I'm not sure where our nation is heading.
At first glance, you would think our nation's citizens are bound to lean more and more liberal over time. If you just looked at face value and asked, "Where is our nation headed politically," you very well could come back with that conclusion.
After all, more and more Americans want something for nothing. Isn't it easier to take from someone else (through the government) than to earn it yourself? Isn't it easier to elect politicians who will pass legislation getting you all sorts of free stuff on someone else's bill? That's what I think every time I hear someone touting the virtues of universal health care or protectionist tariffs. That's what I think when I hear a union representative attack all business as if just being in business makes you a big business.
But then you look at the trends and you think; "Maybe not." More and more young people are abstaining from sex, professing a faith in a higher power and moving more toward conservatism. Political strategists have made it known that young voters very well might make the difference in this year's election, and many of them are supporting the president.
My maternal grandfather was a Democrat until his dying day. He worked hard in the construction industry and was a Reagan Democrat. I think he voted for Democrats, not because of their policies, but because FDR was a Democrat, and that's just the way it was.
Depending on who you talk to, you can judge the presidency of FDR in one of two ways: Either his policies saved America from economic disaster, or his economic policies extended and worsened the Depression by taking money from public coffers and putting it in the government's. I, for one, believe the latter.
But many people believe FDR saved America. To those people, his leadership meant more than anything else, and they would remain loyal to his party for the rest of their lives.
I think President Bush will be remembered in the same way as FDR is today. His leadership in a post Sept. 11, 2001, world has been clear with a purpose. Many young people who may have been apolitical or liberal before that day have moved to the side of conservatism. The shock and sadness of that day might have altered the political balance in this nation for decades to come.
Other factors might play into the longevity of President Bush and his message; whether he is elected to a second term, whether he strengthens Social Security for the next 60 years, and whether he is subject to the "curse" of a presidential assassination every 20 years.
Whether you like him or not, you must admit: Under the Bush administration, more has been accomplished in 38 months than in the 96 before that. His administration has done more to change the face of global politics and interaction than his father or President Clinton.
I believe politics is like a pendulum. Things swing one direction to the farthest part for a while, and then they swing back. We, as Americans, had the Democrats and their wasteful policies in America for the better part of 60 years. The time has come to swing the pendulum back the other way; towards conservatism.
rlg@temporalfront.com
http://www.temporalfront.com
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