Remember, remember the fourth of November. Remember how the politicians in Washington ignored you time and time again. Remember the empty promises of economic recovery and job growth. Remember how they covered up the facts and forced a half-baked healthcare bill down your throat. Remember the bank bailouts and the rewards the Wall Street fat cats received from the federal government for crashing the economy. Remember the trillions of dollars added to the deficit in the last two years. Remember the bungled oil spill response. Remember the soldiers who have died fighting in Afghanistan. Remember the blatant encroachments on states' rights. Remember all your unemployed and struggling neighbors. Remember all the lies congressman and senators have peddled to you about their intentions. There are many grievances to remember this November as all of us (hopefully) go to the ballot box.
It is time to clean house. We are at the political tipping point of our generation and the future of the United States. Corrective measures need to be taken now, especially when it comes to the economy. The politicians in Washington spend, spend, spend, but after all their "efforts" you and I and everyone else haven't seen any positive results. We still have a hard time finding a job after graduation. We still have to cut back our budgets like it is the heart of the recession. Our parents are still struggling with job security. Finding credit and loans is still like looking for Carmen San Diego. Higher taxes lurk on the horizon. Money is scarce and getting more worthless by the month. We are still fighting the longest war in U.S. history. The borders are still not secure and our enemies abroad grow bolder by the day. This election we have a duty to un-elect all the incompetent incumbents who have failed to uphold their stewardship of our nation. Democrats (primarily) and Republicans alike should be held to the fire. It doesn't matter how long they have served their states and how much money they have porked to their constituents. We have to band together to fix this mess, and we need the direction of a fiscally conservative approach.
There is only one way for us to get out of this mess and that is to elect politicians who will get the government's big nose out of the economy. The more the government tries to "fix" things, the more problems it creates. Government isn't the solution, it is the problem. We can get out of this slump. We've done it before. But, if we continue to vote idiots, thieves and liars into office we might not get out this time. One of President Obama's few good quotes is that "we are the ones we have been waiting for." We, not the politicians, are the ones who are going to pull ourselves out of this recession through our labor, our intelligence and our talents. We are the ones who are going to generate vast wealth again and maintain our prestige as the most prosperous and innovative country in the world. America has done so much in its short history, but our story doesn't have to end here. We don't have to fall into decline and step aside for a new superpower to take our place. Our system has been assaulted, but the fundamentals still remain. The same fundamentals that propelled our people to prominence and dominance are still here for us and generations of Americans after us to utilize as long as we fight for them every step of the way. If we believe we can be the best in the world, then nothing can stop us from making that true.
While we can't elect the leadership we desperately need in the White House this November, we can at least stop the bleeding created by the Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda. We need to stop the tax hikes and money burning agenda items that aren't helping Americans make a living. We shouldn't punish the rich and middle class with higher taxes because all of us will feel the after effects. We shouldn't reform healthcare insurance on a lie that it will pay for itself and it will provide the same quality of coverage. We can't afford the prospect of cap and tax, an economic crippler. There is a lot at stake this election. Vote for people that are going to be responsible with our money and that stay out of our way when we try to create prosperity. We need to make a statement that we aren't happy with the direction of the country. Show those politicians who really has the power.
Down with Pelosi! Down with Reid! Vote the bums out!
Mark Easley is a junior majoring in computer science. He can be reached at measley@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
