What if?

A friend of mine recently sent me an e-mail entitled "What if?". It went on to ask basically what if John McCain were black, and Barak Obama were white? On the surface it was asking an innoccuous enough question; Would we hold similar views of each man if their colors were differnt?

What the tenor and tone of the questions amounted to however, was an ad hoc, ad hominem attack, rather than thoughtful consideration of what could have been a useful exercise.

So I responded with some 'what ifs' of my own.

"What if it was McCain who had questionable ties to terrorists & terrorist organizations? What if the LA Times had proof of this, and refused to release and/or report on it?

What if it was McCain who was allegedly born in Hawaii, and the Governor sealed his records until after the election?

What if it was McCain who was editor of the Harvard Review, yet none of his editorials or opinions were now available for scrutiny?

What if it was McCain who preached "spread the wealth" yet had a brother in Kenya living off of less that $1 per month, and an Aunt in Boston living in the projects?

What if the president of Kenya sealed off any records about McCain and his family until after the elections?

What if it was McCain who broke his promise on funding his campaign, out spending His two predecessors combined?

What if it was McCain who was a proponent of the so-called "fairness doctrine", then bought air time on all the major networks for a 1/2 hour infomercial, without inviting his opponent(s) to have equal time; out of fairness, of course?

What if an average "Joe American" (plumber, carpenter, etc.) was vetted more than McCain, simply for asking the candidate a question? (the poor guy had his life ripped open for simply asking how Obama's tax proposals might affect him.) This from a guy who won't even let us verify his birth credentials?

What if it was McCain's pastor, (who married him, and blessed his children, clearly demonstrating an ongoing if not intimate relationship) who preached hate and diviseveness for over twenty years, and McCain said when pressed about their relationship, 'he didn't know the man?' (I wonder if Obama denied Rev. Wright 3X before the rooster crowed?)

What if it was McCain instead of Obama who described the US Constitution as an "imperfect (flawed) document"?

What if it was McCain who is the Socialist?

What if, instead of wrecking planes, McCain just wrecked the economy? This mortgage mess is nothing more than the results of liberals forcing banks to lend money to otherwise unqualified 'borrowers' in an attempt at social engineering. (I know, because I was in the mortgage industry!)

The bottom line is this; I cannot and will not vote for a socialist. I do not mean this as a pejorative; that is simply what the man is.

As a student of history, I cannot find a single incident where socialism has worked to elevate the condition of mankind; in fact, if history teaches us anything, it is that generally the exact opposite is true!

That is why I will not vote for a socialist. That is more important to me than where he/she went to school, who they are or were married to, the color of their skin or any other false measuring stick!

I want to know if they are a person of faith, (one cannot do that job alone), do they believe in the constitution, and do they believe that the federal government ought to be as small and un-intrusive into citizens lives as possible.

I want to know if they have respect for states rights, and individual rights, and have a respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and really understand and hold to the view of the Declaration of Independence that such rights are derived from God, not government.

I want them to understand that "Love thy Neighbor" is a call to responsibility on a personal level, that can best be addressed on a local and if need be state level, but not from Washington DC!

I want them to understand that re-dristributing wealth, or 'spreading the wealth' as Obama let slip to "Joe the Plumber" is a bad idea when it is done by force by a third party, whether the third party is Robin Hood, or the Government!

At least Robin Hood was trying to give back what was stolen from the people in the first place! And I want my next President to understand that!