Do as my dad would do

My dad was a plainspoken man. He wasn’t what I’d call an intellectual but when it came to ethics Dad had a Reagan-like philosophy: just do what’s right. From late adolescence on, this Alabama boy worked in the oil fields of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. When he married my mom, an Arkansas farm girl, he sent his paychecks home to take care of her and what would become his family.

Dad also didn’t care much for politicians. He didn’t trust ‘em and I think he would be outraged over what’s going on in Washington today. In his own way he’d say there’s no such thing as free money. You can’t spend your way out of debt. Recessions aren’t over until there are jobs and people are back at work.

People aren’t back at work today. Joblessness is increasing and the politicians know it. Money is tight and banks won’t even loan money to each other, let alone little guys trying to make a living. All this blather about healthcare, money for insurance companies and bailouts for car companies? That's a costly (and largely ineffective) diversion meant to distract attention from the economy until after next year’s election.

My dad would say this is a recipe for disaster. If the government is telling us to go out and spend dollars that are getting cheaper and cheaper, we’d better save up instead because there’s a bigger recession coming. He’d also say don’t go in debt at all and if you’re already in debt, pay it off as soon as you can.

Dad also believed people should learn a trade, something they could swap for things other people might need. He'd say it wouldn’t matter how much money people had in the bank if there was nothing to buy or if money was worthless. It’s what's on hand that counts, and what people can do for themselves and others if there is a deep recession.

If you think our politicians really care about this situation you have another think coming. They talk a good game but talk is cheap; our job is to look at what politicians are doing: instead of paying off debt, the ones in Washington are putting this country deeper in a financial hole. All they're doing is postponing the inevitable. They’re kicking the can down the road just long enough to ensure their own re-election.

It doesn’t matter which party’s in office – they all behave the same way when it comes to giving up power. That’s why across-the-board federal term limits are in order. But if we leave it up to politicians they will never impose term limits on themselves. We already have term limits – it's called the ballot box. Even without codified term limits, we can vote ‘em out of office if they don’t do the right thing.

Voters may not realize it but the people back home are still in charge. All we have to do is stay involved. The thing politicians fear most is an informed public and the brought light of day shining on what they do. The best way for us to stay informed is to listen to the party out of power; it will pounce if there’s something wrong going on.

But if we grow more complacent than we already are we’ve had it as a nation. We’ve already elected a president who doesn’t appreciate this country’s greatness. Out of deserved disgust with President Bush and Republican corruption, voters put an untested Chicago politician in the White House and things have been going downhill ever since.

If this isn’t a clarion call to turn out the vote next year, I don’t know what is. The next move is ours. Obama and his presidential czars are working hard to solidify their power by working through organizations like ACORN. It’s being done behind the scenes and the White House has thrown transparency out the window. Listen to the news broadcasts if you want, but FOX NEWS aside, we can't depend on what is being reported.

What should we do? Do as my dad would do. Think for yourself and do the right thing when you go to the polls next year. Ignore what the politicians tell you and vote the scoundrels out of office. You might even say it's important this time around.