Now, being a full grown adult, I haven’t bought a pack of cards in about 25 years. But, that almost changed the other day as my wife and I went down the aisle I didn’t even know existed at our local Wal-Mart… the ultimate kid’s dream, an aisle filled with cards of all shapes, sizes, and type. I stared at the various boxes and thought to myself how much money I had wasted through the years on these simple little pieces of cardboard. Even knowing that, I almost bought a pack of cards. Not baseball cards mind you, but Barack Obama cards. Yes, our new President has his own special edition inauguration card set.

I picked up the pack intent on buying them… not because I’m a fan, more of a joke kind of thing. However, my rationale soon kicked in and I placed the pack back in its box and laughed at myself for even coming so close to spending money on such a trivial item. The package of cards was priced at $1.98 and came with 6 cards and a special sticker. Of course, there is a set to collect and the entire collection consists of 90 cards and 18 stickers. Sounds fabulous for the card buying public doesn’t it?

Looking online, I can find many places selling these small “moments of history.” I am simply amazed by the fact that there are trading cards available of Barack Obama. I know he’s become one of the most widely recognized political figures of all times, but are “baseball” cards really necessary? To me, these cards are nothing more than political propaganda created to spread the ideology of the Liberal Democratic movement. The more these types of things are constantly placed in our daily lives, the more we as a society come to accept it.

Winning the hearts and minds of a society has long been an avenue to win a war. While our country is not exactly at war with each other, we are definitely separated by a clear division between ideologies… Liberal versus Conservative. Over the last generation, both sides have had their chance at power and they’ve each done their best to destroy the “losing” side. However, as all things do, their power ebbs and flows as society eventually becomes disenchanted with the policies of each after tasting them for too long.

Conservatism was in power for quite a long run earlier this decade, but over the last few years, Liberalism has retaken the political landscape. This time, unlike any in the past, they are using their vast coffers of cash in an effort to control the media and publicity for their cause. They are focusing on winning the hearts and minds of everyone who doesn’t investigate and decide on their own what they believe in. The general public is being force-fed the liberal agenda and many of them are willingly falling in line as the promises of government handouts entice their votes.

Obama baseball cards may appear to be innocuous, but political propaganda is never harmless. As Hitler arose to power in pre WWII Germany, political propaganda was utilized to sway the hearts and minds of its citizens so that his political policies would be readily accepted. I’m not saying Obama is the second coming of Hitler by any means, but the tactics he and his party are utilizing are straight out of the textbooks utilized by the tyrants of our past.

While writing this article, I was given the pleasure of watching a commercial for The Tonight Show telling me that our President will be a guest on Thursday night. Maybe it’s me, but I don’t see the point of our sitting President being a guest on a late night talk show. There are more important things to utilize his time for. The only thing this type of appearance can be used for is the furthering of his agenda and giving us more political propaganda. He is always in our face, always in our news, always in our ear… the more he is around us, the more we accept him… at least that’s the hope of his Party and his Liberal friends pushing their agendas. Be aware, don’t succumb to complacency and miss what the true story is… always question authority when power and money are to be gained.

Day after slumping day, we continue to receive horrid reports of just how bad the jobs sector, housing market, and world financial system really is. Any thread of optimism is crushed by the daunting weight of reality. Not only has the American economy slipped into a wild tailspin, the entire world’s economy has. That is to be expected given the globalized economy and America being the world’s number one economic engine. It’s simple trickle down… or waterfall down at this point.

Everyone wants things to turn around, and turn around quickly. But, that is equal to asking to win the lottery of all lotteries. It just isn’t going to happen. There is one major reason why we will not experience a quick turnaround at the level of you and me, let alone at the corporate level. That reason is the fact that the credit market has seized with little to no hope of it releasing in the near term. A harsh reality may be that it will never return to what it once was.

Since the credit card market boomed and basically gave credit to anyone who could show any sort of income (and many who didn’t have any income), consumers began using this “free” money to fund their lifestyles. This so-called “credit wealth” allowed us to live beyond our weekly, monthly, or even yearly means. Many of us have extended ourselves past the year timeframe into many years. We never really think about it when the going is good, but now that the economy has hit the skids, the bills are coming due as our take home pay is raked across the coals by increased costs of living without adequate raises to make up the difference.

The credit lines have shrunk, but the bills are increasing… it’s a no win situation. I believe several things have all hit the “sweet” spot and the catalyst was the price of gas. Consumer credit boomed and raged out of control as banks tried everything to gain customer count and increase their “assets.” The housing market was an inferno out of control and everyone knew the bubble would pop, but nobody expected it to simply implode in a few short months. And then there was the price of gas… the summer of $4 per gallon gas. We borrowed, and borrowed some more, until our wallet was stretched as far as it could go. Our theoretical budgets could not withstand the doubling and tripling costs of gas to drive back and forth to work, let alone the increased costs of goods and services passing along the costs of higher oil and manufacturing costs.

Gas prices were the catalyst that pushed our economic boat over the edge. We were maintaining our credit wealth as best we could until the real monthly bills became so overly exaggerated, we couldn’t push the costs of living out into the future. Initially, the savings (what little of it there was) we had, were used to augment our income to take care of the “temporary” costs increases. As these increases were seen as less than temporary, our savings were burned through and then the credit lines were strained even worse. The bad situation was turning into a horror show.

Now, after more than 15 months into this recession, there still appears to be no end to the downturn. Billions, and even trillions, of dollars have been injected into the system in an effort to save what little confidence we have left. These people are hoping for a return to how things used to be. I don’t think we’ll ever see things return to that stage. If we do, this recession will have solved nothing and will have only served the purpose of extorting houses from many families and dashing the retirement for untold thousands of hardworking American citizens. We all need a return to normalcy. We cannot fund wealth with credit. Credit is necessary, but to an extent to augment our daily lives, not finance them. Until we realize that as a nation, we will continue this road to nowhere. The consumer must change and most of all, we must realize that the government is not going to save us. We must save ourselves by spending more appropriately.

Upon first glance at that sentence, I would imagine we all turn our focus to an external enemy… an enemy from across the shores, a physical and political enemy. However, I believe the enemy is actually our own citizens within our society today. O’Reilly wrote this knowing that and has identified the threat as an entity he labels the “Secular Progressives” or S-P for short. I will label this segment of our society as our “insurgents.”

Yes, I label them with such drastic measure because the effects of their ultra liberal policies destroy the basic American moral values which we were founded upon. The American insurgency, aka insurrectionists or secessionists in my opinion, are looking to change the landscape into that of total anarchy. Our way of life, if they have their way, will change forever into something that could split the nation in a way we haven’t seen since the Civil War. No longer is slavery or women’s rights at stake, our nation’s moral and ethical value system is at stake.

Fighting for our individual rights is one thing, fighting for the continued life of our nation is another. The insurgents are pushing policies which are held by a very small percentage of our society. However, that percentage is growing and is funded by some of the wealthiest people in America. They have the ability to get their message out because they are in de facto control of the nation’s media outlets. They control the television air waves, a large portion of the radio waves, and have created propaganda spewing internet sites which are in place to lure unsuspecting youth into their control.

This is not a fight of Republican versus Democrat. It is not a fight between Conservatives and Liberals. This is a fight between the standard American citizen who holds our moral and ethical value set close to their heart and those who wish to remove all moral and ethical standards while replacing them with what is by default, chaos and anarchy.

Over 80% of our nation’s citizens consider themselves Christians. As such, they are bound by certain basic moral and ethical standards. If our nation has its moral and ethical standards destroyed by a small, but extremely powerful insurgency, expect a revolution by those who wish to uphold what the United States of America stands for.

Creating a society where anarchy and chaos rules serves two major purposes… greed and selfishness. If there are no moral and ethical rules to follow, what exactly is there to keep the average human being in line other than a basic understanding of what is right and wrong? And even then, right and wrong can be argued and litigated until wrong is right and right is wrong. Our society will simply focus on individual satisfaction at all costs because it’s our “right.”

Do we need the government to uphold our standard moral and ethical views? Do we need laws in place to tell us how to live correctly? It appears that we do because if the insurgents had their way, our country would already be in chaos. No longer does it appear that we have the innate sense to know what is right and wrong while living in society. No longer does it appear that we can govern ourselves in a free society effectively as the insurgents continue to gain power. No longer does it appear that we know how to live without greed and selfishness.

In the end, the country will make a decision. Will those of us who stand for something greater than the individual stand up for our country or will we simply allow the insurgency decide for us how to live our lives? I’m not telling you to stand up and start a militia in preparation for a revolution, I am telling you to use the most powerful tool in your arsenal… your vote. Yes, we just finished one our biggest elections, but it never stops. Speak up, write letters, attend a rally, do something other than allow the insurgents have their way because we are too lazy or pacified. They are the weaker force… we must band together and stop them before it’s too late. At that point in time, we may be beyond the simple casting a vote phase and into a full blown revolution.

The American way of life is worth fighting for. No, not the “American life” of greed and selfishness, but the way of life our forefathers fought and died to protect. If we do our part, our country can be reclaimed and once again be that shining beacon of hope to all who want freedom.

You may say there should be 0% religion in government because of the Constitution’s requirement of separation of Church and State. I say yes, the government cannot force religion upon our citizens, but our citizens can utilize religion and faith when voting and deciding policy. Taking a look at the latest statistics, 78.4% of Americans state that they are Christians. The rest is broken up into about 5% belonging to other faith traditions and 16.1% being unaffiliated with any specific religion. Our nation has always been and currently still is a Christian nation. Our forefathers and leadership during our nation’s formation were deeply rooted in their Christian faith, but they did not “shove” religion down our throats… going as far as making sure that it cannot happen.

Issue: Abortion

This may be the most divisive issue between the Conservative and Liberal Agendas. Unlike the Liberal Agenda believers, conservatives believe in Pro-Life. Many conservatives equate life with conception and not at birth. With life beginning at conception, abortion is nothing more than the murder of an innocent child. The innocence of life should be protected and not equated to a simple choice or right of the mother because it’s her “body.” What about the life of the child growing inside? Does it not have any rights?

Contradicting laws of our nation add to the volatility of this issue. Abortion is ok because the mother is “choosing” to abort because it’s her “body.” However, if a mother who is pregnant is murdered, the criminal faces two charges of murder. Or, if a pregnant mother is attacked and the baby is lost, the criminal faces a murder charge. On one hand, the child has no significance only because the mother decides that she doesn’t want the baby. On the other, the child is equivalent of a born human being, possessing all natural rights. The unborn baby either possesses all natural rights or does not. The Conservative Agenda says the unborn life possesses ALL natural rights.

Issue: Progressive Taxes

Unlike the Liberal Agenda, the Conservative Agenda does not believe in taxation to “spread the wealth.” Actually, removing the entire taxation system and replacing it with a “sales tax” is gaining momentum and traction amongst the true conservative nation. The idea here is to pay taxes upon the products you buy and not pay taxes on the amount of income you earn. Liberals utilize the broken progressive tax system to “earn” votes by “cutting” taxes for the poor and middle class… Look at your wallet and the past… when did you pay more taxes and when did you not?

Issue: Gun Control

Gun Control is another major issue dividing the liberals and conservatives. Liberals believe everyone will be safe as long as the people (not Joe Schmoe citizen) they determine should have weapons have them and nobody else does (I guess illegal weapons never cross their mind). Conservatives believe in the 2^nd Amendment and believe it is an American citizen’s right to own and bear arms. No, they are not saying we should have fully automatic weapons, tanks, and explosives. They are supporting our right to own civilian weapons if we are law abiding citizens because our Constitution and Bill of Rights says we can.

Issue: Homosexual Marriage

Like abortion, there are some religious motivations for opposing gay marriage. However, that does not mean the conservatives are forcing religion upon you. Our nation was founded upon Christian faith and ideology and the sanctity of marriage should be protected as such. Given that nearly 80% of our nation still considers itself Christian, it’s not a leap of faith to assume that the sanctity of marriage should be protected as one man, one woman. Marriage is not “just” a state recognized union, it is a Christian union.

Issue: Government Control

Conservatives profess that downsizing government is an ultimate desire. Decreasing the impact government has in our lives enhances our freedom as a nation. Conservatives believe that private enterprise produces competition and therefore we receive the benefits of better products and services. Government sponsored policies and services only add to the “fat” our government already abundantly has.

As you can see, there are night and day differences between the Liberal and Conservative Agendas. However, unlike what the media would have you believe, the conservatives are not about “shoving” religion down your throat and forcing you to abide by their beliefs. Yes, religion plays a factor in how their decisions are made regarding policy, but they are not creating legislation that forces the American citizen to abide by the Christian faith.

Citation: http://www.latimes.com/

Issue: Abortion

This particular issue is at the forefront of Obama’s policies and one he has recently spoken about. His past voting history while in public office have all been pro-choice/pro-abortion (the opposite side will ALWAYS argue that they are pro-choice because of the “inherent” woman’s choice, but in the end, we all see past the smoke and mirror show and know they are pro-abortion).

He has publicly stated his support of Roe v. Wade (thus ensuring abortion remains legal).
He has voted against banning partial-birth abortions.
He voted NO on prohibiting minors from crossing state lines for abortion.
He voted NO on requiring minors to inform parents of out of state abortions.
He is rated 0% by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) indicating pro-choice.

Is Obama a Liberal Agenda supporter on the Abortion issue? Check.

Issue: Progressive Taxes

If anyone followed the Presidential campaign over the last two years, you have no doubt where Obama stands here. However, if you have not, here are the facts.

He supports a “spread the wealth” tax system (progressive tax system in the purest form).
In October, 2007, he stated he wants to “restore progressive taxes.”
He is rated 100% by the Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) indicating support of progressive taxation.

Is Obama a Liberal Agenda supporter on the Progressive Taxes Issue? Check.

Issue: Gun Control

Obama is a Senator from Illinois, one of the strictest states concerning gun ownership. Illinois does not allow legal citizens an opportunity to obtain a concealed carry license (Wisconsin is the only other). The entire nation other than these two states and Washington D.C. allow law abiding citizens to obtain a concealed carry license to help ensure their personal protection.

He states that it is “ok for states & cities to determine local gun laws.”
Obama has openly supported Illinois’ gun ban laws.
He states that he respects the 2^nd Amendment but “local gun bans are ok…”
He wishes to ban semi-automatic weapons.

Is Obama a Liberal Agenda supporter on the Gun Control Issue? Check.

Issue: Homosexual Marriage

Obama plays a fine line in this particular issue. He has chosen to be one of the “grayish” leaning Liberal Agenda members here while supporting Homosexual Marriage without actually saying it.

He OPPOSES the California one man, one woman marriage law.
He OPPOSED the Illinois Definition of Marriage Act (DOMA).
He states that it is “ok to expose 6-year-olds to gay couples…”
He states that he opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions…

Is Obama a Liberal Agenda supporter on the Homosexual Marriage Issue? Check’ish (voting record supports while his spoken record is highly conflicted).

Issue: Government Control

Obama belongs to the Democratic Party so this one by default becomes true. His stances on providing government sponsored services are all in favor of governmental control over our decision making… taxation, healthcare, education, welfare, subsidies, affirmative action, etc. Obama fully supports government control in our daily American lives.

Is Obama a Liberal Agenda supporter on the Government Control Issue? Check.

After filtering through the data from Obama’s spoken and voting past, it is easily seen that he proudly wears the Liberal Agenda designation. As I have stated before, OnTheIssues.org has labeled him as “Hardcore Liberal” based upon his voting and spoken record. As a comparison, our current President is labeled “Hardcore Conservative.”

For the last eight years and mainly the last two during the campaign process, we have heard how divisive Bush and his policies were because of his “Conservative Agenda.” Well, Mr. Obama is not some middle of the road politician by any means. He is just as divisive as Bush has been labeled, just in the exact opposite on EVERY issue. Obama speaks about bringing our nation closer together from our division but his policies are nothing but more division. I’ve said before that some policies are never going to be bridged and in my opinion, Obama is on the wrong side of every moral or value issue.

Is our nation going to be brought together by Obama’s “bi-partisanship approach” or are we going to see even more separation because Obama is nothing more than the opposite of Bush? I suspect you know the answer.

Citation:  http://www.ontheissues.org/

Could you make that statement to your spouse and have an intelligent conversation? Well, my wife is not a Liberal Agenda type of person. She believes in the same fundamental rights I believe our government protects and we also share the same beliefs in how distinguished moral and ethical behavior should be paramount in any person we elect. I would whole heartedly expect her to say the same thing… she could not marry a Liberal Agenda believing man. You may be saying that love in the truest form can overcome such a trivial affiliation. I beg to differ.

The separation of a Democrat who has subscribed to the Liberal Agenda differs from the moderate Democrat and all forms and segments of the Republican Party. They have views that distort what truly matters most. These differences are not issues that can be compromised on for the most part. These differences are belief differences, not political process differences. Issues such as health care, immigration, taxation, and many other governmental talking points can all be debated and compromises can be reached that can satisfy all parties involved. However, there are certain aspects of the Liberal Agenda member that unequivocally separates them from the non Liberalized crowd.

Primarily, the issue of abortion is a core factor creating this vast difference. The Liberal Agenda Democrat will forever support abortion as a woman’s right. There is no compromise. The rest of us either believes in some kind of limitation of abortion to rape, incest, and potential mother death or completely ruled out unless the mother’s life is in peril. These two opposite sides of belief cannot be bridged with compromise. It’s an either/or situation. Can someone who believes a child’s life doesn’t carry any significance be married to someone who believes a child’s life should be regarded as one of the most pure and innocent blessings we have as human beings?

Another divisive issue is of course gay marriage. Democratic Liberal Agenda policy followers believe that everyone should be allowed to marry and receive the all inclusive tax benefits from doing so. Everyone else resides anywhere from agreeing only to Civil Unions to not even supporting that. Can someone who truly believes homosexuals should be allowed to rewrite what the institution of marriage consists of be married to someone who believes that it is morally, ethically, and spiritually wrong do to so?

Liberal Agenda followers believe in the basic fact that everyone should get to do anything they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Get pregnant and don’t want to deal with nine months of pregnancy and a commitment to raising a child? Abort it. It’s your right, right? Are you gay and want to have the same benefits as a married couple? Change what marriage means so you can get the tax benefit. It’s your right, right? Want to smoke marijuana because it makes you feel good? Legalize drugs. It doesn’t hurt anyone but the drug user right? It’s your right to harm yourself if you wish, right? Want to remove all references to God and Christianity from education and our justice system because it may be offensive? Pass laws to remove it. It’s your right, right?

So, I stand by my comment. I could not and would not marry a Liberal Agenda Democrat. I don’t believe true love can exist in a situation with such disparate viewpoints. This is an either/or situation. I believe a standard Democrat and Republican can be happy together in marriage with a few bumps. But as we have seen, the middle of the road Democrat or Republican is a dying species. Our world has become divided by canyons of ideological differences that cannot be bridged by simple compromises. How we move forward will be a continuous struggle because at the root of our differences is actually our spiritual belief system. Religion has and always will be the major difference between us while we spend our time on this earth.

With that out of the way, what are the issues that determines which Democrat believes in Liberal Agenda policies? I’m not going to go into great detail on each one as I don’t want to enrage or put to sleep those who may be reading. The issues are in no order of importance and only appear as I randomly write them from my mind to digital paper.

Issue: Abortion

The Liberals would like you to believe that abortion has nothing to do with the child being grown in a mother’s body. They want you to focus upon the rights the mother has as it pertains to her body. While every human being has specific rights when it comes to their own body, a child changes the equation and the rights of that mother. Unborn babies have rights of their own and cannot be discounted. Abortion is the destruction of an unborn baby’s rights. Support abortion and support the minimizing of a child’s life.

Issue: Progressive Taxes

Democrats subscribing to the Liberal Agenda believe that it is the “patriotic duty” of the “wealthy” to pay massive penalties in the form of taxes to cover the hardships of the less wealthy citizenship. Spread the wealth is a socialist/Marxist/Communist tenet and is a focal point of the Liberal Agenda. If you enjoy free markets and American capitalism, you will vehemently oppose this ideology. Wealthy people “spread the wealth” by donations and by providing jobs for the society, not by being forced to return their earned wealth to the government for “appropriate” redistribution.

Issue: Gun Control

Many Liberals will try and make you believe that guns are at the root of all evil. An outright ban or severe limitation of who can own a weapon is another core item on the liberal’s agenda. Now, the liberals in power will of course be allowed to retain their gun ownerships, but the general citizen will not be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to own a weapon. Just to make a note, I don’t believe a citizen should own military grade, fully automatic weapons or explosives. Making a gun scary looking does not make it a military weapon. Semi-automatic guns are well within our rights as law abiding citizens. If a ban of the weapon itself cannot be achieved by the liberals, watch for ammunition bans…

Issue: Homosexual Marriage

Liberals wish to rewrite the general concept that marriage consists of one man and one woman entering into a lifelong commitment (a commitment which our Christian forefathers helped found this nation upon). They wish to include same-sex couples and redefine the institution of marriage. The reasoning for this primarily resides around the fact that same-sex couples are not afforded the same “rights” natural married couple enjoy. Tax credits from joint filing, child credits, and the list goes on. Civil unions are not enough… they want marriage redefined to include homosexual couples.

Issue: Government Control

Every issue the Liberal Agenda entails basically comes from this all encompassing issue. Liberals believe that the government should have ultimate control of our society. The rights of the citizens are trivialized because the liberals believe they can satisfy the public by doing everything for them. They believe a country RUN by the government makes things “better” for everyone. I believe the government is here to protect our rights, not disseminate them to us. If we subscribe to the Liberal Agenda, we are headed for a Marxist regime in sheep’s clothing.

There are many other issues involving affirmative action, government sponsored healthcare, foreign policy, and immigration just to name a few. But, I believe the above issues are more than enough to determine if you are of the mind to accept the Liberal Agenda or not. If you do not, it doesn’t make you a conservative or even a Republican. There are lots of Democrats who do not subscribe to the Liberal Agenda. However, more and more of the Democratic Party politicians are fully invested in the Liberal Agenda and these issues are their policy decision makers. Keep your eyes open to the true issues and remember you have rights not because the government gave them to you, but because you are an American citizen.

Have I become apathetic because I’m accepting the fact that we are going to be a nation led by the most liberal President ever in our history? Am I apathetic because the only other valid choice is an aged war veteran who has been manicured by Washington D.C. over 30 years of political “service?” Am I apathetic because our likely next President has issued statements over the last year indicating that his “faith in the American people was vindicated” only AFTER he won the Iowa caucus vote in the Primary race? Is it because our likely next First Lady issues a statement nearly nine months ago that “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country” and that she is no longer “feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment…?”

The Obama family has consistently made statements such as these. Sure, every citizen at some point has become disenfranchised, disappointed, and angry with the state of our government, but when has our citizenship ever been called into question as a country? Obama feels that his “faith in the American people” was “vindicated.” Why did it need vindication? The citizens are not the problem with this country… it’s the politicians and the government who we have elected who were SUPPOSED to be working on our behalf that is the problem. Why has Michelle Obama only now become proud of her country because her husband has been placed on the political pedestal he currently sits upon? I have my issues with this country, but the fact is, I’m proud of it and always have been… even when we faced the international shame Bill Clinton brought upon us with his lewd behavior while in office.

The Obama family believes in change and supposedly offers the American society something different. What exactly are they offering different that hasn’t been promised to us for decades? People seem to disregard the Obama’s attending of a church led by a radical Black Liberation enthusiast for 20 years. Why do you think Barack needs the society to be “vindicated” and why do you think Michelle has felt “alone” and “frustrated and disappointed?” Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. has repeatedly utilized his pulpit to disparage America and brainwash his congregation with his liberation “theology.” After 20 years of supposed attendance, the Obama family should well in fact be frustrated and disappointed in the American citizenship and require its vindication because they have been TAUGHT this position.

I agree, we need change in our government but does anyone really think ONE person can effectively change the landscape which has been created over 200+ years? Does anyone think ONE person can fix our ailing economy? Does anyone think ONE person can fix all of America’s ills? This is what the Obama campaign has been selling. They SAY Barack is the one to bring about change and have utilized mass media brainwashing techniques in an effort to sway the public. In the end, it appears that the millions of campaign dollars will have just done that. After about a BILLION dollars spent, Obama appears likely to become our next President.

We are going to have a President who has never been an executive at any level of importance. We are going to have a Vice President with his only notoriety being that he is prone to make “public gaffes.” We are going to have a First Lady who has a lingering distaste for the public she will serve. We will have a Presidential family who has been spiritually taught and mentored for 20 years that they were oppressed by the American society which they will become in charge of.

So, I sit here apathetic, resigned to the fact that our country is being misled by someone we truly don’t know anything about. Sure, Obama promises us a better economy, more jobs, and lower taxes, but where does he stand on the real issues? Do we trust his moral and ethical values? Do we trust in him? Do you trust his family? Do you trust his past? Even though Obama has been on the campaign trail for two years, we still don’t really know anything outside of the same old promises that have been made by every politician I’ve ever seen.

Citation: http://www.foxnews.com/

I compare Obama’s political campaign to the New England Patriots team of last year. They were undefeated, rarely threatened, and were anointed as the best NFL football team ever to grace the playing field. They were even given superstar treatment as they converted their perfect regular season by having their final regular season game shown on multiple major television networks… a first. It sounds similar to Obama’s campaign does it not? He’s the front runner, the early appointee, the unbeatable superstar of the political arena.

McCain’s campaign is also comparable to a football team of last year, the New York Giants. New York had their issues and labored through many games while on their way to the playoffs. They weren’t seen as an NFL championship caliber team, but they had a fighter’s chance by being in the playoffs. Anything can happen when it’s a single elimination playoff. In the end, the dominant Patriots were beaten by the upstart Giants ruining their attempt at a perfect season. To many Patriots fans, they stole something that wasn’t supposed to be theirs. They didn’t “deserve” to be champions.

Now, we see this situation in our current political process. Obama has been in the spotlight since he entered the race and has received rock star status since “defeating” Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary races. McCain is basically the Republican sacrificial lamb similar to what Bob Dole was when he ran against Bill Clinton. However, McCain still has that fighter’s chance. Just like the Giants proved, anything can happen. Polls before the election are not actual votes cast. Come Tuesday night next week, we could see a 4^th quarter comeback similar to Ronald Reagan’s comeback in 1980.

Yes, the McCain supporters are right to be nervous and worried because all facts point to a landslide victory for Obama based on current polls. But, until the actual votes are counted, he’s still in this race and until that last vote has been counted, he has not lost.

Excited or worried, we all still must vote. Vote for something more than money. Vote for someone who has the ethical and moral standards we can trust and believe in. As I’ve said before, don’t vote and you don’t get to complain.

Factor 1: Moral & Ethical Makeup

This is my ultimate tie-breaker, game changer, and make or break factor. If a candidate does not display these qualities, there can never be a level of trust which would involve me casting my vote for that candidate. Liars, immoral people, and untrustworthy politicians are at the root of the problems we are facing these days. If more people factored in the real person hiding behind the Party’s ticket, we would not have the overwhelming governmental problems we are facing today.

Factor 2: Economic Policy

I put economic policy on a fairly high standard because of a simple historical fact. If the United States fails to be an economic super power, then we are at risk of an inevitable collapse. Countries and governments cannot survive and be stable for the long term without solid economic policy. History has shown and proved this fact time and again. Strong economic policy is a must. Creating jobs, taxation policy, trade agreements… all are key components when determining who should be your choice.

Factor 3: Constitutional Rights Policy

Within this segment, I focus upon our rights as citizens. How does the candidate deal with and support our Constitution? Does the candidate uphold what our forefathers detailed and supported via the Bill of Rights? If a candidate prefers to rationalize and shred the documents our country was founded upon, it’s a deal breaker no matter what the other factors direct me to do.

Factor 4: Military Policy

Our President, our commander in chief, MUST have a strong military policy. We cannot rely upon diplomacy as our first weapon of defense in every situation. We must not rely upon the United Nations to protect our interests abroad. We MUST focus on creating and maintaining the most technologically advanced military in the world. We MUST have the best trained fighting force and have the best equipped service men and women.

Factor 5: Foreign Policy

Foreign policy has become more important through the years as our world becomes “closer.” No longer can we utilize isolationist policies and be competent. We must focus upon globalization and focus upon the world community when interacting with the foreign communities.

There are many other factors which affect people’s choices but I believe if you find a candidate who satisfies the above factors, the remaining factors will fall into place. What about education policy or health care policy? What about civil rights? What about immigration policy or affirmative action policy? As I said, there are many factors and each of us has varying degrees of sensitivity to them. But, when it comes down to it, our President should MASTER the above five categories and if that is the case, all underlying policy decisions will likely be satisfied accordingly.

If you don’t know where your candidate falls within each category, then you have some investigating to do. If you vote and don’t know what they stand for, you are hurting not only yourself, but the entire country. Learn what the candidates are about and decide honestly on where they stand and not what you HOPE they will be. One thing to remember, no candidate will ever satisfy your decision tree 100% but you must focus upon the deal breaker factors when you choose. Choose wisely and make an informed vote, our future depends on it.