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Introduction
This voting guide will concentrate on issues, not personalities, and help you to understand how the issues influence your vote. There will be no commentary about things like dementia or narcissism. Feel free to contribute your own thoughts on those subjects in the comments.
That is the subject of today’s 10-minute episode.
Continuing
If you believe that the Republic form of government laid out in the Constitution is the right choice, vote for Trump.If you believe that we should abandon the Electoral College, a fundamental part of the Republic format, then vote for Biden. In other words, if you want a national popular vote to replace the College, vote for Biden.
If you believe the New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning work on the 1619 project was correct in saying the year 1619 represents the real founding and legacy of America, vote for Biden.If you believe the view that the real founding occurred in 1776, with documents that Jefferson called, “A silver frame (Constitution), around a document of gold.” (Declaration), vote for Trump.
If you believe that we should have open borders with amnesty for all, vote for Biden.If you believe that America should have secure borders with a wide, but controlled, gate, then vote for Trump.
If you support school choice, vote for Trump.If you believe that increased funding for traditional public schools is the answer to the issues in K-12 education, vote for Biden.
If you believe that government should be the resource of first choice, then vote for Biden. If you believe the individual should be the resource of first choice, vote for Trump.
I want to expand my caveat; there will be no discussion here over which party is the more or less manipulative. And no discussion of the Republican push to seat a successor to Justice Ginsburg, and no speculation over whether or not the Democrats would do the same thing if given a chance.
I am focusing on the issues, in significant part because I see so little of that discussion elsewhere. There will be no discussion of who is the bigger liar, who is the less well balanced 70-year-old white guy, or who is less articulate than whom. To paraphrase, “It’s the issues, stupid.”
I am working not to favor one side or the other in this discussion, so if my preferences come though I apologize. My attempt here is not to persuade, but to clearly lay out the issues so that voters can align their ballots with their views on the issues. Not whether they simply like or don’t like a candidate. And with almost every news source playing to their own biases, callously presenting them as hard news, talking about issues and who supports what is important.
The Republic form of government is a key part of our founding documents. The Tenth Amendment’s language is simple and straightforward, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The Founders envisioned a national government of limited and enumerated powers. Going further, the Founders instituted the Electoral College, the primary purpose being to protect the smaller states from the power of the larger states. All states have two Senators, in addition to the number of Representatives as determined by population. The total equals the number of Electors. The argument is building that this underrepresents voters in large states, and overrepresents voters in the smaller states. Those who make that argument want a national popular vote.
The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a reporter at the New York Times, is a bold effort to place slavery at the heart of the founding, success and ongoing character of the United States. In other words, America’s founding, success and character are so deeply rooted in slavery that many of its institutions have to be fundamentally torn down, and rebuilt. The counter view is that the union of the 13 original colonies would have been impossible if abolition had been insisted upon by the Northern states, the states that won the Civil War, beginning the process of correcting the evil of slavery.
The immigration issue is the easiest to understand. N. B. As part of my sticking to the issues, there will be no discussion here of who built the cages, and who deported the most illegal immigrants. If you want secure borders as a prerequisite to any immigration or amnesty plan, vote for Trump. If you want anything less than that, vote for Biden.
School choice is equally clear. If you align with the teachers unions and others who argue that increased K-12 funding, with the vast bulk of the funding going to traditional public schools, will correct the concerns with K-12 education, vote for Biden. If you believe that parents should make the decision for their children, and should be given a free choice amongst equally funded traditional public schools, charter schools and private schools via vouchers, vote for Trump.
This brings us to the question of the primacy of personal responsibility, or government responsibility; which is the go-to? If you believe that government is the resource of first choice, then vote for Biden. If you believe that the individual is the go-to, with government in a secondary role, then vote for Trump.
This list was not intended to be exhaustive; there are other issues to consider prior to voting. I leave it to you to do the in-depth research on where both the candidates and their parties stand on issues, e.g., abortion and COVID, that might be important to you.
Tell me what you believe. I and many others want to know.
As always, whatever you do, do it in love. Without love, anything we do is empty.
Contact
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Will Luden, coming to you from 7,200’ in Colorado Springs.
