Sunday, November 18, 2007

President of the United States - More than a Politician

The President of the United States not only leads the Executive branch of our government, the President is the face of America to the rest of the world. This fact should influence who we choose as our elected leader.

Like it or not, being President is partially about stage presence. Ronald Regan's experience as an actor helped him quite a bit with delivering speeches in a forceful but constructive and influential manner. These same qualities would serve Fred Thompson well, but I personally don't believe he is the best choice.

Also, like it or not, most of the rest of the world is still an "old boys club". Considering the current geopolitical climate and the world leaders that will be major players, sending a woman, no matter how qualified, to the White House may not be our best play. I firmly believe that there are women qualified to serve as President - Hillary is not one of them. However, considering the global chess game that we will be playing, a woman will not be taken seriously by most of our adversaries. Is it fair that a women will not be taken seriously? No, but it's reality.

Whatever your party affiliation or political orientation, you should consider all of the roles the President will need to play when making your final decision next November.

Based upon the all the roles a President must play and the current slate of candidates, I would have to say the best Dem choice is John Edwards and the best Rep choice is Mitt Romney. However, injecting my personal bias for changes in Taxation, enforcement of Immigration Law, and upholding the Constitution my choice is Mike Huckabee.

##That's my opinion##

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You are not alone -
We have been supporting Mike Huckabee for several months - Stop by HucksArmy.com and register at the forum - we would love to talk to you.

Anonymous said...

Mike Huckabee's ardent support for the FairTax sets him apart from all other viable presidential candidates. The FairTax Act of 2007 (HR 25/ S 1025) represents a prospective power shift of massive proportions in America. It lays out a practical ideal of voluntary payment of taxes, based on a substantial level of taxpayer choice that the plan affords. Since FairTax untaxes basic necessities (up to socially-accepted poverty-level spending), what is taxed is marginal, and/or desired or preferred, on a broader base of retail products and services. This is to say that the taxpayer may, under the FairTax, choose to purchase used products and avoid paying the tax. And, to the extent desired, the taxpayer may choose to self-perform certain services rather than pay for them. This will stimulate do-it-yourself education, improve citizens' self-reliance; indeed the FairTax represents the possibility of ushering in a new can-do, citizen psychology that would accrue to greater demands for government accountability - truly, a cultural sea change.

Government is the "necessary glue" that enables the social fabric to cohere. It does this by effecting "rules" that ostensibly provide members with equitable access to wealth and resources. It also must provide ostensibly equitable enforcement of those rules in order to mitigate threats to the social fabric. It is unrealistic to believe that the structures of a national government can be supported on donations, thus the need for taxes. Naysayers love to characterize anything purporting to be a "fair tax" as an oxymoron - but it is not true. The idea of fairness has to do with equitable sharing in the cost by all members who depend upon the social fabric for food, shelter, clothing and post-necessity economic enterprise. And, because of the shift of power from politicians and special interests under an enacted FairTax, the elected will find it more difficult to both enlarge government, and implement any dual system of taxation. FairTax strategist, Dennis Calabrese, discusses how the FairTax repeals the income tax, how it does away with the IRS, and how it addresses other aspects of frequent concern to skeptics.

The FairTax has a much greater opportunity for success to operate as a "self-regulating" mechanism because of increased visibility. One finds that the current system, ostensibly regulated by the Internal Revenue Code, is in fact poorly regulated because of continually increasing complexity (the effect of tax favors from politicians, through lobbyists, to favored corporations and other special interests) stemming from the desire by those holding government position to steer public behavior using tax code "carrots." We have seen how 100 years of this type of behavior has eroded the Nation's currency and the purchasing power of working family incomes. "Visionist," Tom Frey believes the current tax system will simply collapse; and economist Laurence Kotlikoff heralds - short of enactment of FairTax (or an otherwise unlikely change in spending habits) - the U.S. will shortly face an irrevocable economic breakdown. (Kotlikoff believes that passage of the FairTax can stave off the economic ruin we're facing, but would be surprised to see it happen.)

Frey and Kotlikoff may be right on both counts, and we may not be able to successfully evoke change; but shall we not try?

Mike Huckabee believes we should. He has the look of leadership.


(Permission granted to republish, in whole or part. -Ian)

Lucid Guy said...

Ian, well said. I have been a Fair Tax supported for several years and agree with you that it is the way forward for our tax system. The Fair Tax would position the United States as the world's greatest tax haven and bring Trillions of dollars home.

Keep up the fight Ian and thanks again for the excellent write up.