I find it quite amazing that this country can be almost so evenly divided. Yes, President Bush took more votes, and a higher percentage of the vote, than any other president in the past couple of decades. But 51% is narrow. It certainly does not constitute a landslide, and that is what concerns me.
What has happened to the conscience of this nation? Obviously, 49% of the population no longer has a moral compass upon which to make their decisions. President Bush is very upfront that his compass is the Word of God. It is also disconcerting that 49% of the voters no longer think that the individual should be responsible for self-governing. They would rather abdicate to government involvement in every area of life. On this matter, the populace is quite schizophrenic -- wanting total personal license, while holding an entitlement mentality. Perhaps that isn't so schizoid after all -- "it's all about me."
Have we forgotten that the "government" is to be representative, not intrusive? Originally, our government was to have jurisdiction only over our national defense, our monetary system (so that we could trade between states), and our transportation (so that we could travel between states). Somewhere along the line, we determined that the government -- as if it were a separate entity from the people it serves -- owes us ... education, healthcare, retirement, you name it. We have lost the reliance upon God as our supreme leader, and have replaced Him with a taxable notion of security. We have lost the reliance upon our creativity, our resourcefulness, and most of all upon the charity of neighbor to neighbor. The best government is the closest to self. But only those whose Lord is the one true God can truly govern themselves. The rest are doomed to be governed by an outside source. And that is what 49% of the voters have decided. That they want someone else (hey, it is you and me, folks!) to pay for their education, someone else to pay for their healthcare, someone else to pay for their retirement. There IS NO SOMEONE ELSE!
When will the entitlement people realize that the money is coming out of the pockets of their neighbors! In a self-governed state, whose constituents hold to the Scripture as their guide, needs would be cared for by neighbors, churches, and philanthropists who have filled needs in the marketplace to the degree that they are now able to fulfill the needs of those in poverty.
I heard some rhetoric after the election that said we should now work at coming together, burying our differences. Hogwash! If that were the case, then the will of the people has not spoken! We elect our officials because they represent our beliefs, not so that they can now bow to the false gods of the "deep pocket government" religion.
The Monday before the election I was part of a silent few who fasted and prayed for the outcome of the election. I do hope that George W. Bush felt the prayers of the people. He has often stated how much he counts on prayer. We will continue to pray that God will sustain him through the remainder of his presidency, that he will continue to rely on the one true source of strength, that he will stand firm in his beliefs based on Scripture, and true to the Constitution ... I could digress on that, but it will have to wait.
