Tinkering won't do it

by Dave Buhlman


There appears to be noticeable slippage in the American way. It's been going on for some years, but has become more noticeable during the Obama presidency, and Democrat control of the House and Senate from 2006 until the November 2010 elections.

The wild spending, the czars, the giveaway of taxpayer money to the banks, more bureaucratic regulations, the high unemployment, jobs going overseas, high gas prices, losses in retirement accounts, the refusal to exploit our own natural resources, coddling of terrorists, inflation beginning to rear its very ugly head, wars in countries where most people hate us, illegals slipping in and out of our country at will, and a president who seems aloof to it all. There is more worry about the future, even among those who planned for it the best they could. And the thoughts of what life will be like for our children and grandchildren can cause nightmares and paroxysms of guilt because, really, it is our fault.

With the regular stumbling going on in Washington, DC, it seems we are adrift. We are in desperate need of one real leader - a Reagan, a JFK, even an FDR.

All of the candidates thus far, with the exception of Ron Paul (who I regret to say may be too old), talk about some tinkering around the edges. They will cut spending and taxes, win wars in various ways, increase our exports, hold government accountable, create jobs, reduce regulations, solidify relations with our allies, and, generally, just do a little trimming of the ship of state, and all will be well. But they will not deviate meaningfully from the basic themes of the past fifty years.

It's been tried; it's not enough.

Donald Trump has stepped up and been a pleasant surprise with his straight speaking and innovative approaches. One of his ideas, to pay us back for all we did in Iraq by keeping control of the oil wells until we are paid the trillions we spent, sure sounds sensible. No amount of money will make up for our many brave soldiers who gave their lives there, of course, but getting paid back in these and other situations would sure help reduce our $14-plus trillion dollar debt. This approach can be applied to many of our foreign commitments and activities. Let other countries pay us for our efforts to reduce a load of the debt we now have.

He has had the courage to bring up the Obama birth controversy and he's not backing down, no matter how much he is scoffed at. That shows leadership qualities. And Trump has produced his birth certificate while Obama continues to spend millions to prevent many aspects of his background from being exposed. Something is amiss, and Trump is raising the questions at a high level on the national stage when no other candidates or potential candidates have the courage to do so. Of course, true to form, Whoopie Goldberg immediately called Trump a racist. The prospect of being accused of racism scares others, but it doesn't scare Trump. I like that.

To this point, I am quite impressed with Trump, and want to hear more.

Dave Buhlman is a former New Hampshire State Representative