I've had a lot on my mind lately, so I decided to compress my thoughts into a few suggestions. Enjoy (or not).
Declare War on Political Correctness
Political Correctness is, frankly, ridiculous. When PC gets out of hand, it begins to border on denial. The NPR / Juan Williams controversy is a prime example of this. NPR hastily fired Juan because he said that seeing Muslims in full "muslim garb" while on a plane made him nervous. NPR just couldn't stand having an employee that was crazy enough to say something so offensive. In my humble opinion, NPR is denying what is likely the gut reaction of the majority of Americans in a post 9/11 world. Be honest with yourself. If, while you're sitting on a crowded plane, you notice the guy sitting next to you is wearing man-jams, wouldn't you, in a world where Muslims flew planes into the world trade center and pentagon, then attempted to blow up more planes with a shoe-bomb and an underwear bomb, feel at least a fleeting sense of nervousness? I dare say that if you answer no, you are probably in denial. Now be honest again, would political correctness cause you to hesitate to tell someone if you felt nervous?
Define the Enemy
Speaking of PC-caused denial, when are we going to sober up and define who our enemy is in the War on Terror Man Caused Disasters? Art of War rule #1 - Know your enemy. There isn't just a minute handful of crazy guys hiding deep in caves on the Afghanistan / Pakistan border who want to hurt us. Instead, there exists an enormous movement that is contorting the second largest religion on the globe in a concerted effort to destroy the entire western world. Entire nations (Iran, Syria, Sudan) have basically used Islamic dogma as a means of declaring war on everybody who doesn't identify with them.
Yet still, government officials are afraid to admit that we are at war with Islamic terror. The great Michael Bloomberg was more willing to suggest that the time square bomber was a crazy tea partier who was upset with health care than to say what we all knew in our collective gut - he was another Islamo-terrorist nut-job. Since 9/11, over 100 people have been killed or wounded in the name of Allah in dozens of incidents on US soil. And let's not forget that Islamic extremists were trying to kill the "Kafir" long before 9/11. Fact is, we really don't have to declare war on radical Islam, it has already declared war on us.
Man up or get out
Until politicians and, frankly, the American people genuinely get behind their troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations across the globe we are simply sending people across the ocean to die for an unclear cause. I will be the first to say that the war, at least in Afghanistan, is winnable. We just haven't shown the intestinal fortitude that victory requires.
Capitalism is Not Evil
Capitalism has enabled some of the greatest leaps in the standard of living of the human race. In capitalists' search for evil profits, terrible inventions like the telephone, light bulb, automobile, television, home computer, iPod, iPhone, and iPad were created. I now refer you to Bill Whittle (thanks, Nate).
Illegal Immigration IS a Problem
Over a quarter of inmates in federal prisons are illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants are stealing jobs, abusing "benefits", smuggling drugs, and committing crimes. It strikes close to home when an illegal alien drug dealer kills a sheriffs deputy, or when illegals murder a rancher who frequently assisted illegal immigrants. The laws are already in place, can we please start enforcing them?
Balance the Budget
Both Democrats and Republicans have managed only to grow the federal budget. For all their talk of balancing the budget, republicans have actually grown it more than democrats from LBJ to date. Let's quit the rhetoric and start looking for ways to actually balance and, more importantly, reduce the budget.
Entitlements are not the Responsibility of the Federal Government
I'm tired of people saying entitlement programs are constitutional because they "promote the general welfare". The Constitution, that pesky founding document that specifically limits the powers of the federal government, was created with the intent of limiting the powers of the federal government because...wait for it...limiting the power of the federal government is one of the best ways to "promote the general welfare". It does not give the federal government the right to pass whatever entitlement program it wants because the founding fathers knew that the individual can take care of its own welfare vastly better than a governing entity can. It says nothing about "welfare programs". Instead, it says (in an amendment) that anything not expressly enumerated in the constitution is left to the discretion of the states.
That said, it is my belief that programs such as Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc are, in fact, unconstitutional. They aren't benefits, they're financial assistance. Financial stability is the responsibility of first and foremost oneself. If the individual fails, then assistance should be rendered by family, friends, church, and charity. Then local and state government (if that entity provides for it).
The Right to Bear Arms is Crucial to Freedom
Government should fear the governed. I mean that in the sense that a government should always know that it governs at the express consent of the governed. That is impossible unless the people actually have the ability to take that power back. This aspect of the second amendment could be compared to a nuclear deterrent. It's a drastic measure reserved only for an extreme circumstance. Express consent is truly manifested at the ballot box. However, our founders manifested near prophetic ability when they wrote the second amendment. History starkly shows that when a government makes the transformation to dictatorship, one of the first steps is the disarming of the governed.
Voting is a Right. Informed Voting is a Sacred Responsibility
Do I really have to say anything more?
America IS exceptional
Don't apologize for what you perceive to be shortcomings of the greatest nation on earth. I don't care if some think it's arrogant to say that America is exceptional. It is exceptional. Perceived arrogance doesn't change that fact. America is the exceptional result of an exceptional idea, realized by exceptional men, preserved by exceptional resolve.
