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Opinion
Thoughts on Election Day
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
I am writing this on the eve of Election Day so outcomes are all unknown as of this moment. What we do know that it has been a long and raucous campaign so far. Possibly all the uproar is the normal way of things and we just forget every two years until the next election. Maybe we want to forget.
One thing that I won’t miss is the constant deluge of requests to send money to political parties and candidates campaigns. The requests come in the daily mail, on TV and radio plus about every website on the computer. Throw away, mute, delete delete delete is my usual response. Surely the requests must work though because they keep coming. They just don’t work at my house.
Thankfully we live in an area in our world where identity politics is not much of a factor. We don’t have large segments of our population with skin color black, brown or anything but white. About the main division between our homogeneously white population is between the sexes and bless the Lord for making us male and female. Viva la difference.
Identity politics on a national scale is, however, a more bothersome trend. They, always the ubiquitous “they”, accuse we white people of being racist because I guess we view people of different skin color, or different religion or different sex or some other perceived difference, rich, poor, something that we aren’t so all those other people must be inferior to ourselves. Not a good trend in my way of thinking and I would like to see us all try harder to get along with each other. Let’s all strive to be proud to be Americans together and live by what Jesus was trying to teach. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
I noticed recently that our Nebraska’s most successful investor, Warren Buffett put a bunch of money into the current campaign ballot initiative to make Medicaid for all. Not a good idea in my opinion but with Buffett there must be some angle. I suspect that if the initiative passes Buffett will be holding some stock or enterprise that stands to make money off the change. Gee, I wonder why I’m not looking forward to getting to pay more in taxes to support Medicaid when Buffett profits from it.
Doubt me? Then explain why it is that Buffett is consistently against completing the underground pipeline across Nebraska to carry crude oil from the fields in the north to refineries and exporting ports in the south. Ever notice the long unit trains of petroleum cars carrying crude oil running past us on the Burlington Rail Line? Not only does Buffett own controlling interest in our railroad he also owns the cars carrying the crude oil that make up the unit trains. So we get to pay more at the pump just to help line Buffett’s pockets with a little more gold. Why is this old guy a little suspicious or maybe a tad bitter?
Big talk at the coffee shop, the font of knowledge, last week about Gene Morris’ total back page ad in the Gazette bad mouthing our duly elected president. Several encouraged me to write a response. Gene for me has been a good reporter and editorial writer over the years. I always thought him to be an honest observer unprejudiced either for the Democrat or Republican Party. Truly an unbiased reporter as all should be but a rare commodity as of late. Unfortunately, Gene rather destroyed his reputation in his diatribe against President Trump. Maybe the pressure just kept building up and he finally exploded.
President Trump reminds me a lot of people that I served with in my own military career. Fellow crewmembers, officers and enlisted alike, for instance, expressed opinions of women that let’s say were different than laid out in the Bible our rule and guide for life. Mostly it was talk or boastful thinking that rarely came to fruition. Just talk or idle boasting. At times the words were gross and not for public consumption. Of course, during my career, we were not integrated with the capable females that serve today. It is a different world. So it is with Trump using his bully pulpit in the world of tweets. Idle boasting that really has no meaning or substance. No need to be offended, just the coarse individual that we elected to the highest office in our land.
It is what he gets done that is important. Believer in the Bible, understands that a large tax burden holds the economy down. Believes that strong fences make for good neighbors. Tends to abide by the intent of the framers of our Constitution. No need to be offended even if it isn’t the current way of Gene’s beloved Democrat party of today.
Oh yeah, tomorrow (the 7th) is Gene’s 80th. Wish him a Happy Birthday.
In another two years, there will be another “Most important election of our lifetime” and I have faith that our wonderful country will survive just as it will survive this one. Whether your favorite political party will gain or lose points, win or lose, America will still be the best country in the world to live in and raise our families. We are indeed blessed!
That is the way I saw it.