THE 18th LEDGE

THE 18^th LEDGE

By:  Mike Foil

Dateline:  11/06/2012, Election Night

Many of us just witnessed the results of a very long and hard fought campaign to select, not only who the next president will be, but also the fundamental direction of the United States.  “Over dramatic!” you might be thinking.  I do not believe so.  We just witnessed four years of a very radical agenda being pushed upon America.  If that was not enough to cause extreme concern in the hearts and minds of her citizens, then those same hearts and minds are so far removed from the principles of our founding that it may not be possible to turn the country around after “four more years”. 

The question was already floating around as to whether or not it was already too late, even with a change in the White House; but, with no change to who sits behind that desk; the laws, treaties and executive orders put in effect during the next term; along with the policies, regulations, and back-room deals by the unelected will change the course of America to such an extent that she will never look the same as she did in the not too distant past. 

It is speculated that during the next four years that the president will appoint two justices to the Supreme Court.  Whoever they are, they will wield considerable influence over our lives and those who follow us for generations.  We have learned by the last two appointments just what type of Justice our president considers to be good for America.  Both are biased towards a very liberal agenda.  With those two on the bench, our current court is pretty much evenly divided; so much so that controversial decisions made by the Supreme Court can go either way.  Once there are additional appointments with the same leaning, there will be court decisions supporting conservative principles only on rare occasions. 

Liberal America has exposed for all to see their desires and dreams for our country.  We had glimpses and had gained a reasonable understanding of their goals, but we had not had an all-out assault, based on those goals, until the last four years.  Especially while the Democrats had full control of the House, Senate and White House; they were quick to push for as much as they could get, as fast as they could.  During this election cycle, we observed the Democrat base unhappy that more of the Left’s agenda was not fully implemented.  With a president who does not have to worry about another election, with the Senate still firmly in control by Leftists and with the Supreme Court not something that will need to be worried about; it will be full-speed-ahead.

What can we expect during the next four years?  First of all, there is no reason to believe that the president or the Senate will see the necessity of “reaching across the aisle” to the Republicans in the House in order to reach compromise on most issues.  They did not do that during the first term when a re-election was an issue.  Why would we believe it when they say they will do it now?  Remember when President Obama told the Republicans, soon after being elected to the first term, that they (the Democrats) won and the Republicans would just have to live with that fact.  Expect more of the same during the upcoming term.

Second, we can expect a continuation of liberal polices, but this time, with more gusto after winning another election.  We will see tax increases (and not just an income tax increase on the “rich”), continual high prices with additional inflation affecting the family budget to a greater degree, more deficit spending, more borrowing, more printing of massive amounts of dollars, much higher national debt, the push towards “green energy”, the restrictions on oil drilling, the closing of coal mines and electric generation plants that use coal, restrictions on atomic power plants, limited drilling for our own oil, a push for environmental issues (of the radical type), promotion of “global warming” and the enactment of regulations to battle “climate change”, more gun control, did I mention less drilling for our own oil, continued snubbing of Israel, a coziness towards Iran and other Islam nations where the Muslim Brotherhood has (or wants) control, a weaker military, a weaker defense of our nation, stronger abortion rights, implementation of “Obamacare” (with its massive costs and oversight on many aspects of our personal lives), less privacy both on and off the Internet, Internet control by government, taxes for using the Internet, national submission to the United Nations, continuation of the policies where we arm our enemies and insult our allies, “more flexibility” with Russia, tax money to support unions, tax money to political supporters of the president, more people on food stamps and other welfare programs, a continuation of high unemployment and underemployment due to government policies which are anti-business, and the continuation of reams of new regulations being dumped on citizens and businesses by unaccountable agencies and czars who are answerable only to the president.  We will see the DOJ (Department of Justice) continue to stonewall the Congress in the investigation of “fast and furious” gun running to Mexican criminals.  We will continue to get no real answers on how and why we had four brave Americans murdered in Libya and why no help was made available.  We will see an all-out push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (which amounts to weaker laws, more amnesty for those who broke our laws, and less enforcement and protection of our borders).   

There will be tremendous pressure on the Republican members of the House of Representatives to “compromise”.  For the next four years, these Representatives are our only line of defense against the radical agenda.  We have lost the presidency, the control of the Senate and soon, the balance on the Supreme Court.

Half of voting Americans (if you include all the votes cast, whether legal or not) want more of the same.  Half want a drastic change.  The hope for change just vanished into drifting smoke!  The Republicans in the House have been called “the party of ‘No!’”  Right now, all we can hope for is that they will stand strong and do everything possible to save our nation from going full-speed down the same path that is causing countries in Europe to collapse. 

“The 18^th Ledge” is the point of despair where I found myself earlier this evening, after it became clear as to the major outcome of this election.  I have been talked back in, off of the ledge, for now.