OBAMA MUST GO!

Obama must go

                We were out with some friends from out of state last weekend that we only see a few times a year. They are conservative republicans and were surprised when we said we would vote for Mitt Romney, because they thought I was a democrat! I was taken back by that and later wondered what I had said to confuse them so badly. Well I am a college professor and according to some estimates upwards of 85 to 90% of professors are democrats. Secondly, I’m not a strict republican in that although I rarely vote for a democrat, I am willing to listen to their ideas, because every so often they say something that makes sense. It seems to me to be counterproductive to reject any idea that someone from an opposing party says, just for political reasons. “I want to elect republicans (or democrats) in the next election, therefore I’m not going to support Senator’s X’s idea, even though it would be good for the country,” a senator might think. How short-sighted that is! Let’s take a longer view on these things and realize that what’s good for the country is eventually good for our political party and candidates. We need to be a bit more willing to compromise in some areas.

                Here’s a partial list of what makes me a conservative republican. I oppose:

Abortion

Illegal immigration

Bigger government

Higher taxes

More regulation

Obamacare

Socialism/communism

Liberal media

Generational welfare

                I support:

Freedom of religion

The NRA

States rights

The traditional family with marriage between one man and one woman

Capitalism

Quality education without propaganda from the teacher

                There are a few areas where I differ a bit. I strongly support education. It is the key to our future as a country. Education is part of the infrastructure of America. Universities are a driver in the economy as well. They bring millions of dollars to the communities where they are located. We have to balance that with the political make-up of the faculty and press for laws which lesson the effect of the liberal professors. We also need to encourage conservatives to enter the field of education and also provide incentives for privatizing some schools so they are not such a drag on our state’s budgets. We should encourage conservatives to provide private educational experiences which don’t suffer from the liberal biases of the existing schools. Vouchers are an excellent way to help primary and secondary school children. Incentives from governments would also be a good way to encourage the formation of private, conservative schools at the college level.

                Taxes are a big problem. Few would say that we should have no taxes at all. Most people recognize that some infrastructure must be funded by government. The questions are: what should be counted as infrastructure, who should pay taxes and how much should each pay as a function of their overall salary? Should taxes be used to support the young, the poor and the elderly or is there a better way? Is it ever OK to take taxes from the rich and give them to the poor? As a conservative I believe that taxes are necessary to pay for infrastructure. I think that taxes should also be used to support the poor temporarily while they get on their feet, but only if their families and local communities, churches, etc cannot provide the needed support and they are in danger of losing necessary food, shelter or clothing. The government should not hesitate to prevent people from suffering and dying if all other resources fail.

                I personally believe that the wealthy should only be given tax breaks if they use that money to strengthen the economy. Investing in gas futures or expensive art and the like may build capital, but it does not strengthen the economy, and surely the IRS can tell the difference between a small business and an individual millionaire! Tax the millionaire, not the small business. Additionally, the Bible reminds us that we must care for the poor and needy. We will pay the price in the next life if we don’t. I’m tired of the liberals saying we don’t care for the poor. Let’s reform the welfare system to work in a manner consistent with conservative philosophy, not by redistributing income. I will discuss taxes and welfare more thoroughly in a future post.

In the meantime, I promise my vote to Mitt Romney.

Elmer Grubbs

A semi-rational conservative