The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime
By Tony DiPasquale (11/01/04)
With voter turnout expected to reach unprecedented levels, one has to question the meaning behind this enthusiasm. Perhaps it can be attributable to the admiration voters have for each candidate, or perhaps their disdain. While both of these assessments hold some validity, I suggest that it is about much more than this. With the incredibly close election in 2000, and the polls showing another nail-biter here, it appears that this nation is actually at a crossroads. Will we embrace the leftist ideal of big-government paternalism and its willingness to relinquish sovereignty to the U.N. or will we return to the notions of individual freedom and a strong defense with which this country was founded?
While the political debate has mostly centered upon terrorism and the war in Iraq, there has been a disturbing undercurrent in regards to domestic issues. Pundit after pundit has given the edge to Kerry on domestic issues, pointing to his positions on healthcare and job creation. Do Americans really want the rationing of Canada’s healthcare system or the high unemployment levels of France? Have we become so dependent upon government that we no longer believe that we can be responsible for ourselves? Are we no longer moral enough to be trusted to help the downtrodden through charitable contributions? The only way government can really effect job creation is to get out of the way, reducing both the regulations and taxes that do so much to impede private enterprise. Sadly, this view has somehow been lost.
Still, the infection ravaging the nation goes even deeper. Many Americans have come to embrace the concept of an egalitarian society, believing that those who have achieved a better life then themselves should somehow be punished. No better illustration of this exists than the current argument that the “rich” do not pay their fair share. Meanwhile, study after study shows they in fact pay the majority of the taxes levied upon the American people. When did we decide that we have a right to our neighbors’ property? Growing up I was taught that this was the definition of envy, and immoral.
No longer do we embrace property rights. Instead, we have sacrificed the notion of private property in favor of “planned communities” and the protection of some obscure insect or rodent, which many times we learn is not even endangered. The fight here is on many fronts; with the environmentalists, government officials who view eminent domain as a city planning tool, and those who believe in community planned growth. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "Nothing is ours, which another may deprive us of.”
But still you say the country is evenly divided, that we are split on exactly these principles. The fact that we are even debating these issues should be reason for concern, especially in light of the past 60 years which have seen this country steadily moving to the left. Furthermore, the pollsters, while they cannot be dismissed as irrelevant, have never experienced an election with this high of a voter turnout and may very well be way off the mark in their predictions. If history is any indication, increased voter turnout has typically benefits the Democrats. My hunch, and a somewhat pessimistic one at that, is that Kerry will win quite handily with about 306 electoral votes. One possible saving grace lies with the 18-25 crowd, one in which I believe leans conservative or libertarian.
It is essential that all of us who respect individual liberty and national security turn out and vote. I realize that a number of us on the right, myself included, have had problems with Bush’s abandonment of conservative principles, especially domestically. This is a situation that each of us must take up with our individual representatives. It is time for all of us to become as active as our counterparts on the left. A lot is at stake in this election, including possible Supreme Court Justice appointments. Can anyone imagine our future if three liberal justices are added to the court? A large turnout by conservatives can not only win this election, but also be a step in the right direction for America. Consequently, a loss may cause the Republican Party to embrace more leftist positions and further damage our republic. God willing, we will be able to save this country.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Tony DiPasquale
