And to think, if I’d written this post just a couple months ago, I would have had to comment on over double the candidates! I guess the lesson here is, sometimes procrastination….Naw, I’ll finish that sentence later.
WARNING: You cannot and should not be voting of the president of the United States unless you know two things: (1) The job description of the President, and (2) The purpose of government.
If you don’t know either or both of those two things, please click here and get informed!
I’m not here to endorse a candidate (and believe me, that endorsement would be highly sought after it is was available...maybe...probably not...anyway, moving on…). I want instead to examine where these individuals vying for the highest office in the land line up when it comes to the real purpose of government.
-Candidate Qualification
Below, you will find the candidates listed in order of best to worst. The criteria used is the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We will examine each candidate based on their ability and proclivity in the past for defending the three fundamental, inalienable, God-given rights - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (which is, after all the purpose of government).
If you are among those who don’t believe that your vote matters or will truly count, I urge you to check out this video. It does matter and your voice does count. Your vote is not only a privilege, it is a duty that you owe to your children and grandchildren. If you do not vote, and our country is lost, what will you have to say to them?
Let us begin.
Life: Ted Cruz is solidly pro-life and has not only talked about it but has actively fought to protect innocent human life. He played a leading role in several important cases, including defense of the partial-birth abortion ban, parental consent laws, and prohibiting state funds from going to abortion. He has called for the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood as well as an investigation into the videos showing illegal activity in the
Liberty: Cruz is a liberty minded candidate. He knows the Constitution and speaks boldly about protecting the rights enshrined in the Bill or Rights. Cruz has denounced any curtailing of the Second Amendment. He fought very hard to protect America from amnesty and Obamacare. Cruz believes in real marriage and has defended it.
The Pursuit of Happiness: Ted Cruz is calling for a beautiful 10% flat tax plan and an abolition of the IRS. He wants Americans to be able to file their taxes on a postcard instead of endless reams of paper with the constant fear of auditing. He has also been a strong proponent of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and has called for an audit of the Fed.
2. - 3. Marco Rubio:
Life: Rubio has made his stance very clear, “The Right to Life is a fundamental one that trumps virtually any other right that I can imagine — Because without it, none of the other rights matter. There can be no Liberty without Life. There can be no Constitution without Life. There can be no nation without Life. And there can’t be other lives without Life.”
Liberty: Rubio was a Tea Party favorite when he was first elected. Since then however, he has dropped in favor with that group and many other conservative groups due to his waffling on the issue of immigration, reform, and citizenship. It is expected for opinions to evolve and change over time. If they don’t, it’s usually a sign of plain old stubbornness, because let’s face it, nobody's perfect and we can’t get everything right all the time. The problem is, Rubio has gone from pretty much one extreme to the other and then back.
Rubio’s participation in the “Gang of Eight” is also of major concern. While he has come out very strong in favor of stopping illegal immigration, sealing the border and mandatory E-Verify, he is not very strong on what to do about the illegal immigrants in the country right now.
Rubio’s stance on the NSA has also raised some concerns with voters. The balance between liberty and security is always a tightrope, however we should always err on the side of liberty.
Pursuit of Happiness: Marco Rubio has a lot of good things to say on the matter, including simplifying the tax code, possibly down to a single flat tax. This is only a viable option however, if the government gets smaller instead of bigger.
Life: “The good thing is that the American populace is moving closer and closer to understanding that abortion is murder.”
Dr. Carson is undoubtedly a pro-life candidate. Although I’ll admit some major concern when Carson came out in support of Dr. Monica Wehby who was running for office in Oregon (get caught up here). I ardently disagree with his take on the matter. Right is right and wrong is wrong. He did state that Dr. Wehby’s belief was not his own, and that he personally believes that abortion is murder. However, pragmatism (or being “savvy”) is a dangerous road and one that a good leader shouldn’t be traveling.
Liberty: Regarding Carson on Second Amendment rights where he says that certain types of guns should be restricted in the city. He said this in a way that indicated it was his opinion and not necessarily something that he would attempt to make a law, however I still find it disconcerting.
Don’t get me wrong, I was as excited as anyone when I heard Carson’s speech at the Prayer Breakfast a couple years back. And I still believe that he is a good man with a lot of good ideas, ideas that this country desperately needs. But the question keeps resurfacing, does he have what it takes to become president? That remains to be seen.
Pursuit of Happiness: Ben Carson is solid economically though. He believes in the free market, cutting government across the board, cutting taxes across the board, and he has actual plans, not just rhetoric.
Life: John Kasich is pro-life except in cases of rape or incest. He voted to ban partial birth abortion.
Liberty: One of my biggest concern with Kasich is his statement that “gay marriage” is the law of the land now and we pretty much have to deal with it. He said, “We'll honor what the Supreme Court does. It's the law of the land. It's the way that America functions." This shows a lack of understanding regarding the Constitution. The Supreme Court is not to make law. It is not it’s design now, nor has it ever been. If that was the case, then the Dredd Scott decision too was the “law of the land” and Kasich, based on his own reasoning, would’ve been ok with African Americans not being able to be citizens.
The Pursuit of Happiness: Kasich is a mixed bag when it comes to promoting the free market. He has been pretty good when it comes to looking to balance budgets and spending, however he then is very in favor of maintaining or increasing entitlement programs like Medicaid, etc. He is also notorious for using tax credits to entice businesses to move to his state rather than making the reforms necessary to encourage businesses to make the move.
Life: Donald Trump is the only Republican running to have said at one point that he was “very pro-choice” and would not ban partial birth abortion. Granted, this was in 1999 and since then Trump has said he changed his opinion on the issue. Good, that’s what we want to see right? Right. What we don’t want to see is a Republican candidate that praises Planned Parenthood for the “wonderful things” that they do.
Trump also said that his sister, who is a pro-abortion activist judge, is “one of the brilliant justices”. I’m sorry, family or not, someone who believes that a baby in the womb is not a baby and can be killed at will is not a brilliant person. The next president will nominate at least one, possibly up to three justices to the Supreme Court. It is absolutely vital that those nominees understand the Constitution and that the right to life is the first and foremost right.
It is apparent that Donald Trump does not understand the Constitution. He said that since Planned Parenthood does other good things, maybe the government should still fund them. There is nothing in the Constitution that justifies giving your tax money to a private organization, whether it is for women’s health, men’s health or dog’s health. It doesn’t matter. Constitution does not allow that and Donald Trump does not understands that.
Liberty: Trump is a big supporter of the 2005 Kelo v. City of New London Supreme Court case that gave authorities the right to seize private land for economic development by private parties. Trump said, “I happen to agree with [the decision] 100 percent.” (National Review) Trump’s love affair with the ill-advised and unconstitutional concept of eminent domain is long and sordid and completely antithetical to liberty.
Trump has also shown a disconcerting leaning toward using legal means to silence political speech. He has issued cease and desist letters against the Club for Growth and even Ted Cruz for pointing out facts regarding his policies and beliefs.
He supports getting rid of Obamacare saying that he will replace it with something “so much better”. Amazingly, Trump has praised Canada’s socialist healthcare system and has come out in favor of government mandated and funded universal healthcare. He has said that the government is going to take care of everyone and the government is going to pay for it. Again, we see Trump’s utter lack of understanding regarding the Constitution.
On the Second Amendment, Trump has this to say, “I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.”
The Pursuit of Happiness: Surely, for a businessman, this would be the area to shine. However, it is not so. Trump has strongly supported Obama’s 2009 stimulus of the banks, the TARP program and the auto bailout of 2008. He also favors capping the salaries of CEOs.
Trump also favors keeping Social Security and Medicare, two areas which again demonstrate his lack of understanding of the Constitution.
Life: “I think abortion should remain legal, but it needs to be safe and rare.” Mrs. Clinton is rated 100% by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
Liberty: “And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” This statement was made in regards to abortion and essentially ‘catching up’ those ‘old worn out’ ideas of the past with the present. Hard to believe that someone with that opinion would be willing to protect the freedom of religion. Mrs. Clinton also has received a 100% rating from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
Pursuit of Happiness: Mrs. Clinton knows how to talk the talk. She has said many good things about paying down federal debt and cutting taxes within a balanced budget. However, as they say, actions speak louder than words.
In September, 2008 she voted in favor of the ill-advised $60 billion stimulus bill. Now whether you believe that helped our economy or not, there is no way to Constitutionally justify such a governmental expense. In December, 2005, she voted against reducing federal overall spending by $40 billion. She also co-sponsored bills totaling $502 billion in spending through 2005 while in the Senate. This sort of policy, big spending and not even coming close to a sane, balanced budget, is exactly antithetical to the pursuit of happiness.
Life: Voted against banning partial birth abortion. 100% rating from NARAL. Strongly supports federally funded abortion.
Liberty: Senator Sanders quoted in favor of a Constitutional Amendment that would limit the free speech of Americans and redefine the meaning of the 1st Amendment (S.J. Res. 19). Senate Bill 2578 was also supported by Senator Sanders and would have limited the freedom of religion.
Pursuit of Happiness: Mr. Sanders is a self proclaimed socialist. Socialism is a social and economic system characterised by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy. This should give anyone considering supporting him pause. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is a classic example of how this worldview represents a dangerous and failed policy. Socialism does not work, neither does it promote the right to the pursuit of happiness.
