HUCKABEE STANDS OUT IN LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE (Guest writer: the real gk.)

(I've been trying to get gk to write for me from the beginning, his insight in foreign policy and national security is what I'm recruiting him for, but I'll take his observations on the presidential campaign any time he wants to write!)


Some say that Huckabee "won" this debate because of his witty and insightful answers, some others say Huckabee has never had to give serious answers to serious questions. I heard one commentator say that Huckabee only got soft-ball questions - such as asking him about the Bible and as a former Baptist Minister - he could hit those out of the park all day long and he did - with his witty reply - "Jesus was too smart to run for office".


But aside from this - it seems no one other candidate distinguished himself in this debate. I keep hoping that Duncan Hunter or Tom Tancredo will say or do something that will move their numbers - but that doesn't seem to be the case. Both seem to be too bland. I did find it ironic though that Tom Tancredo said that all the other candidates were trying to become/outdo Tom Tancredo (all the other candidates are now all of a sudden interested in immigration issues - which has been Tom Tancredo's primary issue in congress for years) The implication obviously, if you have a Tom Tancredo - why not take the real thing?


Projections are showing that at the present rate of legal/mostly illegal aliens pouring over the southern border - coupled with the traditionally higher Hispanic birth rate, that our population will be 450M by 2050 - (I won't see it, I'll be long buried and gone) - but that will make the U.S. at least 40% - maybe higher percentage of Hispanic - Will they assimilate as other nationalities have and contribute to America's success? Will we still be the "United States", enjoying the highest standard of living in the world or will we be a politically corrupted 3rd world country that looks like Mexico - not even able to even support our own population - never mind being the world's leader in nearly every important statistic in the world - i.e. exporter of food/technology/entertainment/management techniques/military might, etc.etc.
It's going to be an interesting 43 years to the mid-century point. I have heard some commenter say that the next 25 years is going to bring even bigger advances in all areas, medicine, technology, etc then the recent 25 based on what we have discovered that can be built on. I am skeptical about that - I think the challenges are going to be more in filling in infrastructure - in simply keeping up with the flood of illiterate illegals poring over the border - which is going to basically bankrupt our nation/our medical systems/our school systems/our welfare systems/our social security systems with too many poor illiterate people. - and we won't have the money to deal with it, coupled with the burden of the Boomer generations retirement (less workers per ratio of retired people) and upgrading our deteriorating-out dated infrastructure - deteriorating bridges/roads/building new schools, etc.etc. Where is the money going to come from?


Some real challenges on in the immediate future - WA State is struggling with them - not having enough money to fix our bridges and roads, improving suburban light rail, etc.etc. We haven't provided hardly a single mile of widened highways in WA's arterial Interstate Highway road system in years, a bit through Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia, and that's about it. Those transportation systems upgrades/improvements are going to take billions, and we have already increased our gas taxes by close to 25 cents a gallon just in the past 5 years or so, and our law makers are asking for more. Right now, we are one of the highest gas taxed states in the United States.



Don't get me started - read and enjoy: http://www.gopusa.com/news/2007/november/1129_gop_debate1.shtml
- going out to put up some more Christmas lights! -gk