For many of us, who grew up in the 40's and 50's, and who have watched the downward slide of America and American culture over the past 4 or 5 decades, today is a pivotal day, as the Senate faces a vote on Obamare, and hardly a happy day.  To not realize the dangers of our current position as a nation is to not know history.  Too many Americans today do not know history, especially those in positions of power, and they are therefore doomed to repeat many of the worst things.  And, unfortunately, because the rest of us slept through a long series of elections, and did not do enough to change the directior, we are doomed to repeat it with them.

We slept through those elections, and avoided the night meetings, and policy debates that the more liberal among us relished, and lined up to attend.  Slowly, deliberately, they have eroded our democracy, as if by a million paper cuts, and we allowed them to do it.  We did not get alarmed because we were afraid of "making waves" and being accused of a long list of political insensitivities.  So we, the silent (but still very strong) majority said nothing, and did nothing, for fear of being called bigoted, racist, or worse.  We kept our heads in the sand, and now we are being called bigoted, racist, or worse ANYWAY.  This time, just for objecting to what we consider to be empty-headed POLICIES, and LEGISLATION.

To make a list of the freedoms we have allowed to be lost, all in the name of political correctness, and of not offending anyone, over the years would be a very long and laborious undertaking, but I believe it may be time.  The paper cuts didn't hurt at the time, and they barely bled, but collectively they have bled us dry.

We have elected a group of corrupt individuals, not all certainly, but perhaps most.  They have voted themselves incredible privileges, paid off special interests, and followed the Pied Piper of Socialism, ignoring the fact that it has never been successful.  "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" should more properly be "from each according to the minimum of his abilities, to each according to what the crooks at the top are willing to allow him to have."

I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing well a number of individuals who grew up in strong socialist or communist societies.  Some barely escaped with their lives.  They all became American citizens and I remember the pride they felt, along with the sacrifices they made to accomplish that end.  None harbored any wish to ever return to such a society, and at least one has shared with me that he is just sick over where we are headed with the policies of our leaders in Washington.

God was important to these folks through all their trials and tribulations, and they were completely comfortable knowing God was an important part of America when they chose to come here.  God continued to be important in their lives after they got here.  Respect was also important, and they had respect, for themselves, for America, for the Constitution, for democracy, and mostly, for FREEDOM.

Perhaps the deepest paper cut of all involved the excision of God from much of our daily environment, particularly our schools, and the places where our young grow up, and the unfortunate world of entertainment and TV.  We let it go.  Not because we agreed that it should go, but because we were unwilling to stand up and be counted, and because those fools we allowed to be elected had the power to do, even what we did not want them to do, as a way of repaying political favors.

It's time for outcome-based leadership in America.  If removing corruption is what is needed, and I believe it is, then we must become leaders in the pursuit of that dream.  We must lead America to elect officials who will do the right thing, and who will truly police themselves and remove Congress members who cheat on their taxes, for example, and who will refuse to confirm administrative or judicial positions for people who cheat on their taxes, or allow the perception that they cheat on their taxes, or who are on the record favoring any particular segment of American society, to name a few.

I would support any conservative candidate with a clean record who is willing to be honest about his/her past and positions, ethics, and associates, and who would hand in his/her resignation at the end of his/her term (as contemplated by our Founders) concurrent with being sworn in, while his/her hand is still on the Bible,               would you?