Having written this personal opinion column for almost nine (9) years, I continue to pick up new readers with questions about my positions and convictions on public policy issues. This was the four hundred and fifty fourth (454th) column that appeared in The Barrow County News. From the first column until now, the attempt is to express my personal opinion on a wide range of public policy issues from the conservative viewpoint which I live.
I receive notes often from people that have read the column as it has been forwarded into other states and then forwarded again to other readers. Over the Christmas holidays, I received a note from someone on the other side of the country asking me to write my personal endorsement for certain people currently seeking the nomination to be the candidate for President. I have never used this column to endorse individuals. However, with my personal involvement in the political world outside of this column, I have worked as a volunteer for certain candidates. I will continue to do that, but this column, by my personal choice, will not be used to endorse any candidates. I prefer to deal with public policy issues and positions expressed through platforms of candidates and political parties rather than to highlight one candidate as my choice.
In the early days of writing this column I gave a list of non-negotiable positions that are part of my DNA as a conservative. Several times during these many years of having this column printed, I have referred back to those statements. Today, I am going to summarize the convictions I hold from a positive viewpoint. Sometimes when I hear from my readers, they want to know why I am negative rather than presenting a positive viewpoint. The list below is intended to be a positive statement about my personal beliefs and lifestyle. This list is presented without additional comment. As in all lists that are given, they do call for an expansion of thought and ideas as to why one holds to the stated view. That expanded column will take more space than I have, but will be carried out over the next several months. Following is the positive list of convictions motivating and driving my lifestyle and political positions.
I am pro-life; pro-personhood amendment; pro-free speech; pro-free press; pro-small government; pro-personal property rights; pro-local government; pro-local control of education; pro-biblical worldview; pro-Israel; pro-free elections; pro-gun rights; pro-US constitution; pro-strong national defense; pro-closed and protected borders; pro-family; pro-marriage as a union between one man and one woman; pro-domesticated animal owner; pro-freedom to worship; pro-protection for minors; pro-right to work; pro-personal mobility; pro-capital punishment; pro-capitalism; pro-protection for all abused (humans, fowls, or animals), pro-military; pro-law enforcement; pro-public, private or home school education; pro-rule-of-law; pro-human rights; pro-freedom to assemble; pro-freedom to petition government; pro-government transparency; pro-freedom to choose where to live, work, play, how to invest, where to worship, where to travel, a personal physician; pro-ethical government at all levels; pro-freedom of the air waves; and on a lighter side, pro-SEC sports.
As can be seen from this list, I am a partisan. I am biased, as are all people. I have never met a person who is completely devoid of preferences or opinions. With all due respect to my readers who were not blessed to be born in the South, my personal opinion is that food in the south is the best anywhere, and that football in the south is the best on the planet. I realize that in saying this many disagree, but that is their personal choice and opinion, just as I have my personal opinion. We are both free to express our opinions on the wider range of subjects impacting us all each day.
I will take a line or two to list a couple of things on which I am negative. My personal opinion is that the most useless organization on earth is the United Nations; it needs to be closed forever. I am also anti-political correctness.
Whatever your personal opinions and preferences might be, I am firmly certain that you have the right to express them, just as I do. We can disagree on principle, and even people, but let us never come to the place that because we disagree we seek through some government law to silence the person with whom we see things differently. We can begin this New Year without fear in expressing our beliefs and opinions.
Ray Newman
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Our nation needs new leaders
The New Year has started with a rush of activity. The presidential caucuses in Iowa this week signaled the beginning of what will be a long primary season leading up to the General Election in November. Following the caucuses in Iowa, there will be a pile of primaries in the next several weeks leading up to what is known as Super Tuesday, March 6. Even following the primaries there will be the various political party conventions where the final nominee for both of the national parties will be known. Many pundits, bloggers, and political observers are already calling this election the most important in their lifetime. Polls indicate there is a general unrest with and dislike for the direction our leaders are taking this nation. The dislike for Congress is at an all time high. The interesting interpretation by some political observers, however, indicate while there is a general dislike for the institution known as Congress, some people are not unsatisfied with the person who represents them in Congress. It seems those dots do not connect. It seems that with a dislike of Congress there would be overall dissatisfaction with individual members of Congress. We are being told the opposite is true. The strategy planned by some members of Congress who run for election is to run against the institution of Congress with a promise that they will make a difference and turn the tide of public thinking about the institution. There is also a rising sentiment to vote against any person who is currently in office. The “throw the incumbents out,” syndrome is resonating with some voters across the country.
The questions demanding answers are; “What happened?” “How have we gotten to this place in our nation?” As an observer of the political world, I offer the following attempt to answer those questions. What happened is a change in the trajectory of our country. The direction we have known and become comfortable with has been to grow, prosper, and better ourselves with each passing year and with each new administration in Washington. We have been told we are exceptional and have lived up to the expectations as a great nation. As people have come along to tell us that we are lazy, slothful, self-centered, greedy, and think only of self; that negative mantra has caused many to turn to the government to bail them out of that national funk. As depending on bigger government has grown from a bailout to a necessity just to make it through the day, we have shown signs of deepening the funk rather than being bailed out of it. We have gotten to this place in our nation by government entitlements. The attitude that the government is the answer to our every wish or want has caused an entire generation to grow up totally depending on the government for everything. We must come to the understanding that the entitlement generation and the attitude that government is the answer is bringing this nation to ruin. We are at a place in many votes in Congress where entitlements cannot be stopped, as they have automatic self-adjusting increases not allowing for a vote and they just continue higher each budget year. As entitlement costs go up, our nation goes down. There must be an honest debate and solution to the entitlement issue sooner rather than later. There are other issues also.
Political writer, Ann Coulter, said two things must be dealt with immediately by the next president. The first issue is immigration. We must seal our borders on all sides of our country. The second, and to Coulter the most important, is stopping the national healthcare debacle created by the current president. There is no tolerance for the change in this move into socialism of all aspects of the health care system from those who trumpet the glories of big government. The system of government-run health care is seated in an ever growing and larger government being involved in every area of our life.
The next election will determine the direction our nation will take over the next half century. Should we continue with bigger government and more personal loss of individual freedom? Will we stand up and stop this slide into socialism? What we need in our nation is a new start with new leaders that must be elected in November.
Ray Newman Copyright
January 4, 2012
The questions demanding answers are; “What happened?” “How have we gotten to this place in our nation?” As an observer of the political world, I offer the following attempt to answer those questions. What happened is a change in the trajectory of our country. The direction we have known and become comfortable with has been to grow, prosper, and better ourselves with each passing year and with each new administration in Washington. We have been told we are exceptional and have lived up to the expectations as a great nation. As people have come along to tell us that we are lazy, slothful, self-centered, greedy, and think only of self; that negative mantra has caused many to turn to the government to bail them out of that national funk. As depending on bigger government has grown from a bailout to a necessity just to make it through the day, we have shown signs of deepening the funk rather than being bailed out of it. We have gotten to this place in our nation by government entitlements. The attitude that the government is the answer to our every wish or want has caused an entire generation to grow up totally depending on the government for everything. We must come to the understanding that the entitlement generation and the attitude that government is the answer is bringing this nation to ruin. We are at a place in many votes in Congress where entitlements cannot be stopped, as they have automatic self-adjusting increases not allowing for a vote and they just continue higher each budget year. As entitlement costs go up, our nation goes down. There must be an honest debate and solution to the entitlement issue sooner rather than later. There are other issues also.
Political writer, Ann Coulter, said two things must be dealt with immediately by the next president. The first issue is immigration. We must seal our borders on all sides of our country. The second, and to Coulter the most important, is stopping the national healthcare debacle created by the current president. There is no tolerance for the change in this move into socialism of all aspects of the health care system from those who trumpet the glories of big government. The system of government-run health care is seated in an ever growing and larger government being involved in every area of our life.
The next election will determine the direction our nation will take over the next half century. Should we continue with bigger government and more personal loss of individual freedom? Will we stand up and stop this slide into socialism? What we need in our nation is a new start with new leaders that must be elected in November.
Ray Newman Copyright
January 4, 2012
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