How would you prioritize issues facing this country as we move through our political process in selecting nominees for the Presidency of the United States? This is my list which could be altered, added to, subtracted from, and even ignored depending on what you believe is the legitimate and appropriate role of government in a society such as ours.
Iraq War Central Issue in 2008
Immigration and Guest Worker Programs
Racial/Social Divide in 2008
American Companies Outsourcing Jobs
The Role of Religion in a Multicultural Society
Stem Cell Research
Fiscal Responsibility and the Size of Government
Taxes: Who Should Pay and Why
Partisanship and Issues
The Gender Gap in Presidential Nominations
Abortion and Anti-Abortion Politics
These issues have become confused and clouded over the last seven years since we have had a President and an Administration that has rejected the fundamental principle of Constitutional Law and Individual Rights in their pursuit and acquisition of power on a scale unseen in our history. I believe that change as well as experience are important qualities to look for in a presidential nominee, but they are not exclusive qualifications to reject someone as a possible nominee.
I have two role models when it comes to political theory. They are John Locke and Thomas Jefferson. John Locke in his Two Treatises of Government stated that Man in his original state was happy and had the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. In order to protect these rights, Man entered into a social contract to create government, and grant limited power. If government which was part of the contract failed to protect these natural rights or exceeded its authority, Man has the right to alter or change it. Thus John Locke became the intellectual justification for the Glorious Revolution. The American Declaration of Independence was written chiefly by Thomas Jefferson reflecting his thinking based on John Locke in a slightly altered form. Jefferson said that all men are created equal" and "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson said to secure these rights that governments are instituted among men, "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed". He further said that "Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government. However, "government long established should not be changed for light and transient causes." These men articulated what has become known as the Contract Theory of Government which in recent years, I believe, we have lost as a reality in our own government. Let me put it more simply. Both men believed that government existed with one sole role and that was to serve the people by guaranteeing and protecting their natural rights.
John Locke
Thomas Jefferson
Barack Obama won a significant victory yesterday in the South Carolina Democratic Primary. It is becoming more evident every day that either Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton will eventually become the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 Election. Yet, this divisive rhetoric that has emerged over race and gender that is underscored by political confrontation and not issue focused debate is harmful to everyone who desires to see a new direction for this nation. I also believe that this divisiveness is being fueled by the news media in their constant need to create some kind of controversy that can leave the public misinformed over critical issues of the day.
We are faced with many problems in this country of which most, I believe, can find their origin in this ill conceived and unjustified war in Iraq. If it becomes a victory for Al Qaeda, the responsibility lays with our current president who fought the wrong war in the wrong place. It cannot and should not be used to justify a continued US military presence in Iraq. This has become a partisan issue when the Republican leadership simply ignores the fact that fifty nine percent of the American People believe that the War in Iraq "Was Not Worth It".
Senex Magister
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