Difficult to Express

I wasn’t happy with either of the choices for President this year, but in my opinion there was really only one choice. Unfortunately, many Americans were easily swayed. They bought the pied pipers song and dance and made a different choice.

My feelings about tonight and the election are difficult to express, but I have to put them down for a variety of reasons. I want to look back on them 4 years from now and see if I was right, wrong or somewhere in between.

My thoughts:

1. As unhappy as I am about the results, I’m still ecstatic we live in a country where we still have the freedom to choose our own leaders. Right or wrong, we make our bed and we have to sleep in it.

2. The events of tonight need to be celebrated as a triumph for an American, who happens to be black.

But I’m afraid any meaningful celebration will be short lived as vengeance and retribution will soon become the order of the day with his party firmly in power. I wonder how long it will be after Jan 20, 2009 that the investigations and witch hunts will begin.

3. Obama’s election should put to bed the BS we hear daily about America being a racist, white only nation. Jessie Jackson, the Black Panthers and other profiteers of ‘racial issues’ should now shut up and go the way of the KKK, far, far away.

But I know they will not. Those profiteers of race will now seek new ways to victimize their own people and neighborhoods for money and power.

4. Most of my friends supported Obama. They are good, intelligent people who I would trust with the lives of my family, yet I find it hard to understand their motivations.

Many have expressed that it is a time for change, time to try something new, the Republicans have screwed things up so lets try something else. But what else? I can change the oil in my car, but if I put water in there it’s not going to work too well.

The only change I heard from Obama was to go down the path towards socialism. Socialism is most famous right now as the political system of China, Cuba and North Korea. All oppressive, backward, corrupt societies controlled absolutely by their political leaders. Not a place anyone I know would want to live. So why did my friends vote this way?

5. Democratic party leaders have expressed desires to nationalize banks, financial institutions, the oil industry and perhaps others. Please show me one place where this has benefited the people. Hugo Chavez has done this over the last few years in Venezuela, Brazil too. Not a big success down there.

The reason they want to do this, if you don’t know, is power. Nationalizing these industry makes the party in power even more powerful, more influential and less likely to ever be voted out of power. Good for them, not for us.

6. Democrats are talking openly of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine to stifle free speech. What was once a right will soon become a privilege. At some point in the future will I be told to take down this blog because someone in Washington finds it offensive? If the Fairness Doctrine is expanded to include the new media its quite possible.

7. Obama spoke of a new ‘civilian security force’ separate from the military and presumably law enforcement as well. What will be their purpose? Who will they answer too?

8. I look at the tax burden I’m liable to incur next year and wonder how my family will fare. Working as hard as I do, 60, 80, 100 hours per week, why am I being targeted to pay more taxes. I pay plenty thank you very much. It surely isn’t providing incentive for me to work harder, it does the opposite.

9. The problems with the current economy started back in the 1990’s with a different congress and president. To think that putting that crew back in charge is going to change things is fanciful, wishful thinking.

Anyway, that’s what I’m feeling tonight. From a symbolic perspective, I’m truly glad to see a black man elected. But I vote for the man (or woman) based on what they stand for and their beliefs. Obama and I don’t believe in the same things and he was not the right choice for this country. Maybe in a few years I can look back on this and feel vindicated or perhaps I’ll feel remorse.

I know after the election of Bill Clinton I felt the same way. One year later I was looking first hand at the damage he was doing to our military and knew I’d been right.

So all we can do now is pray for the country and hope that God’s will and guidance will protect us and lead us forward in this new age. Sleep well tonight everyone. In a few months the man protecting us will be very different.