If I Were a Candidate For President

As early as my Junior year in High School, I have had a desire to run for some kind of public office. At first it was to become President of the United States someday. Then I decided that the intrusion of the press into my public life would just be to annoying to deal with. What I do in my personal life is no body's business! That said, I still wouldn't mind making a run for U.S. Senate or for Governor of Texas. (if Rick Perry can do it, anyone can!) I would have to convince my bride, Jamie, to support me though. She is convinced that being an elected official would change me fundamentally. She is probably right.

Still I can't help wondering what would be the major issues I would push for. Here are a few.

1) My number one campaign issue would be the national debt. The government of the U.S. needs to show fiscal responsibility. We cannot continue to live as a debtor nation for much longer. We have to stop borrowing money and learn to live off a budget free of needless pork projects. We need to have a plan to pay off the national debt even if it means making cuts that will hurt. We must make paying off the national debt our number one priority over all other issues. I would veto all budgets passed by the Congress unless they have a substantial amount of money set aside to pay off the national debt, which now stands (as of typing this post) at .

2) My second campaign issue would be to repair the infrastructure of the country. The roads, highways, overpasses, bridges, and canals that are essential for transportation in the United States are in much need of repair. It is estimated that the majority of the bridges/overpasses in the United States are on the verge of collapse, yet we continue patch them up as best we can and pray they don't fall apart and people die. We also need to repair the majority of the dams, levies, gas lines, oil lines, aqueducts and water/sewage lines. We have already seen the damage caused by failed levies in New Orleans and along the Mississippi River. Many of the major water lines that feed fresh water to our major cities have leaks that flooding communities and wasting 30-40% of the water that is supposed to be reaching the cities.

3) My third campaign issue would be to repeal most the major treaties that we have with other nations in regards to the use of the United States military. The United States may have the best military in the world, but we cannot and should not protect every other nation in the world at the risk of putting our own citizens in danger. We cannot afford to keep fighting long-term wars that other nations of the world could be handling on their own. We must protect our own borders and secure our own national security first.

4) My fourth campaign issue would be to beef up border security and to revamp our immigration laws. I am all for allowing citizens from other nations moving to the United States in order to live a better life; however, we must be responsible for who we allow to come into our nation and in what numbers. We must find a responsible way for those seeking citizenship to file the necessary paperwork and to become citizens within a reasonable time frame. We must also not be afraid to deport those who have entered the United States illegally. I realize that may result in sending back a huge chunk of our work force, but is an essential step in securing national security and for the proper utilization of taxes and for fair representation in Congress. If you want to live in the United States you must apply for citizenship in a legal manner.

5) One thing I would also suggest, and it is probably the most controversial; is that citizens would no longer have to pay an income tax, until the government learns to live off a balanced budget. If the government cannot spend our tax dollars responsibly, then we should not give them any more money to spend. I realize that this may make it harder to pay off the debt or fix our crumbling highways; but if a person has the right to withdraw their money from a failing bank, then they also should have the right to have the option to pay taxes to our government until the government can properly account for where that money is going and for what purpose.

Of course there are many other issues I could comment on, but these are my Big 5 issues. If you want to know how I stand on other issues, then feel free to leave a comment and I will answer.

Squirrels

I love watching the squirrels play in our yard. Something about them makes me feel peaceful. I like watching them chase each other up and down the trees. I like the sound they make when the run across our roof. I even break for the squirrels as they make their suicide runs across the streets.

Not, sure why I am blogging about squirrels. Maybe I just love the way God designed them.

This morning I watched some squirrels as they jumped from one tree to another. The "leap of faith" they take as they leap from one small swaying branch to another, takes "total faith" on their part, that the branches will hold their weight and keep them from falling. Maybe God reminds us all that sometimes we need to take a "leap of faith" and trust that He will provide a steady branch for us to land upon.

(Also check out my new gadget, added to the left. It is called Interesting Quote of the Week.)

As I Sit Here

As I sit here and type this post, many things are running through my head. I wonder if I am a real man. My wife works 4 different jobs, while I am just substitute teaching. I know I will get a job teaching full-time next school year, but what do I do in the meantime? I will take over for a teacher who will go on maternity leave in March. I will teach her classes until the end of May. What about the summer? I don't feel I am supporting my family at all. My wife is working so much that she barely has one weekend a month to spend with her family. I try to keep busy around the house when I am not subbing (cleaning, laundry, some yard work), but that is not enough. It seems the more we try to get ahead, by paying off debts or get some things fixed around the house, the more we are getting behind. Right now I wonder if the family would be better off without me. It seems I am the one causing most of our family problems right now. I didn't ask to be laid off from my last full-time job. I didn't cut the budget that cost me my job. Yet, I feel responsible. I didn't have to leave my full-time teaching job two years ago. I could have hung on longer. God I know you are with us; however, I am human and I would just like to know what is going on with us. When will I get a job teaching again. How long must we suffer; scrapping by check by check? I hate it that my wife is working so hard to be the main bread winner for our family, that's my job. God I should be working full-time. Please protect us from financial ruin until things get better. Help my children feel safe and secure. Take my wife's burdens away or give her extra boost of Your Spirit to help her through it. Keep our sanity intact. Don't let me or my wife get so depressed we do stupid things. Help us to feel your love and your protection. Now as I get up to sweep the floors, put a smile on my face and help to realize that things could be much worse.

Page 56 -- a Tag From Facebook

Rules:* Grab the book nearest you.* Turn to page 56.* Find the fifth full sentence.* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall.* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.* Tag friends that might actually own a book. (Magazines don't count. Even if you read them only for the articles.) The sentence is supposed to say something about you...?

The book closest to me is When Christ Comes by Max Lucado...my page 56 quote is: "It wasn't enough to see the course and walk the grounds, I wanted to see the locker room."

I haven't read this book in very long time. I rarely play golf; which this sentence is referring to. So what does this sentence say about me? I guess it's the history teacher in me. I don't just want to look at the golf course (the museum, the old fort, or the artifacts), I want to see the locker room. I want to "feel" the history involved in everything I learn. Maybe that's what it means.

Playing Racquetball With God!

This afternoon, after work, I decided to go get a work out at my local gym; after all I am paying for a membership. Despite being the middle of the day, the treadmills and bicycle machines were full. Being prepared, I had my racquetball equipment with me. I found an empty court to play in and decided to just to hit the ball around some. Alas, it is not much fun playing by yourself! So, I challenged God to play with me.

We would play like a normal game, except you could choose to take a 2nd bounce on the initial serve. God agreed. I served first and the game was on. I served, then God returned, and then I hit and so on. It did make my boring practice a lot more fun. In the end HE beat me 21-14! At least I scored. God could have cheated and used His powers to crush me, but I guess He wanted to make it fair. It wasn't like wrestling with Jacob though. At least Jacob wrestled God to a draw (sort of!), and got a name change. I still have my name and God still reigns supreme.

At least no one could hear me talking to myself, "17 serving 15, God's Serve!" I may just have to invite God to do more activities with me. I think He would like that!

I Need a Moment!

There are a few people I know who have had one or two "defining" moments in their life. A moment that profoundly changed the way they think or act. After looking long and hard into my past I am not sure I have had one of those moments.

Maybe I had one when I chose to be baptized into Christ; however, I was raised a Christian and the decision to follow Jesus came naturally. I have grown in my personal faith over the years, but sadly I don't think I have had the experience of "discovering Jesus" like those who found their personal faith in later years.

Maybe I had one when I got married. I had to learn to live with another person and learn to love Jamie as I loved myself; however, I don't think it radically changed my personal behavior until much later into the marriage. I was still selfish with what I desired and still tended lie about things more than I should.

Maybe I had one when my kids were born. Bringing new life into the world is a miracle, but I don't think it radically changed my behavior.

Maybe it was when my wife and I separated for a while in our 13th year of marriage. It was a major crisis of course. We had to work very hard to change both our behaviors. I did finally learn to love Jamie "unconditionally" and the experience did help me to stop judging others for their behaviors. It brought me to my knees in prayer and devotion, but this re-dedication to being in God's word and in prayer only lasted about a year. This maybe the closest I cam to a radical change of behavior or thinking.

You would think how I found out I had high blood pressure would have changed my behavior. After all the doctors thought I was having a stroke; however, I still do not eat as healthy as I should and I don't exercise like I should.

You would think joining the Army would have changed me, but alas all it did was get me in shape and give me some leadership skills.

I want a moment! I want a moment that will change my life. I know I need to be careful what I ask for! I really don't want that moment to be the death of a child, the end of my marriage or a crippling injury to myself or a loved one. I still want a moment. A moment I can look back on and say, "This moment changed my way of life forever!" Maybe I have already had those moments, and I am just unappreciative of them; after all the Israelites of the Bible had many "Big Moments" (the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Laws from the mountain, and many others) but they still fell away from God from time to time.

Maybe I'm not meant for big changes all at once. My OCD would not like that at all, but maybe that's what I want. I want to scare my OCD right out of me. Until then, I will learn to look back on and love the smaller moments that created small changes that have improved me little by little.

Is There Such a Thing as Food Porn?

As most men do (if they admit it or not), I struggle not to look a little to long at the over sexual advertisements that blanket the television airwaves. I have also hesitated a tad to long when about to delete that spam e-mail asking me to view the available women in the local area. Even though pornography is not one of my major struggles, I do know my limitations and I do my best to avoid looking at or supporting anything that has to do with the porn industry.

What I do struggle with is, the overwhelming number of food commercials out there. I may not be looking or seeking out naked women, but I am constantly tempted to eat the calorie friendly Subway Sandwiches, the Red Lobster shrimp specials, or the best pizza deals from Papa John's or Pizza Hut. Food can, and is, controlling a large part of my thoughts. If I am correct, isn't this gluttony? Gluttony is a sin right? How am I supposed to focus my energies on the bread of life, when I can't quit thinking about the delicious bread sticks at Olive Garden?

I think the food commercials are affecting me much like the half-naked Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders affect someone with a porn/sex addiction. I am going to have train myself to fast forward past food commercials when watching shows I have recorded. I am going to have to train myself to turn down the volume and look away from the television when the commercial for Burger King's Bacon, Mushroom and Swiss burger fills the screen. I do this when half-naked women appear in the commercials; why can't I do this when food comes on the commercials?

What about the billboards along the roads? When I see a billboard for a XXX place or a "Gentleman's Club" it almost makes me sick; yet, when I see a billboard for IHOP's latest monthly special, with those delicious looking syrupy pancakes, I "lust" for them.

I think I have stumbled across the answer to my food addiction. Treat food like I do pornography and I just may see things a little differently. Food Porn, that's what I'm calling it. It looks pleasing to the eyes, but it destroys your body and soul.