Choices

In 1964, Ronald Reagan said in what has come to be known simply as “The Speech”  "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth….If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

Given the current state of affairs in this country, it would be easy for many of us to believe that we, as a country, have reached our destiny – that our best days are behind us.  In fact, the vast majority of Americans are pessimistic about the future.  For too long, politicians of both major parties have been unwilling to make the difficult choices that will bring this country back from the economic abyss simply because they have been more interested in retaining power than in making difficult decisions that could cost them in the next election.  We cannot abide by that attitude any longer.

We live in a remarkable country – made that why by men and women willing to meet any challenge and overcome any obstacle.  America is exceptional and we have a duty to restore her greatness.  In these times of tribulation, we need leaders who see challenges not as obstacles, but as stepping stones to a thriving and prosperous America.

The challenges we face as a nation are remarkable for their complexity and their size.  Just today, I learned that the U.S. national debt is larger than all the money in the world combined (http://bit.ly/9oaYGq)!  That is astounding...and disgusting.  We are making interest payments on our debt to the tune of $20.5 billion in August alone!  Bear in mind, this is during a time of record low interest rates.  When borrowers demand a higher rate of return, our debt payments will explode.

The path of least resistance is not going to cut it during these tough economic times.  We need leaders like Senator Jim DeMint, Congressman Paul Ryan, Dino Rossi here in Washington, Colonel Alan West in Florida and others to step up and make the same difficult choices they have made at other points in their career.  No one can overstate just how important this election is.  Our future - and the future of our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews - is at stake.  

My prayer is that we elect leaders in 2010 who are less concerned about career and more concerned about country.  Leaders who realize that the choice could be between furthering their own political viability or saving the United State for future generations.