Do you remember 18?  For me, those were the days of invincibility.  I wanted nothing more than to get as far away from that little Missouri town I grew up in.  I was salivating for a chance to start a new life on my own.

I think my parents understood, partly because they remember their own teenage rebellions.  They couldn’t be stopped, and neither could I.  They probably wanted me to stay closer to home for college, but they didn’t try to change my mind.  They knew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so I went.  I was convinced I would be successful, and I was right.  Our 18-year-olds today are probably little different.  However, very soon there will be one significant opportunity for them that I feel is important to address now…for our future, and most importantly, for theirs.  This is my plea to our rising young men and women.

 

In less than 100 days, for the first time in your life, you will have the opportunity to vote for the leader of the Free World; the President of the United States.

Believe it: your vote will influence the future of this country.  With less than 100 days until the presidential election, you still have time to think about it…but that time is dwindling.  It is important to figure out some things NOW, so that, come November, you will be ready to submit your choice…intelligently.

 

Voting has been one of America’s most celebrated rights of passage.  And this will be one of the most, if not, the most important presidential elections in our history.  This is no exaggeration – the country hangs in the balance.  She will fall Left, or she will rise Right.  It is a VERY big deal.  If there is anything you take from this plea, please understand that.  This isn’t just another election.

So, what are you going to do to get your head in this fight?  I have some suggestions.

But first, may I begin by proposing what not to do?  Don’t sit there and continue to be influenced by your peers or by the media.  Get after it.  Research these candidates on your own.  Be proactive in compiling all you can about them, specifically their records of accomplishment AND failure.

You can start by thinking about what issues are important to you, and then look at where each of these candidates has stood in the past on these issues.  Where do they come down on them now?

If getting control of our national debt and spending is important to you, then what are these candidates’ commitments to a strong fiscal policy?  Have they made decisions that reflect their ability to create and maintain the conditions required for a strong financial future – of a business….or a country?

Furthermore, how does their stance on these issues relate to the Constitution of the United States?  Have both of these candidates led with a great respect for the Constitution, or might one of them hold contempt and utter disregard for anything that resembles a Founding Document? Might either of these candidates have a (not so) secret (anymore) plan to transform this country into their version of a Utopian Socialist Regime?

But I digress…you get the point.

A phrase I most often hear from young adults is “I wish our leaders could just compromise.”  I cringe at this.  It’s even tough for me to type – compromise…Ugh.  Enough.

Friends, I couldn’t be more serious when I say that what lies ahead will not be just another political battle; this will be a war.  Contrary to what the mainstream media types want you to believe, it will not be won by compromise.

So when I hear someone heralding compromise to solve all of our problems, it becomes immediately clear to me that this person has absolutely no idea what the issues are, much less what his stance is on them.  The “if we could only compromise” mantra can be found daily in the main-stream-media, where the goal is to make conservatives appear as closed-minded bigots.  Unfortunately, for the typical mouth-breathing citizen, this media-mission is successful.  With mental programming complete, this newly molded walking-talking liberal propaganda machine is now ready to repeat and parade ignorance, as if it has somehow become a virtue.  There is no convincing him otherwise.  See: Occupy Wall Street.

For the Left, this person is just another robot for their clueless army; this is a win for them.  Don’t be this person.

Yes….it is time to wake up.  It is no longer OK to sit in front of that TV, night after night, thinking that you are somehow informing yourself.  To accurately understand our country and her most pertinent issues, you’ve got to expand the number of outlets from where you get your news.

Access to multiple information sources will uncover alternative opinions.  Your mind will open to many different ways of thinking and looking at the various issues.  You will not agree with everyone, and that’s good.  In fact, as you start solidifying your own convictions, you will agree with even less.  But the depth of knowledge you will have gained from getting these different perspectives can be immediately realized, and increased exponentially.

In addition, a conscious understanding of the many sides to an argument will help you sound more like you know what you are talking about…and less like a mindless drone.  Conservative forums and independent news sites are a nearly endless resource you can use to get yourself up to speed – search for them, use them.  It will take a while to find ones you like, respect, and eventually trust.  But you’ve still got some time, remember?

Something else I recommend to help you get ready for this election (and future debates) is to start educating yourself on the storied history of this country.

The American history is truly a profound one, and it deserves a much more thorough understanding by our youth…and by everyone, frankly.  No fault of yours – you just have had teachers whose aim is to socially engineer society as they see fit, one student at a time (I know that these power-hungry educators exist – I have been unsuccessfully attacked by many of them).  To them, teaching you how to compromise with bullies (instead of punching them square in the jaw) is far more important than teaching you our country’s history.

NO ONE is going to teach America to you.  Again, you must get after it, and go find out on your own what America is all about — who we are.  Start with Ron Chernow’s biography of George Washington, and go from there.  Pick up a pocket copy of the Constitution from the Heritage Foundation, and check out their website.  It is encyclopedic.  There is a lot out there – go find it.

 

Folks, our country teeters on the precipice of disaster.  As of July 30, 2012, our national debt stands at 15.8 trillion dollars.  Our unemployment rate has just increased to 8.3%.  These numbers are simply unacceptable for the greatest country in the world. In fact, that’s why there is a Tea Party.

Our plight?  Simple: Remove and Replace.  Remove the people who have gotten us into this sorry mess from their respective offices.  Replace them with the people who know how to get us out, and will.  We have been doing this (rather successfully as of late) through local, state, and national elections.  But the Big One awaits.

Less than 100 days remain before we have the opportunity to elect a new President of the United States.  And for the first time ever, you will be partaking in this – one of America’s original rights of passage.  My plea to you is that you go into that voting booth prepared.  That means, know this country – backwards and forwards, inside and out.

So turn off that TV, get onto the Net, get involved in a local forum, be proactive, and start learning about America the hard way, the only way.  Start…at our Grass Roots.

 

I’ll see you in November.