As the time draws closer to the Democrat and Republican National Conventions there is little question as to who the party nominees for president will be. To nobody’s surprise, Donald Trump has led the Republican candidates from the beginning. Like it or not, he will probably be the Republican nominee for president in the November election.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton appears to have enough super delegates to defeat Bernie Sanders. However, the show continues as there are more primaries to endure before the nominations become official.
Once the conventions are held, the nominees selected and the presidential campaigns begin, we can expect it to be a slugout. Our hope is that the campaigns move away from trivial and superficial issues and the mudfest of the primaries to the serious business of electing a president. That person will be the leader of the free world and will possess enormous power, including the ability to go to war. Electing a president is serious business, and every voter should ponder their decision. Also, the candidates need to realize what the next president is up against and what it means to be leader not only of the United States, but of the free world.
For the most part, American citizens are frustrated with the choices for party nominees. They are frustrated with government and the inability of our leaders to effectively deal with extremely important issues that affect our lives, such as a complex and unfair tax system that favors the wealthy instead of the middle class. Also included are immigration laws and policies that are unreasonable both for citizens and non-citizens.
Our economy has yet to reach the level of performance prior to the 2008 recession. Both job and wage growth have been way too slow. Too many Americans are working low-paying jobs. Then, there are the numerous government regulations that have been unleashed on both businesses and ordinary citizens, many of which discourage growth and seem only to satisfy unknown bureaucrats in their quest for more power over others.
There are numerous issues and reforms that need to be discussed — Obamacare, Medicare, Social Security, jobs, higher wages, the drug problem in our country, highway infrastructure, the cost of higher education, just to name a few. There are competing opinions on how each of these problems should be addressed, but such competition should not be an excuse for continuing gridlock and inaction. We elect people to office in order to solve problems.
It is time to stop the name calling, mud slinging and start focusing on the issues and the problems facing Americans, and how to make this country better not only for our citizens, but for the whole world.
The American public is tired of the name calling. They want some answers to their problems. They are tired of politicians who promise but don’t deliver. We don’t think the answer is Donald or Hillary.
The real challenge of this presidential primary election season was to find leaders who have the skills to lead, to reach compromise and closure. Thusfar, we have failed. We can only hope for divine intervention.