Ten Reasons to Continue Believing in America

I've got some thoughts about the Republican National Convention ahead of tonight's acceptance speech from Mitt Romney.

Romney/Ryan

First, WHOODATHUNKIT? Seriously, given the divisive and combative primary season we went through earlier this year with all the predictions of a divided party and a brokered convention in a party so badly fragmented it could never be put back together again, it seems unity, enthusiasm and genuine HOPE for the future have broken out this week in Tampa.

Second, the parade of GOP governors who have spoken about turning around their impossible fiscal conditions in the various states that were underwater has been impressive. We've heard from Christie of NJ, Kasich of OH, Haley of SC, Pawlenty of MN, Martinez of NM, Walker of WI, and each tells a similar story. They took on impossible odds, balanced their budgets, put their public employee unions in check, and ended up with surpluses. They did it without raising taxes. And they aren't the only ones, just the ones who have spoken this week. You can't leave Daniels of IN and Perry of TX off that list. Audrey Hepburn was once quoted as saying, "There's no such thing as impossible, the very word says 'I'm possible!'"

The New First Couple of America

Third, optimism is contagious. Yes, we are in dire straits financially, and most of it is of our own making, but isn't it interesting how hope always rises in America? I believe we have a lot of room left for optimism based upon what I know about the American dream. You simply cannot kill it, even though we've done a pretty good job of it these last four years. Only we can kill ourselves on that front! I hope no one thinks nothing can be done.

Fourth, I remember how discouraged I was when Jimmy Carter was elected POTUS. Four years later I was even more depressed. Carter was a certifiable genius, and he micromanaged everything he could get his arms around. He slept rarely, and when he did it was only for a few hours a night. He was an ideologue and a devout Christian who often combined his faith with his belief in government to deliver on his Christian ideals. His liberal and progressive ideology was much like Obama's. The difference between the two is Carter at least LIKED America and was trying his level best to make things better. I get the feeling Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do - substantially "TRANSFORMING" America into something I don't recognize or appreciate. Obama's vision is antithetical to the American dream.

Fifth, something we call "the American dream" is still alive. It might be on life support, but it's still struggling to be reborn based upon the assertive declarations we heard last night from Paul Ryan. This is the Ryan pledge to America, right out of his mouth from last night: "We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead. We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility. We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will reapply them." That's how you keep the American dream alive, and if these are more than mere words that can be translated into deeds, we will see America come roaring back in growth mode.

Sixth, I am aroused and encouraged because as voters we still control who’s in Washington. It's all in our hands. No one has repealed the right to vote. We can still get involved in the political election process, as Justice John Roberts suggested in his majority opinion on upholding Obamacare. We can choose who represents us in Congress and in the Executive Branch. When we exercise our right to vote, we control our own destiny. Just as Roberts reminded us, no one will bail us out of the consequences of our bad choices. We still control our own destiny.

Seventh, I will never allow myself the luxury of saying, "Well, it's too bad, that's just the way things are, I have no power to make a difference, and there's nothing I can do." Call me Pollyanna if you wish, but I will not accept the inevitability of fatalism. You can call me the stupid guy with a blog if you wish, but I still like to be reminded, as I was last night, that America still holds the promise of its dream for anyone who reaches for it.

Ann Romney, Mitt Romney, Condoleezza Rice

Eighth, Condoleezza Rice was a poignant reminder of America's promise last night. Her most recent accomplishment is breaking through the "grass ceiling" at Augusta National Golf Club. She and one other businesswoman are the first two women to be admitted to membership, no small feat. She came from nothing in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, and her parents told her at a young age when she was refused service for a hamburger at the Woolworth deparment store lunch counter that if she wanted to she could become President of the United States. She became Secretary of State. Who says America is not the greatest country on the face of the earth? You can rise above your circumstances in America. You can have a share of the "pie" and you don't have to criticize or envy anyone who gets a bigger share than yours. Being "fair" means something very different to a liberal progressive, who believes that means government will redistribute pie to make all the pieces equal.

Ninth, the overhang of government debt and spending has been killing the American dream. Perpetual taxing to pay for spending can't keep pace. Spending is the problem. Regulation throttles down the American dream, as Condie Rice reminded everyone last night. Innovation has to be embraced and encouraged no matter where it comes from and must be allowed to incubate and grow outward to become bigger and better. Government regulation is inhibiting innovation and the investment of private capital.

Tenth, we will never rev up the American engine without sustainable and renewable energy sources that are homegrown. We've got to REALLY do it this time, not just talk about it since the days of Nixon and long gas lines at the pumps. Why can't we figure out the best way to jumpstart the economy is attacking the one commodity that affects every American? We need to start drilling our own oil and capturing our own natural gas resources. I'm naive enough to believe we have been given ample energy resources by our Creator. I do not for one minute believe we are in a scarce world. Imagine what would happen to the economy if gas were priced even $1 lower today.

I reject absolutely, now and forever, the idea that the American dream is dead. I reject the lie that government provides the answers and the resources to every social ill that afflicts us. I reject the notion the government will somehow rescue, coddle and deliver me to a cushy cradle until I die. The government never manages ANYTHING better than a private business can do it. We've been setting up businesses to specialize in everything since the day the Republic was born. That's WE I'm talking about - the individual WEs in our wonderfully diverse society. WE designed government and granted it VERY limited and defined powers. WE got away from our fundamental founding principles. WE trusted Republicans and Democrats to manage our government and it got out of control. Now we have to be reminded once again. . .

WE control the American Dream. It's our time to choose again.

My Neil Armstrong Moment

Neil Armstrong, 1969

The day was July 20, 1969. A few months earlier I had returned from my mission to England. I had accepted a new calling as a tour guide on Temple Square. My assigned day was Sunday afternoon. It was one of those unforgettable days no one who was alive on Earth ever forgot. Like so many world-altering events, we never forgot where we were and what we were doing.

That day, I was conducting my usual tour on Temple Square, Utah's number one tourist attraction. In more recent years the Church migrated to using foreign sister missionaries from all over the world instead of returned missionaries like me. Smart move.

On that afternoon, about 100 people were following my lead around the Square. We entered the North Visitors Center, and we stopped at each painting representing scenes from the lives of the ancient Old Testament prophets. We wound our way up the circular ramp to the second floor. The rotunda is dominated by a replica of the famous Bertel Thorvaldsen statue of the Christus.

The walls in the circular room are a bird's eye view of the universe from the perspective of one standing on the Earth looking out into space. Most prominent on the wall is the nearest space object, the moon. As I was discussing Christ's pre-mortal role as the Creator, we were interrupted by a Church security man who informed the group that Neil Armstrong had just stepped out of the lunar module onto the surface of the moon. He was the first human being to set foot on moon. He was a relatively young man at age 38, and the world had eagerly anticipated that moment after witnessing the liftoff, the orbits and the soft landing of the lunar module.

As he exited the lunar module, his words were forever captured in his first statement, "That's one step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

I was overcome with emotion as I thought about what had just happened. Neil Armstrong was an immediate American hero, but forever afterward until his death this weekend at age 82, he shunned the limelight of his celebrity.

What a marvelous achievement for those talented scientists, who had accepted the challenge of President John F. Kennedy to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. The Sixties represent many things to many people, but for me that crowning achievement against a backdrop of unprecedented social upheaval was a fitting climax.

As great as that achievement by man represents our determination, our will and our ingenuity, however, think how it shrinks compared to the Creator who put all the stars and planets and moons in the night sky. . .

THAT was some achievement.

The Mormons Organize to Serve

Many have observed the Mormons in action when disaster strikes anywhere in the world. I have to smile when I hear people say, "I don't believe in organized religion." In the case of Mormons, we organize ourselves to serve others. Here's how it's done:

(Click on the infographic for larger size and more details)

Ahhh, Ronald Reagan, timely and timeless

Ronald Reagan

"I don't have to think of an answer as to what I think their intentions are; they have repeated it….they hold their determination that their goal must be the promotion of world revolution and a one-world Socialist or Communist state, whichever word you want to use.

"Now, …they….have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is what will further their cause, meaning they reserve unto themselves the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat, in order to attain that, and that is moral, not immoral, and we operate on a different set of standards. I think when you do business with them…..you keep that in mind."

-- President Ronald Reagan on dealing with the Communist Soviet Union, January 29, 1981

I have only one comment to add: The more things change the more they remain the same. . .

Why Paul Ryan is the Right Pick for VP

Last week, Greta Van Susteren did a nice piece for Fox News about 42 year-old House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan. She provided background on the Janesville, Wisconsin, native who has now been tapped by Mitt Romney as his running mate on the GOP ticket. They will probably run it again. Take a look at it if you get a chance.

Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan

I like Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan, because I think it sends the strongest possible signal to the country that Romney's presidency is going to be inclined to tackle some big issues with big bold ideas. Call me naive, but Paul Ryan seems to be one of a handful in Washington today willing to put forward a plan and be bold enough to attach his name to it. Romney's choice of Ryan wasn't particularly political, nor was it conventional. But it does remind me of something Thomas Paine said: "Character is much easier kept than recovered.”

 It was the right choice. The mantle of leadership has already shifted from the current administration by default. Both men are men of character. The vacuum has been filled. Here's why:

I believe leadership on the tough issues in this current administration has been absent. Faced with the biggest deficits in history and the most amount of debt accumulated under one POTUS, what did we get? Silence on that, but assurance that healthcare reform costing the country trillions was paramount. Taxation as the funding mechanism for Obamacare was first denied by the Obama administration, then affirmed and upheld by the SCOTUS.

Paul Ryan advocates taking on the entitlement programs, the "automatic payments" in the budget that are killing our productivity. They are bold solutions, but much-needed answers.

Paul Ryan, doesn't do the political calculations on fallout. He's ready to have an adult conversation with America's younger workers under age 55. He's willing to say we won't change the plans your elders grew up expecting in their retirement years, but we need to talk - it simply isn't going to be that way for you. Leaders in neither party want that conversation, but Ryan does.

A conventional "kick the can down the road" approach is no longer possible. There are something like 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed. Check the embedded national debt clock on this blog. We are approaching $16 trillion. Nobody who's serious about the future of America should be interested in the status quo any longer. Socialism has failed to deliver once again.

Balancing the budget is still on Ryan's radar. Spending money we don't have has to be arrested. Where have the Democrats under Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama been on that subject? AWOL. On the golf course, campaigning and begging for another four years to "finish the job."

President Obama, never one for a serious sit down adult conversation except with the likes of Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine, attacks their plans with lies and half-truths. Ask yourself if you've ever heard anything except "we need to tax the wealthy so they pay their fair share." He offers nothing in rebuttal, then blames a do-nothing Congress in stalemate.

It seems the president’s plan for Medicare is bankruptcy. Did you hear the part about Mr. Obama raiding $716 billion from Medicare in order to pay for Obamacare? Then he denies it. But the plan is simple - you take it from Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and private insurance companies.

Contrast that with a President Romney, who would repeal Obamacare on Day One, including the cuts to Medicare.

To oppose Mr. Obama now seems to be linked with racism. However, what this president has done is fail to show leadership on these core issues. It's his policies that have crippled economic growth and led to the worst recovery in 70 years. And THAT has nothing to do with his ethnic origins.

Here's what his policies have produced:

• The unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for 42 consecutive months.
• The average price of gasoline has more than doubled.
• The national debt has increased by more than $5 trillion.
• Median household income has dropped by more than $4,000.
• One in 7 Americans is on food stamps — a record high.

I defy you explain away that economic record on the basis of race. If an old white guy from the GOP were to fail to lead the country by producing similar results, who would blame him for just being an old white guy?

A recent Rasmussen poll disclosed that just 14 percent of Americans — an all-time low — think today’s children will be better off than their parents’ generation. Does anyone in their right mind in the other 86% cast a ballot for Barack Obama in November?

Here's the deal - I am not naive enough to think that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan can lead this country back into the days of fiscal sunshine and clover anytime soon. We are in deep, deep doo-doo. Republicans and Democrats are to blame over a long period of time. The socialist agenda has now fully played out and it isn't working. Everyone used to think America could produce a better life for succeeding generations. That core value is fading fast.

A second term for Mr. Obama, one in which he would no longer have to face the wrath of voters, would mean an attempt by him to double down on higher taxes, more wasteful spending and an even greater dependency on big government. It's our last chance to end this unsustainable path we're on. Does anyone doubt his attacks on job creators and small business owners would escalate rather than abate? This is a president who reminded us all recently, "You didn’t build that.” He believes government is the dispensing machine for all good things American. He does not believe our rights and freedoms come from God.

Here's what I know for sure. Barack Obama cannot lead us out of the economic wilderness we are wandering in currently. He's proven to everyone now that he's undeserving of another bite of that apple.

Here's what we know about Mitt Romney. He's worked most of his life in the private sector. He understands how wealth is created because he's an example of a practitioner in free markets and he's succeeded. He's a turnaround expert, and what are we looking to hire in the White House this November if it isn't a turnaround guy? Turning this mess around is going to be a prodigious task, but clearly Barack Obama is NOT that guy.

In Paul Ryan, Romney now has a bold reform partner with expertise in the federal budget. Who do I like better as the captains of the ship of state to jump-start the economy and restore America’s greatness? Um, wait a minute, let me think a minute. . .

We have to become a nation that is once again financially responsible. I have little confidence that goal can be achieved under President Obama in another four years.

The Romney-Ryan ticket, I believe, has a better understanding that a strong America is dependent upon a financially sound America. I believe the generals of the Joint Chiefs, who say our biggest security threat is our profligate spending and debt. It weakens a strong defense. Put America back on a sound financial footing, and with that result America will be enabled once again to create new jobs and more take home pay for all Americans.

Paul Ryan can prioritize government spending. It's what he does best. Getting the AAA credit rating back for America might at least be possible again. The rating agencies are waiting for a serious sign that American politicians can get their act together. They selected against this POTUS and his failed leadership.

Prioritizing spending is something Democrats are loathe to do when they feel a misplaced moral obligation to the whole society to redistribute wealth and they can't seem to figure out how to say "No" to anyone. You can call the Romney/Ryan approach "trickle-down economics" if you prefer, but no one in the private sector where I've worked my whole life was ever hired by someone who was dependent on the government dole. Instead, they were innovators, entrepreneurs, risk takers and rugged individualists. They BUILD stuff, Mr. President, unlike you.

Only days after Barack Obama was sworn into office in 2009, I seem to remember when he famously boasted that if his policies didn’t turn the economy around in three years, “then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.” Conveniently, he's either forgotten he said it or doesn't believe it.

More than once in recent months, Mitt Romney has boldly asserted, "Well, Mr. President, we're here to collect on that promise." Romney may ultimately not be able to turn it around because of the sheer weight of the problem.

But this much is certain - the Obama/Biden ticket has PROVEN they can't do it. At least with the Romney/Ryan ticket we can reinvest in the one thing that's been lacking the last four years:

HOPE AND CHANGE!