Wednesday, January 9, 2008

FRED '08, THE BEST LEADER

(GUEST WRITER: WALLY)
(I'm honored to have long time local writer, Wally, from WallyWondersWhy? -Dexter)

In the process of picking the right candidate for the 2008 election we first need to do a couple of house cleaning items. To start, we need to throw out all socialist Democrats, progressive Democrats, liberal Democrats; OK let’s just throw out any notion of a Democratic Party candidate altogether. In fact since our nation won't survive too many more Democratic Party Presidents, we should quit considering them as candidates altogether.

That leads us to the second housecleaning item; we must throw out any notion of choosing the best candidate. We don't need to consider who the best candidate is, nor should we look for someone who is eminently electable. We should be focusing on the persons who will make the best president and during that process the right candidate will become apparent.Our nation was founded with some pretty progressive and enduring principles at it core; life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, common defense etc.
The best leader for our nation is one who knows and believes in these principles. The best leader for our nation will work in the right direction to conserve these principles.And to be more clear we need someone who is on the conservative right, someone who has been on the conservative right, and someone which we have great faith will remain on the conservative right. I think Fred Thompson is clearly the best choice for this position of leading our nation.

While others under consideration may have veered left on abortion, veered left on taxes and veered left on health care; Fred Thompson has remained a straight arrow conservative. He was a conservative in the late 60's as an assistant US attorney in Nashville. He was conservative when he served as special counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And he was a conservative when he served on the Senate Intelligence committee. Former Senator Fred Thompson was a conservative and is a conservative.While some may dismiss him, find fault or humor in his acting career, I find it ironic that he conspicuously avoids getting caught up in the Hollywood tabloid glitz so he can remain focused on issues.

And I agree with Fred Thompson's list of the biggest issues and challenges faced by our nation today.
* The ongoing threat of Islamist terrorism* The unresolved economic threat of entitlements
* The need for lower taxes to ensure our nation remains economically competitive and innovative
* The need to secure our borders
* The need to support families and to protect our children from the harder edges of culture
* The need to remain engaged in the world while remaining true to America’s principles

And when I look at the list I see threats to our life, our liberty, our pursuit of happiness, and our nation’s security. I can’t argue with any of them. Fred Thompson is spot on with identifying threats to our nation’s core values. He is a qualified conservative through and through candidate with the guts to stand up for what is right.

Let’s put Fred Thompson in the White House.

(Wally, thanks so much, for your contribution. Folks, go check out his site: www.wallywonderswhy.com -Dexter)

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

DUNCAN HUNTER, TRUE AMERICAN!

(Guest Writer: AFY!)

What do Air Force Brigadier General Chuck Yeager and Ann Coulter have in common with the Missouri Republican Assembly?

Their endorsement of what the Missouri Republican assembly called a “true Republican”!

MRA state president Chris Brown stated, “Congressman Hunter is a true social conservative and honestly represents the Republican Wing of the Republican Party, when you add together Duncan Hunter’s commitment to the military, American jobs, and fighting for family and life issues, there is no better choice for President. America needs Hunter’s integrity, courage and proven leadership.”

Duncan Hunter is a fourteen term Congressman and Vietnam War Veteran.

Duncan Hunter is committed to controlling our borders; he built the border fence in San Diego which resulted in a reduction in smuggling of narcotics by 90% and a drop in crime by 50%. If he is elected President; he would have as one of his biggest priorities to build this same fence for our entire southern border.

In a recent debate Duncan Hunter stated that he felt that the “Democratic Party lost its identity” for example the failure of the Kennedy administration at the Bay of Pigs and when compared to Ronald Reagan actions in El Salvador which was so successful in bringing freedom to that nation; that at this moment the military of El Salvador is “fighting side by side with our guys in Iraq”! Duncan Hunter truly believes the Republican Party is “the Party of Freedom”.

This past Veterans day, Duncan hunter stated “We cannot thank them enough (Veterans) all sufficiently… (they) have represented the finest of human qualities… our Veterans made (a) sacrifice unflinchingly, with a character that General Douglas MacArthur describes as “stainless”. They make the sacrifice for their comrades in arms, their buddies and the immediate mission at hand. But in a greater sense they have made a sacrifice for millions of American whom they do not know and who do not know them”.

Finally I would like to close with this recent endorsement from former New Hampshire Senator Robert C. Smith: “There will never be another Ronald Reagan but fellow Californian Duncan Hunter can pick up the Reagan torch and light the way for America to come back from the dangers we now face.”


AFY!!!

http://www.issues2000.org/ca/Duncan_Hunter.htm

(Thanks AFY! for this column, some of you folks who read online comments at the Herald may recognize the pen name. Link forwarded by the REAL gk. -Dexter
p.s. check out the TOWN CRIER, for more Duncan Hunter stuff and AFY! is there, too.)

Monday, January 7, 2008

RUDY GIULIANI- TESTED AND READY


(Special Guest Writer: Q)

(This is the first of several columns from my guest writers, each on behalf of a different GOP Candidate. -Dexter)

I support Rudy Giuliani because he is a proven leader that reduced crime, taxes, and managed bureaucracy among many other successes while Mayor of New York City for eight years. He took a $2.3 billion deficit and turned it into a multibillion surplus, which greatly appeals to my fiscally conservative tastes. When the United States is suffering with a struggling economy, I believe Giuliani’s proven strong leadership and prior accomplishments are aspects that weigh heavily in his favor compared to other contenders.

I found the statistics below compelling. During the eight years of the Giuliani Administration, New York City:
· Gained 2,038 acres of new parkland (372 acres were acquired during the four-year prior to him taking office and only 1,744 acres during the 12 years of the Koch administration.).
[1]
· Reduced crime by 5,000 felonies per week.[2]
· Reduced the murder rate to 629 murders in 1998 as compared with 1,946 in 1993, under the prior administration.[3]
· Increased adoptions, realizing 21,189 adoptions during the last six years of the Giuliani administration which was 66 percent more than in the prior six years.[4]

Giuliani’s leadership style incorporates many elements that make sense. He believes government workers should be accountable for their actions and leaders should put in place mechanisms that keep people accountable. He believes success comes from “relentless preparation” with attention to small as well as large details. A good example is that when police started cracking down on the petty crimes they found matching fingerprints for many unsolved felonies. He trains his employees to embrace his winning techniques and rewards them with loyalty so they feel confident to try new things and continually challenge themselves to produce results and achieve better policies. He surrounds himself with employees that can do their jobs well, wanting his supervisors and appointees to be leaders themselves. These qualities are appealing in a president.

Giuliani is known internationally because he had to deal with members of the United Nations whenever they visited the New York U.N. office. In the aftermath of 9/11, Giuliani interacted with individuals from almost every country in the world because the working population in the Twin Towers included all different nationalities. The United States was not the only country that lost citizens that day. I favor Giuliani because he has already had to deal with leaders from different nations and cultures in tough circumstances, so he is prepared for international relations.

There are unions that speak against Giuliani in favor of Democrat candidates. I found it very interesting to speak with a local first responder that was at Ground Zero ten days after the attack. He supports Giuliani and assured me that there were respirators available for volunteers and workers to wear despite commentary otherwise. People were begging workers to wear protective gear, however, respirators are uncomfortable, so many ignored the advice. In addition, clean-up workers were told that the city could not afford to pay overtime for clean up efforts, which the unions did not like. A union has the goal of getting their members the highest pay possible, so obviously, they would have competing interests with a mayor that wanted to control the debt for the citizens of New York. Giuliani kept control of the bureaucracy while getting the job done without further burdening New Yorkers with a huge debt when their economy had suffered a huge hit.

I know many conservatives may cringe at some of Giuliani’s social stances because their religion does not condone behavior that is already an entrenched part of our society. If we believe in a free country and a free society under God, then be open to the idea that He may be able to work his will through a believer, like Giuliani, however flawed. A man that has run the world’s 17th largest economy and negotiated the traumas of 9/11 with such aplomb cannot be totally bereft of divine guidance. Historically, religious leaders were human – and flawed.
Polls indicate that Giuliani has the best chance of picking up Democratic voters who want to see someone other than Mrs. Clinton elected, and therefore, a very strong chance at being able to win the presidency. For all of these reasons, I ask you to join me in voting for Rudy Giuliani in 2008.
[1] Giuliani, Rudy, Leadership, p. 124.
[2] Giuliani, Rudy, Leadership, p. 43.
[3] Giuliani, Rudy, Leadership, p. 117
[4]Giuliani, Rudy, Leadership, p. 93.

(I hope this is the first of many appearances from Q. She is well researched and I think she writes well, too. -Dexter)