I'm just sayin' - What will we become? (Eighth and final in a series)

Talk about it

Over the last four months, I have written about how we came to be a country and what we are like today. In many ways America has evolved into something beautiful and admirable and in other ways something the Founding Fathers never imagined.

The world in my mind is a better place because of the USA. We have set the example for freedom and democracy as well as economic and creative development. There is much to be proud of. However, as with all evolving cultures, there are warts and festering sores that make us look foolish and childish.

When weighing the good versus the bad, there is more good that comes from America than bad. Every four years the U.S. has a major event that continues or alters the course of events - that being our presidential election along with federal elections for Congress. This event is coming upon us again this year and proper attention should be paid to its importance.

Election time gives us the opportunity to think about our lives yesterday, today, tomorrow, and most notably, future generations. What will we be in the near future and what will we leave for those who come after us? Will it be a country of individual freedom and personal responsibility, or will it be a country of big government dictating what we can do and what we need to be responsible for?

The choices have never been more evident or more divisive. Opinions and policies on both sides of the political spectrum are rooted in strong beliefs and decades of political ideology. It is up to us, the voting citizens, to decide if we want the America envisioned by the Founding Fathers or something very different.

Every adult citizen in America has the right to vote. With that comes the responsibility to have a good understanding of the issues and facts and to base your vote on knowledge and not "talking points," which is what we get from the political spectrums. This takes effort and time, but our society and country depends on an educated voting electorate. Part of that education means knowing the incumbent and what has been promised and what has been delivered versus knowing the challenger and what he or she is promoting.

In every presidential election where the incumbent is running for re-election, the basis of voting for a sitting president should be about what was promised and/or delivered.

Our president promised to bring us together, change the tone in Washington, and promote a very transparent government. Yet it has never been more divisive.

Our president promised to not have any former lobbyists on his staff or as an advisor, yet there are dozens of them close to his administration.

Our president promised to end earmark abuse, yet he signed a bill that had 8,500 earmarks attached.

Our president promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his initial term, yet he increased the national debt by over 33 percent.

Our president promised poverty would decrease, yet more Americans are on government assistance than ever before.

Many more examples of broken promises can be cited, but I will stop here.

Much can be said about what our president inherited, and some of it is true. However, if I remember correctly, he wanted the job. Have you ever taken a job you wanted and then spent most of your time blaming others and your predecessor for your problems? You most likely got reprimanded or fired, right?

But then again, I'm just sayin'.

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"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." - Will Rogers

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DuWayne Paul of Alexandria is a regular contributing columnist for the Echo Press.

Tags: opinion, columns