Why I Should Run for Senator

The title alone should bother serious political followers; T. F. Stern, a candidate for the U.S. Senate? My qualifications should make it clear; never served in any elected office, none. I don’t have a law degree and don’t plan on acquiring one. I’m opinionated with little room for concession; not exactly a team player as I’ve been told.

I read a line from Ezra Taft Benson which was shared many years ago; but is applicable today, maybe more than when he spoke them. His words are as if from my own soul, a statement which should resonate with all Americans who esteem liberty as a blessing.

“I fear for the future when I realize that for some thirty years our once-free institutions, political, economic, educational and social, have been drifting into the hands of those who favor the Welfare State, and who would “centralize all power in the hands of the political apparatus in Washington. This enhancement of political power at the expense of individual rights, so often disguised as ‘democracy’ or ‘freedom’ or ‘civil rights,’ is ’socialism,’ no matter what name tag it bears…”

Why would running for the U.S. Senate even come to mind? I was stepping into the shower a while ago and the last thing I’d been reading must have hit a nerve, something about the Tea Party movement influencing elections. I have the notion that our nation would be better served if we followed the admonition, “Elect No Incumbents”. If you put the two thoughts together someone totally new to the “political game” has to run for office ; why not me?

“[While] there is some anti-incumbent mood out there and it’s affecting both parties, part of the anti-incumbent mood is from a fervor on the part of the most conservative elements in the Republican Party as they look for more purity in their candidates.”

The folks in Washington still don’t get it, “some anti-incumbent mood out there”? What are they waiting for angry citizens with pitch forks and torches marching shoulder to shoulder in the streets? No; but that’s what some are hoping for, a chance to label the opposition as right wing nut job terrorists.

I don’t want to elect any former State Representatives, former Governors or former anything; these folks are already tarnished from their exposure to unbridled power. No; we need a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington type to represent the will of the people; why not me?

Issues which are before the Senate don’t require a Rhodes Scholar, just a level head and a sincere desire to do what’s right. That alone disqualifies most Senators; their idea of right and wrong was lost somewhere inside the Beltway after they signed away their souls in order to get elected to each rung on the ladder towards becoming Senator. We don’t need another great compromiser, somebody who will work across the isle in order to further the role of government. We’re up to our necks now; time for somebody to stand on principles even if it means having no chance of ever getting elected. There has to be someone more qualified than I am; but they aren’t putting their name out front, so why not me?

All those Senators who voted for TARP, did they understand what they were doing, really? They voted to have taxpayers absorb Toxic Assets; paper which they already knew had absolutely no value. Then they called it a bailout; yea it was a bailout alright, just not for the public who had to foot the bill. We’re a bunch of saps deserving of abuse if we re-elect even one of those crooks. I would never ask my neighbor to pay for a dead horse, haul it off at their expense, disguise the foul smelling carcass and then promise when it was cooked just right it wouldn’t taste half bad. That’s what TARP was all about; but you’d never know that from the way it was sold.

How about the latest nonsense of bailing out Greece? More Toxic Assets being paid for out of the pockets of taxpayers, only this time we’re buying foreign Toxic Assets to save those poor people in Greece. I get enough grease when I order fried chicken, thank you very much; let them clean up their own mess or go bankrupt now instead of later. I could never sign off on wasting my neighbor’s hard earned money for yet another dead horse.

There’s the issue of immigration reform, not to be confused with granting amnesty to illegal aliens. The argument from bleeding hearts on the left has to do with America being the melting pot, give me your tired, your poor…give me a break! That “welcome mat” has to do with folks trying enter our country legally with the intent of becoming part of this great nation. It has nothing to do with La Raza’s claim on the entire southwest which they claim belongs to Mexico or giving money to folks who despise our nation and send dollars across the border in order to survive a totally corrupt Mexican government.

I have every respect for folks striving to improve their lives and what better place to do that than America; but respect is a two way street. Enter my country legally, learn my language and support yourself without having to dip into my wallet or my neighbor’s wallet. Learn our laws and follow them, say thank you for the privilege of walking among us and don’t even think of bad mouthing any aspect of our less than perfect form of government. That wonderful life on your side of the border must be pure heaven; yea, that’s why you risked everything just to get away from it. No, I could never support amnesty for illegal aliens; they’ve already shown their disrespect for our laws just by how they got here.

You might consider finding someone more qualified to fill the next U.S. Senate position, perhaps a successful business owner. My small business hardly qualifies; thirty plus years as a one horse operation, no employees to lay off when times got tough, no dealing with the red tape associated with employees and all those state and federal forms. No, there has to be somebody more qualified to handle such an important job as U.S. Senator.

One of the rules I’ve lived by all these years is not to spend more than I can repay. Right off the bat that disqualifies me for high office; those folks have spent us so far into debt our grandchildren will be paying off Cash for Clunkers and won’t have had a chance to ride in the car. The Senate authorized Two Billion Dollars of taxpayer money to help folks buy a new car, one they would have had to buy eventually; except now they get to have you and me help pay for a huge chunk of down payment. No, I couldn’t ask my neighbor to help pay for a new car, not for me and not for anyone else. My advice would be to save up until you can buy one on your own, do with what you have or do without.

I don’t expect my neighbor to pay part or all of my mortgage even if my house has lost some of its original value due to a sagging market; but it has been suggested in several states exactly that. It’s called the Hardest Hit Fund initiative ; call it what you will, HAMP, HASP or disguise the underhanded dealings with smoke and mirrors, theft is still theft.

“Giving people free money to cover their home loans is just one of the radical ways that four states - Florida, Michigan, California and Arizona - plan to use $1.4 billion the Obama administration is sending their way to help the unemployed and underwater avoid foreclosure.”

Where did that “free money” come from? It comes out of your neighbor’s wallet, that’s where. It didn’t materialize by magic for the Obama administration to hand over to states looking for creative ways to temporarily ease the burdens of folks out of work. That tax money was taken forcibly by the long arm of the federal government under penalty of prison via income taxes levied on hard working Americans, Americans who are struggling to figure out how to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy themselves.

Redistribution of wealth is theft, out and out theft and there can be no justification for stealing from your neighbor. I could never sign off on violating one of our most valued foundations, one which has been part of any civilized society from before recorded history.

What’s my position on Cap & Trade and the notion that taxing the source of energy will make our nation right with Mother Earth? I would start by having the EPA listed as anti-American and had that organization banned from receiving taxpayer funding and have any and all regulatory powers stripped from them immediately. They are operating outside our constitutional form of government and have no responsibility to the people; instead they believe they have power to regulate nearly every aspect of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The EPA operates in direct conflict with anything our founders intended and violates the foundations of our Republic.

Why would anyone want me as a U.S. Senator? I’m old fashioned with little or no use for progressivism, socialism, Marxism, fascism or communism. I despise the notion that any of those “isms” can be compatible with our Republican form of government. Our friends, the Liberals in Washington want you to be grateful for all entitlement programs they have instituted in our behalf; but what are they really doing?

“For Communism is just another form of socialism, as is fascism. So now you can see the picture. These liberals want you to know how much they are doing for you – with your tax money of course. But they don’t want you to realize that the path they are pursuing is socialistic, and that socialism is the same as communism in its ultimate effect on our liberties. When you point this out they want to shut you up – they accuse you of maligning them, of casting aspersions, of being political. No matter whether they label their bottle as liberalism, progressivism, or social reform – I know the contents of the bottle is poison to this Republic and I’m going to call it poison.” Ezra Taft Benson

No, you don’t want me ruining the hallowed halls of the U.S. Senate. First thing I’d do is start a fist fight with one of those crooks who claim to have been voting in your interest all these years. First day on the job I’d get brought up on charges, voted out of the Senate and that wouldn’t help at all, now would it. No, you need a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington kind of guy, not me.

This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal , a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.