no other right matters.
Kim Wentworth says
If I may:
Your first paragraph sadly was about the only truthful statement you made. 1) Trump NEVER “touted” any quake cures, nice try 2) no job lost to covid that came back after COVID is a job “created”, nice try. 3) when adjusted for INFLATION wages have gone down. But NO wage should keep up with that high rate. The issue is inflation, NOT WAGES, nice try 4) your dem party is being taken over by trash progressives that believe in open borders, defund the police, no bail. You are loosing thousands of Hispanic voters weekly, hundreds of black voters monthly because there are ONLY two things that matter: economy and border security, PERIOD, but again nice try.
You mentioned gun rights in your article, that’s covered in the Constitution, FOREVER. But again, nice try. The Old song and dance isn’t going to work for you dems. This election comes down to a comparison. Trump’s 4 yrs vs bidens 3 1/2 yrs. You can’t dress it any other way.
As far as a civics course I would not recommend you to anyone. Families are feeling it every day how bad things are. You and your elite friends won’t ever notice what the average American goes through. And that reason is the reason this election will be like Reagan / Mondale repeat.