The Candidate Run Down as I See It.

We have a decision to make as to who will be our next President.  I am convinced that the Republicans will take back the White House, so which one? 

  

Ted Cruz gave a great performance in the debate last night.  He waxed eloquently about immigration. He said what Trump has been trying to convey all this time and yet Cruz put it into the right context and syntax.  And Ted Cruz is the one people say is the most conservative.  This is what I have against Cruz.  One of his biggest donors is Goldman Sachs, and do not think for a minute they will not come knocking on his door wanting their pound of flesh.  Money makes puppets out of politicians.  The other problem I have with him is his desire to return to a gold standard.  He is wrong on this issue. We were on a gold standard during the 20s etc., yeah, and we went into the great depression after the crash of 1929, so how exactly did the gold standard help us then?  The other problem with that is that there is not enough gold to back enough money.  Fort Knox has been depleted, so where is he going to get the gold to back the money?

Rubio is just too inexperienced.  What has he done, really?  He was in the state legislature and has been a Senator for 3 years.  Except for being part of the Gang of 8, what has he done?  How has he led anything? He is a smart guy and seems to have a handle on the issues, but is he ready to be President? There is also the matter of his drug running brother in law and whether Rubio used his influence to get him out of jail.  We do not know, but there is enough of a cloud over this issue to make him risky. 

Jeb Bush's time has come and gone.  He is just not electable - tepid at best.  He is tainted by his time at Lehman Brothers, and his dealings with the Florida pension funds were shaky at best. I do not know why no one is talking about this issue with him.  Two Bushes are enough for us; we do not need another Bush in the White House. Plus, Jeb is answering to his donors, his advisors and the GOP establishment.  His presidency will be not unlike John Boehner's leadership. He will compromise too much to too many.  His heart is not in it.  He said himself there are a lot of cooler things he could be doing, so, like his dad, he needs to go skydiving and enjoy those "cooler" things.

John Kasich needs to go home and take care of his state.  He may have been effective in his days in Washington DC, but he is another person whose time has come and gone.  He seems to me to be out of touch.  I am not going to go back and look at the numbers, but every time he touts his accomplishments in Ohio someone always says well, actually he is wrong.  He is too old school for me.  I think he would try to bring us back to the past, and we cannot do things the way we did them then.  I have no idea really where he stands on anything because he spends so much time telling us that the other people's ideas will not work and that he did it all already. Just when was that John, in the 80’s & 90's? 

Carly Florina: The jury is out as to whether she was a good or bad CEO at HP.  You can look up her record and decide.  Carly loves to throw facts and figures around that sound impressive, but many of them are false.  The fact checkers keep correcting her and still she keeps saying the same things.  She talks a good game, but there is no there, there.  When she said she had a private meeting with Putin, I could not help but wonder was this to discuss some of the illegal deals that happened on her watch with HP?  And how private could it have been with an interpreter in the room.  She loves to throw around names like my good friend Bibi. Has anyone asked Bibi about this near-and-dear friend of his? 

There are people who worked at HP when she was CEO who loathe her.  Now, I know that the employees quite often have disdain for their bosses, but still the fact is, you don’t exactly hear a chorus of HP folk in support. I do not see leadership in her.  Why she felt the need to go onto The View and defend her smile is beyond me.  Exactly what did she prove by that, or was she doing it to gain more name recognition and free press? She loves to talk about crony capitalism as if she was not part of that.  Even stranger, why does she not tout her good friend Jesse Jackson, I wonder?

Dr Carson was a world-renowned pediatric surgeon.  He has had to put together the best of the best to perform some of the most difficult surgeries possible.  He led the team in separating conjoined twins which was a tedious and long process.  He runs a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to college-bound students.  Dr. Carson is smart and he is used to looking at an issue, studying it and making a decision as to the best plan of action.  He is not as articulate as the polished politicians, but he is highly intelligent which is combined with a lot of common sense.  That is a rare combination. 

Many times people who are book smart are not street wise, but he seems to be both.  I have no doubt that he would be good at gathering the best and brightest to serve on his cabinet and to advise him in areas in which he is not strong.  Remember the Senators have the advantage of receiving briefings and intelligence information that the rest of them do not.  Do not mistake their knowledge of the issues with ability. The other plus I see for Dr. Carson is that 72% of his funding comes from people giving less than $200.  That means that he has a large number of people contributing to his campaign as opposed to special interests and the big banks.  I will look into this further, but for now, I am confident that his donors will not rule him.

Donald Trump is self-funding which means that he is not taking donations with the exception of small donations from individuals who want to contribute to his campaign.  The reason this is important is because the donor class likes to buy candidates so they can influence the decisions that the candidate makes once elected.  He used to be on the other side of things and has contributed a lot of money himself for the purpose of excising his influence over issues.  He is a tough negotiator by all accounts and a good leader.  His companies have a comparatively low turnover rate which is indicative of good leadership, but his. 

Trump knows how to put a good team together.  According to Rudi Giuliani, he is a fast learner who avails himself of the necessary information for whatever he is doing.  He is a hands-on CEO, very much involved in all his projects, and most of those projects come in under budget and ahead of schedule.  He has done some deals that were a little questionable, but has managed to stay above the law albeit barely.  He does push the envelope.  He is brash, outspoken and tends to speak his mind without a filter.  However, you know where he stands and what he is thinking.  He does not have pollsters telling him what to say, nor does he have speechwriters. 

Trump’s down side to me is that he may have difficulty working with Congress to get things done as he is used to being the leader and the final word, and not in a position to compromise.  Plus he has angered a lot of people and they may not want to work with him I do believe that his negotiation skills and not being beholding to anyone, along with his obvious leadership skills will be the ticket to bring us back from the brink of economic collapse.  He understands contracts and negotiations better than anyone else in my opinion.  What he needs are good speechwriters who can help him articulate what he is trying to say.  He won’t make these mistakes in face-to-face situations with the world’s dignitaries.  

Who can be the best commander in chief? That is something that I am still pondering.  I think that we need a strong military and someone who respects the troops and will listen to the advice of the Generals - someone who understands that we need to lead from a place of strength, stand with Israel and take the oath seriously  “I will protect and defend the US from all her enemies foreign and domestic….” We need someone who will not tie are troops hands with ridiculous rules of engagement - someone who will not be afraid to send troops into harms way if needed, and has the ability to make the tough decisions.  We need someone who understands that we are not a country if we do not have borders and that we cannot allow anyone and everyone to take up residence in this country. 

We have a lot of issues that we are facing and we need someone who will face them head on.  We need to take all these things in consideration and make the best decision with the information at hand.  We cannot just vote for the person with the best sound byte, but the person with the best qualifications.  We cannot be blinded by looking for the person who is the most electable; if we chose the best person for the job they will be the most electable.  The media will steer us into the wrong direction and we cannot allow that again.  The fear mongers and the GOP establishment will try to steer us to the person they can most easily control and we cannot fall for that, either. 

Do not vote from a place of fear or uncertainty.  And for heaven’s sake do not stay home because you do not like the eventual nominee.  We have a choice to make from a sea of qualified candidates. Like Rubio said: “They can not even find one.”  People say do not underestimate the Clinton machine, do not overestimate it ether.    

We the people must take our government back from the donor class, and the special interests.  We must tell the media, you have lost your voice, and we can no longer trust you.  We must look into these issues for ourselves and make wise decisions and the number one thing we MUST do is pray and seek wisdom and guidance from God for He alone knows the hearts of every candidate and He will guide us if we ask, and then sincerely listen.  We also must repent and do as I Chronicles 7:14 says: “If we who are called by His name will do all those things, THEN He will hear from heaven and heal our land….” and our land needs healing. The most important job if you will of our government is to protect and defend us – we, the people.   Who do you want protecting you?

Just do not sit home on primary day saying I do not know for whom to vote or I do not like any of them, make a choice, and when the nominee of the party emerges, campaign for that person whether they were your choice or not.  Campaign, volunteer, and speak out. Your voice matters.  It mattered when 30 million Christians stayed home in 2012, and it matters now.   

The Carson Attack

At first when I read the Politico article I was shocked that Dr.  Ben Carson would fabricate a story about applying to West Point.  As the day went on I saw that they were picking his book apart sentence by sentence looking for anything they could throw up as a lie.  Dr. Carson is running on his life story and has the highest honesty rating of anyone running.  So, I did some reading and digging on my own.  Here is my take on this whole thing;

Dr. Carson grew up a poor  child (not unlike Steve Martin), parented by his illiterate single mother.  Most poor children from an inner city do not have many opportunities to hob knob with the wealthy attending dinners where you use more than one fork.  I am guessing that this was true for Dr. Carson.  This event where he met distinguished Generals and the like was probably the highlight of his young life.  This would be a fancy affair to attend even for someone who was used to using more than one fork at dinner.  He had achieved something few did in his neighborhood.  His mother had made him read a book a week and it had paid off.  So, there  he was in all the gala of the event and they were talking to him about a full ride to West Point.  I imagine that most of us are not aware that at West Point no one pays their tuition.  They pay it afterwards by serving in the Army.  However, you do not just apply to West Point and get in, you have to be nominated by a member of Congress or high ranking military personnel or the Governor of your state, in other words not the Principal of your High School.  Only someone who is highly qualified will receive such a nomination.  He was the highest scoring ROTC member in his area.  He met all the other requirements.  I imagine that the conversation was a little overwhelming, and so in his book he remembered the offer as a full scholarship, not the nomination part.  His editor should have but probably did not question it.  It was really a matter of semantics.  But the MSM is looking for anything they can hang him with an Politico is a lap dog for the mainstream media.  

The other issue is his claim to have had issues with anger as a young man.  He attempted to hit his mother with a hammer, stab another family member and hit a classmate with a lock.  And then he had an encounter with God, who took away his anger issues and he has not had to deal with them since.  The media can not and will not understand the power of prayer.  They do not understand the power of healing, and can not give credence to anyone who claims such healing without proof.  It is the God part of this story they hate, not the anger management.  Had Ben Carson gone to Anger Management or seen a Counselor, they would buy it.  First of all, there would be proof.  There would be some kind of paper trail and if Dr. Carson allowed it the counselor could have confirmed that yes Dr. Carson did have issues and was now considered healed.  But Dr. Carson dd not go that route, he went to The Counselor, the Holy Spirit who healed him.

And it drives the media nuts.  They can not discredit the healing because Dr. Carson is the most calm and collected person in this campaign.  So, they have to discredit the anger issue.  They can not accept that God heals, that is antithetical to who they are.  To accept that would turn them on their heads, it would also force them to answer the looming God question and there is no way they are going to do that.  

If he had been crippled and could suddenly walk there would be some sort of medical proof and they could look to his medical treatment.  But to be suddenly and totally healed of a psychological issue is hard to prove.  I know, I have been there.  I suffered from depression for over 40 years of my life, had gone to counseling and taken meds to no avail.  I thought that I was just going to suffer for the rest of my life.  I was suicidal and made God a promise, I would raise my children and then I would end my life.  But God had other plans and 3 months prior to my son's 18th birthday He and He alone touched me and healed me and I have not been the same since.  I know what it is like to be suddenly healed, I also know what it is like to have people question that it actually happened. It is NOT that they want to discredit the disease, they want to discredit the healing.  

PETER the Fisherman

I think of all the disciples I relate to Peter the most.  He could be described as a bombastic bull in a china shop who opened his mouth, stuck both feet in and kept talking.  He clearly had trouble getting along with others and had a very different way of looking at things.  He seemed to on the one hand have a deep understanding as when he said that Jesus was the Messiah, and at the same time and with the same breath rebuked Jesus for saying he had to die.  Peter is the only one to whom Jesus said, you clearly heard that from the HS and you clearly heard that from Satan within just a few minutes.  

Peter clearly had issues with his brother I will guess Andrew, (who can't relate to a pesky younger brother?), when he wanted to know if 7 times was enough forgiveness.  He must have been expecting high praise for being willing to forgive 7 times, as it should have been clear to everyone what a pest his brother was.  Once again, he found himself on the wrong end of the discussion.  He also had issues with the disciple whom Jesus loved as his inquiry as to John's well being caused Jesus to rebuke him once again, "if I want him to live until I return, what is that to you:?"  

Oh Peter, always opening your mouth and getting into trouble and yet never seeming to learn.  Peter who denied Christ 3 times is the only one whom Jesus asked for by name upon His resurrection, go tell the others AND PETER.  And the one whom Jesus gave the command "feed my sheep".  Now, we know how important we sheep are to the Lord and it was to this bombastic impulsive maybe should have thought before speaking Peter to whom Jesus said "feed my sheep".  Jesus knew who Peter truly was, He knew his heart, he looked beyond the awkward uncouth manner to the real man. 

Peter was after all a fisherman, uneducated swarthy fisherman.  He was not sophisticated in his manner and probably would have made miss manners faint, but Peter was Peter.  He did not pretend to be someone he wasn't (except of course at the arrest of Jesus).  He was himself.  He stood alone as it were separated from the rest.  He was also one of the ones allowed to see Jesus in the transfiguration.  He was in fact in the inner circle.  It was Peter, James and John.  He was a leader and like a leader he asked the questions no one else dared to ask.  He therefore took the brunt of it.  He was at least trying to answer the questions Jesus asked.  It was Peter who answered the question and you, who do you say that I am and answering was as I have stated earlier one of his shining moments followed by oh well.....  

It was also Peter who cast the net on the other side of the boat even though they had fished all night and caught nothing.  It was also Peter who is the only disciple to walk on water. It was Peter who with John ushered in the first healing post after-all after all ascension.  It was Peter who stood up on the day of Pentecost and gave one of the most beautiful speeches in the Bible.  It was Peter who led the disciples, was recognized as the leader and the one to whom God revealed his heart for the Gentiles.  Peter, had no fear of praying for Dorcas to be raised from the dead.  He wrote very little and seemed to have faded in the background when Paul came on the scene.  But the jealousy that seemed to plague him when he was with Jesus, seemed to be arrested after His ascension.  He became humble in leadership and in the end deserved the respect of the others.  He knew who he was, he no longer seemed to need attention and was according to tradition crucified upside down as he did not seem himself as worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. 

Peter was rebuked and yet, he learned from the rebuke.  He took the words of Jesus to heart.  He went from being the bombastic loudmouth to the humble servant leader of the flock to which Jesus had entrusted him.  He stumbled, he fell, but he also got up again and did not let his failures stop him from continuing on the path the Lord laid out for him.  He did not feel sorry for himself and admonished us with his words about suffering to "not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes to test you, ..... but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings."  And we see what he himself learned about leadership in his admonition to Shepherds caring for the flock of God. 

Peter is an example of a person who grew from being a bull in the china shop to taking care of the china.  He learned from his mistakes and was properly humbled.  I think that it was his bombastic tell it like it is, not afraid to speak out way that actually helped him in the tumultuous times in which he lived.  He was stubborn and determined but it was that stubborn determination that saw him through the tortures of imprisonment.  It was his ability to speak out and speak the truth that helped him to lead the sheep entrusted to him.  He was one to speak out, but he also listened.  Had Peter not been one willing to stick his neck out as it were, he would not have been able to speak on behalf of the gentiles.  He did not care what the others said about him as he had received his orders from the Lord, "take, eat".  

It was not easy to be who he was and do what he did.  This was not the life he had chosen, he was after all after all a fisherman, who had to learn a whole new line of work at a time when he was old enough to be "sot in his ways." He could have easily said, Jesus is gone, I am not fit, let someone else carry the torch, but he didn't the world was on fire and Peter was called to a paradigm shift, and aren't we glad he answered the call.

Whose Life Matters?

I was reading a story online about a soldier's flight home.  It was his final flight, in a coffin in the cargo hold of a plane.  The story as is all these stories are, was one of honor and respect shown to him, his escort and family on board the plane.  From the applause of the other passengers to the actions of the Pilot and flight attendants.   It is one of those tear jerkers for certain, but it made me think.  It made me think back to the days when Vets coming home from Viet Nam were met with protest signs and were spat upon.  Instead of honor they were treated with disgusting disrespect.   Vastly different than the welcome of WWII vets returning from Europe and Japan.  Viet Nam war was controversial.  It was not a war the people wanted and I am still not certain what the good was that came of it.  But it was a war that this country fought by sending their men into the rice patties to fight.

We have grown as a country,  we show our vets great respect on the streets, and upon arriving home.  I see vets from time to time in the grocery store and around town and always see people including myself going up to them to thank them for their service.  I hear stories all the time like the story I just read about a soldier coming home.

We have turned a corner and learned a lesson, or so it would seem.  No longer are vets being spat upon on coming home, but what about when they need medical attention?  We have heard a lot about the terrible service our VA is giving our vets, the long wait times and inability to see a Dr. The reports of numbers of vets dying before seeing a Dr. 

It is disgraceful and a blight on our nation.  We would not have the freedoms that we enjoy were it not for these brave men and women in uniform.  Their income level is low, their hours long and their work puts their lives in danger.  And yet, when they are sick or hurt they go to the back of the line.  Our forgotten heroes, our silent heroes.  Why? I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist so I am not going to pretend to know the answer.  

Recently I have heard discussions about the fact that W kept us safe after 9/11 and yes, he does deserve some credit for that, but keeping us safe takes Intel officers willing to go into dangerous areas doing dangerous things to get the information we need, it takes people paying attention to the chatter on the internet and determining what the actual threat is.  They go at a moments notice across the world to fight the enemy.  Mostly, these are young men with young brides and children,  children oftentimes born while they are overseas.  They sometimes meet their own children at one or two or even three years of age.  They miss ballgames and piano recitals, plays and band performances.  I cry at every one of those surprise homecomings and the ones with the caskets draped in the American flag.  I watch them, all of them and I pray for the troops and their families.  

We need to do better for our Vets, we need to honor them as they have honored us.  But for them, who knows where we would be.  We need to fight for them here as many of them have fought for us over there.  Their lives matter, every single person who has or does put on a uniform to serve this country matters.  This VA scandal and it is a scandal it outrageous and sickens me.  We can and should blame Congress and this Administration, but we the people bear some culpability ourselves it is easy to lay the blame at the feet of others, but we should also lay the blame at our own feet.

The power of we the people is not just in the voting booth, but in the media, in letters to the editors of Newspapers, it is in signing petitions and staying vigilent.  ACLJ has put out many petitions and recently explained what happens.  If they get 100,000 signatures on a petition that petition gets the attention of the White House, but it also gets the attention of Congress.   ACLJ goes through these petitions and gives a report to every Congressman as to how many in his/her district signed the petition.  In some cases they will use the petitions in court.  The point is they are not a waste of time, and I encourage everyone to sign every petition available whether for active duty or retired, they deserve our help.

November 11 is Veterans day, let us not celebrate it by empty rhetoric or posts on social media, let us all commit ourselves to writing our Congressmen, signing as many petitions out there and hold their feet to the fire.  Some of them have said they would investigate the situation, but we need to stay on them, to not just investigate but make real changes in the VA.  They made it possible for the new  director to fire people, great, but to date few have been fired.  Go to a VA hospital if there is one in your area and visit the Vets, something I am planning on doing this month myself, and you can hold me accountable.  

From a Newsmax article: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015 
Nearly 900,000 military veterans have officially pending applications for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the department's inspector general said Wednesday, but "serious" problems with enrollment data make it impossible to determine how many veterans were actively seeking VA health care.

About one-third of the 867,000 veterans with pending applications are likely deceased, the report says, adding that "data limitations" prevent investigators from determining how many now-deceased veterans applied for health care benefits or when. 

Read more: VA Has Huge Backlog of Medical Requests