I pray constantly. Most of the time it sounds a lot like....."Lord give me strength." Us being in an election year though, it is sounding more and more like...."Lord give me guidance!"
This election year literally bewilders me, but more than that, it scares me to death. I can't believe what we have done to our country and what the consequences of our collective bad choices are! It is bad when you don't even have the lesser of two evils to vote for and when all you have left is EVIL.
We have been a country that has been led astray by greed, self indulgence, narcissism and a sense of entitlement that is enough to make a persons head spin. We have strayed from all the things that made this country great and have become lazy and apathetic. Instead of working for the American Dream, we somehow have the idea that we are entitled to it without lifting a finger.
Gone are the days when we worked hard, refused handouts and fought our way from the bottom to the top to achieve our dreams. No longer is there pride in hard work and good ethics. Now we expect as a nation to be taken care of and we resent those who do succeed on their own merit and hard work. We want something for nothing and unfortunately......that attitude and mentality has brought us to three possible candidates for president, all who terrify me.
Now I am no political whiz and quite frankly, I have tried to avoid politics as much as possible in the last few years. Obama was a frightening lesson in people voting because of anything other than qualification and his legacy will be a mess that my great grandchildren will still be trying to overcome....if that's even possible. However, currently....as an American if we don't pay attention and vote carefully, what is left of our country will be unrecognizable.
My entire life I have seen myself as a Republican. The values and beliefs of the "old" Republican party were what I identified closely with. Now though, I am a Constitutional Conservative Christian (CCC) and I am having a very difficult time identifying with anyone who is running in this election.
What is a CCC you ask? I believe in God. I believe in the Constitution and I believe in family. I believe that all life is precious and has a place from natural conception to natural death. Yes, I am pro-life....and no....not just pro-birth. I also believe in common sense, meaning if you are not mature enough to be a parent or don't want to be a parent, that you use common sense and avoid the creation of a human life. It's not rocket science. I also believe that hard work and innovation are the keys to success. We should help our fellow man get on their feet, but those who are capable should work and support themselves. We should have the right to speak freely, but with that right should come common sense and a respect for that which has given you that right. We should be allowed to protect ourselves and our families against those who would try to hurt us and yes....even against a government who forgets that they serve the people and not the other way around. I believe that if you work hard and succeed, that while helping others is an act of generosity and charity....it is not mandatory that you support those who refuse to support themselves. I believe in programs that help people to find their way in life and to help themselves, not programs that enable laziness and entitlement through hand outs. I believe in education, freedom and that all men/women are created equal. I believe in equal rights....NOT special rights. I believe in small government and a government that remembers they are but elected officials, not dictators. I believe that America should be welcoming of anyone who wishes to come to this country legally and who wishes to work hard and grab their piece of the American Dream. I do not however feel that our doors should be open to those who wish our country harm or to those who only see us as a free handout with no obligation on their part. I believe that while there should be a division of Church and State, Christianity should not be shunned while beliefs such as Muslim and Atheists are embraced. Finally, I believe in the Constitution and feel that it is still as relevant today as it was the day it was signed. So you see....I am not sure there is a candidate running that I can identify with, support and/or contentiously vote for. It is scary.
So let's see what we are dealing with here:
Hillary Clinton....I see a criminal. Her illegal activities and questionable ethics long preceded her and Bills time in the White House and her lack of concern over Benghazi along with her email escapades don't scream leader in my book. She lies as easily as she breathes. Her actions do however scream orange jump suit and treason. And as for her running in support of women.....I call BS. Hillary has stood back and watched Bill womanize and disrespect women for years and she has allowed it to happen. She disrespects women who do not agree with her political stance and she obviously has little self respect or Bill would be her ex instead of in the running for First "Lady." Nope not a political candidate I can get behind.
Bernie Sanders....oh the liberals dream. Bernie is a socialist pure and simple. He will give handouts and force anyone who actually does have a job and makes money to do the same. What is left of this country will be gone because Bernie will give it away. Feel the Bern. Yes we will all feel the Bern much like I would assume we would with a really bad case of VD. If Bernie gets elected, freedom will no longer be free. Our Constitutional rights will be chock full of limitations and government will grow exponentially because the people will "need" to be taken care of. Our country will be unrecognizable and all that our fore fathers have fought for, will officially be gone. We will be a broken, broke shell of country and easy pickings for a takeover by our enemies. Soon we will be nothing and the days of a Great America will have died.
Donald Trump.....as a conservative....he scares me. I can't figure him out and I feel like he maybe a lot of talk, with nothing to back it up. He obviously has no political or social tact when it comes to speaking and he has alienated much of his own party because of his choice of words alone. I worry that much of what he says that is conservative speak, is either a smoke screen or can't be backed up with action because he doesn't have the resume to make it happen. That being said, I do like the fact that he isn't politically correct and says what many of us have been thinking for a while. But then again....is that for show or is that just a raw, uncut part of who he is? You would think having been a successful business man and dealing with everyone from politicians to business people that he might be a bit more polished when speaking. Sadly, I am not sure he is any better than the other two, but when I see people saying "Never Trump!" then I question....but who? Because in my opinion, I kind of feel the same way about Bernie and Hillary. So if it is "Never Trump, Bernie or Hillary," what the hell are we gonna do?
So yeah, as I said....I do a lot of praying. I as an American, don't have an answer for this election and without some Divine intervention when it comes to our right to vote, after the 2016 election.....what we may actually be looking at is......."Never Again!"